Brand Autopsy

Paul Williams Moving to the Idea Sandbox

Life is moving fairly fast for Brand Examiner Paul Williams. Paul has decided to focus his business and blogging efforts on supporting his wicked cool Idea Sandbox concept. You can read all about his goings-on over at the Idea Sandbox blog.

The Brand Autopsy blog will miss Paul’s marketing musings. However, we can always warm up a batch of Paul Williams’ Marketing Musings Leftovers by visiting his collection of Brand Autopsy posts … Paul Williams’ Sandbox.

Drop P-Dub an email to wish him well … paul(at)idea-sandbox.com.

Promotional Code Mini-Rant

How much of a sucker do you feel like when you're buying something on-line and there's a space to enter a 'promotional code.'

That means that someone with the secret sequence of numbers and letters is getting it cheaper than you.

I've seen websites that provide you with kracks. Illegal serial numbers that unlock commercial software. I wondered if there are websites dedicated to providing promotional code kracks.

The answer is - Yes.

Uncle Carsalesman? Mini-Rant

Okay, so auto lenders have found a new twist. Offer us the 'employee discount.' The announcer on the Ford commercial stated, "Welcome to the family!"

Maybe I don't want to be related to my car salesman.

* * *

Update: Shelley (see comments) let me know this is the discount the manufacturers get... the ones building the cars. I'm okay being related to those folks. That's hard work. - PW

Keys to the Loo

If you've ever use the restroom at a downtown Starbucks location... you'll relate to what I'm talking about...

At Starbucks, the objects often used to keep restroom keys from getting stolen are objectionable... A collection of unsanitary, food-related large metal objects. A distasteful choice for a place that's all about taste.

Yeah... I understand the challenge... Absent-minded customers tend to forget and leave the keys in the restroom... Evil-minded customers tend to steal the keys... Gotta make 'em big... hard to miss.

I'm currently at Top Pot Doughnuts... a fresh donut / coffee shop that's quickly becoming an institution in Seattle. Someone just emerged from the restroom... What was attached to the restroom key?

[fig. 1] "Doughnut Cutter"

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Many of you may be familiar with the scene in The Jerk that parodies this phenomenon. Steve Martin's character, Navin R. Johnson, was given the key to the gas station restroom attached to...

[fig. 2] "Wheel Rim"

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The objects below are items commonly attached to Starbucks restroom keys.

[fig. 3] "Steaming Pitcher"
What am I supposed to do with this? Fill it up?

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[fig. 4] "Large Metal Spoon"
I guess if things get clogged... This could help?

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[fig. 5] "Ice Scoop"
Iced Crappuccino, anyone?

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[fig. 6] "Wire Pastry Basket"
Geez... this is one step away from the metal wheel rim...
Luckily Starbucks doesn't merchandise their food in these anymore.

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It's a shame Starbucks doesn't consider itself a restaurant... it should... Perceived sanitation is a key part of running a restaurant. A place as 'classy' as Starbucks is (and wants to be) should be more mindful of details as gross as this. You get what this has to do with marketing... The image of a restaurant is primarily driven by perceived cleanliness and handling of food.

After all, a company's brand is partly driven by its image.

7-Eleven on 7/11

A reminder how customer expectations change over time...

The convenience store that invented convenience stores, 7-Eleven got it's name because it was open during the unheard of hours of 7:00 am until 11:00 pm.

At that time that was remarkable. That was unheard of.

Here's a bit from the 7-Eleven site.

7-Eleven pioneered the convenience store concept way back in 1927 at the Southland Ice Company in Dallas, Texas. In addition to selling blocks of ice to refrigerate food, an enterprising ice dock employee began offering milk, bread and eggs on Sundays and evenings when grocery stores were closed. This new business idea produced satisfied customers and increased sales, and convenience retailing was born!

The company's first convenience outlets were known as Tote'm stores since customers "toted" away their purchases, and some even sported genuine Alaskan totem poles in front. In 1946, Tote'm became 7-Eleven to reflect the stores' new, extended hours - 7 a.m. until 11 p.m., seven days a week. The company's corporate name was changed from The Southland Corporation to 7-Eleven, Inc. in 1999.

Do Something

One of the earliest business rules I can recall that made a HUGE difference in my professional style was...

Never present a problem to your boss without having a suggested solution ready. Don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution.

In their book, Why People Business People Speak Like Idiots, Fugere, Hardaway & Washawsky take this lesson further. They call it... Do Something.

Here's an excerpt of the passage...

"...Never present a problem without actually doing something that represents a positive step to fix it. Even if it's nothing more than scheduling a trip to visit the disgruntled customer, do something. Show momentum toward and answer, even if you don't know what the answer is. There's a difference between bad news with signs of hope and bad news presented from the deepest pits of despair. You don't want to be the happy messenger, but it's not much better to be the hopeless prophet of doom."

For those passionate professionals wondering how they can position themselves for the next role at their organization this is one of those priceless tips.

For more tips on being better at your job, I highly recommend the book The Unofficial Guide to Power Managing by Alan Weiss. We've mentioned this before on Brand Autopsy... This book is so good you won't want to tell your co-workers you're reading it.

Imaginary Board of Directors

A best practice for creative problem solving is to form an Imaginary Board Of Directors.

The Imaginary Board of Directors is a "...fantasy board of powerhouse business leaders and innovators who will assist you in overcoming your business challenges." (from the book Thinkertoys)

This board may consist of any person you admire most, living or dead. The instructions Michael Michalko offers in Thinkertoys to form and use this board are as follows:*

1. Select three to five business movers and shakers, living or dead, whom you admire most.
2. Get photographs of your Board and pin them up to constantly remind you of the talent at your disposal.
3. Research your heroes. Read everything about your heroes that you can get your hands on.
4. Take notes on your favorite passages. Pay particular attention to the creative techniques they employed to solve problems.
5. When you have a challenge, consult the members of your board and imagine how they would solve it.

One of the fellas on my Imaginary Board of Directors is Walt Disney. I have admired him all my life.

Others on my list include: Henry Ford, Tom Edison, Al Einstein, Ben Franklin, Mark Twain, Steve Martin and the McVicker brothers.

When trying to solve a business or marketing problem... I'll ask myself... what would Twain say? What would Edison do? How would Martin handle this situation?

Who would be on your list?

*Paraphrased from the great book:Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 1991. pg. 178

Blog = Call-In Radio Show

A couple of Brand Autopsy readers have e-mailed John and I with the clever subject line:

"Long Time Listener, First Time Caller"

That's the stereotypical line listeners use when they call into a radio show...

Thinking about this line for a few minutes made me realize, that's basically what a blog is... a special-topic radio program.

A program that anyone with an internet tuner can adjust their web dial to...

There are so many people who have heard the word BLOG, but don't know exactly what it means.

The call-in radio program is an easy to get metaphor that bridges the understanding-of-technology gap.

Folks understand that certain radio programs appeal to certain audiences and that you have the option to tune in or tune it out.

They get the concept of calling into a radio show.

They get that the opinions of the radio personality and the opinions of the callers are just that... their opinions.

From a business perspective, perhaps this is a good filter for determining whether your company should engage in blogging.

• How would your customers value from a call-in radio show?
• What would you say if you were the radio host? What would be your topics?
• What are the limitations of your own radio program?
• What would be the purpose and value of your company going on the air?

"Go ahead caller, the lines are open."

Worthy Customer Service Reads

This evening (Thursday) I'm speaking about marketing and customer experience to an MBA class, at Pacific Lutheran University located south of Seattle.

I plan to share my experiences at Starbucks, ARAMARK and Disney... with particular emphasis on - customer focus, customer expectations, service strategy and closing service gaps. I'll let you know how it goes.

The professor, Merl Simpson, uses the textbook - "Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm" by Valarie Ziethaml & Mary Jo Bitner.

Most of the books I read are traditional bookstore business books... not college text. This book was a great read...

For the MBAs, I've put together a list of the service related books on my shelves that they may want to check out...

Here it is:

• All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World - Seth Godin
  
  
• BE OUR GUEST: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service - The Disney Institute
  
  
• Creating and Delivering Totally Awesome Customer Experiences - Gary W. Millet | Blaine W. Millet
  
  
• Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force - Jackie Huba | Ben McConnell
  
  
• Customer Experience Management: A Revolutionary Approach to Connecting with Your Customers - Bernd H. Schmitt | Bernd Schmitt
  
  
• Free Prize Inside!: The Next Big Marketing Idea - Seth Godin
  
  
• Improvise This! How to Think on Your Feet So You Don't Fall on Your Face - Mark Bergren | Molly Cox
  
  
• Managing the Customer Experience: Turning Customers into Advocates - Shaun Smith | Joe Wheeler
  
  
• Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers - Seth Godin
  
  
• Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable - Seth Godin
  
  
• The Customer Revolution: How To Thrive When Customers Are In Control - Patricia Seybold | Ronni T. Marshak
  
  
• The Disney Way - Bill Capodaglia | Lynn Jackson
  
  
• Uncommon Practice: People Who Deliver A Great Brand Experience - Shaun Smith | Andy Milligan
  

Guaranteed Satisfaction (Old School)

Starbucks Coffee Company headquarters is located in a building in Seattle that, in 1912, was where Sears, Roebuck and Co. opened its first catalog distribution center outside Chicago.

There is a mural in the lobby illustrating - in Starbucks style - maps, images and icons celebrating the history of the building and the area. One of these illustrated elements is the "Sears Guarantee" circa 1914. It reads...

"We Guarantee.

That each and every article in this catalog is exactly as described and illustrated.

We guarantee that any article purchased from us will satisfy you perfectly - that it will give the service you have a right to expect - that it represents full value for the price you pay.

If for any reason whatever you are dissatisfied with any article purchased from us, we expect you to return it to us at our expense. We will then exchange it for exactly what you want, or will return your money, including any transportation charges you have paid.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. Chicago and Seattle, Wash"

Imagine the impact if some company... any company... had the fortitude to offer this level of customer service and satisfaction today?

How Is Blogging Helping?

No, really... What is blogging doing to help marketing? Customer communications? Innovative ideas? How is it helping tell the story?

What types of marketing advances are being accomplished? How are we helping ourselves?

THE POSITIVES

INFORMATION SHARING
Blogs have offer marketers a way to exchange thoughts to a broader group of folks than normally could be reached. We've formed little town centers... gathering spots... each with their own set of topics.

ONLINE NEWSLETTERS
We've created online newsletters where editors can share their perspective on a topic, link to those who are like-minded, and challenge those who disagree.

BROADER PEER BASE
We're able to meet and discuss topics with folks from around the globe. Normally you would only be able to reach folks at your own company... or professionals you'd meet at a conference... or at professional organization meetings. Blogging is a nice way to network.

These ways of connecting are great. They allowed us to broaden our peripheral vision...

But...

THE QUESTIONS

TALKING TO OURSELVES
We've formed small communities, but we're still talking to ourselves... I feel like we've formed on-line clicks... A new version of chat rooms. Other than sharing stories in our own group... What are we doing to share our perspective outside of our group? (If you're not in the chat room, you'll miss the conversation).

ARE WE MAKING A DIFFERENCE?
But HOW is blogging helping us? Our profession? Most effective groups have found ways to organize themselves... form some rules... create process... ensure different folks have different roles... drive a common vision among the group. Should we be better organized either as individuals or as a whole?

I'm not suggesting that we have to unite and lose our individuality... But what are we currently accomplishing? We seem like armchair quarterbacks... back-seat drivers... We view the world from behind out keyboards and make observations and ponder to one another...

What can we do to make ourselves more productive? How can we best use this new tool?

LOW PRIORITY: Read Later

Why do we read e-mails marked as LOW PRIORITY first?

Is it that the blue down-arrow is so uncommon it stands out?

Is it because we know that it's non-urgent, probably personal, and fun? It, therefore, deserves to be opened immediately?

I have found that I get faster responses from a recipient when I select the LOW PRIORITY option... Faster than a NORMAL e-mail... and often times, faster than an URGENT red exclamation point message.

Interesting.

Idea Sandbox: "Plan B: Part II"

Thanks for your comments... your great comments... You're hired!

You are totally right in your suggestions... Slow cooked chili is better.

However... I've not given up... I'm re-examining.

I have confidence that I would put together a phenomenal, buzz-worthy place...

This development (of a competitor getting there first) has added a huge factor into my business equation... I'd be a fool not to re-consider my original plans...

When I did my market analysis... it was pretty clear the idea was even stronger because there's nothing like it within 2000 miles. Now there's a place within 20 miles.

I'm not chickening out... I'm being smart about my plan. I want to work smarter, not harder.

Does it make as much sense to open a brainstorming place in a town that's got a brainstorming place?

I met with Kevin Hoffberg, the CEO of ThinkSpot yesterday afternoon. I had to. We are too like-minded. They've got some big plans over there at ThinkSpot and are in a different position than I am in (both financially and with an existing customer base).

But meeting with Kevin opened a different set of doors as well...

So now I'm in a spot to explore these options...

1. In Bruce's words... "Be the first in the mind of the customer. Do it better, or not at all."
2. In Adam's words... "Offer something that they don't to differentiate."
3. In the words of the old adage... "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

In the words of Snagglepuss... "Heavens to Murgatroid!"

Thanks folks for your well-thought words.

I'll keep you posted.

• For more context on this post... please read the comments to the "Idea Sandbox: 'Plan B'" post.
  
• For background about the Idea Sandbox, please read my original post.

Idea Sandbox: "Plan B"

I received an e-mail today, forwarded from a friend, announcing that ThinkSpot in Seattle is having their Grand Opening Gala next month.

What is ThinkSpot?

"ThinkSpot is a brand new meeting and event facility... We are housed in an artist loft studio building, and our spaces have been specifically designed to encourage creativity, collaboration, and forward-thinking."

Sound familiar?

Yep. Same concept as the Idea Sandbox project I've been discussing.

"The Idea Sandbox will be the most creative meeting space on the west coast.

One step inside this idea wonderland, you’ll understand how Idea Sandbox is inspiring businesses and entrepreneurs alike to dream the unthinkable and do the impossible."

What's better? The real estate I was planning to lease is literally 10 seconds from where they are opening in June.

I'm sure the folks at ThinkSpot did the same research as I... Determined that Seattle could really use a creative meeting space... A creative meeting space. Not two. Especially not two across the street from each other.

So now what?

What do you do when competition beats you to the market? (Perhaps this is a post for another day).

Here's what I've done so far...

• I've sent a note to the founders, inviting them to coffee. The CEO and co-founder Kevin wants to meet. We're going to see about working with each other vs. against each other.
• I pulled out my newsprint pad and fine point Sharpie and am using my brainstorming and solution providing expertise to come up with a stellar "Plan B."

Keep your aggregators pointed here.

(This entry is simulposted on the Idea Sandbox blog).

Delicious Library - A Tasty Application

It's not as often we Mac folks get a Mac-only application that can make PC users drool... But Delicious Library is one of them.

This catalog software stores a record of your books, DVDs and games on your Mac. But not just in list form... It shows you the book covers merchandised on swanky wooden shelves... It's a neat way to keep track of what books you own. The latest version (1.5) has been built to utilize new features of the latest Mac OS "Tiger."

Here's how it works...

You enter your book information, either by using the search-by-name option or by entering the UPC or ISBN number. What's even cooler, is that you can also scan your items using a your webcam! (It has built-in compatibility with the Mac iSight camera).

Simply place the UPC code in front of your camera and an audible beep indicates your item has been scanned - just like they do at the grocery store with a barcode reader. The next thing you know, your item appears on your on-screen book shelf. (This option is a must for those of us with growing book collections).

'Couple more cool functions... If you loan books out, you simply drag the book (or DVD or game) icon to their name in your address book, indicate the due date and it records who borrowed the book and when. And you can synch your library list on your iPod - pretty cool.

Finally, the feature that made this software worth the $40 purchase... Suggested Reading.

The software is linked to Amazon.com's database. When you click on a book on your shelf and choose the SIMILAR option. A display provides a list of recommended related reading... (Pictured above, this list is to the right of the shelves). It's an indispensable tool for those who enjoy digging deeper into a topic.

PC users... there is a similar product called ReaderWare, but from the reviews I've read it's not as pretty and you'd need to purchase three different apps to manage books, DVDs and games.

A great tool for bloggers and business folk who want a clever way to track your library. Read more about the functionality at the Delicious Monster website.

Enjoy.

Innovative Index

While I expect a book about creative problem solving to inspire me with innovative ideas, I don't expect the book itself to necessarily be innovative in its approach. "The Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox" by Richard Fobes offers something I'd never seen before.

I wanted to look up different ways to illustrate ideas or visual thinking...

The index lists...

Visually, thinking 128.1 - 131.5

What's with the decimals?

I saw the graphic (shown here) at the beginning of the index. This is what the author wrote...

"Page numbers are given in tenths. The number to the left of the decimal point is the page number. The digit (0-9) to the right of the decimal point indicates how far down the page, as indicated on the ruler to the right, to find the referenced paragraph."

Wouldn't you know... when I turned to page 128, just about 3/4-of-an-inch from the top of the page he started describing visual thinking.

Pretty cool. What a great idea. Fobes has made it much easier to get to where you want to go within his book. (By the way, his book is chock full of excellent problem solving techniques - a worthy reference).

"Mark This Ticket Resolved"

SHORT VERSION OF THIS POST (The Summary)

Movable Type provides kick-butt support for their products. Their Help Ticket system and user support team is fast, responsive, and thorough.

Their team member Kymberlie "saved the day" for me by helping me get my blog up and running. She "saved a customer" for Six Apart by being so swift and helpful.

If you are contemplating investing in Movable Type - do it.
If you are afraid you can't handle the technology - don't worry. You're in good hands with their on-line Knowledge Base and Help Ticket system.

LONG VERSION OF THIS POST (The Background)

I've made the leap (both financial and technical) to Movable Type (MT) software. MT is the user configurable, Grande version of TypePad.

The reasons for this purchase were that I wanted...
a) more control over the look of my Idea Sandbox blog, and
b) a URL linked to my domain name (idea-sandbox.com/blog vs. idea-sandbox.typepad.com)

I've monkeyed with the personal version of MT in the past and found its references to PERL, SQL and CSS just beyond my geek abilities.

However, I noticed a 30-day money back guarantee on the MT website and proceeded under an "if I can't figure it out, I'll get my money back" premise.

I paid. I downloaded the source files. I followed the thorough instructions letter-by-letter. (Fellas, these aren't like IKEA instructions that you can fake and be a hero. You've actually gotta read 'em... completely).

I learned about MySQL. I found the path to PERL. I changed file permissions. (755 is a key number). All seemed to be going well.

However, when it came time to run the test files - it crashed.

I tweaked the code.

It crashed again.

I saw that you could submit a help ticket to MT, but assumed, like most other form/e-mail based "help" systems, you'll be lucky to receive an auto-response let alone a note from a real person.

I created a help ticket and grabbed a quick dinner. To my surprise, I had a reply waiting in my inbox when I came back to my PowerBook.

It took me several tickets and lots of modification of .cgi and .cfg files...

I'm still tweaking the templates to get it to look exactly like I want... But, I'm 90% there...

Two neat stories, then I'm signing off...

A woman named Kymberlie helped me with my ticketS - and ended up sticking with me until I was up and running! You get an idea of how much help I needed... She cheerfully and accurately guided me through the set-up process step-by-step.

Last Tuesday Kymberlie responded to my help tickets at:

12:30 in the afternoon - TICKET 1. This was one of my first cries for help. She was there again at...

10:54 pm at night - TICKET 2, and still at...

11:25 pm - TICKET 3

The next morning she was back again helping me at...

8:36 am - TICKET 4

8:40 am - TICKET 5 (she asked me for some detailed ftp information to help me where I couldn't help myself)

At 8:56 am, I changed my files to what she suggested in the previous message and I was up and running!

I checked the box -> MARK THIS TICKET RESOLVED

Sarah helped me with some style sheet coding... Even though my questions were beyond the scope of the type of support MT provides... she was cool enough to suggest some coding AND gave me four different links to websites that would solve my problem.

You can't beat customer service like that!

Thank you to the MT Support Team!

Idea Sandbox: The First Sifting

Thank you for your comments regarding my new business, the Idea Sandbox... and my plan to open source the building and launch of this concept.

Here’s the reaction to the idea thus far...

RAVES
Initial reaction and feedback from the folks below was positive excitement. You can read all of the comments made on Brand Autopsy here... Below are links to posts on other folk's sites...

"Sounds pretty fun to me. I think an inspiring environment can really help folks do the thinking thing... I'm not sure about that word ideation, I think most folks would settle for having ideas. Setting that niggle to one side, I wish Paul lots of good fortune with this, it sounds like a bold effort to make a dream come true." - Johnnie Moore

"OK meeting planners, this is your chance to help see the space you've always wanted actually come to life. Go on over and tell him what you think." - Sue Pelletier

RUMINATIONS
These folks posed great questions, both challenging the concept AND stretching the concept. I'll be addressing these comments in future posts. Thank you for your comments...

"I'm not sure about that word ideation, I think most folks would settle for having ideas..." - Johnnie Moore

During the boom we had one of these facilities in my old neighborhood in Palo Alto, called KnowWhere ...As powerful as the idea was, this particular venture failed. Do you have any insight as to the causes of that or similar businesses failing? - Steve Portigal

How is your service going to attract businesses other than giving them space? Are you going to have experienced professionals come in to work with the groups that sign up or are you going to have a set staff of "ideators"? If you bring in gurus, do companies have to pre-plan so that you can bring in who they want, or do you pre-book the gurus and then sign up companies to pay for their stay with your company - Walker Hamilton

Congrats on striking it out on your own! Hairy, scary, but never boring. You should research Catalyst Ranch and the owner, Eva. She is very open and has learned a ton about how to manage and promote such a space. We at Alphachimp Studio Inc. have launched a sister-site to yours focused on the use of visual learning to solve real world problems: www.graphicfacilitation.com. I hope that this could become a way for creative practitioners as yourself to hook up with graphic facilitators and useful tools. - Peter Durand

Here are a couple ideas that "plus" the concept to something even bigger and better...

"Why don't you have a second offering where people can use your blog to ideate - without having to go in and do a session. All virtual, based off of your blog. - Tom of Tom's Blog

Andy Havens took some time to add these great thoughts and more...

"I will suggest both caution and mad amounts of creativity. Caution, because you will be competing in a category that is already hotly contested by traditional space-rental businesses like hotels, conference centers, restaurants and convention halls. Mad creativity, because if you don't exhibit insane levels of the juice you're hoping to imbue in your clientele, you'll be less likely to attract them..."

Additionally he adds...

"...get in touch with people and groups that do training events and see how you can combine what they do."

"...figure out a way to make your Idea Sandbox a welcome place for groups who are, as yet, un-tethered in the real world... where we can get back together and be... connected in person again."

"...I'm with Andy to see if there is a way for us that have the e-relationships and meet and discuss in person" - Adam

Finally a comment that wasn't posted on the Brand Autopsy site, but that caught my attention was posted by Kevin Briody on his seattleduck blog. He comments...

"Ideation, Ideators...is this 1996 again? Where's the talking sock puppet? - I hate to admit this, but I’m not sure if the guys at Brand Autopsy are using sarcasm and having a wry laugh...or are proposing a serious business...They toss around buzzwords like “ideators”, “ideation” and “BrainTrust” (note the creative use of caps), and brag about all the cool LCD’s and Play-Doh they’ll have to provide “visual, aural, tactile, and mental stimulation” for all your brainstorming and idea creation needs. Maybe I’m being too harsh, but I just got a serious flashback to the Valley circa 1996."

Do other folks think this idea is hokey? If so, let me know... and please let me know why you feel that way!

IDEA SANDBOX: STATUS
To keep you informed of the process, I’ll bullet out my key activities and updates.

Location

Fri. Mar. 11 - Toured Seattle with Rebecca of Flinn Ferguson Corporate Real Estate. This team contacted me proactively when they saw my name out there looking for space. They presented me with a catalog of twelve locations in Seattle, and we visited six of them on Mar. 11th. They all were great spots. It’s great to have an agent that’s on your side and understands your needs. I’ll keep you posted as the sites are narrowed down.

Business Plan

I’ve used Guy's "The Art of the Start" book as a guide to building my business plan. I’m in the middle of putting my binder of notes together... from target market... to price list... to marketing tactics... in a form to share with prospective landlords.

Finance

While I have a chunk of cash to cover build-out and start-up costs, a landlord wants the security of knowing that you can afford your lease payments. I’ll be securing a small business loan to serve as a cushion. (I’ll share that adventure as I progress)

Creative | Marketing Tools

Logo - I have a bunch of sketches, but need to refine it to a final version. (I’ll post my sketches when I have a few minutes)

Website - I’ve got a skeleton site built... But it isn’t ready for public viewing...

Blog Site - Blog it and they will come... The blogsite will be coming soon... it may replace these comments on Brand Autopsy if I take up too much examining table space.

Pre-Sales - Once I’ve secured a location, I plan to create an artist’s rendering of the space for use in pre-sale materials. While I’m planning to open in August ’05, I plan to start pre-selling the space beginning in April. Akin to a condo or hotel, (or other rental situation), I hope to have a number of reservations in the books prior to officially opening.

Misc.

Jackie Huba is in town to give a presentation at the local American Marketing Association annual conference. She hosted a marketing dinner tonight in Seattle attended by Pete Winemiller of the Seattle Super Sonics, Chris Pirillo and Robert Scoble. I don't mention this to name drop... I mention it because there was a lot of discussion about RSS feeds and ways to consolidate content. One of the missions of Idea Sandbox is to gather and deliver meaningful creative tools and resources. I can see a link to the 'virtual' meetings above as well as using RSS to share creative resources... we shall see.

Thank you for your time, energy, enthusiasm and comments... Keep 'em coming!

The Idea Sandbox: Introduction

I’m delighted to share with you that I, Brand Examiner Paul, am starting my own business in Seattle.

I’m opening an ideation destination... a conducive place for people to brainstorm. It’s called...

The Idea Sandbox

With the broad audience that this Brand Autopsy blog affords, I thought... instead of starting this business on my own – we could do it together. We could have a lot of fun.

For you... there is transparency in the project. Like starting a plant from a seed... you can witness the sprouting, growing and blooming of this project. You’ll have the chance to water, fertilize and pollinate.

As much as NOT a fan of reality television... there may be something to say about reality internet...

For me... opening this project to input from a broad audience allows access to ideas and thoughts I never would have come up with on my own... and THAT, my friends, is what the Idea Sandbox will be all about...

inspire businesses and entrepreneurs alike to dream the unthinkable and do the impossible.

From me... I promise to provide regular updates on the project. I’ll share where I am in the process. I’ll share the key decisions I’ve made. Some of this may be done here... or (respecting the core Brand Autopsy audience) I may bring you to an Idea Sandbox blog for the details. I promise to invite each and every one of you to the grand opening AND will offer each and every one of you something special if you bring your teams to the Idea Sandbox to find the solutions to your challenges.

From you... I want your honesty. Your thoughts. Your feedback. Your input. If you were to spec a dream space to bring your team – what would it be like? What have the barriers been at your organization to turning a flip-chart page of ideas into reality? How can you help make this the right place for the left brain?

Why this project?

As a little kid, I always wanted to ‘be an idea guy’ and help people find solutions to their problems. In each job I’ve had since graduation I found I had the knack to improve some part of the business by contributing solid, practical and actionable ideas. The Idea Sandbox allows me to formalize my passion and ability to help others generate wicked good ideas. I will share my expertise, as well as an extensive library of tools and resources to help others develop their own creative solutions.

About Idea Sandbox

Idea Sandbox will be THE space for creative thinking in the Pacific Northwest. One step inside this idea wonderland, you’ll understand how the Idea Sandbox will inspire businesses and entrepreneurs alike to dream the unthinkable and do the impossible.

Work groups and individuals ranging from business professionals, marketing teams, project managers, small group facilitators, and anyone aspiring to think more creatively will visit Idea Sandbox. They will be inspired by the space, mind meld with a BrainTrust of experts, and access the library of problem solving tools and resources. Idea Sandbox will not only appeal to Ideators from companies and non-profit organizations throughout the Puget Sound area, but also attract folks from across the Pacific Northwest - from Vancouver, BC to Portland, Oregon. Its reputation for productive thinking will make it a destination to Ideators across North America.

With three themed rooms, two with the capacity for 30 Ideators and one for groups up to 70, Idea Sandbox will be chock-full of visual, aural, tactile and mental stimulation. Rooms will be outfitted with practical high-touch tools such as white boards, flip charts, Play-Doh and toys... Required-tech tools will include... LCD projectors, DVD/VCR players, Wi-Fi Internet access, and satellite radio. Our kitchen will be stocked with food for thought and creative juices – tasty snacks and crisp drinks to keep the ideas flowing.

Ideators may book single or multiple rooms on a half-day basis (under 4 hours) or for the full day (4 to 8 hours).

The primary way solutions will be generated will be through facilitated brainstorming sessions... Where Ideators are guided through the various stages of ideation - from ‘blue sky’ to the ‘fewer, bigger, better’ list of actionable ideas. Alternately, Ideators may choose free-range sessions and use the inspiring Idea Sandbox space for brainstorming, planning sessions and team building activities.

Hopefully that’s enough to whet your appetite... Let’s see how this experiment goes! I look forward to your feedback!

"It is Lighter than a Duck?"

I spent this past weekend at a beach house with friends. My buddy Mark, brought along a handheld gadget called "20Q"... It's full name is actually "20 Questions Deluxe." It's a small electronic game with an LED screen that 98% of the time accurately guesses what you're thinking in only 20 questions.

The goal is to try to stump the toy by thinking of something it cannot guess.

Think of something... nearly anything... and 20Q will ask you a series of questions.

It starts by asking you: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Other or Unknown...

It then seems to ask you a series of random questions...

"Is it heavier than a pound of butter?"

"Is it bigger than a microwave?"

"Is it colorful?"

You answer YES, NO, SOMETIMES or UNKNOWN...

While you think its query is all over the board... little do you know it's getting closer and closer to the answer...

It has amazing accuracy... It's hard to believe that in only 20 questions the artificial intelligence can guess random things like bowling ball, light bulb, clock radio, file cabinet, handcuffs, and dozens of others...

Once in a while it may guess VERY close, but wrong... for example... I was answering questions for "banjo"... it came up with "guitar" (close, but technically incorrect)... so it asked about 5 more questions and thought I was thinking of a "piano."

Other words it had trouble with included... sand dollar and... certain body parts (but it may be programmed to NOT guess those).

It's VERY addictive. All weekend it had the eight of us baffled... One by one we would each try it to try to stump it. Time after time, it would guess right!

I'm getting one for myself, for my brother and for others. It's fascinating.

If you can't wait to get to the toy aisle to buy one... here's a similar on-line version hosted on 20q.net

I wonder if this type of technology could be used to predict the quality of service an applicant may provide when interviewing for a job? Could this technology be used by medical professionals to diagnose illnesses? Could it be programmed to help coach people and help them make critical decisions? Interesting...

You can buy 20Q Deluxe many places... I'd recommend UncleGames.com (that's where I swiped the image in this post from).

Visit the ThinkGeek for a great description of how the technology works.

Eureka! Presentation Shareware

Here's a recent find...

Doug Hall... founder of the Eureka Ranch, innovationist, entrepreneur, and author ("Jump Start Your Business Brain", and other books...) has developed what he calls Book Activated Training - a training presentation to support his book "Jump Start Your Business Brain." Posted on-line, his ready-to-go training session - a robust 9MB 110-slide PowerPoint Training Seminar is readily available if you want to help your organization jump start their brains.

Doug, using the honor system, asks if you use the training to purchase a copy of the book for each of the participants.

Great idea. It's basically presentation shareware.

A win-win for everyone...
a) It makes it easier for changemakers to sell-in to their organization the ideas found in the book...
b) It drives book sales for Doug by making the book more usable and practical.

While not technically free, reality is... if you like the book enough to roll the ideas to your organization, you're going to be buying it for your entire team anyhow... (thus meeting Doug's usage request).

Even better, Doug offers audio versions of his books for free - no strings attached.

Why?

In his words...

Friends have asked me why I'd give away my secrets, my audio books, etc. The reason is simple-it's the right thing to do.

It's a belief that I picked up while kicking around in juggling circles. The philosophy among jugglers is "If I teach you a trick and you teach me a trick, we are both enriched."

"While You Were At Lunch"

"DESIGN/REMAKE SHOW" IDEA #23

PREMISE: Co-workers lure you away from your desk to lunch. While you're away from your desk... the building facilities team partners with designers from Hold Everything, the Container Store and Office Max

They have 55 minutes to totally re-do your cubicle. A total cubicle make-over...

BEFORE

Imagine the mahem as the victim tries to get back to their desk early... Colleagues stall with excuses like - "Let's stop for a latte first!" or... "Hey... let's take the stairs..."

DURING

The REVEAL will be the high point of the show... when all the work builds up the crescendo... with comments like... "I've always wanted an ergonomic chair!" or "Wow! A lamp from IKEA!"

AFTER

Potential Hosts:

- Scott Adams, creater of Dilbert
- Ron Livingston, who played the role of Peter Gibbons in the movie "Office Space"

Potential sponsors:

- Liquid Paper
- Swingline Stapler Co.

Then there is always the blooper show...

Super Bowl Ad Relevance Study

Brand Autopsy’s exclusive Super Bowl Ad Relevance Study reveals startling connections between today’s Super Bowl commercials and yesteryear’s television icons.

With the assistance of independent marketing research firm RPS Systems (Rock, Paper, Scissors), we assembled a representative sample of iconic television characters and electronically charted their second-by-second reactions to ads airing during the Super Bowl. The tabulated results clearly show the deep associations iconic television characters had with particular Super Bowl XXXIX commercials.

Each Super Bowl commercial resonated especially well with a select group of television icons. Some television icons gravitated to particular spots while others felt distanced.

Highlights from the study including the following strong associations between particular Super Bowl commercial and certain iconic television characters:

Anheuser-Busch: "Standing Ovation"

Gomer Pyle (Gomer Pyle - USMC) and 'Radar' O'Reilly (M.A.S.H.) both associated themselves strongly with the this spot. While Balki Bartokomous (Perfect Strangers) and Dr. Bombay (Bewitched) did not resonate at all with the 'Standing Ovation' commercial. **************************************************************************

Ameriquest: "Romantic Dinner"

Jack Tripper, Larry Dallas, and Mr. Furley (from Three's Company) connected strongly with the premise of 'misundertsandings. **************************************************************************

Diet Pepsi: "P Diddy" (Pepsi Truck)

Because of their on-screen occupations, BJ (BJ and the Bear) and Doug Heffernan (King of Queens) felt a bond with the P Diddy 'making big trucks hip' commercial. ************************************************************************** MasterCard: "Brand Icons Together for Dinner"

Still clinging to their aspirations of one day becoming widely recognized icons, the Great Gazoo (Flintstones) and Gleek (Superfriends) reacted positively to this spot from MasterCard. **************************************************************************

CareerBuilder.com: "Cubicle Monkeys"

Lancelot Link Secret Chimp, Jim Fowler (Tonight Show), and Alf felt this spot from CareerBuilder played off stereotypes but nevertheless, they connected strongly with the ad. **************************************************************************

Go Daddy: "Booby Trap"

Barney Gumble (Simpsons), Paul Pfeiffer (Wonder Years), and Eddie Munster all became overly excited while ogling the Go Daddy spot.

Boo-Yeah! Blogger Awards

Recently, Michael at the Small Business Branding Blog has been dolling out awards to the dolls that blog. The Top 10 Smartest Blogging Babes...

I think it's only fair that we open this award to bloggers of BOTH sexes. Therefore... I make available the Boo-Yeah! Bloggers Award.

Feel free to use the provided logo to boast about brawny bloggers with brains. The guys with grit that give (a crap). The hunks that wanna be heard. The gross who are engrossed...

...The men who make meaning.

Ladies... good luck with your nominations.

Starbucks Verbose Vessels

Today the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran story announcing Starbucks plans to replace standard blurbs printed on the paper cups with inspiring messages designed to get customers to think and discuss.

The 'white cup' has become a Starbucks icon. The current writing has become static. About espresso shots... About the coffee quality... However, printed with refreshed and contemporary comments, the cup may become more than just a container.

A few years ago, Starbucks created a magazine called Joe that had essays, stories and articles designed to get customers to think and discuss. It only lasted three issues... Seemed it was more content than the typical customer wanted to digest. Perhaps the bite-sized ideas printed on the cups will inspire coffee talk...

This will be interesting to follow!

Make Water without Water

Growing up, one of the earliest marketing taglines I can recall was for a septic tank cleaning company in Warwick, Rhode Island. The bold statement on the back of their service trucks read...

A good flush beats a full house!

(That's my marketing blog to toilet topic segue).

Since I was a little kid I've been convinced that our elaborate and complicated system of pipes pressurized with water to move waste was a primitive process. Upon each visit to Walt Disney World in Florida I kept looking for the unveiling of the 'throne of the future' at a Bathroom of Tomorrow exhibit... no luck yet.

However, we're getting closer with the flush-free | water-free urinal. (And I've had the opportunity to try it out.)

At the Starbucks HQ offices in Seattle, to conserve water and energy, they've replaced the urinals in one of the men's restrooms with a flushless version - the F-2000 Model Falcon Waterfree Technology urinal.

This urinal does not use water. There is a patented capsule (see fig. 1) that sits in the drain...

[fig. 1]

...a sealant liquid in the capsule allows urine to go down the drain (see fig. 2) without letting odors come up the drain.

[fig. 2]

Or as they explain it...

The cartridge is shaped to act as a funnel. The combination of non-stick, non-porous materials of construction and the funnel-shape of the cartridge ensure all urine passes into the cartridge and through a unique sealant liquid that floats on top of the liquid beneath it.

This pleasant smelling sealant liquid provides an airtight barrier between urine and the restroom to prevent odors from escaping the drain, but allows urine to pass through because it is lighter than water. Urine immediately penetrates the sealant liquid and flows to the drain. Uric sediment is collected by the cartridge, leaving an odor-free environment, clean pipes and absolutely no water waste.

The cartridge also features a sealing ring to provide an airtight barrier between the cartridge and the housing. The only maintenance required is routine cleaning of the fixture and an easy change of the cartridge, performed approximately every 7,000 uses or typically two to four times per year.

Want to see how it works? Open their page, and press PLAY at the bottom of the screen for an animated demo. (Shockwave Required)

It will be interesting to see if this technology catches on. Often times with new products, there is resistance to change.

Now if we could only solve for the lack of hand washing. And you know who you are out there.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 01:04 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (2)

December 03, 2004

Daddy's Other Options

I've mulled over the GoDaddy discussions here, here, and here... Of course, a business owner can do what he/she wants with their money...

However, as a marketer, I cannot help but question whether this is the most effective way for a company to intro-launch themselves.

From a target audience perspective... How many Super Bowl viewers are techies who currently have their own domain/site and don't already know about the GoDaddy option OR have been contemplating a site and will use this ad as a 'call to action' to log-on and acquire their first domain name?

The answer is some.

From an effective reach perspective... How much impact can a lesser known company really make with a single 30-second spot?

The answer is some.

How many people might be away from the TV and peeing during that 30-second spot?

The answer is many.

Yes, we do talk about our favorite Super Bowl commercials around the coffee pot on Monday morning – but how many of us are buying more Bud (best ad 1999–'03) or gulping more Pepsi (best ad 1994-'98) because of these ads?

I think the challenge is that we hate to see so much money spent so quickly for such little impact. Super Bowl ads are a gamble - putting a very tall stack of chips on lucky number 23 and hoping the ball stops there. How can GoDaddy execute something meaningful vs. a potential flash-in-the-pan?

I was schooled early on: "don't to bring up an issue unless you can offer up solutions." Therefore, I'm presenting a few of my own suggestions for GoDaddy's $2.4 M spend. I believe these will build better awareness of their business and drive traffic to their site. In addtion to sales gains, the media coverage, good will, and intrinsic value gained by implementing these suggestions would more than double the investment.

For reference,  $2.4 M equates to 268,156 domain names purchased via GoDaddy at $8.95 each... or web hosting for 607,594 at $3.95 a year via GoDaddy.

Be Generous

The clever tagline for GoDaddy is "make a name with us." They could make a name for themselves with these ideas. (And for some of these ideas, make a difference in the community as well).

• Offer 607,594 non-profit companies free web hosting of their sites for a year.
• Give each of the 75,000 attendees of the Super Bowl a free year of web hosting and five coupons to pass to friends, each good for a free year of web hosting.
• Make goodwill by supporting Goodwill – donate 240,000 pairs of kid's shoes or blankets for needy kids.

For those 'less needy' but still a generous offer...

• Target folks with existing high-speed cable-modems at home. Offer to pay a free month ($39.95) of their current high-speed modem bill for switching or starting a site with GoDaddy. Offer would be good for the first 60,000 interested.
• A la WKRP - Drop over 4,000 desktop computers ($600 each) onto the crowd at Alltel Stadium during the Super Bowl game. Have the home page of the browser set to GoDaddy.com

Target Audience

• Run a 4-color print ad each month for two years in the following magazines which reach a GoDaddy audience:

• MacAddict (2 page spread) -> $273k per year

• Wired Magazine (1/2 page ad) -> $166k per year

• PC Magazine (full page) -> $761k per year

On the other hand, choose three additional magazines and only run a year's worth of full-page ads.

• Become the source of choice for future domain/host users. Give graduating tech-college students their own free domain. You could create nearly 27,000 users and evangelists (that's 5,400 per US state) who would potentially buzz about your service.

Broad Audience

• For the entire next 52 weeks place a 4-color ad in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. Have your ad be clever, engaging and change it every week. Like the Sunday comics, surprise us. That's about $2.08 M right there and uses up that money.

• Reach the 3.1 M subscribers of Sports Illustrated and run 10 4-color adds next year in their national edition -> $2.4 M

With all that said, I hope we eat our words and we all get re-schooled on what the Super Bowl can do for an advertiser. I hope it's an incredibly fruitful marketing spend... and you 'make a name for yourself.'

You Go, Daddy.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 11:54 AM in Paul Williams' Sandbox, Rants, on Go Daddy | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBack (1)

October 17, 2004

#1 Place for a Marketing Message

We marketers seem to seek out any nook and cranny we find to get folks to feel better about our products.

This nook takes the cake... the urinal cake.

Has anyone ever kicked their drug habit influenced by the SAY NO TO DRUGS message emblazoned on a urinal mat?* Does this marketing message really have a call to action or serve as a public service message?

Let me know if you've seen any similar 'out of place' messages... I'd love to talk more about them...

When seeking out an appropriate image for this post I came across Urinal.net, a site that catalogs urinals across the world. Another great use for the internet.

*For those who aren't familiar with urinal mats... these are strainers that sit inside the urinal bowl to basically keep rubbish from clogging up the drain – things like gum and cigarettes. They're also commonly outfitted with a urinal cake (deodorizer) holder.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 10:21 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

September 27, 2004

Improv Your Business

Just because we have labeled it work that doesn't mean it has to be serious, stiff and boring. That's exactly the philosophy of Portland based company/troupe On Your Feet. They use improv and the philosophies of improv to teach companies to manage better under pressure and to find new ways to "create, relate, and communicate with skill and agility."

Here's how they describe it.

Business is uncertain

Great ideas emerge under the right conditions

Audiences want to be engaged

Teams want to be surprised

Actions matter

Most meetings suck

That's where improv can help.

To learn more about their antics, we (the marketing medics from Brand Autopsy) attended a ‘Play Day’ in Portland last week. They offer an afternoon 'try before you buy' where they share the methods of their madness.

Gary Hirsh and the gang at On Your Feet demonstrated how they "help organizations and individuals engage their audiences, generate breakthrough ideas, facilitate organizational learning, strengthen their culture, and discover new possibilities for their brand, all while having a ridiculously good time."

We had a blast.

If your usual methods of motivation have lost momentum... perhaps you need a boost of jest - check out On Your Feet.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 07:38 PM in Ideas, Innovation & Creativity, Paul Williams' Sandbox, Remarkable Companies & Products | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

September 10, 2004

Swiffly Moving through Airport Security

I don't like having to take off my shoes in the airport security line.

I know it's important to remove and x-ray our shoes for security purposes... but walking around in bare or stocking feet in this public venue grosses me out.

As a creative marketer, I've come up with a solution and an opportunity regarding this unpleasant necessary...

Using their Swiffer line of products, Proctor & Gamble can virtually OWN the area between "take your shoes off" and "put your shoes back on" at the airport.

If you're not familiar with the Swiffer line of products, these are floor mops (both wet and dry versions) that have a reusable handle and mop head, and use a pre-soaked disposable cleaning towel... or more precisely...

Disposable cloths presoaked with an advanced cleaning solution that dissolves stains on contact and dries quickly without streaks.

P&G needs to donate their "Swiffer Wet" product to the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) to use freely and regularly on the tile floors in the security area. (Or better yet, negotiate to have Swiffer demonstrators mop these areas at no additional tax dollar expense).

Not only will the floors be squeaky clean and streak-free, but I'm certain it'll add a lemony fresh scent to the queue area.

In addition, clearly posted signage should tout:

STEP ASSURED:
"Clean Floor Courtesy of Swiffer Wet"
If we can clean up after 30-thousand strangers,
imagine what we could do for your kitchen."

To bring it all home, the signage should have a tear-off pad whereby now convinced and converted consumers may take a coupon to obtain a Swiffer for home.

Everyone wins...

- Passengers will feel less resistant to cooperate with the "shoes off" policy
- The airport will smell better
- P&G garners great awareness, sampling and trial opportunity.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 07:15 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (1)

September 08, 2004

Brand Mapping the Brand Autopsy Bloggers

September 8, 2004 – New York, NY
The Williams+Moore ImagePower® study released jointly by the Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice and research firm Rock, Paper, and Scissors reveals how Brand Autopsy blog visitors perceive the two bloggers, Brand Examiner Paul and Marketing Medic Moore.

Rock, Paper, and Scissors conducted single-digit interviews among a representative sample of Brand Autopsy blog visitors who plan to visit the Brand Autopsy blog again and are familiar with both bloggers and their respective marketing ideology.

The results are startling as both bloggers are perceived by their readers to similar yet dissimilar. The only true similarity between the bloggers is they are both linked to comfortable shoes.

Posted by johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy) at 10:54 AM in John's Freak Show of Thought, Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 29, 2004

Spaces to be More Creative

Sure you can be creative in your office cube or in one of the large conference rooms with the walls plastered with sticky flip chart pages or butcher paper, but what if you want to really get your fingers dirty creatively? Then what?

Earlier this week, the Brand Autopsy team took off our scrubs and visited two creative venues in Chicago – the Thinkubator and the Catalyst Ranch.

The Thinkubator is the creative HQ for SolutionPeople. Founded by Gerald "Solutionman" Haman in 1989, he converted warehouse space in Chicago's West Loop into a training space for his KnowBrainer innovation tool as well as a romper-room for innovative thought. (He has a toy collection that would make Santa Claus jealous.)

Visiting Catalyst Ranch was like visiting Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Founded by Eva Niewiadomski in 2002 she gutted a space in Chicago's historic Haymarket Square and transformed the space from sparse to stimulating. She has several creative spaces ranging from small to huge to accommodate all sizes of thoughts.

Here's how they describe their philosophy at the Catalyst Ranch.

"We, the Ranch Hands of Catalyst Ranch, believe that ideas, learning and breakthrough thought thrive when people are placed in an environment that stimulates and invigorates the senses. It's important to take individuals out of the typical boring, staid, colorless cubicles and conference rooms where they're ensconced through their daily working lives..."

Other places I've heard of to be creative (that I still want to visit) include:

< a href="http://www.eurekaranch.com/eureka/default.asp" target="_blank">Eureka Ranch – founded by innovator and author Doug Hall. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio Hall was one of the first people I had read about who encouraged the take your shoes off and act like a kid on order to break out of the stiff office environment and get the creative juices flowing. They use a combination of innovation and statistical analysis to create their meaningful marketing.

Here's how they describe what they do at Eureka Ranch.

Our specialty is the invention of ideas that offer a meaningful difference i.e. ideas that offer a difference that makes a real difference to a specific target audience. In classic research terms this means ideas with high scores in BOTH purchase intent and uniqueness. These are the types of ideas that tracking studies indicate are twice as likely to survive long term and four times less likely to require extensive price discounting.

To read about Hall's philosophies on being creative and innovative, check out his book Jump Start Your Brain.

ThinkShop - while not a destination space per se, they bring together teams to help drive innovation for companies. They have offices in Seattle and NYC. Here's how they describe themselves...

Inspired Innovation: a creative idea that becomes a reality. ThinkShop brings together teams to create inspired innovations. The types of solutions we help teams develop come in many forms, from new products that create new revenue streams to processes that increase productivity to programs that make people feel better about their work.

Spaces to go, people to hire... Do you know of any other creative, brainstorming, strategic ideation, and playhouse type locations?

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 01:52 PM in Ideas, Innovation & Creativity, Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

August 05, 2004

Commit to your Passion...

...and adversity won't derail you.

Just one of the many pieces of wisdom made clear in "Rules of the Red Rubber Ball: Find and Sustain Your Life's Work" by Kevin Carroll.

Carroll, Nike katalyst and storyteller turned author, shares his inspiring story about motivation. He found freedom in the playground as a kid and describes how that same fuel can drive dreams as an adult.

Amid the uncertainty of my childhood, the playground became my sanctuary, a magical environment where my worries, shame and low self-esteem disappeared. There I discovered my gift of speed. Despite my size, I could outrun most other kids and speed became my ticket onto the field

To Kevin, the red rubber ball represents play. Any activity that makes you excited about the day.

Akin to Orbiting the Giant Hairball, Carroll uses clever typography, eclectic paper stock, illustration, and photos to creatively outline how to discover your own red rubber ball. He then provides rules for what he considers the more difficult (yet satisfying) part of the dream - keeping it alive.

Your red rubber ball is what grabs you by the soul. It's what captures your imagination. It's what you do when no one tells you what to do, when you're alone in your room, on the playground or in your head. It's what you daydream, and that dream can be come your life's work... if you let it.

He then provides seven rules to help you follow your red rubber ball, your source of play.

Commit to It

Seek out Encouragers

Work Out Your Creative Muscle

Prepare to Shine

Speak Up

Expect the Unexpected

Maximize the Day

Follow these links to see excerpt pages from his book...

one | two | three

While this book may be sit in the personal growth section of your bookstore, it may as well sit in the business and management section. The seven rules of the red rubber ball can also apply to your workplace, your career, your home life...

This book is currently only available via the Red Rubber Ball website and is priced at $22.95 (ISBN: 0975333100).

What's your red rubber ball?

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 09:40 AM in Business Books, Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)

July 29, 2004

Upper-Class Gas

While recent headlines report a slight drop in gas prices across North America, reports indicate it's not expected that prices will reduce in the upcoming weeks.

So why did Shell pick last week to launch their ultra-premium, higher priced V-Power gasoline?

With skyrocketing prices and sensitivity to our Mideast dependencies, it seems like poor timing for a new line-extension in gas options. In fact, as I researched this post, I found that every on-line article about gas prices also included "top tips" and calculators to assist motorists in conserving fuel to save money.

At my local pumps this fancy fossil fuel is running around 12¢ more per gallon, over even the premium, at $1.27 per gallon [correction $2.27 per gallon (7/31)].

What's the benefit? According to Shell's website...

The new gasoline actively cleans critical engine parts as motorists drive, and features more than five times the minimum amount of cleaning agents required by government standards. Shell V-Power gasoline replaces Shell’s existing premium grade gasoline, and is available now at Shell stations across the USA...

...This level of protection helps prevent the future build-up of carbon deposits on your vehicle’s intake valves or fuel injectors.

Engine deposits? Carbon buildup? Sure, these are ways to prolong the life of a car's engine... Do Americans even own the same vehicle long enough to experience the degradation of their engine due to these pesky deposits?

How about higher efficiency resulting in higher miles-per-gallon? What about less pollution? These features are marketing-worthy and a value worth paying a premium for.

Are owners of gas-guzzlers splurging on this affordable luxury?

Is this a status fuel?

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 12:27 AM in Marketing Strategy, Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)

July 20, 2004

Ubiquitize Me!

Over at the Church of the Customer, Ben and Jackie introduced the blog world to John Winter Smith and his quest to visit every Starbucks company-owned location in the world. So far, he has visited nearly 4,300 locations in North America, UK, and Japan. WOW! That is fanatical behavior becoming of an evangelist!

In their post, Jackie writes the following:

"Ultimate evangelists like Winter don't turn up every day. He's generating lots of favorable press on his own. Starbucks should embrace Winter in every conceivable way. Promote his visits. Lend him a car with the Starbucks logo on the side. (Winter sleeps in his old car with no air conditioning when he goes on his frequent Starbucks road trips.) He's authentic, not a schlocky spokesthing. Make him a hero. Starbucks, your Jared is here."

Here at Brand Autopsy we have a different take on Winter becoming the "Starbucks Jared." We contend Starbucks should acknowledge Winter in an ongoing manner, just not in every conceivable way that Subway acknowledges and promotes Jared.

Someone like Winter is good for those folks who LOVE Starbucks - it makes those who visit 3x a day feel better because they can say, "At least I’m not that Winter guy going to ALL the stores… Now, that’s freakish!"

As Ben and Jackie have taught us, customer evangelists exhibit fanatical behavior (some more fanatical than others). Jared fanatically used Subway to better himself by losing 245 pounds. His actions of eating Subway sandwiches to improve his health plays into Subway's branding strategy of being a more healthy alternative to the other fast food chains. Jared is a credible* spokesperson/evangelist for Subway because his personal goals were/are more in line with the business/branding goals of Subway.

*(he's credible in a 30-second spot to the masses, but he is still only the 1 in 123 million who has seen results from a Subway diet. I'm sure the fine print reads -> "Individual results may vary. Not typical weight loss.")

Winter’s goal of visiting every Starbucks in the world is fanatical evangelist behavior. However, his goal does not mesh with Starbucks goals. Winter’s goal perpetuates the perception (and in many ways the reality) that Starbucks is ubiquitous, that Starbucks is everywhere. Starbucks is trying not to promote its ubiquity and that is why Winter wouldn’t make for a credible Starbucks spokesperson.

Winter would be a more credible spokesperson, along the lines of Jared, if he exhibited a passion for aspects of Starbucks beyond its massive reach such as Starbucks involvement in local communities, its coffee quality, its business practices, etc.

If you read Winter’s travel logs, you’ll notice that he admits to gagging and nearly vomiting after drinking too much Starbucks. (Ouch.) That behavior is not becoming of a Starbucks spokesperson. In fact, this conjures up images of Morgan Spurlock, of Super Size Me fame, and his McBurps, McNausea, and McRegurgitation after downing too many Big Macs.

Imagine if a documentary was made chronicling Winter’s journey … it could be called, “Ubiquitize Me.” (Double ouch.)

For the record, we think Starbucks should ACKNOWLEDGE Winter in an ongoing manner just not as Subway acknowledges Jared.

Instead of featuring Winter in marketing/advertising campaigns, we contend Starbucks SHOULD…

Empower Winter to fulfill his passion by sending him an updated quarterly roster of newly opened stores

Send Winter a personalized Starbucks Card (with his photo on it) and upload dollars to it on a quarterly basis

Invite Winter to Seattle to tour the Starbucks HQ, have a cupping with the Starbucks Coffee Dept., and have a cup of coffee with Howard Schultz

We also agree Starbucks SHOULD consider making a donation to a charity each time Winter visits a new store. (That is Jackie's great idea).

(In return, Starbucks should politely ask Winter to stop saying the coffee is making him sick).

That’s Brand Autopsy’s take … what’s yours?

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 04:42 PM in Customer Evangelism, Paul Williams' Sandbox, on all things Starbucks | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

July 04, 2004

Stop and Read the Condiments

Heinz is running it's second talking label "Say Something Ketchuppy" contest. As the promotional material reads:

Sometimes our label gets tired of saying "Tomato Ketchup" all of the time. We received a huge response from our first talking label contest, and now our ketchup is begging for more of your ideas. So make a joke about french fries or have some fun at the expense of mustard.

I needed to grab a new bottle of ketchup for my 4th of July dogs and took a moment to stop and read the condiments. I laughed out loud - at ketchup.

Heinz turned a chore of low excitement into something fun. I found myself moving bottles around on the shelf to find the label that I liked best.

I chose: WILL WORK FOR FOOD

Other labels include:

MEATLOAF ENHANCER

HIDES GRILL MARKS

You can find more talking labels on their website and contest rules are posted if you wish to enter.

Heinz has done a great job of making the common, uncommon. Yes, it's a teeny bit more expensive but, as they hoped, they make the picnic table a little more fun.

Also, check out the Jones Soda Company. They make common soda uncommon with exotic flavors and labels that feature images submitted by customers.

Happy 4th of July.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 04:19 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (2)

June 15, 2004

Term Coiner for Hire

As a marketer it's important to have a way with words. It's important to be able to communicate meaning clearly - either directly to customers or through an agency on behalf of your customers.

Several years back, as a marketing manager in NYC, I was speaking with a reporter at the NY Times regarding the density of Starbucks Coffee locations in Manhattan. I was describing how in suburban areas, a store supports the neighborhood that lies in blocks surrounding the store. However, in the city, Starbucks may have a store on the ground floor that supports 25+ stories of customers above. I referred to this a VERTICAL NEIGHBORHOOD. I was proud of this term (and still am obviously).

Last week I came up with another good one.

I'm working on a project with the IT team. I was trying to communicate to the project lead to be sure not to skip us as they developed their plan... to make sure they included us. I said to her... "I want to make sure we don't MISS ANY BELT LOOPS as you move forward..."

I'm certain this term will quickly work its way into popular culture and soon appear as a "word of the day" on Word Spy. (You can say you read it here first!)

So, know you have a resource here at Brand Autopsy. If you need any quotable quotes, drop us a note!

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 09:16 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (4)

Brand Mathematics

At my Puget Sound AMA meeting last week, we had a presenter from the Frank Russell Company, the global investment services firm. He spoke about his brand and some of the challenges of being an investment company based in the non-financial hub of Tacoma, WA. As a finance guy, he joked that it was a company requirement to have some sort of mathematical equation in his presentation. So he shared his marketing math…

AWARENESS x REPUTATION = BRAND

Now, I want to adjust this a little…

AWARENESS x REPUTATION = BRAND RELEVANCE

A nice equation.

AWARENESS - Do people know about your product, service or company? Do they talk about it? Do they tell others? Do they know the great things that you do?

REPUTATION - What do people say about your product, service or company as good or bad? What do customers think? Are they satisfied? Do you deliver on your product, service and brand promise?

Let’s look at this equation from two perspectives at Starbucks Coffee Company.

STARBUCKS COFFEE/ESPRESSO

Awareness - I’ll refer to a common theme “there’s a Starbucks on every corner” - 'nuff said.

Reputation - Starbucks is a destination for coffee and espresso beverages. They make it convenient. They make it the way you want (a la double-short, non-fat, extra-foamy latte with sugar free vanilla syrup). Starbucks has been credited with helping to improve the quality of coffee consumed in North America.

So if you calculated this equation, when it comes to COFFEE/ESPRESSO at Starbucks the BRAND RELEVANCE score would be VERY HIGH.

STARBUCKS COMMUNITY GIVE-BACK

Awareness - Did you know that with nearly every store that Starbucks opens, there is a local long-term charity partnership? Or that the local store manager not only wants to serve the community but strives to be an integral part of it? Early on in the company history, it was considered too self-serving to blow the Starbucks horn and brag about community giving. It's not considered a ‘tactic’ it’s just how to be a responsible business. However, that has left Starbucks with low awareness of this part of the business.

Reputation - Starbucks is known to be everywhere, and is known for coffee. But, despite being a great neighbor, does not have the corresponding reputation. The message of BIG overshadows the message of GOOD.

Therefore, when it comes to COMMUNITY GIVE-BACK, the Starbucks BRAND RELEVANCE score would be LOW.

Since you know your desired total for this brand equation, you can flip the equation around and solve for the missing variable.

What’s your product, brand or service BRAND RELEVANCE score?

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 11:57 AM in Branding Strategy, Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)

June 08, 2004

Blog Club

Today a peer in my local American Marketing Association mentioned getting a good list of books to use as suggestions for the marketing book club.

I thought "what about a marketing blog club?" Instead of picking a book and reading it as a group, choose a few blog sites, read them and discuss as a group. (And if they wanted, they could still drink wine).

While books are great, their content becomes firm once it’s printed. But a blog site can address the same topics and continue to grow and evolve. What’s even better, you can interact with the authors of the site as well as other readers.

View the Brand Autopsy Blog Log on the ABOUT ME page of our site to see some of the blog sites we visit.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 08:30 PM in Blogs and Blogging, Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

June 02, 2004

A Latte to Learn

It's funny. I remember Krispy Kreme, like White Castle, as a place in the south where you could go to for a 24-hour snack. A clean, 'blue collar' place - not a chichi vogue place to go. It was functional. You wanted a donut; they were hot and fresh (and delicious). I specifically remember a big piece of their business was selling wholesale to school groups for fundraisers - cheerleaders would sell donuts to raise money for new uniforms or for bus trips to the state championship.

Krispy Kreme's rise to popularity has been interesting to me. I lived in NYC when the first KK opened. It was so popular it was as if New Yorker's invented KK themselves.

So while this fresh new start has been interesting to experience... it seems they're getting stale already.

Now I'm going to share one experience, at one location, at one moment in time (but still)...

I went to KK this weekend for a donut and coffee... Instead of a drip coffee, I thought I'd check out their espresso. After all, I understand that they've added that to their mix to be more competitive in the espresso market. I ordered their latte with their original Kreme flavoring... Evidently they offer four kinds of milk - nonfat/skim, 2%, whole milk and their original Kreme flavored milk.

After I place my order, the woman on the register asked a gal on the production line something about my drink. They asked another gal to help. She went to the espresso machine and was flipping through some pages – to find a recipe and/or instructions on how to make my drink.

The register gal returned and said that "We can’t make it right now because the girl who makes the espresso wasn’t there." Wow. No one else has been trained to make espresso beverages? (In Seattle?)

Of course, it was neat seeing the production thru the window… and I got a free donut. But, should they stick at what they're good at? Great donuts and fresh coffee?

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 02:37 PM in Branding Strategy, Paul Williams' Sandbox, Remarkable Companies & Products | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

May 12, 2004

Personal Media vs. Mass Media

I’m attending a two-day conference in NYC about Customer Loyalty sponsored by The Conference Board.

One of our speakers today from Ipsos, spoke about the importance of word-of-mouth marketing (or as we would call it, creating customer evangelists). He stated that PERSONAL MEDIA is more effective than MASS MEDIA as a way we gain information to make certain types of purchases - computer hardware, personal electronics, travel and autos.

I had never heard it put in those terms before - Personal Media. I aspire to be an expert in PERSONAL MEDIA vs. MASS MEDIA.

I’m certain I’ll have additional insights from this conference to share in upcoming posts.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 08:36 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

May 07, 2004

Spiderman: BRAND AUTOPSY UPDATE

UPDATE (May 10, 2004).
According to Brand Autopsy sources, it is rumored that the decision to not permit the decoration of bases with Spiderman artwork was less about baseball regulations and more about jealousy between Spiderman and the Hulk. Evidently the Hulk wanted to do a similar promotion with the NFL and goal posts, but was unilaterally declined.

When Brand Autopsy tried to contact the Hulk, he couldn't be located. However, we did reach his close friend, David Banner. We asked Banner to confirm these rumors, his reply ... "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

Evidently he doesn’t like investigative reporters.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 12:20 PM in Meaningless Marketing, Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (4)

May 05, 2004

Cinco de Mayo(nnaise)

I'm disappointed that the condiment companies didn't leverage today's celebration to extend their product assortments. There is really only one day I can think of that's the perfect fit for mayonnaise. A day that mayonnaise can really own!

5 new varities of mayo flavors - ranch, buffalo wing, dill, jalapeno and zesty salsa should have been launched.

In searching the internet, I did, however see an event sponsored by the country radio station KYKZ in southwest Louisiana with a "Sink-o de May-o" event taking place this weekend. Evidently contestants compete for prizes by bobbing for a ball hidden within a sink full of mayonnaise.

I guess there is always next year for the condiment companies.

With respect to what this celebration is really about, follow this link to CNN.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 06:16 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

April 28, 2004

DO NOT BEND?

I think I fell for a marketing ploy.

I received a piece of mail from Sports Illustrated today. It was a standard business sized envelope, clearly marked with the Sports Illustrated logo and all. I already knew it was going to be some sort of pitch offering me a professional discounted rate to subscribe to SI. (I get 'em all the time).

The envelope was marked DO NOT BEND.

“Hmmm,” I wondered, “Do not bend? Interesting.” This instruction to the US Postal Service alerts the carrier to handle this envelope gingerly because it has something sensitive inside.

The contents?

a) standard form letter with my discounted offer
b) a return envelope

Nothing else.

No photos or other materials that would require an envelope to stay not bent.

I wasn't interested in the offer in the first place, but the DO NOT BEND did cause me to OPEN the envelope.

I think that they thought I'd think there were pictures of swimsuit models in my envelope.

Maybe there should have been?

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 02:32 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)

April 15, 2004

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I received sheets of personalized address labels today with a packet inviting me to donate to the Disabled American Veterans. I think they are a worthwhile organization, and I may make a donation.

I want to make a comment. Not about the tactic of sending me a free gift, and now I may feel obligated to donate. (Actually, I can't recall the actual term for this tactic, if someone knows what that type of solicitation is, please post a comment - Thanks.)

But about this... the packet included a post card sized color photo of a gentleman named Jim who is wheelchair bound due to injuries sustained while fighting in Vietnam.

On the back of the photo is the nice message below.

While it's made to look like this is a hand written note potentially addressed just to me - I know better. They send out too many of these mailers to make it practical to have people hand write each piece. So, they have to "fake" it a little and mass-produce a message.

However, in "faking" this message, why did they also fake the fact it's hand written? It's a "handwritten style" computer typeface.

Couldn't they have had someone hand write an original message and make copies of that? That would have been much more genuine.

The only reason I can think of for using a computer font is if they change the message for different mailers depending on the audience...

While this won't deter me from donating, these are the details that make companies who are trying to be small and personal look big and machine-like.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 11:36 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

April 14, 2004

Wine and Apples - not the perfect pairing

I've been an Apple Macintosh evangelist since 1991 and have been using Apple computers since 1985 (Apple IIc). Last August I purchased my latest machine - a PowerBook G4 with a 15" screen. What a beaut!

Last week, a half-of-glass of a nice chilled regional white wine was accidentally spilled onto the keyboard and into the machine. This caused my screen to flicker, the internal components to hiss and the laptop to shut down and stay down.

Continue reading "Wine and Apples - not the perfect pairing" »

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 02:52 AM in Customer Service, Paul Williams' Sandbox, Rants | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)

April 13, 2004

Grin, and Bare It

The Lusty Lady, with blinking tracer lights and blacked out windows, is a nudie club (a peep show to be exact) located in downtown Seattle. It sits right across the street from the Seattle Art Museum. (For some, all of the culture they could possibly need, or want, is conveniently located within one block.)

What does this have to do with marketing, you ask?

Well, the Lusty Lady has a double-sided marquee that features punny headlines intended to pique your interest as to what's inside. The topical slogans change every 7 to 10 days, often re-working current blockbuster movie titles, holidays, or local events. Between the two sides of the marquee, they usually deliver at least one slogan a month that is more remarkable than most mega-million dollar advertising campaigns.

For example, the headline for the anniversary of the Pilgrim and Native American feast at Plymouth Rock was... "Happy Spanksgiving." The release of a recent blockbuster trilogy inspired the headline... "Lord of the Schwings." The St. Patrick's Day slogan? "Erin Go Braghless"

John and I, being marketers who enjoy crafting puns, have thought of hundreds of headlines for the Lusty Lady (most of which may not be appropriate for a family blog). But the REAL "Free Prize Inside" (as Seth Godin would put it) is that, it is rumored, if you submit a headline and they use it on the marquee - you'll receive a free pink Lusty Lady t-shirt.

While the Lusty Lady may not need more "exposure," I'll try to share the cleverest headlines right here on Brand Autopsy.

"Spring Flashin' Show" - April 4, 2004

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 01:30 AM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

April 08, 2004

Dunkin' Coffee?

A friend of mine sent me a link from an article in yesterday’s (Wed. Apr. 7) Chicago Tribune entitled Company perk; Can a roasting expert from Chicago give Krispy Kreme a coffee buzz?" (registration required) The focus of the story was about Krispy Kreme taking efforts to increase the quality of their coffee - potentially to compete with Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.

Starbucks has often defined it’s purpose by saying…

"We are in the people business serving coffee." (Vs. - We are in the coffee business serving people.)

This perspective has allowed Starbucks to focus on the customer need vs. a limited perspective of simply and only coffee. It has allowed experiments like Café Starbucks - a full restaurant concept. (Now defunct). Or the new Starbucks/Hear Music Coffeehouse in Santa Monica where you can hand-craft and burn your own CD in-store with even more options than a barista has in hand-crafting a latte!

The article points out that globally, Dunkin’ is known more for its coffee. (In the states, growing up on the east coast, I’ve always known them as a doughnut place, with coffee). Dunkin’ has 5,600 locations worldwide to Krispy Kreme’s 394. In fact, John Gilbert, Dunkin' vice president of marketing, was quoted as saying…

"We are primarily a coffee business that sells doughnuts. Krispy Kreme is primarily a bulk doughnut business, selling doughnuts by the dozens."

From a brand perspective, this got me thinking…

I’ll bet Dunkin’ wishes it could sell doughnuts in bulk by the dozens. Is that a weakness of Krispy? Or a threat to Dunkin’?

Shouldn’t Dunkin’ Donuts have a similar approach to their business as Starbucks and others have? That they’re not in the coffee OR doughnut business, but in the business of serving their customers?

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 03:52 PM in Marketing Strategy, Paul Williams' Sandbox, on all things Starbucks | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

April 07, 2004

Tastes the Same (if you close your eyes)

So I sent an e-mail to my fellow Brand Autopsy coroner, johnmoore. As you may know he works for Whole Foods Market.

I guess my BrandAutopsy e-mail address is not recognized by the Whole Foods server as a ‘legit’ e-mail because their e-mail filter, to alert John that he may have received a junk e-mail message, added the words POSSIBLE SPAM to the subject of my message.

I thought, "Wow, if any company in the world would be good at identifying ‘possible spam’ it would have to be Whole Foods!" Their website says it best:

"We [Whole Foods Market] strive to offer the highest quality, least processed, most flavorful and naturally preserved foods." (I’m note sure SPAM fits any of those parameters!)

However, I see an opportunity... I suggested to John that his I.T. folks at Whole Foods change the message from POSSIBLE SPAM to something more fitting for their brand, like: POSSIBLE SOY VEGAN SPREAD.

By the way, check out the SPAM website… The folks at Hormel are smart - they have a pretty good sense of humor about their infamous canned meat.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 01:25 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 03, 2004

Don't Break the Bind that Bounds

A public service message from Brand Autopsy

Ah! I just received a package from Amazon.com. Opening my brand new book for the first time reminded me of grade school when our school librarian taught us how to properly break in a new book. I was too young to remember exactly how to do it… And I knew breaking in a book had something to do with not ruining the spine – but that was all I remembered.

Using Google, I found this helpful article in the "Preservation Corner" of the Winter 1999 ASDAL Action on-line newsletter. (That's the Association of Seventh-day Adventst Librarians).

A gentleman named Randy Butler wrote the below piece on how and why to properly break in a book. Enjoy!

PRESERVATION CORNER

By Randy Butler

How to "break-in" a new book! Sound incongruous? How often do we in our libraries, or at home, properly prepare books for use? More often than not we simply open a new book somewhere in the middle and fold back the two halves so that the book will lay flat on a table or our laps. Wrong!! The result is a damaged or broken binding.

There is a proper way to open books for the first time and prepare them for use or circulation. First, hold the book vertically or upright, spine down, on a flat surface. Second, hold the text block in one hand while allowing the front and back covers to slowly fall or settle to the table (or counter surface). Next, take 20-30 pages from the front of the book and lay them down, gently run the tips of your fingers (you can also use the edge of the palm of your hand) along the gutter (fold/crease line); repeat with the same number of pages from the back of the book all the while holding the remaining text block in a vertical position with your free hand. Finally, repeat this process with an equal number of pages each time, first one end and then the other, until the entire text block has been folded back into two even halves. The book is now ready for use.

This simple technique can add years of life to any title. It can be used with either sewn or double-fan adhesive bindings, albeit adhesive bindings are more easily damaged. Be sure to use only light pressure evenly applied while sliding your hand down the gutter of each group of pages. When using this technique with sewn bindings, try to avoid folding back an entire signature (a group or unit of folded and sewn pages that together with other signatures form a text block) at one time. Rather, fold somewhere within the signature in order to place less stress on the thread.

This technique is a good quality control test for either a publisher, or a re-binding contractor. Whether purchasing books for the first time or the hundredth, check the quality of the contractor or publisher's binding by using the above-described technique. If a binding cannot stand up to this simple test, the product should be rejected and returned.

Preservation of books can be as simple as explained above. Of course, you would never want to use this folding method on rare materials.

Randy Butler is Library Director at Southwestern Adventist University, Keene, Texas and current president of ASDAL.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 02:35 AM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (1)

March 09, 2004

Off Paco's Lips Now

Last month, as part of his book tour, promoting Call of the Mall author Paco Underhill visited our offices. He shared with us his background and a bit about his first book Why We Buy – all very interesting. However, the Q&A part of his presentation was the most interesting...

Here are a few of the interesting thoughts Paco shared… (paraphrased and in my own words…)

Paco mentioned three retail concepts that he thought had it right…
• Staples – they have a new store concept that makes finding what you want within the store very easy. You wouldn't find yourself wandering up and down the aisles unless you wanted to.
• Zara – a fashion apparel company highlighted for the way they’ve set up a network to manage inventory from the factory to the store floor
• Three Minute Happiness* – a Japanese based store with general household and houseware items. *Scroll down to the second image - This is the only link I could find… It's a Japanese site translated through AltaVista's Babel Fish Translation Service – it's difficult to understand, but you can at least get the picture - literally.

• He believes that we’re “past the age where companies are driven by a visionary general”. Where a single individual owns and drives the overall concept and direction of an organization. He said we’re in the age where empowered captains and sergeants are/should be running organizations. Where the brand DNA of the company is carried and executed by many.

• He mentioned that when customers love a product so much you could say they almost worship it… for us, he said we’re in the "worship of coffee business" (stay with me here). Paco mentioned that there are three types of worshipers: the Novice, the Acolyte and the Deacon. (This is similar to the way Ben and Jackie use the term Evangelist for a customer who is a raving fan). You need to treat each type of worshiper according to their level of experience with your product. The Deacon can easily explain the concept to others… the Novice, however, is just a beginner and my need help understanding how your concept works. (At Starbucks – the 'deacon' could order their drink using all the drink calling wording just like a barista… a novice is still trying to understand how it all works).

Paco also made reference to three forms of time. To customers time passes in three forms:
• 1) real
• 2) perceived
• 3) a combination of real and perceived

real – An episode of Gilligan's Island feels pretty much like a 1/2 hour with the commercials and all. I pretty much know it'll be a 30-minute show and that's basically how it feels…

perceived - waiting in line for 30 minutes for a fresh, hot Krispy Kreme donut goes by very quickly – you may perceive it as a shorter wait than it is. Waiting for 5 minutes at the department of motor vehicle office can feel like a lifetime.

combination – the best example I can think of is waiting in line at a theme park. A queue line may take 40 minutes (and feel somewhere between 20 and 60 depending on the temperature and who you're in line with)… The ride itself may last for 10 minutes, but may feel like 5 because it was so engaging or thrilling.

Very interesting thoughts... I recommend you check out either of his books if you haven't already.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 12:48 AM in Marketing Strategy, Paul Williams' Sandbox, Remarkable Companies & Products | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

February 21, 2004

Saved by the Bell

No, this one is not about Mr. Belding and Screech... (not exactly) It's about being on time for meetings.

If your office is like mine, you have too many meetings. So many that you most likely have them back-to-back-to-back.

It's a problem.

To make matters worse, our meetings rarely start at the scheduled time. Being 5 or 10 minutes late is "standard operating procedure" for many of folks.

There is always some key stakeholder trying to make it across the building - and you can't start until they arrive.

My recommended solution?

Bells.

Yep. A bell ringing at the top of the hour (to start) and a bell at 5-minutes before the hour (to conclude). Just like in school.

Yeah, I know...It sounds silly. It's not rocket science, but in an organization where decisions require multi-departmental input, meetings are necessary.

I feel that being late is inconsiderate... Heck, I'll carry a stack of files from meeting to meeting all day long to avoid being late. I'm considering getting a book bag or maybe a small red wagon.

The secret is in having 55-minute meetings, not 60. If we had the bell at 5-minutes before the hour to indicate the end of the meeting - that would allow enough time to get to your next meeting. Perhaps even to stop by your desk and pick up the files you need for the next meeting. (i.e. get to your locker to drop off your English Lit book and grab your Advanced American History text and spiral notebook).

I think I'll drop a note in the suggestion box on Monday. I wonder if I can get them to also add a nurse's office?

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 12:41 AM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

February 13, 2004

"Fight the Propaganda" Debate

Should Marketers have anything to do with Political advertising?

Rich Silverstein (Goodby, Silverstein & Partners) wrote an editorial in the Feb 2nd issue of AdWeek (click for PDF) where he makes a case for why advertising agencies should not get involved with crafting political ads.

Here at Brand Autopsy we have some “HMOs” (hot marketing opinions) on this subject matter. And since we are in the throws... er... throes [thanks mom!] of political primary season complete with debates galore, we thought it was appropriate to stage our own debate stemming from Silvertein’s editorial. It’s more of a point/counter-point than an actual debate. Allow us some leeway and play along. Okay?

We begin with Brand Autopsy Coroner Moore Disagreeing with Silverstein – read his dissection of the idea.

Brand Autopsy Examiner Williams Agreeing with Silverstein – read his examination and reply to Mr. Moore.

Next, Moore's long-winded rebuttal.

Finally, Williams' clever closing statement.

Enjoy. Williams + Moore

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 12:05 PM in Advertising Strategy, Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

"Fight the Propaganda" - Williams' Closing Comments

DEBATE MODERATOR
Mr. Williams, you may proceed. You have 200 words.

Here's what we can expect if we allow marketers and advertisers to keep spinning our presidential candidate platforms...

Political Issue	AdverSpin Slogan
Abortion 'right to choose'	"Have it your way."
Sex education in schools	"Just Do It."
Support additional funding for troop readiness	"When you care enough to send the very best"
Ease federal restrictions on gun possession	"Don't leave home without it."
Champion pollution and acid rain issues	"When it rains, it pours."
Decrease USDA requirements for livestock inspection	"Where's the beef?"
Strengthen regulation of the Clean Water Act	"Good to the last drop."
Affirmative action	"Raise your hand if you're sure."
Public transit	"Let your fingers do the walking."
Early release of non-violent mentally ill patients	"Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't"
Education reform	"Think different."
Violent criminals serve full prison sentences	"Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'
Oppose government mandates to curtail sexual content on television	"M'm! M'm! Good"
Allow same-sex couples to form civil unions	"Reach out and touch someone."
Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana	"The quicker picker upper."

Special thanks to the aptly named website AdSlogans.com for the awesome collection of… ad slogans! Be sure to visit vote-smart.com to learn more about the political process and the candidates.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 06:00 AM in Advertising Strategy, Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

February 09, 2004

"Fight the Propaganda" - Re-Examination

DEBATE MODERATOR
Thank you Mr. Moore. Mr. Williams, your opening blog please.

Despite what the TV ad claims, there is little risk if my jug of ‘thicker formula’ Clorox bleach doesn’t truly get my whites whiter…

However, there is a lot more at stake if my as-seen-on-TV candidate who “gets the job done” can’t get the job done.

In a way, Mr. Silverstein is making an admission about the manipulation that takes place by marketers through advertising. The ways we make claims and persuade consumers with regard to products and services.

Do we really want the folks who find a way to call a product “new and improved” because of a “change in package color scheme” to work that same slight-of-hand on the next leader of the free world?

In an era when the headlines report daily of alleged cheats, thieves, and hucksters what we could really use right now is substance – not sizzle.

Finally, Mr. Silverstein can draw such a bold line because he realizes the benefits of consumer products are pretty clear and limited… and none of them will be expected to influence social welfare, decision in occupying countries or our natural resources.

I don’t choose my toothpaste the same way I choose my political candidate.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 01:48 AM in Advertising Strategy, Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

January 17, 2004

From "PC" to "DC"

For years we have been trying to be politically correct (PC). Trying to use the right / current / proper 'label' for different groups.

Today we're scrambling to be dietically correct (DC). We're filled with angst trying to figure out which diet trend to subscribe to...

Is it Atkins? Low-Carb? South Beach? Low-Fat? Low Cal? Or should I talk to the gal with the bumper sticker...
[ I lost 40 pounds in a week, ask me how! ] Which is it?

It’s interesting to see quick service restaurants (QSR) scramble for a dietetically correct version of their offerings.

Blimpie - is introducing the BCC, the Blimpie Carb Counter and an assortment of low-carb menu combos

Burger King - is offering low-carb burgers in a bowl instead of a bun.

Chili's- (while not a QSR) is offering a choice of low-fat or low-carb items.

Hardee's - started offering a burger wrapped in lettuce in mid-December.

McDonald's - has brought back a little known program they had over 11 years ago called "What's On Your Plate" targeting school aged kids featuring a cartoon character Willie Munchright.

Subway - has been using nutrition and 'leaner' as a competitive advantage for years. They have introduced two wrap sandwiches that are endorsed by Atkins Nutritionals.

Taco Bell - has new "Fresco Style" menu items where the cheese and sauce is replaced by salsa - this saves you a few grams of fat and 20 to 30 or so calories.

Wendy’s - has been promoting their Chili, Side Salad and Baked Potato combo meal as being under 5 grams (fat) under 4 bucks. It’s an old school approach to losing weight these days as everyone else is going the low-carb route - which doesn’t allow baked potatoes. The ads even feature fuddy-duddy regular people dressed in vintage 70s sweats doing old school exercises (like an African-American struggling on an garage-sale worthy stationary bike and a slightly plump suburban woman in sweats going out for a run… a run to Wendy’s for the 5 grams under 4 bucks deal.

Ah, but there is hope... According the a recent Toronto Star article, there is a group of Amish in Ontario that despite eating fats, sugars and calories has very low obesity levels...

Proving that, while making fun of the Amish is not PC, having fun WITH them may help you be DC.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 10:30 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (2)

January 14, 2004

Big Bang or Small Thang II

Okay, I’ll bite… after viewing some of the commercials and reading the definition of what a Big Bang is here are MY thoughts.

I think one of the secrets of effective campaigns is that the average consumer may not realize or care that they are being pitched to. The execution is so compelling you let down their guard and let marketing tell it’s story.

AFLAC –The latest TV spot features an animated AFLAC duck along with a collection of Warner Brothers animated characters (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, the Coyote, and Road Runner). (I’m so disappointed in Warner Brothers for loaning out their characters to co-star with the AFLAC duck. What in the name of so-called co-branded synergies is going on here?)

The AFLAC duck, while successful in repeatedly stating the AFLAC brand name, is a flash in the pan when compared to the enduring and culturally significant Warner Brothers characters. (Does Warner Brothers really need to associate with the AFLAC duck to make their animated stars relevant? Is this a case of Warner Brothers over-licensing their characters? From my vantage point, this commercial did Warner Brothers no favors.)

While the quacky sounding catch-phrase “AFLAC!” may be more in the minds of consumers I don’t see folks squawking this to each other in the halls at work or on the subway. It gets the name of the product out there, but not in the “expand exponentially in the culture” as outlined as a Big Bang criteria.

The AFLAC duck's quack is annoyingly catchy, but it does not instill confidence in the American Family Life Assurance Company or drive me to check out their offerings.

However, talking about it here has built awareness in my mind that they exist as an insurance company and the ads say to “ask about AFLAC at the workplace.”

AFLAC -> Big Bang duck? No. Kung Pao duck? Perhaps.

Blimpie – I haven’t seen this creative execution but the idea sounds off-base. I've always tried to follow the path of creating marketing messages that say 'who you are and never who you are not.' In this ad, Blimpie seems to be saying more of who they are not (Subway) than who they are.

Blimpie -> Small Thing.

Heineken – I’ll give them points for being in the right place at the right time. This ad makes you grin and think ‘how clever of them to be so timely.’ To me this was more of a flash in pan than a Big Bang.

Heineken -> Small Thang (with some extra fizz for taking advantage of a situation).

Clairol Herbal Essences – I tried this shampoo and it didn’t even make me blush. I’m not sure what the big deal is. Ah, but wait… is that the secret? Did I try it because the woman on TV found it so pleasurable? Actually, I liked the way it smelled. I admit that on the first or second viewing the TV spots had me looking twice thinking “what’s going on?” But some of the most recent executions where the woman is surrounded by build men escorting her around her oversized bathroom as if she were in a 50’s musical left me wondering what the true benefit of the product was.

Clairol Herbal Essences -> I guess they'd want this to be ranked the Big "O" vs Big Bang?

With all this said, I was able to comment on many of these brands with top of mind awareness of how they advertise. But, the most important measure is purchase. The ads haven’t driven me to purchase, but they do ‘stick out’ among the brandscape. So perhaps if a good friend mentioned the great taste of a Heineken or a co-worker mentions she uses AFLAC and ‘they’re great’ I may consider trial.

I still refuse to say the words “Can you hear me now?” I’m not going to cave.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 12:08 AM in Business Books, Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

January 08, 2004

Hair Brained Scheme

As a marketer, when watching TV, I often pay more attention to the WAY a product is being sold than WHAT is being sold. I know they are trying to appeal to some unknown need and that every single element has been carefully chosen to enhance the message and drive interest. So, it takes a lot to pique my interest in a product pitch.

JUST FOR MEN, the company that makes hair color for men, has created a product (that they're offering for free if you call or visit their website) which allows you to temporarily color your hair to see how would look if you were to use their product. It darkens your hair and takes out the gray - but washes out easily with a single shampooing.

"New Just For Men Try-Out rinse-out hair color sample. Comb It In. Check It Out. Rinse It Away. Finally, you can see how you'd look without gray with no guessing about the results. And no commitment." – from the JUST FOR MEN website

I applaud JUST FOR MEN for finding a creative solution to provide product trial without risk. I'm sure this has been a challenge for a while. I would have enjoyed being a part of those brainstorming sessions where they examined the challenge and developed their ultimate approach!

A rather simple, but innovative solution.

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 10:02 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (1)

December 23, 2003

Santa's Deja Vu

I can see ol' St. Nick now... flying over our housetops... dropping off loot for good girls and boys... I wonder if he's doing a double-take at some of the items in his bag. Some of these 'new' toys look very similar to some of the things he dropped off in the '70s and '80s (and earlier)!

Over the past several years, I've been pleased to see the come-back of toys, movies, and objects from when we were kids... It's the stuff WE and our younger brother's and sisters played with.

These include:

• Shrinky-Dinks
  
• Schoolhouse Rock - now a Disney property, a new generation can learn how bills become law and about how the number zero can be considered a hero! (I admit I bought the DVD collection!)
  
• Care Bears
  
• The Incredible Hulk
  
• Mattel's Electronic "Classic Football" game - the little red dashes and beeps and chirps from 1977
  
• Mattel's Electronic "Classic Baseball" game
  
• Atari Classics 10-in-1 TV Games - from Pong to Adventure to Missile Command

What's old is new again.

Here's my theory...

I was born in '69 and it seems like many folks "our age" (a range between 30 and 40-ish) have progressed to a point in our careers where we hold influential roles within our organizations. We’re bringing back stuff we appreciated from our childhood.

While some games and toys haven’t gone out of production, they are being re-packaged in their vintage looks featuring original graphics, game pieces, etc.

While out shopping, I have seen old-tyme versions of classic games like Monopoly (the 1935 commemorative edition), Sorry, Operation, Parcheesi, Clue (from the ‘50s)...

Now if they’d just come out with the Six Million Dollar Man again… I’d love to get an Oscar Madison doll with the suitcase that would look like it ‘exploded’ if you opened it the wrong way.

Happy Holidays!

Paul

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 02:35 PM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 19, 2003

Fee Fi Faux Forces

Tonight while scanning the news I came across a photo in the news photo gallery of Reuters that showed an innovative solution to reduce speeding. Mexico's Federal Highway Police are making their highways safer by creating fake speed traps using two-dimentional police car 'billboards' on the highway. They intermix real speed traps with the replicas to save money.

This reminds me of the deceptions used during World War II called Operation Fortitude where inflatable tanks and airplanes were used to confuse enemy forces. Reconnaissance aircraft pilots couldn't tell the fake from the real. This could mis-represent the size of a military force or (as mentioned below) divert the enemy from the actual army.

While searching for a link for inflatable tanks, I came across this story about a British magician, Jasper Maskelyne. During the second World War the military used his master of illusion skills to help defeat the German army in north Africa. Interesting too there is a movie coming out about his story called The War Magician.

Note: While researching the title 'The War Magician' on Amazon I found an out of print book that the movie will be based on. However if you read the customer critiques of the book, it sounds like others were involved in the illusions and Maskelyne has potentially received more credit than he actually contributed - you be the judge)

Posted by Paul (from Idea Sandbox) at 01:12 AM in Paul Williams' Sandbox | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

I've mulled over the GoDaddy discussions here, here, and here... Of course, a business owner can do what he/she wants with their money...

However, as a marketer, I cannot help but question whether this is the most effective way for a company to intro-launch themselves.

From a target audience perspective... How many Super Bowl viewers are techies who currently have their own domain/site and don't already know about the GoDaddy option OR have been contemplating a site and will use this ad as a 'call to action' to log-on and acquire their first domain name?

The answer is some.

From an effective reach perspective... How much impact can a lesser known company really make with a single 30-second spot?

The answer is some.

How many people might be away from the TV and peeing during that 30-second spot?

The answer is many.

Yes, we do talk about our favorite Super Bowl commercials around the coffee pot on Monday morning – but how many of us are buying more Bud (best ad 1999–'03) or gulping more Pepsi (best ad 1994-'98) because of these ads?

I think the challenge is that we hate to see so much money spent so quickly for such little impact. Super Bowl ads are a gamble - putting a very tall stack of chips on lucky number 23 and hoping the ball stops there. How can GoDaddy execute something meaningful vs. a potential flash-in-the-pan?

I was schooled early on: "don't to bring up an issue unless you can offer up solutions." Therefore, I'm presenting a few of my own suggestions for GoDaddy's $2.4 M spend. I believe these will build better awareness of their business and drive traffic to their site. In addtion to sales gains, the media coverage, good will, and intrinsic value gained by implementing these suggestions would more than double the investment.

For reference,  $2.4 M equates to 268,156 domain names purchased via GoDaddy at $8.95 each... or web hosting for 607,594 at $3.95 a year via GoDaddy.

Be Generous

The clever tagline for GoDaddy is "make a name with us." They could make a name for themselves with these ideas. (And for some of these ideas, make a difference in the community as well).

• Offer 607,594 non-profit companies free web hosting of their sites for a year.
• Give each of the 75,000 attendees of the Super Bowl a free year of web hosting and five coupons to pass to friends, each good for a free year of web hosting.
• Make goodwill by supporting Goodwill – donate 240,000 pairs of kid's shoes or blankets for needy kids.

For those 'less needy' but still a generous offer...

• Target folks with existing high-speed cable-modems at home. Offer to pay a free month ($39.95) of their current high-speed modem bill for switching or starting a site with GoDaddy. Offer would be good for the first 60,000 interested.
• A la WKRP - Drop over 4,000 desktop computers ($600 each) onto the crowd at Alltel Stadium during the Super Bowl game. Have the home page of the browser set to GoDaddy.com

Target Audience

• Run a 4-color print ad each month for two years in the following magazines which reach a GoDaddy audience:

• MacAddict (2 page spread) -> $273k per year

• Wired Magazine (1/2 page ad) -> $166k per year

• PC Magazine (full page) -> $761k per year

On the other hand, choose three additional magazines and only run a year's worth of full-page ads.

• Become the source of choice for future domain/host users. Give graduating tech-college students their own free domain. You could create nearly 27,000 users and evangelists (that's 5,400 per US state) who would potentially buzz about your service.

Broad Audience

• For the entire next 52 weeks place a 4-color ad in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. Have your ad be clever, engaging and change it every week. Like the Sunday comics, surprise us. That's about $2.08 M right there and uses up that money.

• Reach the 3.1 M subscribers of Sports Illustrated and run 10 4-color adds next year in their national edition -> $2.4 M

With all that said, I hope we eat our words and we all get re-schooled on what the Super Bowl can do for an advertiser. I hope it's an incredibly fruitful marketing spend... and you 'make a name for yourself.'

You Go, Daddy.

We marketers seem to seek out any nook and cranny we find to get folks to feel better about our products.

This nook takes the cake... the urinal cake.

Has anyone ever kicked their drug habit influenced by the SAY NO TO DRUGS message emblazoned on a urinal mat?* Does this marketing message really have a call to action or serve as a public service message?

Let me know if you've seen any similar 'out of place' messages... I'd love to talk more about them...

When seeking out an appropriate image for this post I came across Urinal.net, a site that catalogs urinals across the world. Another great use for the internet.

*For those who aren't familiar with urinal mats... these are strainers that sit inside the urinal bowl to basically keep rubbish from clogging up the drain – things like gum and cigarettes. They're also commonly outfitted with a urinal cake (deodorizer) holder.

Just because we have labeled it work that doesn't mean it has to be serious, stiff and boring. That's exactly the philosophy of Portland based company/troupe On Your Feet. They use improv and the philosophies of improv to teach companies to manage better under pressure and to find new ways to "create, relate, and communicate with skill and agility."

Here's how they describe it.

Business is uncertain

Great ideas emerge under the right conditions

Audiences want to be engaged

Teams want to be surprised

Actions matter

Most meetings suck

That's where improv can help.

To learn more about their antics, we (the marketing medics from Brand Autopsy) attended a ‘Play Day’ in Portland last week. They offer an afternoon 'try before you buy' where they share the methods of their madness.

Gary Hirsh and the gang at On Your Feet demonstrated how they "help organizations and individuals engage their audiences, generate breakthrough ideas, facilitate organizational learning, strengthen their culture, and discover new possibilities for their brand, all while having a ridiculously good time."

We had a blast.

If your usual methods of motivation have lost momentum... perhaps you need a boost of jest - check out On Your Feet.

I don't like having to take off my shoes in the airport security line.

I know it's important to remove and x-ray our shoes for security purposes... but walking around in bare or stocking feet in this public venue grosses me out.

As a creative marketer, I've come up with a solution and an opportunity regarding this unpleasant necessary...

Using their Swiffer line of products, Proctor & Gamble can virtually OWN the area between "take your shoes off" and "put your shoes back on" at the airport.

If you're not familiar with the Swiffer line of products, these are floor mops (both wet and dry versions) that have a reusable handle and mop head, and use a pre-soaked disposable cleaning towel... or more precisely...

Disposable cloths presoaked with an advanced cleaning solution that dissolves stains on contact and dries quickly without streaks.

P&G needs to donate their "Swiffer Wet" product to the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) to use freely and regularly on the tile floors in the security area. (Or better yet, negotiate to have Swiffer demonstrators mop these areas at no additional tax dollar expense).

Not only will the floors be squeaky clean and streak-free, but I'm certain it'll add a lemony fresh scent to the queue area.

In addition, clearly posted signage should tout:

STEP ASSURED:
"Clean Floor Courtesy of Swiffer Wet"
If we can clean up after 30-thousand strangers,
imagine what we could do for your kitchen."

To bring it all home, the signage should have a tear-off pad whereby now convinced and converted consumers may take a coupon to obtain a Swiffer for home.

Everyone wins...

- Passengers will feel less resistant to cooperate with the "shoes off" policy
- The airport will smell better
- P&G garners great awareness, sampling and trial opportunity.

September 8, 2004 – New York, NY
The Williams+Moore ImagePower® study released jointly by the Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice and research firm Rock, Paper, and Scissors reveals how Brand Autopsy blog visitors perceive the two bloggers, Brand Examiner Paul and Marketing Medic Moore.

Rock, Paper, and Scissors conducted single-digit interviews among a representative sample of Brand Autopsy blog visitors who plan to visit the Brand Autopsy blog again and are familiar with both bloggers and their respective marketing ideology.

The results are startling as both bloggers are perceived by their readers to similar yet dissimilar. The only true similarity between the bloggers is they are both linked to comfortable shoes.

Sure you can be creative in your office cube or in one of the large conference rooms with the walls plastered with sticky flip chart pages or butcher paper, but what if you want to really get your fingers dirty creatively? Then what?

Earlier this week, the Brand Autopsy team took off our scrubs and visited two creative venues in Chicago – the Thinkubator and the Catalyst Ranch.

The Thinkubator is the creative HQ for SolutionPeople. Founded by Gerald "Solutionman" Haman in 1989, he converted warehouse space in Chicago's West Loop into a training space for his KnowBrainer innovation tool as well as a romper-room for innovative thought. (He has a toy collection that would make Santa Claus jealous.)

Visiting Catalyst Ranch was like visiting Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Founded by Eva Niewiadomski in 2002 she gutted a space in Chicago's historic Haymarket Square and transformed the space from sparse to stimulating. She has several creative spaces ranging from small to huge to accommodate all sizes of thoughts.

Here's how they describe their philosophy at the Catalyst Ranch.

"We, the Ranch Hands of Catalyst Ranch, believe that ideas, learning and breakthrough thought thrive when people are placed in an environment that stimulates and invigorates the senses. It's important to take individuals out of the typical boring, staid, colorless cubicles and conference rooms where they're ensconced through their daily working lives..."

Other places I've heard of to be creative (that I still want to visit) include:

< a href="http://www.eurekaranch.com/eureka/default.asp" target="_blank">Eureka Ranch – founded by innovator and author Doug Hall. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio Hall was one of the first people I had read about who encouraged the take your shoes off and act like a kid on order to break out of the stiff office environment and get the creative juices flowing. They use a combination of innovation and statistical analysis to create their meaningful marketing.

Here's how they describe what they do at Eureka Ranch.

Our specialty is the invention of ideas that offer a meaningful difference i.e. ideas that offer a difference that makes a real difference to a specific target audience. In classic research terms this means ideas with high scores in BOTH purchase intent and uniqueness. These are the types of ideas that tracking studies indicate are twice as likely to survive long term and four times less likely to require extensive price discounting.

To read about Hall's philosophies on being creative and innovative, check out his book Jump Start Your Brain.

ThinkShop - while not a destination space per se, they bring together teams to help drive innovation for companies. They have offices in Seattle and NYC. Here's how they describe themselves...

Inspired Innovation: a creative idea that becomes a reality. ThinkShop brings together teams to create inspired innovations. The types of solutions we help teams develop come in many forms, from new products that create new revenue streams to processes that increase productivity to programs that make people feel better about their work.

Spaces to go, people to hire... Do you know of any other creative, brainstorming, strategic ideation, and playhouse type locations?

...and adversity won't derail you.

Just one of the many pieces of wisdom made clear in "Rules of the Red Rubber Ball: Find and Sustain Your Life's Work" by Kevin Carroll.

Carroll, Nike katalyst and storyteller turned author, shares his inspiring story about motivation. He found freedom in the playground as a kid and describes how that same fuel can drive dreams as an adult.

Amid the uncertainty of my childhood, the playground became my sanctuary, a magical environment where my worries, shame and low self-esteem disappeared. There I discovered my gift of speed. Despite my size, I could outrun most other kids and speed became my ticket onto the field

To Kevin, the red rubber ball represents play. Any activity that makes you excited about the day.

Akin to Orbiting the Giant Hairball, Carroll uses clever typography, eclectic paper stock, illustration, and photos to creatively outline how to discover your own red rubber ball. He then provides rules for what he considers the more difficult (yet satisfying) part of the dream - keeping it alive.

Your red rubber ball is what grabs you by the soul. It's what captures your imagination. It's what you do when no one tells you what to do, when you're alone in your room, on the playground or in your head. It's what you daydream, and that dream can be come your life's work... if you let it.

He then provides seven rules to help you follow your red rubber ball, your source of play.

Commit to It

Seek out Encouragers

Work Out Your Creative Muscle

Prepare to Shine

Speak Up

Expect the Unexpected

Maximize the Day

Follow these links to see excerpt pages from his book...

one | two | three

While this book may be sit in the personal growth section of your bookstore, it may as well sit in the business and management section. The seven rules of the red rubber ball can also apply to your workplace, your career, your home life...

This book is currently only available via the Red Rubber Ball website and is priced at $22.95 (ISBN: 0975333100).

What's your red rubber ball?

While recent headlines report a slight drop in gas prices across North America, reports indicate it's not expected that prices will reduce in the upcoming weeks.

So why did Shell pick last week to launch their ultra-premium, higher priced V-Power gasoline?

With skyrocketing prices and sensitivity to our Mideast dependencies, it seems like poor timing for a new line-extension in gas options. In fact, as I researched this post, I found that every on-line article about gas prices also included "top tips" and calculators to assist motorists in conserving fuel to save money.

At my local pumps this fancy fossil fuel is running around 12¢ more per gallon, over even the premium, at $1.27 per gallon [correction $2.27 per gallon (7/31)].

What's the benefit? According to Shell's website...

The new gasoline actively cleans critical engine parts as motorists drive, and features more than five times the minimum amount of cleaning agents required by government standards. Shell V-Power gasoline replaces Shell’s existing premium grade gasoline, and is available now at Shell stations across the USA...

...This level of protection helps prevent the future build-up of carbon deposits on your vehicle’s intake valves or fuel injectors.

Engine deposits? Carbon buildup? Sure, these are ways to prolong the life of a car's engine... Do Americans even own the same vehicle long enough to experience the degradation of their engine due to these pesky deposits?

How about higher efficiency resulting in higher miles-per-gallon? What about less pollution? These features are marketing-worthy and a value worth paying a premium for.

Are owners of gas-guzzlers splurging on this affordable luxury?

Is this a status fuel?

Over at the Church of the Customer, Ben and Jackie introduced the blog world to John Winter Smith and his quest to visit every Starbucks company-owned location in the world. So far, he has visited nearly 4,300 locations in North America, UK, and Japan. WOW! That is fanatical behavior becoming of an evangelist!

In their post, Jackie writes the following:

"Ultimate evangelists like Winter don't turn up every day. He's generating lots of favorable press on his own. Starbucks should embrace Winter in every conceivable way. Promote his visits. Lend him a car with the Starbucks logo on the side. (Winter sleeps in his old car with no air conditioning when he goes on his frequent Starbucks road trips.) He's authentic, not a schlocky spokesthing. Make him a hero. Starbucks, your Jared is here."

Here at Brand Autopsy we have a different take on Winter becoming the "Starbucks Jared." We contend Starbucks should acknowledge Winter in an ongoing manner, just not in every conceivable way that Subway acknowledges and promotes Jared.

Someone like Winter is good for those folks who LOVE Starbucks - it makes those who visit 3x a day feel better because they can say, "At least I’m not that Winter guy going to ALL the stores… Now, that’s freakish!"

As Ben and Jackie have taught us, customer evangelists exhibit fanatical behavior (some more fanatical than others). Jared fanatically used Subway to better himself by losing 245 pounds. His actions of eating Subway sandwiches to improve his health plays into Subway's branding strategy of being a more healthy alternative to the other fast food chains. Jared is a credible* spokesperson/evangelist for Subway because his personal goals were/are more in line with the business/branding goals of Subway.

*(he's credible in a 30-second spot to the masses, but he is still only the 1 in 123 million who has seen results from a Subway diet. I'm sure the fine print reads -> "Individual results may vary. Not typical weight loss.")

Winter’s goal of visiting every Starbucks in the world is fanatical evangelist behavior. However, his goal does not mesh with Starbucks goals. Winter’s goal perpetuates the perception (and in many ways the reality) that Starbucks is ubiquitous, that Starbucks is everywhere. Starbucks is trying not to promote its ubiquity and that is why Winter wouldn’t make for a credible Starbucks spokesperson.

Winter would be a more credible spokesperson, along the lines of Jared, if he exhibited a passion for aspects of Starbucks beyond its massive reach such as Starbucks involvement in local communities, its coffee quality, its business practices, etc.

If you read Winter’s travel logs, you’ll notice that he admits to gagging and nearly vomiting after drinking too much Starbucks. (Ouch.) That behavior is not becoming of a Starbucks spokesperson. In fact, this conjures up images of Morgan Spurlock, of Super Size Me fame, and his McBurps, McNausea, and McRegurgitation after downing too many Big Macs.

Imagine if a documentary was made chronicling Winter’s journey … it could be called, “Ubiquitize Me.” (Double ouch.)

For the record, we think Starbucks should ACKNOWLEDGE Winter in an ongoing manner just not as Subway acknowledges Jared.

Instead of featuring Winter in marketing/advertising campaigns, we contend Starbucks SHOULD…

Empower Winter to fulfill his passion by sending him an updated quarterly roster of newly opened stores

Send Winter a personalized Starbucks Card (with his photo on it) and upload dollars to it on a quarterly basis

Invite Winter to Seattle to tour the Starbucks HQ, have a cupping with the Starbucks Coffee Dept., and have a cup of coffee with Howard Schultz

We also agree Starbucks SHOULD consider making a donation to a charity each time Winter visits a new store. (That is Jackie's great idea).

(In return, Starbucks should politely ask Winter to stop saying the coffee is making him sick).

That’s Brand Autopsy’s take … what’s yours?

Heinz is running it's second talking label "Say Something Ketchuppy" contest. As the promotional material reads:

Sometimes our label gets tired of saying "Tomato Ketchup" all of the time. We received a huge response from our first talking label contest, and now our ketchup is begging for more of your ideas. So make a joke about french fries or have some fun at the expense of mustard.

I needed to grab a new bottle of ketchup for my 4th of July dogs and took a moment to stop and read the condiments. I laughed out loud - at ketchup.

Heinz turned a chore of low excitement into something fun. I found myself moving bottles around on the shelf to find the label that I liked best.

I chose: WILL WORK FOR FOOD

Other labels include:

MEATLOAF ENHANCER

HIDES GRILL MARKS

You can find more talking labels on their website and contest rules are posted if you wish to enter.

Heinz has done a great job of making the common, uncommon. Yes, it's a teeny bit more expensive but, as they hoped, they make the picnic table a little more fun.

Also, check out the Jones Soda Company. They make common soda uncommon with exotic flavors and labels that feature images submitted by customers.

Happy 4th of July.

As a marketer it's important to have a way with words. It's important to be able to communicate meaning clearly - either directly to customers or through an agency on behalf of your customers.

Several years back, as a marketing manager in NYC, I was speaking with a reporter at the NY Times regarding the density of Starbucks Coffee locations in Manhattan. I was describing how in suburban areas, a store supports the neighborhood that lies in blocks surrounding the store. However, in the city, Starbucks may have a store on the ground floor that supports 25+ stories of customers above. I referred to this a VERTICAL NEIGHBORHOOD. I was proud of this term (and still am obviously).

Last week I came up with another good one.

I'm working on a project with the IT team. I was trying to communicate to the project lead to be sure not to skip us as they developed their plan... to make sure they included us. I said to her... "I want to make sure we don't MISS ANY BELT LOOPS as you move forward..."

I'm certain this term will quickly work its way into popular culture and soon appear as a "word of the day" on Word Spy. (You can say you read it here first!)

So, know you have a resource here at Brand Autopsy. If you need any quotable quotes, drop us a note!

At my Puget Sound AMA meeting last week, we had a presenter from the Frank Russell Company, the global investment services firm. He spoke about his brand and some of the challenges of being an investment company based in the non-financial hub of Tacoma, WA. As a finance guy, he joked that it was a company requirement to have some sort of mathematical equation in his presentation. So he shared his marketing math…

AWARENESS x REPUTATION = BRAND

Now, I want to adjust this a little…

AWARENESS x REPUTATION = BRAND RELEVANCE

A nice equation.

AWARENESS - Do people know about your product, service or company? Do they talk about it? Do they tell others? Do they know the great things that you do?

REPUTATION - What do people say about your product, service or company as good or bad? What do customers think? Are they satisfied? Do you deliver on your product, service and brand promise?

Let’s look at this equation from two perspectives at Starbucks Coffee Company.

STARBUCKS COFFEE/ESPRESSO

Awareness - I’ll refer to a common theme “there’s a Starbucks on every corner” - 'nuff said.

Reputation - Starbucks is a destination for coffee and espresso beverages. They make it convenient. They make it the way you want (a la double-short, non-fat, extra-foamy latte with sugar free vanilla syrup). Starbucks has been credited with helping to improve the quality of coffee consumed in North America.

So if you calculated this equation, when it comes to COFFEE/ESPRESSO at Starbucks the BRAND RELEVANCE score would be VERY HIGH.

STARBUCKS COMMUNITY GIVE-BACK

Awareness - Did you know that with nearly every store that Starbucks opens, there is a local long-term charity partnership? Or that the local store manager not only wants to serve the community but strives to be an integral part of it? Early on in the company history, it was considered too self-serving to blow the Starbucks horn and brag about community giving. It's not considered a ‘tactic’ it’s just how to be a responsible business. However, that has left Starbucks with low awareness of this part of the business.

Reputation - Starbucks is known to be everywhere, and is known for coffee. But, despite being a great neighbor, does not have the corresponding reputation. The message of BIG overshadows the message of GOOD.

Therefore, when it comes to COMMUNITY GIVE-BACK, the Starbucks BRAND RELEVANCE score would be LOW.

Since you know your desired total for this brand equation, you can flip the equation around and solve for the missing variable.

What’s your product, brand or service BRAND RELEVANCE score?

Today a peer in my local American Marketing Association mentioned getting a good list of books to use as suggestions for the marketing book club.

I thought "what about a marketing blog club?" Instead of picking a book and reading it as a group, choose a few blog sites, read them and discuss as a group. (And if they wanted, they could still drink wine).

While books are great, their content becomes firm once it’s printed. But a blog site can address the same topics and continue to grow and evolve. What’s even better, you can interact with the authors of the site as well as other readers.

View the Brand Autopsy Blog Log on the ABOUT ME page of our site to see some of the blog sites we visit.

It's funny. I remember Krispy Kreme, like White Castle, as a place in the south where you could go to for a 24-hour snack. A clean, 'blue collar' place - not a chichi vogue place to go. It was functional. You wanted a donut; they were hot and fresh (and delicious). I specifically remember a big piece of their business was selling wholesale to school groups for fundraisers - cheerleaders would sell donuts to raise money for new uniforms or for bus trips to the state championship.

Krispy Kreme's rise to popularity has been interesting to me. I lived in NYC when the first KK opened. It was so popular it was as if New Yorker's invented KK themselves.

So while this fresh new start has been interesting to experience... it seems they're getting stale already.

Now I'm going to share one experience, at one location, at one moment in time (but still)...

I went to KK this weekend for a donut and coffee... Instead of a drip coffee, I thought I'd check out their espresso. After all, I understand that they've added that to their mix to be more competitive in the espresso market. I ordered their latte with their original Kreme flavoring... Evidently they offer four kinds of milk - nonfat/skim, 2%, whole milk and their original Kreme flavored milk.

After I place my order, the woman on the register asked a gal on the production line something about my drink. They asked another gal to help. She went to the espresso machine and was flipping through some pages – to find a recipe and/or instructions on how to make my drink.

The register gal returned and said that "We can’t make it right now because the girl who makes the espresso wasn’t there." Wow. No one else has been trained to make espresso beverages? (In Seattle?)

Of course, it was neat seeing the production thru the window… and I got a free donut. But, should they stick at what they're good at? Great donuts and fresh coffee?

I’m attending a two-day conference in NYC about Customer Loyalty sponsored by The Conference Board.

One of our speakers today from Ipsos, spoke about the importance of word-of-mouth marketing (or as we would call it, creating customer evangelists). He stated that PERSONAL MEDIA is more effective than MASS MEDIA as a way we gain information to make certain types of purchases - computer hardware, personal electronics, travel and autos.

I had never heard it put in those terms before - Personal Media. I aspire to be an expert in PERSONAL MEDIA vs. MASS MEDIA.

I’m certain I’ll have additional insights from this conference to share in upcoming posts.

UPDATE (May 10, 2004).
According to Brand Autopsy sources, it is rumored that the decision to not permit the decoration of bases with Spiderman artwork was less about baseball regulations and more about jealousy between Spiderman and the Hulk. Evidently the Hulk wanted to do a similar promotion with the NFL and goal posts, but was unilaterally declined.

When Brand Autopsy tried to contact the Hulk, he couldn't be located. However, we did reach his close friend, David Banner. We asked Banner to confirm these rumors, his reply ... "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

Evidently he doesn’t like investigative reporters.

I'm disappointed that the condiment companies didn't leverage today's celebration to extend their product assortments. There is really only one day I can think of that's the perfect fit for mayonnaise. A day that mayonnaise can really own!

5 new varities of mayo flavors - ranch, buffalo wing, dill, jalapeno and zesty salsa should have been launched.

In searching the internet, I did, however see an event sponsored by the country radio station KYKZ in southwest Louisiana with a "Sink-o de May-o" event taking place this weekend. Evidently contestants compete for prizes by bobbing for a ball hidden within a sink full of mayonnaise.

I guess there is always next year for the condiment companies.

With respect to what this celebration is really about, follow this link to CNN.

I think I fell for a marketing ploy.

I received a piece of mail from Sports Illustrated today. It was a standard business sized envelope, clearly marked with the Sports Illustrated logo and all. I already knew it was going to be some sort of pitch offering me a professional discounted rate to subscribe to SI. (I get 'em all the time).

The envelope was marked DO NOT BEND.

“Hmmm,” I wondered, “Do not bend? Interesting.” This instruction to the US Postal Service alerts the carrier to handle this envelope gingerly because it has something sensitive inside.

The contents?

a) standard form letter with my discounted offer
b) a return envelope

Nothing else.

No photos or other materials that would require an envelope to stay not bent.

I wasn't interested in the offer in the first place, but the DO NOT BEND did cause me to OPEN the envelope.

I think that they thought I'd think there were pictures of swimsuit models in my envelope.

Maybe there should have been?

I received sheets of personalized address labels today with a packet inviting me to donate to the Disabled American Veterans. I think they are a worthwhile organization, and I may make a donation.

I want to make a comment. Not about the tactic of sending me a free gift, and now I may feel obligated to donate. (Actually, I can't recall the actual term for this tactic, if someone knows what that type of solicitation is, please post a comment - Thanks.)

But about this... the packet included a post card sized color photo of a gentleman named Jim who is wheelchair bound due to injuries sustained while fighting in Vietnam.

On the back of the photo is the nice message below.

While it's made to look like this is a hand written note potentially addressed just to me - I know better. They send out too many of these mailers to make it practical to have people hand write each piece. So, they have to "fake" it a little and mass-produce a message.

However, in "faking" this message, why did they also fake the fact it's hand written? It's a "handwritten style" computer typeface.

Couldn't they have had someone hand write an original message and make copies of that? That would have been much more genuine.

The only reason I can think of for using a computer font is if they change the message for different mailers depending on the audience...

While this won't deter me from donating, these are the details that make companies who are trying to be small and personal look big and machine-like.

I've been an Apple Macintosh evangelist since 1991 and have been using Apple computers since 1985 (Apple IIc). Last August I purchased my latest machine - a PowerBook G4 with a 15" screen. What a beaut!

Last week, a half-of-glass of a nice chilled regional white wine was accidentally spilled onto the keyboard and into the machine. This caused my screen to flicker, the internal components to hiss and the laptop to shut down and stay down.

The Lusty Lady, with blinking tracer lights and blacked out windows, is a nudie club (a peep show to be exact) located in downtown Seattle. It sits right across the street from the Seattle Art Museum. (For some, all of the culture they could possibly need, or want, is conveniently located within one block.)

What does this have to do with marketing, you ask?

Well, the Lusty Lady has a double-sided marquee that features punny headlines intended to pique your interest as to what's inside. The topical slogans change every 7 to 10 days, often re-working current blockbuster movie titles, holidays, or local events. Between the two sides of the marquee, they usually deliver at least one slogan a month that is more remarkable than most mega-million dollar advertising campaigns.

For example, the headline for the anniversary of the Pilgrim and Native American feast at Plymouth Rock was... "Happy Spanksgiving." The release of a recent blockbuster trilogy inspired the headline... "Lord of the Schwings." The St. Patrick's Day slogan? "Erin Go Braghless"

John and I, being marketers who enjoy crafting puns, have thought of hundreds of headlines for the Lusty Lady (most of which may not be appropriate for a family blog). But the REAL "Free Prize Inside" (as Seth Godin would put it) is that, it is rumored, if you submit a headline and they use it on the marquee - you'll receive a free pink Lusty Lady t-shirt.

While the Lusty Lady may not need more "exposure," I'll try to share the cleverest headlines right here on Brand Autopsy.

"Spring Flashin' Show" - April 4, 2004

A friend of mine sent me a link from an article in yesterday’s (Wed. Apr. 7) Chicago Tribune entitled Company perk; Can a roasting expert from Chicago give Krispy Kreme a coffee buzz?" (registration required) The focus of the story was about Krispy Kreme taking efforts to increase the quality of their coffee - potentially to compete with Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.

Starbucks has often defined it’s purpose by saying…

"We are in the people business serving coffee." (Vs. - We are in the coffee business serving people.)

This perspective has allowed Starbucks to focus on the customer need vs. a limited perspective of simply and only coffee. It has allowed experiments like Café Starbucks - a full restaurant concept. (Now defunct). Or the new Starbucks/Hear Music Coffeehouse in Santa Monica where you can hand-craft and burn your own CD in-store with even more options than a barista has in hand-crafting a latte!

The article points out that globally, Dunkin’ is known more for its coffee. (In the states, growing up on the east coast, I’ve always known them as a doughnut place, with coffee). Dunkin’ has 5,600 locations worldwide to Krispy Kreme’s 394. In fact, John Gilbert, Dunkin' vice president of marketing, was quoted as saying…

"We are primarily a coffee business that sells doughnuts. Krispy Kreme is primarily a bulk doughnut business, selling doughnuts by the dozens."

From a brand perspective, this got me thinking…

I’ll bet Dunkin’ wishes it could sell doughnuts in bulk by the dozens. Is that a weakness of Krispy? Or a threat to Dunkin’?

Shouldn’t Dunkin’ Donuts have a similar approach to their business as Starbucks and others have? That they’re not in the coffee OR doughnut business, but in the business of serving their customers?

So I sent an e-mail to my fellow Brand Autopsy coroner, johnmoore. As you may know he works for Whole Foods Market.

I guess my BrandAutopsy e-mail address is not recognized by the Whole Foods server as a ‘legit’ e-mail because their e-mail filter, to alert John that he may have received a junk e-mail message, added the words POSSIBLE SPAM to the subject of my message.

I thought, "Wow, if any company in the world would be good at identifying ‘possible spam’ it would have to be Whole Foods!" Their website says it best:

"We [Whole Foods Market] strive to offer the highest quality, least processed, most flavorful and naturally preserved foods." (I’m note sure SPAM fits any of those parameters!)

However, I see an opportunity... I suggested to John that his I.T. folks at Whole Foods change the message from POSSIBLE SPAM to something more fitting for their brand, like: POSSIBLE SOY VEGAN SPREAD.

By the way, check out the SPAM website… The folks at Hormel are smart - they have a pretty good sense of humor about their infamous canned meat.

A public service message from Brand Autopsy

Ah! I just received a package from Amazon.com. Opening my brand new book for the first time reminded me of grade school when our school librarian taught us how to properly break in a new book. I was too young to remember exactly how to do it… And I knew breaking in a book had something to do with not ruining the spine – but that was all I remembered.

Using Google, I found this helpful article in the "Preservation Corner" of the Winter 1999 ASDAL Action on-line newsletter. (That's the Association of Seventh-day Adventst Librarians).

A gentleman named Randy Butler wrote the below piece on how and why to properly break in a book. Enjoy!

PRESERVATION CORNER

By Randy Butler

How to "break-in" a new book! Sound incongruous? How often do we in our libraries, or at home, properly prepare books for use? More often than not we simply open a new book somewhere in the middle and fold back the two halves so that the book will lay flat on a table or our laps. Wrong!! The result is a damaged or broken binding.

There is a proper way to open books for the first time and prepare them for use or circulation. First, hold the book vertically or upright, spine down, on a flat surface. Second, hold the text block in one hand while allowing the front and back covers to slowly fall or settle to the table (or counter surface). Next, take 20-30 pages from the front of the book and lay them down, gently run the tips of your fingers (you can also use the edge of the palm of your hand) along the gutter (fold/crease line); repeat with the same number of pages from the back of the book all the while holding the remaining text block in a vertical position with your free hand. Finally, repeat this process with an equal number of pages each time, first one end and then the other, until the entire text block has been folded back into two even halves. The book is now ready for use.

This simple technique can add years of life to any title. It can be used with either sewn or double-fan adhesive bindings, albeit adhesive bindings are more easily damaged. Be sure to use only light pressure evenly applied while sliding your hand down the gutter of each group of pages. When using this technique with sewn bindings, try to avoid folding back an entire signature (a group or unit of folded and sewn pages that together with other signatures form a text block) at one time. Rather, fold somewhere within the signature in order to place less stress on the thread.

This technique is a good quality control test for either a publisher, or a re-binding contractor. Whether purchasing books for the first time or the hundredth, check the quality of the contractor or publisher's binding by using the above-described technique. If a binding cannot stand up to this simple test, the product should be rejected and returned.

Preservation of books can be as simple as explained above. Of course, you would never want to use this folding method on rare materials.

Randy Butler is Library Director at Southwestern Adventist University, Keene, Texas and current president of ASDAL.

Last month, as part of his book tour, promoting Call of the Mall author Paco Underhill visited our offices. He shared with us his background and a bit about his first book Why We Buy – all very interesting. However, the Q&A part of his presentation was the most interesting...

Here are a few of the interesting thoughts Paco shared… (paraphrased and in my own words…)

Paco mentioned three retail concepts that he thought had it right…
• Staples – they have a new store concept that makes finding what you want within the store very easy. You wouldn't find yourself wandering up and down the aisles unless you wanted to.
• Zara – a fashion apparel company highlighted for the way they’ve set up a network to manage inventory from the factory to the store floor
• Three Minute Happiness* – a Japanese based store with general household and houseware items. *Scroll down to the second image - This is the only link I could find… It's a Japanese site translated through AltaVista's Babel Fish Translation Service – it's difficult to understand, but you can at least get the picture - literally.

• He believes that we’re “past the age where companies are driven by a visionary general”. Where a single individual owns and drives the overall concept and direction of an organization. He said we’re in the age where empowered captains and sergeants are/should be running organizations. Where the brand DNA of the company is carried and executed by many.

• He mentioned that when customers love a product so much you could say they almost worship it… for us, he said we’re in the "worship of coffee business" (stay with me here). Paco mentioned that there are three types of worshipers: the Novice, the Acolyte and the Deacon. (This is similar to the way Ben and Jackie use the term Evangelist for a customer who is a raving fan). You need to treat each type of worshiper according to their level of experience with your product. The Deacon can easily explain the concept to others… the Novice, however, is just a beginner and my need help understanding how your concept works. (At Starbucks – the 'deacon' could order their drink using all the drink calling wording just like a barista… a novice is still trying to understand how it all works).

Paco also made reference to three forms of time. To customers time passes in three forms:
• 1) real
• 2) perceived
• 3) a combination of real and perceived

real – An episode of Gilligan's Island feels pretty much like a 1/2 hour with the commercials and all. I pretty much know it'll be a 30-minute show and that's basically how it feels…

perceived - waiting in line for 30 minutes for a fresh, hot Krispy Kreme donut goes by very quickly – you may perceive it as a shorter wait than it is. Waiting for 5 minutes at the department of motor vehicle office can feel like a lifetime.

combination – the best example I can think of is waiting in line at a theme park. A queue line may take 40 minutes (and feel somewhere between 20 and 60 depending on the temperature and who you're in line with)… The ride itself may last for 10 minutes, but may feel like 5 because it was so engaging or thrilling.

Very interesting thoughts... I recommend you check out either of his books if you haven't already.

No, this one is not about Mr. Belding and Screech... (not exactly) It's about being on time for meetings.

If your office is like mine, you have too many meetings. So many that you most likely have them back-to-back-to-back.

It's a problem.

To make matters worse, our meetings rarely start at the scheduled time. Being 5 or 10 minutes late is "standard operating procedure" for many of folks.

There is always some key stakeholder trying to make it across the building - and you can't start until they arrive.

My recommended solution?

Bells.

Yep. A bell ringing at the top of the hour (to start) and a bell at 5-minutes before the hour (to conclude). Just like in school.

Yeah, I know...It sounds silly. It's not rocket science, but in an organization where decisions require multi-departmental input, meetings are necessary.

I feel that being late is inconsiderate... Heck, I'll carry a stack of files from meeting to meeting all day long to avoid being late. I'm considering getting a book bag or maybe a small red wagon.

The secret is in having 55-minute meetings, not 60. If we had the bell at 5-minutes before the hour to indicate the end of the meeting - that would allow enough time to get to your next meeting. Perhaps even to stop by your desk and pick up the files you need for the next meeting. (i.e. get to your locker to drop off your English Lit book and grab your Advanced American History text and spiral notebook).

I think I'll drop a note in the suggestion box on Monday. I wonder if I can get them to also add a nurse's office?

Should Marketers have anything to do with Political advertising?

Rich Silverstein (Goodby, Silverstein & Partners) wrote an editorial in the Feb 2nd issue of AdWeek (click for PDF) where he makes a case for why advertising agencies should not get involved with crafting political ads.

Here at Brand Autopsy we have some “HMOs” (hot marketing opinions) on this subject matter. And since we are in the throws... er... throes [thanks mom!] of political primary season complete with debates galore, we thought it was appropriate to stage our own debate stemming from Silvertein’s editorial. It’s more of a point/counter-point than an actual debate. Allow us some leeway and play along. Okay?

We begin with Brand Autopsy Coroner Moore Disagreeing with Silverstein – read his dissection of the idea.

Brand Autopsy Examiner Williams Agreeing with Silverstein – read his examination and reply to Mr. Moore.

Next, Moore's long-winded rebuttal.

Finally, Williams' clever closing statement.

Enjoy. Williams + Moore

DEBATE MODERATOR
Mr. Williams, you may proceed. You have 200 words.

Here's what we can expect if we allow marketers and advertisers to keep spinning our presidential candidate platforms...

Political Issue	AdverSpin Slogan
Abortion 'right to choose'	"Have it your way."
Sex education in schools	"Just Do It."
Support additional funding for troop readiness	"When you care enough to send the very best"
Ease federal restrictions on gun possession	"Don't leave home without it."
Champion pollution and acid rain issues	"When it rains, it pours."
Decrease USDA requirements for livestock inspection	"Where's the beef?"
Strengthen regulation of the Clean Water Act	"Good to the last drop."
Affirmative action	"Raise your hand if you're sure."
Public transit	"Let your fingers do the walking."
Early release of non-violent mentally ill patients	"Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't"
Education reform	"Think different."
Violent criminals serve full prison sentences	"Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'
Oppose government mandates to curtail sexual content on television	"M'm! M'm! Good"
Allow same-sex couples to form civil unions	"Reach out and touch someone."
Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana	"The quicker picker upper."

Special thanks to the aptly named website AdSlogans.com for the awesome collection of… ad slogans! Be sure to visit vote-smart.com to learn more about the political process and the candidates.

DEBATE MODERATOR
Thank you Mr. Moore. Mr. Williams, your opening blog please.

Despite what the TV ad claims, there is little risk if my jug of ‘thicker formula’ Clorox bleach doesn’t truly get my whites whiter…

However, there is a lot more at stake if my as-seen-on-TV candidate who “gets the job done” can’t get the job done.

In a way, Mr. Silverstein is making an admission about the manipulation that takes place by marketers through advertising. The ways we make claims and persuade consumers with regard to products and services.

Do we really want the folks who find a way to call a product “new and improved” because of a “change in package color scheme” to work that same slight-of-hand on the next leader of the free world?

In an era when the headlines report daily of alleged cheats, thieves, and hucksters what we could really use right now is substance – not sizzle.

Finally, Mr. Silverstein can draw such a bold line because he realizes the benefits of consumer products are pretty clear and limited… and none of them will be expected to influence social welfare, decision in occupying countries or our natural resources.

I don’t choose my toothpaste the same way I choose my political candidate.

For years we have been trying to be politically correct (PC). Trying to use the right / current / proper 'label' for different groups.

Today we're scrambling to be dietically correct (DC). We're filled with angst trying to figure out which diet trend to subscribe to...

Is it Atkins? Low-Carb? South Beach? Low-Fat? Low Cal? Or should I talk to the gal with the bumper sticker...
[ I lost 40 pounds in a week, ask me how! ] Which is it?

It’s interesting to see quick service restaurants (QSR) scramble for a dietetically correct version of their offerings.

Blimpie - is introducing the BCC, the Blimpie Carb Counter and an assortment of low-carb menu combos

Burger King - is offering low-carb burgers in a bowl instead of a bun.

Chili's- (while not a QSR) is offering a choice of low-fat or low-carb items.

Hardee's - started offering a burger wrapped in lettuce in mid-December.

McDonald's - has brought back a little known program they had over 11 years ago called "What's On Your Plate" targeting school aged kids featuring a cartoon character Willie Munchright.

Subway - has been using nutrition and 'leaner' as a competitive advantage for years. They have introduced two wrap sandwiches that are endorsed by Atkins Nutritionals.

Taco Bell - has new "Fresco Style" menu items where the cheese and sauce is replaced by salsa - this saves you a few grams of fat and 20 to 30 or so calories.

Wendy’s - has been promoting their Chili, Side Salad and Baked Potato combo meal as being under 5 grams (fat) under 4 bucks. It’s an old school approach to losing weight these days as everyone else is going the low-carb route - which doesn’t allow baked potatoes. The ads even feature fuddy-duddy regular people dressed in vintage 70s sweats doing old school exercises (like an African-American struggling on an garage-sale worthy stationary bike and a slightly plump suburban woman in sweats going out for a run… a run to Wendy’s for the 5 grams under 4 bucks deal.

Ah, but there is hope... According the a recent Toronto Star article, there is a group of Amish in Ontario that despite eating fats, sugars and calories has very low obesity levels...

Proving that, while making fun of the Amish is not PC, having fun WITH them may help you be DC.

Okay, I’ll bite… after viewing some of the commercials and reading the definition of what a Big Bang is here are MY thoughts.

I think one of the secrets of effective campaigns is that the average consumer may not realize or care that they are being pitched to. The execution is so compelling you let down their guard and let marketing tell it’s story.

AFLAC –The latest TV spot features an animated AFLAC duck along with a collection of Warner Brothers animated characters (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, the Coyote, and Road Runner). (I’m so disappointed in Warner Brothers for loaning out their characters to co-star with the AFLAC duck. What in the name of so-called co-branded synergies is going on here?)

The AFLAC duck, while successful in repeatedly stating the AFLAC brand name, is a flash in the pan when compared to the enduring and culturally significant Warner Brothers characters. (Does Warner Brothers really need to associate with the AFLAC duck to make their animated stars relevant? Is this a case of Warner Brothers over-licensing their characters? From my vantage point, this commercial did Warner Brothers no favors.)

While the quacky sounding catch-phrase “AFLAC!” may be more in the minds of consumers I don’t see folks squawking this to each other in the halls at work or on the subway. It gets the name of the product out there, but not in the “expand exponentially in the culture” as outlined as a Big Bang criteria.

The AFLAC duck's quack is annoyingly catchy, but it does not instill confidence in the American Family Life Assurance Company or drive me to check out their offerings.

However, talking about it here has built awareness in my mind that they exist as an insurance company and the ads say to “ask about AFLAC at the workplace.”

AFLAC -> Big Bang duck? No. Kung Pao duck? Perhaps.

Blimpie – I haven’t seen this creative execution but the idea sounds off-base. I've always tried to follow the path of creating marketing messages that say 'who you are and never who you are not.' In this ad, Blimpie seems to be saying more of who they are not (Subway) than who they are.

Blimpie -> Small Thing.

Heineken – I’ll give them points for being in the right place at the right time. This ad makes you grin and think ‘how clever of them to be so timely.’ To me this was more of a flash in pan than a Big Bang.

Heineken -> Small Thang (with some extra fizz for taking advantage of a situation).

Clairol Herbal Essences – I tried this shampoo and it didn’t even make me blush. I’m not sure what the big deal is. Ah, but wait… is that the secret? Did I try it because the woman on TV found it so pleasurable? Actually, I liked the way it smelled. I admit that on the first or second viewing the TV spots had me looking twice thinking “what’s going on?” But some of the most recent executions where the woman is surrounded by build men escorting her around her oversized bathroom as if she were in a 50’s musical left me wondering what the true benefit of the product was.

Clairol Herbal Essences -> I guess they'd want this to be ranked the Big "O" vs Big Bang?

With all this said, I was able to comment on many of these brands with top of mind awareness of how they advertise. But, the most important measure is purchase. The ads haven’t driven me to purchase, but they do ‘stick out’ among the brandscape. So perhaps if a good friend mentioned the great taste of a Heineken or a co-worker mentions she uses AFLAC and ‘they’re great’ I may consider trial.

I still refuse to say the words “Can you hear me now?” I’m not going to cave.

As a marketer, when watching TV, I often pay more attention to the WAY a product is being sold than WHAT is being sold. I know they are trying to appeal to some unknown need and that every single element has been carefully chosen to enhance the message and drive interest. So, it takes a lot to pique my interest in a product pitch.

JUST FOR MEN, the company that makes hair color for men, has created a product (that they're offering for free if you call or visit their website) which allows you to temporarily color your hair to see how would look if you were to use their product. It darkens your hair and takes out the gray - but washes out easily with a single shampooing.

"New Just For Men Try-Out rinse-out hair color sample. Comb It In. Check It Out. Rinse It Away. Finally, you can see how you'd look without gray with no guessing about the results. And no commitment." – from the JUST FOR MEN website

I applaud JUST FOR MEN for finding a creative solution to provide product trial without risk. I'm sure this has been a challenge for a while. I would have enjoyed being a part of those brainstorming sessions where they examined the challenge and developed their ultimate approach!

A rather simple, but innovative solution.

I can see ol' St. Nick now... flying over our housetops... dropping off loot for good girls and boys... I wonder if he's doing a double-take at some of the items in his bag. Some of these 'new' toys look very similar to some of the things he dropped off in the '70s and '80s (and earlier)!

Over the past several years, I've been pleased to see the come-back of toys, movies, and objects from when we were kids... It's the stuff WE and our younger brother's and sisters played with.

These include:

• Shrinky-Dinks
  
• Schoolhouse Rock - now a Disney property, a new generation can learn how bills become law and about how the number zero can be considered a hero! (I admit I bought the DVD collection!)
  
• Care Bears
  
• The Incredible Hulk
  
• Mattel's Electronic "Classic Football" game - the little red dashes and beeps and chirps from 1977
  
• Mattel's Electronic "Classic Baseball" game
  
• Atari Classics 10-in-1 TV Games - from Pong to Adventure to Missile Command

What's old is new again.

Here's my theory...

I was born in '69 and it seems like many folks "our age" (a range between 30 and 40-ish) have progressed to a point in our careers where we hold influential roles within our organizations. We’re bringing back stuff we appreciated from our childhood.

While some games and toys haven’t gone out of production, they are being re-packaged in their vintage looks featuring original graphics, game pieces, etc.

While out shopping, I have seen old-tyme versions of classic games like Monopoly (the 1935 commemorative edition), Sorry, Operation, Parcheesi, Clue (from the ‘50s)...

Now if they’d just come out with the Six Million Dollar Man again… I’d love to get an Oscar Madison doll with the suitcase that would look like it ‘exploded’ if you opened it the wrong way.

Happy Holidays!

Paul

Tonight while scanning the news I came across a photo in the news photo gallery of Reuters that showed an innovative solution to reduce speeding. Mexico's Federal Highway Police are making their highways safer by creating fake speed traps using two-dimentional police car 'billboards' on the highway. They intermix real speed traps with the replicas to save money.

This reminds me of the deceptions used during World War II called Operation Fortitude where inflatable tanks and airplanes were used to confuse enemy forces. Reconnaissance aircraft pilots couldn't tell the fake from the real. This could mis-represent the size of a military force or (as mentioned below) divert the enemy from the actual army.

While searching for a link for inflatable tanks, I came across this story about a British magician, Jasper Maskelyne. During the second World War the military used his master of illusion skills to help defeat the German army in north Africa. Interesting too there is a movie coming out about his story called The War Magician.

Note: While researching the title 'The War Magician' on Amazon I found an out of print book that the movie will be based on. However if you read the customer critiques of the book, it sounds like others were involved in the illusions and Maskelyne has potentially received more credit than he actually contributed - you be the judge)

Daddy's Other Options

I've mulled over the GoDaddy discussions here, here, and here... Of course, a business owner can do what he/she wants with their money...

However, as a marketer, I cannot help but question whether this is the most effective way for a company to intro-launch themselves.

From a target audience perspective... How many Super Bowl viewers are techies who currently have their own domain/site and don't already know about the GoDaddy option OR have been contemplating a site and will use this ad as a 'call to action' to log-on and acquire their first domain name?

The answer is some.

From an effective reach perspective... How much impact can a lesser known company really make with a single 30-second spot?

The answer is some.

How many people might be away from the TV and peeing during that 30-second spot?

The answer is many.

Yes, we do talk about our favorite Super Bowl commercials around the coffee pot on Monday morning – but how many of us are buying more Bud (best ad 1999–'03) or gulping more Pepsi (best ad 1994-'98) because of these ads?

I think the challenge is that we hate to see so much money spent so quickly for such little impact. Super Bowl ads are a gamble - putting a very tall stack of chips on lucky number 23 and hoping the ball stops there. How can GoDaddy execute something meaningful vs. a potential flash-in-the-pan?

I was schooled early on: "don't to bring up an issue unless you can offer up solutions." Therefore, I'm presenting a few of my own suggestions for GoDaddy's $2.4 M spend. I believe these will build better awareness of their business and drive traffic to their site. In addtion to sales gains, the media coverage, good will, and intrinsic value gained by implementing these suggestions would more than double the investment.

For reference,  $2.4 M equates to 268,156 domain names purchased via GoDaddy at $8.95 each... or web hosting for 607,594 at $3.95 a year via GoDaddy.

Be Generous

The clever tagline for GoDaddy is "make a name with us." They could make a name for themselves with these ideas. (And for some of these ideas, make a difference in the community as well).

• Offer 607,594 non-profit companies free web hosting of their sites for a year.
• Give each of the 75,000 attendees of the Super Bowl a free year of web hosting and five coupons to pass to friends, each good for a free year of web hosting.
• Make goodwill by supporting Goodwill – donate 240,000 pairs of kid's shoes or blankets for needy kids.

For those 'less needy' but still a generous offer...

• Target folks with existing high-speed cable-modems at home. Offer to pay a free month ($39.95) of their current high-speed modem bill for switching or starting a site with GoDaddy. Offer would be good for the first 60,000 interested.
• A la WKRP - Drop over 4,000 desktop computers ($600 each) onto the crowd at Alltel Stadium during the Super Bowl game. Have the home page of the browser set to GoDaddy.com

Target Audience

• Run a 4-color print ad each month for two years in the following magazines which reach a GoDaddy audience:

• MacAddict (2 page spread) -> $273k per year

• Wired Magazine (1/2 page ad) -> $166k per year

• PC Magazine (full page) -> $761k per year

On the other hand, choose three additional magazines and only run a year's worth of full-page ads.

• Become the source of choice for future domain/host users. Give graduating tech-college students their own free domain. You could create nearly 27,000 users and evangelists (that's 5,400 per US state) who would potentially buzz about your service.

Broad Audience

• For the entire next 52 weeks place a 4-color ad in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. Have your ad be clever, engaging and change it every week. Like the Sunday comics, surprise us. That's about $2.08 M right there and uses up that money.

• Reach the 3.1 M subscribers of Sports Illustrated and run 10 4-color adds next year in their national edition -> $2.4 M

With all that said, I hope we eat our words and we all get re-schooled on what the Super Bowl can do for an advertiser. I hope it's an incredibly fruitful marketing spend... and you 'make a name for yourself.'

You Go, Daddy.

#1 Place for a Marketing Message

We marketers seem to seek out any nook and cranny we find to get folks to feel better about our products.

This nook takes the cake... the urinal cake.

Has anyone ever kicked their drug habit influenced by the SAY NO TO DRUGS message emblazoned on a urinal mat?* Does this marketing message really have a call to action or serve as a public service message?

Let me know if you've seen any similar 'out of place' messages... I'd love to talk more about them...

When seeking out an appropriate image for this post I came across Urinal.net, a site that catalogs urinals across the world. Another great use for the internet.

*For those who aren't familiar with urinal mats... these are strainers that sit inside the urinal bowl to basically keep rubbish from clogging up the drain – things like gum and cigarettes. They're also commonly outfitted with a urinal cake (deodorizer) holder.

Improv Your Business

Just because we have labeled it work that doesn't mean it has to be serious, stiff and boring. That's exactly the philosophy of Portland based company/troupe On Your Feet. They use improv and the philosophies of improv to teach companies to manage better under pressure and to find new ways to "create, relate, and communicate with skill and agility."

Here's how they describe it.

Business is uncertain

Great ideas emerge under the right conditions

Audiences want to be engaged

Teams want to be surprised

Actions matter

Most meetings suck

That's where improv can help.

To learn more about their antics, we (the marketing medics from Brand Autopsy) attended a ‘Play Day’ in Portland last week. They offer an afternoon 'try before you buy' where they share the methods of their madness.

Gary Hirsh and the gang at On Your Feet demonstrated how they "help organizations and individuals engage their audiences, generate breakthrough ideas, facilitate organizational learning, strengthen their culture, and discover new possibilities for their brand, all while having a ridiculously good time."

We had a blast.

If your usual methods of motivation have lost momentum... perhaps you need a boost of jest - check out On Your Feet.

Swiffly Moving through Airport Security

I don't like having to take off my shoes in the airport security line.

I know it's important to remove and x-ray our shoes for security purposes... but walking around in bare or stocking feet in this public venue grosses me out.

As a creative marketer, I've come up with a solution and an opportunity regarding this unpleasant necessary...

Using their Swiffer line of products, Proctor & Gamble can virtually OWN the area between "take your shoes off" and "put your shoes back on" at the airport.

If you're not familiar with the Swiffer line of products, these are floor mops (both wet and dry versions) that have a reusable handle and mop head, and use a pre-soaked disposable cleaning towel... or more precisely...

Disposable cloths presoaked with an advanced cleaning solution that dissolves stains on contact and dries quickly without streaks.

P&G needs to donate their "Swiffer Wet" product to the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) to use freely and regularly on the tile floors in the security area. (Or better yet, negotiate to have Swiffer demonstrators mop these areas at no additional tax dollar expense).

Not only will the floors be squeaky clean and streak-free, but I'm certain it'll add a lemony fresh scent to the queue area.

In addition, clearly posted signage should tout:

STEP ASSURED:
"Clean Floor Courtesy of Swiffer Wet"
If we can clean up after 30-thousand strangers,
imagine what we could do for your kitchen."

To bring it all home, the signage should have a tear-off pad whereby now convinced and converted consumers may take a coupon to obtain a Swiffer for home.

Everyone wins...

- Passengers will feel less resistant to cooperate with the "shoes off" policy
- The airport will smell better
- P&G garners great awareness, sampling and trial opportunity.

Brand Mapping the Brand Autopsy Bloggers

September 8, 2004 – New York, NY
The Williams+Moore ImagePower® study released jointly by the Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice and research firm Rock, Paper, and Scissors reveals how Brand Autopsy blog visitors perceive the two bloggers, Brand Examiner Paul and Marketing Medic Moore.

Rock, Paper, and Scissors conducted single-digit interviews among a representative sample of Brand Autopsy blog visitors who plan to visit the Brand Autopsy blog again and are familiar with both bloggers and their respective marketing ideology.

The results are startling as both bloggers are perceived by their readers to similar yet dissimilar. The only true similarity between the bloggers is they are both linked to comfortable shoes.

Spaces to be More Creative

Sure you can be creative in your office cube or in one of the large conference rooms with the walls plastered with sticky flip chart pages or butcher paper, but what if you want to really get your fingers dirty creatively? Then what?

Earlier this week, the Brand Autopsy team took off our scrubs and visited two creative venues in Chicago – the Thinkubator and the Catalyst Ranch.

The Thinkubator is the creative HQ for SolutionPeople. Founded by Gerald "Solutionman" Haman in 1989, he converted warehouse space in Chicago's West Loop into a training space for his KnowBrainer innovation tool as well as a romper-room for innovative thought. (He has a toy collection that would make Santa Claus jealous.)

Visiting Catalyst Ranch was like visiting Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Founded by Eva Niewiadomski in 2002 she gutted a space in Chicago's historic Haymarket Square and transformed the space from sparse to stimulating. She has several creative spaces ranging from small to huge to accommodate all sizes of thoughts.

Here's how they describe their philosophy at the Catalyst Ranch.

"We, the Ranch Hands of Catalyst Ranch, believe that ideas, learning and breakthrough thought thrive when people are placed in an environment that stimulates and invigorates the senses. It's important to take individuals out of the typical boring, staid, colorless cubicles and conference rooms where they're ensconced through their daily working lives..."

Other places I've heard of to be creative (that I still want to visit) include:

< a href="http://www.eurekaranch.com/eureka/default.asp" target="_blank">Eureka Ranch – founded by innovator and author Doug Hall. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio Hall was one of the first people I had read about who encouraged the take your shoes off and act like a kid on order to break out of the stiff office environment and get the creative juices flowing. They use a combination of innovation and statistical analysis to create their meaningful marketing.

Here's how they describe what they do at Eureka Ranch.

Our specialty is the invention of ideas that offer a meaningful difference i.e. ideas that offer a difference that makes a real difference to a specific target audience. In classic research terms this means ideas with high scores in BOTH purchase intent and uniqueness. These are the types of ideas that tracking studies indicate are twice as likely to survive long term and four times less likely to require extensive price discounting.

To read about Hall's philosophies on being creative and innovative, check out his book Jump Start Your Brain.

ThinkShop - while not a destination space per se, they bring together teams to help drive innovation for companies. They have offices in Seattle and NYC. Here's how they describe themselves...

Inspired Innovation: a creative idea that becomes a reality. ThinkShop brings together teams to create inspired innovations. The types of solutions we help teams develop come in many forms, from new products that create new revenue streams to processes that increase productivity to programs that make people feel better about their work.

Spaces to go, people to hire... Do you know of any other creative, brainstorming, strategic ideation, and playhouse type locations?

Commit to your Passion...

...and adversity won't derail you.

Just one of the many pieces of wisdom made clear in "Rules of the Red Rubber Ball: Find and Sustain Your Life's Work" by Kevin Carroll.

Carroll, Nike katalyst and storyteller turned author, shares his inspiring story about motivation. He found freedom in the playground as a kid and describes how that same fuel can drive dreams as an adult.

Amid the uncertainty of my childhood, the playground became my sanctuary, a magical environment where my worries, shame and low self-esteem disappeared. There I discovered my gift of speed. Despite my size, I could outrun most other kids and speed became my ticket onto the field

To Kevin, the red rubber ball represents play. Any activity that makes you excited about the day.

Akin to Orbiting the Giant Hairball, Carroll uses clever typography, eclectic paper stock, illustration, and photos to creatively outline how to discover your own red rubber ball. He then provides rules for what he considers the more difficult (yet satisfying) part of the dream - keeping it alive.

Your red rubber ball is what grabs you by the soul. It's what captures your imagination. It's what you do when no one tells you what to do, when you're alone in your room, on the playground or in your head. It's what you daydream, and that dream can be come your life's work... if you let it.

He then provides seven rules to help you follow your red rubber ball, your source of play.

Commit to It

Seek out Encouragers

Work Out Your Creative Muscle

Prepare to Shine

Speak Up

Expect the Unexpected

Maximize the Day

Follow these links to see excerpt pages from his book...

one | two | three

While this book may be sit in the personal growth section of your bookstore, it may as well sit in the business and management section. The seven rules of the red rubber ball can also apply to your workplace, your career, your home life...

This book is currently only available via the Red Rubber Ball website and is priced at $22.95 (ISBN: 0975333100).

What's your red rubber ball?

Upper-Class Gas

While recent headlines report a slight drop in gas prices across North America, reports indicate it's not expected that prices will reduce in the upcoming weeks.

So why did Shell pick last week to launch their ultra-premium, higher priced V-Power gasoline?

With skyrocketing prices and sensitivity to our Mideast dependencies, it seems like poor timing for a new line-extension in gas options. In fact, as I researched this post, I found that every on-line article about gas prices also included "top tips" and calculators to assist motorists in conserving fuel to save money.

At my local pumps this fancy fossil fuel is running around 12¢ more per gallon, over even the premium, at $1.27 per gallon [correction $2.27 per gallon (7/31)].

What's the benefit? According to Shell's website...

The new gasoline actively cleans critical engine parts as motorists drive, and features more than five times the minimum amount of cleaning agents required by government standards. Shell V-Power gasoline replaces Shell’s existing premium grade gasoline, and is available now at Shell stations across the USA...

...This level of protection helps prevent the future build-up of carbon deposits on your vehicle’s intake valves or fuel injectors.

Engine deposits? Carbon buildup? Sure, these are ways to prolong the life of a car's engine... Do Americans even own the same vehicle long enough to experience the degradation of their engine due to these pesky deposits?

How about higher efficiency resulting in higher miles-per-gallon? What about less pollution? These features are marketing-worthy and a value worth paying a premium for.

Are owners of gas-guzzlers splurging on this affordable luxury?

Is this a status fuel?

Ubiquitize Me!

Over at the Church of the Customer, Ben and Jackie introduced the blog world to John Winter Smith and his quest to visit every Starbucks company-owned location in the world. So far, he has visited nearly 4,300 locations in North America, UK, and Japan. WOW! That is fanatical behavior becoming of an evangelist!

In their post, Jackie writes the following:

"Ultimate evangelists like Winter don't turn up every day. He's generating lots of favorable press on his own. Starbucks should embrace Winter in every conceivable way. Promote his visits. Lend him a car with the Starbucks logo on the side. (Winter sleeps in his old car with no air conditioning when he goes on his frequent Starbucks road trips.) He's authentic, not a schlocky spokesthing. Make him a hero. Starbucks, your Jared is here."

Here at Brand Autopsy we have a different take on Winter becoming the "Starbucks Jared." We contend Starbucks should acknowledge Winter in an ongoing manner, just not in every conceivable way that Subway acknowledges and promotes Jared.

Someone like Winter is good for those folks who LOVE Starbucks - it makes those who visit 3x a day feel better because they can say, "At least I’m not that Winter guy going to ALL the stores… Now, that’s freakish!"

As Ben and Jackie have taught us, customer evangelists exhibit fanatical behavior (some more fanatical than others). Jared fanatically used Subway to better himself by losing 245 pounds. His actions of eating Subway sandwiches to improve his health plays into Subway's branding strategy of being a more healthy alternative to the other fast food chains. Jared is a credible* spokesperson/evangelist for Subway because his personal goals were/are more in line with the business/branding goals of Subway.

*(he's credible in a 30-second spot to the masses, but he is still only the 1 in 123 million who has seen results from a Subway diet. I'm sure the fine print reads -> "Individual results may vary. Not typical weight loss.")

Winter’s goal of visiting every Starbucks in the world is fanatical evangelist behavior. However, his goal does not mesh with Starbucks goals. Winter’s goal perpetuates the perception (and in many ways the reality) that Starbucks is ubiquitous, that Starbucks is everywhere. Starbucks is trying not to promote its ubiquity and that is why Winter wouldn’t make for a credible Starbucks spokesperson.

Winter would be a more credible spokesperson, along the lines of Jared, if he exhibited a passion for aspects of Starbucks beyond its massive reach such as Starbucks involvement in local communities, its coffee quality, its business practices, etc.

If you read Winter’s travel logs, you’ll notice that he admits to gagging and nearly vomiting after drinking too much Starbucks. (Ouch.) That behavior is not becoming of a Starbucks spokesperson. In fact, this conjures up images of Morgan Spurlock, of Super Size Me fame, and his McBurps, McNausea, and McRegurgitation after downing too many Big Macs.

Imagine if a documentary was made chronicling Winter’s journey … it could be called, “Ubiquitize Me.” (Double ouch.)

For the record, we think Starbucks should ACKNOWLEDGE Winter in an ongoing manner just not as Subway acknowledges Jared.

Instead of featuring Winter in marketing/advertising campaigns, we contend Starbucks SHOULD…

Empower Winter to fulfill his passion by sending him an updated quarterly roster of newly opened stores

Send Winter a personalized Starbucks Card (with his photo on it) and upload dollars to it on a quarterly basis

Invite Winter to Seattle to tour the Starbucks HQ, have a cupping with the Starbucks Coffee Dept., and have a cup of coffee with Howard Schultz

We also agree Starbucks SHOULD consider making a donation to a charity each time Winter visits a new store. (That is Jackie's great idea).

(In return, Starbucks should politely ask Winter to stop saying the coffee is making him sick).

That’s Brand Autopsy’s take … what’s yours?

Stop and Read the Condiments

Heinz is running it's second talking label "Say Something Ketchuppy" contest. As the promotional material reads:

Sometimes our label gets tired of saying "Tomato Ketchup" all of the time. We received a huge response from our first talking label contest, and now our ketchup is begging for more of your ideas. So make a joke about french fries or have some fun at the expense of mustard.

I needed to grab a new bottle of ketchup for my 4th of July dogs and took a moment to stop and read the condiments. I laughed out loud - at ketchup.

Heinz turned a chore of low excitement into something fun. I found myself moving bottles around on the shelf to find the label that I liked best.

I chose: WILL WORK FOR FOOD

Other labels include:

MEATLOAF ENHANCER

HIDES GRILL MARKS

You can find more talking labels on their website and contest rules are posted if you wish to enter.

Heinz has done a great job of making the common, uncommon. Yes, it's a teeny bit more expensive but, as they hoped, they make the picnic table a little more fun.

Also, check out the Jones Soda Company. They make common soda uncommon with exotic flavors and labels that feature images submitted by customers.

Happy 4th of July.

Term Coiner for Hire

As a marketer it's important to have a way with words. It's important to be able to communicate meaning clearly - either directly to customers or through an agency on behalf of your customers.

Several years back, as a marketing manager in NYC, I was speaking with a reporter at the NY Times regarding the density of Starbucks Coffee locations in Manhattan. I was describing how in suburban areas, a store supports the neighborhood that lies in blocks surrounding the store. However, in the city, Starbucks may have a store on the ground floor that supports 25+ stories of customers above. I referred to this a VERTICAL NEIGHBORHOOD. I was proud of this term (and still am obviously).

Last week I came up with another good one.

I'm working on a project with the IT team. I was trying to communicate to the project lead to be sure not to skip us as they developed their plan... to make sure they included us. I said to her... "I want to make sure we don't MISS ANY BELT LOOPS as you move forward..."

I'm certain this term will quickly work its way into popular culture and soon appear as a "word of the day" on Word Spy. (You can say you read it here first!)

So, know you have a resource here at Brand Autopsy. If you need any quotable quotes, drop us a note!

Brand Mathematics

At my Puget Sound AMA meeting last week, we had a presenter from the Frank Russell Company, the global investment services firm. He spoke about his brand and some of the challenges of being an investment company based in the non-financial hub of Tacoma, WA. As a finance guy, he joked that it was a company requirement to have some sort of mathematical equation in his presentation. So he shared his marketing math…

AWARENESS x REPUTATION = BRAND

Now, I want to adjust this a little…

AWARENESS x REPUTATION = BRAND RELEVANCE

A nice equation.

AWARENESS - Do people know about your product, service or company? Do they talk about it? Do they tell others? Do they know the great things that you do?

REPUTATION - What do people say about your product, service or company as good or bad? What do customers think? Are they satisfied? Do you deliver on your product, service and brand promise?

Let’s look at this equation from two perspectives at Starbucks Coffee Company.

STARBUCKS COFFEE/ESPRESSO

Awareness - I’ll refer to a common theme “there’s a Starbucks on every corner” - 'nuff said.

Reputation - Starbucks is a destination for coffee and espresso beverages. They make it convenient. They make it the way you want (a la double-short, non-fat, extra-foamy latte with sugar free vanilla syrup). Starbucks has been credited with helping to improve the quality of coffee consumed in North America.

So if you calculated this equation, when it comes to COFFEE/ESPRESSO at Starbucks the BRAND RELEVANCE score would be VERY HIGH.

STARBUCKS COMMUNITY GIVE-BACK

Awareness - Did you know that with nearly every store that Starbucks opens, there is a local long-term charity partnership? Or that the local store manager not only wants to serve the community but strives to be an integral part of it? Early on in the company history, it was considered too self-serving to blow the Starbucks horn and brag about community giving. It's not considered a ‘tactic’ it’s just how to be a responsible business. However, that has left Starbucks with low awareness of this part of the business.

Reputation - Starbucks is known to be everywhere, and is known for coffee. But, despite being a great neighbor, does not have the corresponding reputation. The message of BIG overshadows the message of GOOD.

Therefore, when it comes to COMMUNITY GIVE-BACK, the Starbucks BRAND RELEVANCE score would be LOW.

Since you know your desired total for this brand equation, you can flip the equation around and solve for the missing variable.

What’s your product, brand or service BRAND RELEVANCE score?

Blog Club

Today a peer in my local American Marketing Association mentioned getting a good list of books to use as suggestions for the marketing book club.

I thought "what about a marketing blog club?" Instead of picking a book and reading it as a group, choose a few blog sites, read them and discuss as a group. (And if they wanted, they could still drink wine).

While books are great, their content becomes firm once it’s printed. But a blog site can address the same topics and continue to grow and evolve. What’s even better, you can interact with the authors of the site as well as other readers.

View the Brand Autopsy Blog Log on the ABOUT ME page of our site to see some of the blog sites we visit.

A Latte to Learn

It's funny. I remember Krispy Kreme, like White Castle, as a place in the south where you could go to for a 24-hour snack. A clean, 'blue collar' place - not a chichi vogue place to go. It was functional. You wanted a donut; they were hot and fresh (and delicious). I specifically remember a big piece of their business was selling wholesale to school groups for fundraisers - cheerleaders would sell donuts to raise money for new uniforms or for bus trips to the state championship.

Krispy Kreme's rise to popularity has been interesting to me. I lived in NYC when the first KK opened. It was so popular it was as if New Yorker's invented KK themselves.

So while this fresh new start has been interesting to experience... it seems they're getting stale already.

Now I'm going to share one experience, at one location, at one moment in time (but still)...

I went to KK this weekend for a donut and coffee... Instead of a drip coffee, I thought I'd check out their espresso. After all, I understand that they've added that to their mix to be more competitive in the espresso market. I ordered their latte with their original Kreme flavoring... Evidently they offer four kinds of milk - nonfat/skim, 2%, whole milk and their original Kreme flavored milk.

After I place my order, the woman on the register asked a gal on the production line something about my drink. They asked another gal to help. She went to the espresso machine and was flipping through some pages – to find a recipe and/or instructions on how to make my drink.

The register gal returned and said that "We can’t make it right now because the girl who makes the espresso wasn’t there." Wow. No one else has been trained to make espresso beverages? (In Seattle?)

Of course, it was neat seeing the production thru the window… and I got a free donut. But, should they stick at what they're good at? Great donuts and fresh coffee?

Personal Media vs. Mass Media

I’m attending a two-day conference in NYC about Customer Loyalty sponsored by The Conference Board.

One of our speakers today from Ipsos, spoke about the importance of word-of-mouth marketing (or as we would call it, creating customer evangelists). He stated that PERSONAL MEDIA is more effective than MASS MEDIA as a way we gain information to make certain types of purchases - computer hardware, personal electronics, travel and autos.

I had never heard it put in those terms before - Personal Media. I aspire to be an expert in PERSONAL MEDIA vs. MASS MEDIA.

I’m certain I’ll have additional insights from this conference to share in upcoming posts.

Spiderman: BRAND AUTOPSY UPDATE

UPDATE (May 10, 2004).
According to Brand Autopsy sources, it is rumored that the decision to not permit the decoration of bases with Spiderman artwork was less about baseball regulations and more about jealousy between Spiderman and the Hulk. Evidently the Hulk wanted to do a similar promotion with the NFL and goal posts, but was unilaterally declined.

When Brand Autopsy tried to contact the Hulk, he couldn't be located. However, we did reach his close friend, David Banner. We asked Banner to confirm these rumors, his reply ... "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

Evidently he doesn’t like investigative reporters.

Cinco de Mayo(nnaise)

I'm disappointed that the condiment companies didn't leverage today's celebration to extend their product assortments. There is really only one day I can think of that's the perfect fit for mayonnaise. A day that mayonnaise can really own!

5 new varities of mayo flavors - ranch, buffalo wing, dill, jalapeno and zesty salsa should have been launched.

In searching the internet, I did, however see an event sponsored by the country radio station KYKZ in southwest Louisiana with a "Sink-o de May-o" event taking place this weekend. Evidently contestants compete for prizes by bobbing for a ball hidden within a sink full of mayonnaise.

I guess there is always next year for the condiment companies.

With respect to what this celebration is really about, follow this link to CNN.

DO NOT BEND?

I think I fell for a marketing ploy.

I received a piece of mail from Sports Illustrated today. It was a standard business sized envelope, clearly marked with the Sports Illustrated logo and all. I already knew it was going to be some sort of pitch offering me a professional discounted rate to subscribe to SI. (I get 'em all the time).

The envelope was marked DO NOT BEND.

“Hmmm,” I wondered, “Do not bend? Interesting.” This instruction to the US Postal Service alerts the carrier to handle this envelope gingerly because it has something sensitive inside.

The contents?

a) standard form letter with my discounted offer
b) a return envelope

Nothing else.

No photos or other materials that would require an envelope to stay not bent.

I wasn't interested in the offer in the first place, but the DO NOT BEND did cause me to OPEN the envelope.

I think that they thought I'd think there were pictures of swimsuit models in my envelope.

Maybe there should have been?

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I received sheets of personalized address labels today with a packet inviting me to donate to the Disabled American Veterans. I think they are a worthwhile organization, and I may make a donation.

I want to make a comment. Not about the tactic of sending me a free gift, and now I may feel obligated to donate. (Actually, I can't recall the actual term for this tactic, if someone knows what that type of solicitation is, please post a comment - Thanks.)

But about this... the packet included a post card sized color photo of a gentleman named Jim who is wheelchair bound due to injuries sustained while fighting in Vietnam.

On the back of the photo is the nice message below.

While it's made to look like this is a hand written note potentially addressed just to me - I know better. They send out too many of these mailers to make it practical to have people hand write each piece. So, they have to "fake" it a little and mass-produce a message.

However, in "faking" this message, why did they also fake the fact it's hand written? It's a "handwritten style" computer typeface.

Couldn't they have had someone hand write an original message and make copies of that? That would have been much more genuine.

The only reason I can think of for using a computer font is if they change the message for different mailers depending on the audience...

While this won't deter me from donating, these are the details that make companies who are trying to be small and personal look big and machine-like.

Wine and Apples - not the perfect pairing

I've been an Apple Macintosh evangelist since 1991 and have been using Apple computers since 1985 (Apple IIc). Last August I purchased my latest machine - a PowerBook G4 with a 15" screen. What a beaut!

Last week, a half-of-glass of a nice chilled regional white wine was accidentally spilled onto the keyboard and into the machine. This caused my screen to flicker, the internal components to hiss and the laptop to shut down and stay down.

Grin, and Bare It

The Lusty Lady, with blinking tracer lights and blacked out windows, is a nudie club (a peep show to be exact) located in downtown Seattle. It sits right across the street from the Seattle Art Museum. (For some, all of the culture they could possibly need, or want, is conveniently located within one block.)

What does this have to do with marketing, you ask?

Well, the Lusty Lady has a double-sided marquee that features punny headlines intended to pique your interest as to what's inside. The topical slogans change every 7 to 10 days, often re-working current blockbuster movie titles, holidays, or local events. Between the two sides of the marquee, they usually deliver at least one slogan a month that is more remarkable than most mega-million dollar advertising campaigns.

For example, the headline for the anniversary of the Pilgrim and Native American feast at Plymouth Rock was... "Happy Spanksgiving." The release of a recent blockbuster trilogy inspired the headline... "Lord of the Schwings." The St. Patrick's Day slogan? "Erin Go Braghless"

John and I, being marketers who enjoy crafting puns, have thought of hundreds of headlines for the Lusty Lady (most of which may not be appropriate for a family blog). But the REAL "Free Prize Inside" (as Seth Godin would put it) is that, it is rumored, if you submit a headline and they use it on the marquee - you'll receive a free pink Lusty Lady t-shirt.

While the Lusty Lady may not need more "exposure," I'll try to share the cleverest headlines right here on Brand Autopsy.

"Spring Flashin' Show" - April 4, 2004

Dunkin' Coffee?

A friend of mine sent me a link from an article in yesterday’s (Wed. Apr. 7) Chicago Tribune entitled Company perk; Can a roasting expert from Chicago give Krispy Kreme a coffee buzz?" (registration required) The focus of the story was about Krispy Kreme taking efforts to increase the quality of their coffee - potentially to compete with Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.

Starbucks has often defined it’s purpose by saying…

"We are in the people business serving coffee." (Vs. - We are in the coffee business serving people.)

This perspective has allowed Starbucks to focus on the customer need vs. a limited perspective of simply and only coffee. It has allowed experiments like Café Starbucks - a full restaurant concept. (Now defunct). Or the new Starbucks/Hear Music Coffeehouse in Santa Monica where you can hand-craft and burn your own CD in-store with even more options than a barista has in hand-crafting a latte!

The article points out that globally, Dunkin’ is known more for its coffee. (In the states, growing up on the east coast, I’ve always known them as a doughnut place, with coffee). Dunkin’ has 5,600 locations worldwide to Krispy Kreme’s 394. In fact, John Gilbert, Dunkin' vice president of marketing, was quoted as saying…

"We are primarily a coffee business that sells doughnuts. Krispy Kreme is primarily a bulk doughnut business, selling doughnuts by the dozens."

From a brand perspective, this got me thinking…

I’ll bet Dunkin’ wishes it could sell doughnuts in bulk by the dozens. Is that a weakness of Krispy? Or a threat to Dunkin’?

Shouldn’t Dunkin’ Donuts have a similar approach to their business as Starbucks and others have? That they’re not in the coffee OR doughnut business, but in the business of serving their customers?

Tastes the Same (if you close your eyes)

So I sent an e-mail to my fellow Brand Autopsy coroner, johnmoore. As you may know he works for Whole Foods Market.

I guess my BrandAutopsy e-mail address is not recognized by the Whole Foods server as a ‘legit’ e-mail because their e-mail filter, to alert John that he may have received a junk e-mail message, added the words POSSIBLE SPAM to the subject of my message.

I thought, "Wow, if any company in the world would be good at identifying ‘possible spam’ it would have to be Whole Foods!" Their website says it best:

"We [Whole Foods Market] strive to offer the highest quality, least processed, most flavorful and naturally preserved foods." (I’m note sure SPAM fits any of those parameters!)

However, I see an opportunity... I suggested to John that his I.T. folks at Whole Foods change the message from POSSIBLE SPAM to something more fitting for their brand, like: POSSIBLE SOY VEGAN SPREAD.

By the way, check out the SPAM website… The folks at Hormel are smart - they have a pretty good sense of humor about their infamous canned meat.

Don't Break the Bind that Bounds

A public service message from Brand Autopsy

Ah! I just received a package from Amazon.com. Opening my brand new book for the first time reminded me of grade school when our school librarian taught us how to properly break in a new book. I was too young to remember exactly how to do it… And I knew breaking in a book had something to do with not ruining the spine – but that was all I remembered.

Using Google, I found this helpful article in the "Preservation Corner" of the Winter 1999 ASDAL Action on-line newsletter. (That's the Association of Seventh-day Adventst Librarians).

A gentleman named Randy Butler wrote the below piece on how and why to properly break in a book. Enjoy!

PRESERVATION CORNER

By Randy Butler

How to "break-in" a new book! Sound incongruous? How often do we in our libraries, or at home, properly prepare books for use? More often than not we simply open a new book somewhere in the middle and fold back the two halves so that the book will lay flat on a table or our laps. Wrong!! The result is a damaged or broken binding.

There is a proper way to open books for the first time and prepare them for use or circulation. First, hold the book vertically or upright, spine down, on a flat surface. Second, hold the text block in one hand while allowing the front and back covers to slowly fall or settle to the table (or counter surface). Next, take 20-30 pages from the front of the book and lay them down, gently run the tips of your fingers (you can also use the edge of the palm of your hand) along the gutter (fold/crease line); repeat with the same number of pages from the back of the book all the while holding the remaining text block in a vertical position with your free hand. Finally, repeat this process with an equal number of pages each time, first one end and then the other, until the entire text block has been folded back into two even halves. The book is now ready for use.

This simple technique can add years of life to any title. It can be used with either sewn or double-fan adhesive bindings, albeit adhesive bindings are more easily damaged. Be sure to use only light pressure evenly applied while sliding your hand down the gutter of each group of pages. When using this technique with sewn bindings, try to avoid folding back an entire signature (a group or unit of folded and sewn pages that together with other signatures form a text block) at one time. Rather, fold somewhere within the signature in order to place less stress on the thread.

This technique is a good quality control test for either a publisher, or a re-binding contractor. Whether purchasing books for the first time or the hundredth, check the quality of the contractor or publisher's binding by using the above-described technique. If a binding cannot stand up to this simple test, the product should be rejected and returned.

Preservation of books can be as simple as explained above. Of course, you would never want to use this folding method on rare materials.

Randy Butler is Library Director at Southwestern Adventist University, Keene, Texas and current president of ASDAL.

Off Paco's Lips Now

Last month, as part of his book tour, promoting Call of the Mall author Paco Underhill visited our offices. He shared with us his background and a bit about his first book Why We Buy – all very interesting. However, the Q&A part of his presentation was the most interesting...

Here are a few of the interesting thoughts Paco shared… (paraphrased and in my own words…)

Paco mentioned three retail concepts that he thought had it right…
• Staples – they have a new store concept that makes finding what you want within the store very easy. You wouldn't find yourself wandering up and down the aisles unless you wanted to.
• Zara – a fashion apparel company highlighted for the way they’ve set up a network to manage inventory from the factory to the store floor
• Three Minute Happiness* – a Japanese based store with general household and houseware items. *Scroll down to the second image - This is the only link I could find… It's a Japanese site translated through AltaVista's Babel Fish Translation Service – it's difficult to understand, but you can at least get the picture - literally.

• He believes that we’re “past the age where companies are driven by a visionary general”. Where a single individual owns and drives the overall concept and direction of an organization. He said we’re in the age where empowered captains and sergeants are/should be running organizations. Where the brand DNA of the company is carried and executed by many.

• He mentioned that when customers love a product so much you could say they almost worship it… for us, he said we’re in the "worship of coffee business" (stay with me here). Paco mentioned that there are three types of worshipers: the Novice, the Acolyte and the Deacon. (This is similar to the way Ben and Jackie use the term Evangelist for a customer who is a raving fan). You need to treat each type of worshiper according to their level of experience with your product. The Deacon can easily explain the concept to others… the Novice, however, is just a beginner and my need help understanding how your concept works. (At Starbucks – the 'deacon' could order their drink using all the drink calling wording just like a barista… a novice is still trying to understand how it all works).

Paco also made reference to three forms of time. To customers time passes in three forms:
• 1) real
• 2) perceived
• 3) a combination of real and perceived

real – An episode of Gilligan's Island feels pretty much like a 1/2 hour with the commercials and all. I pretty much know it'll be a 30-minute show and that's basically how it feels…

perceived - waiting in line for 30 minutes for a fresh, hot Krispy Kreme donut goes by very quickly – you may perceive it as a shorter wait than it is. Waiting for 5 minutes at the department of motor vehicle office can feel like a lifetime.

combination – the best example I can think of is waiting in line at a theme park. A queue line may take 40 minutes (and feel somewhere between 20 and 60 depending on the temperature and who you're in line with)… The ride itself may last for 10 minutes, but may feel like 5 because it was so engaging or thrilling.

Very interesting thoughts... I recommend you check out either of his books if you haven't already.

Saved by the Bell

No, this one is not about Mr. Belding and Screech... (not exactly) It's about being on time for meetings.

If your office is like mine, you have too many meetings. So many that you most likely have them back-to-back-to-back.

It's a problem.

To make matters worse, our meetings rarely start at the scheduled time. Being 5 or 10 minutes late is "standard operating procedure" for many of folks.

There is always some key stakeholder trying to make it across the building - and you can't start until they arrive.

My recommended solution?

Bells.

Yep. A bell ringing at the top of the hour (to start) and a bell at 5-minutes before the hour (to conclude). Just like in school.

Yeah, I know...It sounds silly. It's not rocket science, but in an organization where decisions require multi-departmental input, meetings are necessary.

I feel that being late is inconsiderate... Heck, I'll carry a stack of files from meeting to meeting all day long to avoid being late. I'm considering getting a book bag or maybe a small red wagon.

The secret is in having 55-minute meetings, not 60. If we had the bell at 5-minutes before the hour to indicate the end of the meeting - that would allow enough time to get to your next meeting. Perhaps even to stop by your desk and pick up the files you need for the next meeting. (i.e. get to your locker to drop off your English Lit book and grab your Advanced American History text and spiral notebook).

I think I'll drop a note in the suggestion box on Monday. I wonder if I can get them to also add a nurse's office?

"Fight the Propaganda" Debate

Should Marketers have anything to do with Political advertising?

Rich Silverstein (Goodby, Silverstein & Partners) wrote an editorial in the Feb 2nd issue of AdWeek (click for PDF) where he makes a case for why advertising agencies should not get involved with crafting political ads.

Here at Brand Autopsy we have some “HMOs” (hot marketing opinions) on this subject matter. And since we are in the throws... er... throes [thanks mom!] of political primary season complete with debates galore, we thought it was appropriate to stage our own debate stemming from Silvertein’s editorial. It’s more of a point/counter-point than an actual debate. Allow us some leeway and play along. Okay?

We begin with Brand Autopsy Coroner Moore Disagreeing with Silverstein – read his dissection of the idea.

Brand Autopsy Examiner Williams Agreeing with Silverstein – read his examination and reply to Mr. Moore.

Next, Moore's long-winded rebuttal.

Finally, Williams' clever closing statement.

Enjoy. Williams + Moore

"Fight the Propaganda" - Williams' Closing Comments

DEBATE MODERATOR
Mr. Williams, you may proceed. You have 200 words.

Here's what we can expect if we allow marketers and advertisers to keep spinning our presidential candidate platforms...

Political Issue	AdverSpin Slogan
Abortion 'right to choose'	"Have it your way."
Sex education in schools	"Just Do It."
Support additional funding for troop readiness	"When you care enough to send the very best"
Ease federal restrictions on gun possession	"Don't leave home without it."
Champion pollution and acid rain issues	"When it rains, it pours."
Decrease USDA requirements for livestock inspection	"Where's the beef?"
Strengthen regulation of the Clean Water Act	"Good to the last drop."
Affirmative action	"Raise your hand if you're sure."
Public transit	"Let your fingers do the walking."
Early release of non-violent mentally ill patients	"Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't"
Education reform	"Think different."
Violent criminals serve full prison sentences	"Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'
Oppose government mandates to curtail sexual content on television	"M'm! M'm! Good"
Allow same-sex couples to form civil unions	"Reach out and touch someone."
Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana	"The quicker picker upper."

Special thanks to the aptly named website AdSlogans.com for the awesome collection of… ad slogans! Be sure to visit vote-smart.com to learn more about the political process and the candidates.

"Fight the Propaganda" - Re-Examination

DEBATE MODERATOR
Thank you Mr. Moore. Mr. Williams, your opening blog please.

Despite what the TV ad claims, there is little risk if my jug of ‘thicker formula’ Clorox bleach doesn’t truly get my whites whiter…

However, there is a lot more at stake if my as-seen-on-TV candidate who “gets the job done” can’t get the job done.

In a way, Mr. Silverstein is making an admission about the manipulation that takes place by marketers through advertising. The ways we make claims and persuade consumers with regard to products and services.

Do we really want the folks who find a way to call a product “new and improved” because of a “change in package color scheme” to work that same slight-of-hand on the next leader of the free world?

In an era when the headlines report daily of alleged cheats, thieves, and hucksters what we could really use right now is substance – not sizzle.

Finally, Mr. Silverstein can draw such a bold line because he realizes the benefits of consumer products are pretty clear and limited… and none of them will be expected to influence social welfare, decision in occupying countries or our natural resources.

I don’t choose my toothpaste the same way I choose my political candidate.

From "PC" to "DC"

For years we have been trying to be politically correct (PC). Trying to use the right / current / proper 'label' for different groups.

Today we're scrambling to be dietically correct (DC). We're filled with angst trying to figure out which diet trend to subscribe to...

Is it Atkins? Low-Carb? South Beach? Low-Fat? Low Cal? Or should I talk to the gal with the bumper sticker...
[ I lost 40 pounds in a week, ask me how! ] Which is it?

It’s interesting to see quick service restaurants (QSR) scramble for a dietetically correct version of their offerings.

Blimpie - is introducing the BCC, the Blimpie Carb Counter and an assortment of low-carb menu combos

Burger King - is offering low-carb burgers in a bowl instead of a bun.

Chili's- (while not a QSR) is offering a choice of low-fat or low-carb items.

Hardee's - started offering a burger wrapped in lettuce in mid-December.

McDonald's - has brought back a little known program they had over 11 years ago called "What's On Your Plate" targeting school aged kids featuring a cartoon character Willie Munchright.

Subway - has been using nutrition and 'leaner' as a competitive advantage for years. They have introduced two wrap sandwiches that are endorsed by Atkins Nutritionals.

Taco Bell - has new "Fresco Style" menu items where the cheese and sauce is replaced by salsa - this saves you a few grams of fat and 20 to 30 or so calories.

Wendy’s - has been promoting their Chili, Side Salad and Baked Potato combo meal as being under 5 grams (fat) under 4 bucks. It’s an old school approach to losing weight these days as everyone else is going the low-carb route - which doesn’t allow baked potatoes. The ads even feature fuddy-duddy regular people dressed in vintage 70s sweats doing old school exercises (like an African-American struggling on an garage-sale worthy stationary bike and a slightly plump suburban woman in sweats going out for a run… a run to Wendy’s for the 5 grams under 4 bucks deal.

Ah, but there is hope... According the a recent Toronto Star article, there is a group of Amish in Ontario that despite eating fats, sugars and calories has very low obesity levels...

Proving that, while making fun of the Amish is not PC, having fun WITH them may help you be DC.

Big Bang or Small Thang II

Okay, I’ll bite… after viewing some of the commercials and reading the definition of what a Big Bang is here are MY thoughts.

I think one of the secrets of effective campaigns is that the average consumer may not realize or care that they are being pitched to. The execution is so compelling you let down their guard and let marketing tell it’s story.

AFLAC –The latest TV spot features an animated AFLAC duck along with a collection of Warner Brothers animated characters (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, the Coyote, and Road Runner). (I’m so disappointed in Warner Brothers for loaning out their characters to co-star with the AFLAC duck. What in the name of so-called co-branded synergies is going on here?)

The AFLAC duck, while successful in repeatedly stating the AFLAC brand name, is a flash in the pan when compared to the enduring and culturally significant Warner Brothers characters. (Does Warner Brothers really need to associate with the AFLAC duck to make their animated stars relevant? Is this a case of Warner Brothers over-licensing their characters? From my vantage point, this commercial did Warner Brothers no favors.)

While the quacky sounding catch-phrase “AFLAC!” may be more in the minds of consumers I don’t see folks squawking this to each other in the halls at work or on the subway. It gets the name of the product out there, but not in the “expand exponentially in the culture” as outlined as a Big Bang criteria.

The AFLAC duck's quack is annoyingly catchy, but it does not instill confidence in the American Family Life Assurance Company or drive me to check out their offerings.

However, talking about it here has built awareness in my mind that they exist as an insurance company and the ads say to “ask about AFLAC at the workplace.”

AFLAC -> Big Bang duck? No. Kung Pao duck? Perhaps.

Blimpie – I haven’t seen this creative execution but the idea sounds off-base. I've always tried to follow the path of creating marketing messages that say 'who you are and never who you are not.' In this ad, Blimpie seems to be saying more of who they are not (Subway) than who they are.

Blimpie -> Small Thing.

Heineken – I’ll give them points for being in the right place at the right time. This ad makes you grin and think ‘how clever of them to be so timely.’ To me this was more of a flash in pan than a Big Bang.

Heineken -> Small Thang (with some extra fizz for taking advantage of a situation).

Clairol Herbal Essences – I tried this shampoo and it didn’t even make me blush. I’m not sure what the big deal is. Ah, but wait… is that the secret? Did I try it because the woman on TV found it so pleasurable? Actually, I liked the way it smelled. I admit that on the first or second viewing the TV spots had me looking twice thinking “what’s going on?” But some of the most recent executions where the woman is surrounded by build men escorting her around her oversized bathroom as if she were in a 50’s musical left me wondering what the true benefit of the product was.

Clairol Herbal Essences -> I guess they'd want this to be ranked the Big "O" vs Big Bang?

With all this said, I was able to comment on many of these brands with top of mind awareness of how they advertise. But, the most important measure is purchase. The ads haven’t driven me to purchase, but they do ‘stick out’ among the brandscape. So perhaps if a good friend mentioned the great taste of a Heineken or a co-worker mentions she uses AFLAC and ‘they’re great’ I may consider trial.

I still refuse to say the words “Can you hear me now?” I’m not going to cave.

Hair Brained Scheme

As a marketer, when watching TV, I often pay more attention to the WAY a product is being sold than WHAT is being sold. I know they are trying to appeal to some unknown need and that every single element has been carefully chosen to enhance the message and drive interest. So, it takes a lot to pique my interest in a product pitch.

JUST FOR MEN, the company that makes hair color for men, has created a product (that they're offering for free if you call or visit their website) which allows you to temporarily color your hair to see how would look if you were to use their product. It darkens your hair and takes out the gray - but washes out easily with a single shampooing.

"New Just For Men Try-Out rinse-out hair color sample. Comb It In. Check It Out. Rinse It Away. Finally, you can see how you'd look without gray with no guessing about the results. And no commitment." – from the JUST FOR MEN website

I applaud JUST FOR MEN for finding a creative solution to provide product trial without risk. I'm sure this has been a challenge for a while. I would have enjoyed being a part of those brainstorming sessions where they examined the challenge and developed their ultimate approach!

A rather simple, but innovative solution.

Santa's Deja Vu

I can see ol' St. Nick now... flying over our housetops... dropping off loot for good girls and boys... I wonder if he's doing a double-take at some of the items in his bag. Some of these 'new' toys look very similar to some of the things he dropped off in the '70s and '80s (and earlier)!

Over the past several years, I've been pleased to see the come-back of toys, movies, and objects from when we were kids... It's the stuff WE and our younger brother's and sisters played with.

These include:

• Shrinky-Dinks
  
• Schoolhouse Rock - now a Disney property, a new generation can learn how bills become law and about how the number zero can be considered a hero! (I admit I bought the DVD collection!)
  
• Care Bears
  
• The Incredible Hulk
  
• Mattel's Electronic "Classic Football" game - the little red dashes and beeps and chirps from 1977
  
• Mattel's Electronic "Classic Baseball" game
  
• Atari Classics 10-in-1 TV Games - from Pong to Adventure to Missile Command

What's old is new again.

Here's my theory...

I was born in '69 and it seems like many folks "our age" (a range between 30 and 40-ish) have progressed to a point in our careers where we hold influential roles within our organizations. We’re bringing back stuff we appreciated from our childhood.

While some games and toys haven’t gone out of production, they are being re-packaged in their vintage looks featuring original graphics, game pieces, etc.

While out shopping, I have seen old-tyme versions of classic games like Monopoly (the 1935 commemorative edition), Sorry, Operation, Parcheesi, Clue (from the ‘50s)...

Now if they’d just come out with the Six Million Dollar Man again… I’d love to get an Oscar Madison doll with the suitcase that would look like it ‘exploded’ if you opened it the wrong way.

Happy Holidays!

Paul

Fee Fi Faux Forces

Tonight while scanning the news I came across a photo in the news photo gallery of Reuters that showed an innovative solution to reduce speeding. Mexico's Federal Highway Police are making their highways safer by creating fake speed traps using two-dimentional police car 'billboards' on the highway. They intermix real speed traps with the replicas to save money.

This reminds me of the deceptions used during World War II called Operation Fortitude where inflatable tanks and airplanes were used to confuse enemy forces. Reconnaissance aircraft pilots couldn't tell the fake from the real. This could mis-represent the size of a military force or (as mentioned below) divert the enemy from the actual army.

While searching for a link for inflatable tanks, I came across this story about a British magician, Jasper Maskelyne. During the second World War the military used his master of illusion skills to help defeat the German army in north Africa. Interesting too there is a movie coming out about his story called The War Magician.

Note: While researching the title 'The War Magician' on Amazon I found an out of print book that the movie will be based on. However if you read the customer critiques of the book, it sounds like others were involved in the illusions and Maskelyne has potentially received more credit than he actually contributed - you be the judge)