A Few Signs of the Times

By Mark Tosh
Monday, September 6, 2021 1:30 AM One of my favorite magazine features over the years was the item Sports Illustrated called, “This Week’s Sign That the Apocalypse Is Upon Us.” It was just a sentence or two recounting a crazy fact or happening that left you smiling or shaking your head—or both.

Health Care Gets a New Look

By Mark Tosh
Monday, February 8, 2021 12:00 AM There are times in life when we get caught up in places where we can’t see the forest for the trees. Chalk it up to outside distractions, a fixation on a single issue or, perhaps more likely in the current climate, a preoccupation with a global pandemic.

Reconfiguring the Plan

By Mark Tosh
Monday, September 21, 2020 12:00 AM A few weeks ago, I sent an email to people across the optical community asking if they could share a “good news” story. The idea was to collect these positive narratives and put them into a VMAIL Weekend feature.

The Time Is Right for Telehealth

By Mark Tosh
Monday, June 22, 2020 1:00 AM The genie, as they say, is out of the bottle. This is the genie known as telehealth, telemedicine or even tele-optometry. Whatever one calls it, there certainly has been a rush of activity in which individual doctors provide remote diagnosis and treatment services to an individual patient.

Digging into Digital Ad Trends

By Mark Tosh
Monday, November 11, 2019 12:00 AM From a media perspective, staying on top of internet advertising trends is a “must-do” today. But marketers, too, have more reason than ever to be aware of the developments taking place in digital advertising.

Change Is Hard

By Mark Tosh
Monday, July 15, 2019 12:00 AM Bouncing around the trade show/conference circuit, we’ve found it’s hard to avoid running into a discussion or two about the imminent “changes” on the horizon that will shake up the entire industry, whether it’s the retail sector, health care or even the media business. There probably isn’t an industry segment out there that doesn’t have its share of advisers and consultants who address the topic of change on a regular basis at industry get-togethers. In the past, we’ve tended to take these talks with a grain of salt (and sometimes a shot of tequila).

Rethinking the Classical Approach to Marketing

By Mark Tosh
Monday, March 11, 2019 12:30 AM Suffice it to say I am not a real marketer. I read a lot about marketing theories and can debate either side of the art-or-science question, but I skipped the classical training part and didn’t become familiar with the 4Ps (product, price, place and promotion) until midway in my professional life. As old-school marketers know, the marketing-mix framework and most marketing management decisions were shaped by the 4Ps for decades.

What Are You Thankful For?

By Mark Tosh
Monday, November 12, 2018 12:30 AM This is the time of year when we like to take a moment and identify the many things that we appreciate for making the daily journey more interesting and pleasurable. While there are certainly some omissions from this list, here are just a few things that we’d like to acknowledge as our thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and all that this annual holiday represents.

Today’s Baseball Has New Rules

By Mark Tosh
Monday, June 11, 2018 12:00 AM Baseball has been one of my favorite things for a long time. There’s something about the way it combines athletic skills, a degree of strategic thinking and even a bit of risk taking.

The Year’s Biggest Story?

By Mark Tosh
Monday, December 18, 2017 12:10 AM As the final days of 2017 approach, we’re intrigued by the year-end lists that the media rolls out. While we can’t weigh in on best movies, songs or TV shows, we do have an opinion about the biggest events in optical.

Small Business Saturday Puts Feet on the Street

By Mark Tosh
Friday, November 17, 2017 12:42 PM NEW YORK—It’s the most wonderful time of the year (to borrow a lyric from the late Andy Williams), especially if you’re in the retail business. Black Friday, Sofa Sunday (a research day for online shoppers) and Cyber Monday are all record-setting holiday shopping events and red-letter days on the retail calendar. But don’t overlook Small Business Saturday, which is becoming a consumer force in its own right. Read the full Weekend edition.

Take Me Out to The Ballgame…
Where Baseball and Eyesight Take the National Stage

By Mark Tosh
Friday, October 13, 2017 11:24 AM

NEW YORK—Perhaps in no sports competition is great eyesight more important than it is in baseball. Indeed, superior vision is generally acknowledged to be a prerequisite for attaining the highest levels of competition in the sport. Click here to read this week's VMail Weekend.

Are You Ready for Some (College) Football?

By Mark Tosh
Friday, August 25, 2017 1:01 PM Well, you’re not alone, since so many in the optical business are loyal and proud fans of their college alma maters. Yes, for many of us, the most lasting connection to our college days are those ties to Saturday afternoons at the stadium, and the memorable tailgating before the game, cheering and celebrating every touchdown or big defensive play, and then rehashing it all over again into the wee hours of the morning. Click here to read this week's VMail Weekend.

No More Dog Days of Summer

By Mark Tosh
Monday, August 14, 2017 12:00 AM In the good old days, or at least when I was younger, the dog days of summer were a welcome respite in August for winding down, sneaking in a last-minute summer vacation or just listening to a baseball game on the radio. Wouldn’t it be nice to have those dog days back?

Overheard

By Mark Tosh
Sunday, August 13, 2017 12:00 AM