I've just returned from my first visit to Venice, Italy or Venezia as it's called locally.
Ah... Venice... The beautiful city built on water...
[required establishing shot here]
While I the entire trip was terrific, I was especially impressed with this advertising tactic used at the Venice airport (Aeroporto Marco Polo) by the company Casino di Venezia. (The Casino of Venice)
[click image for larger version]
[click image for larger version]
I found this clever, eye catching, and memorable. What a great greeting for those heading to the casino. While I'm not a gambler, this 'interactive' ad let me know, in a remarkable way, that Venice has a place to gamble.
Casino di Venezia was built in 1638 and is the oldest gaming house in the world. In fact, Venice was once the Las Vegas of Europe.
Lately, while showering, I've had strings of brilliant ideas pop into my head... one after the other... However, they strike so quickly, by the time the third idea comes to me, I've forgotten the first!
As a professional problem solver, I have adopted the solution. I've purchased a water-proof diver's writing slate to capture ideas that come to me when I'm in the shower.
Scuba divers use a diver's slate to jot notes about their dives and to communicate with fellow divers. It's simply a piece of white plastic with a #2 pencil attached.
You may be able to make out my first thought... "DIVE SLATE POST"
Knowing many ideas seem to come to clarity while I'm" lather, rinse, and repeating" this is the best $7.59 I've spent!
What I purchased is 4x6 inches, I'd recommend this larger version.
What appears to be a coaster with printing gone wrong... Am I drunk already?
Is actually an optical illusion/secret messages that uses a Guinness glass as a decoder.
It's listed in the official handbook of marketers, that for at least 36 hours after the Super Bowl, you must work as many references into your daily speaking and writing as possible.
I didn't have the benefit of being able to watch the Super Bowl, so I also missed watching the commercials. Luckily YouTube AdBlitz has - I think - all of the key spots that were presented.
Since I only watched them once, and in sequence, and on YouTube... I was able to form an opinion and immediate impression.
I judge the quality of a commercial, especially during the Super Bowl based on...
(1) Attention - Does it capture attention?
(2) Engage - Does it entertain as it informs?
(3) Recall - Do I remember the name of the brand and/or product being promoted?
The spots that do this best were...
Touch Downs
Tide Stain-Stick
(Actually called Tide To-Go). The talking stain was funny. Worrying of you're making sense during an interview is a common concern. As you watched it you were drawn in to figure out what was going on.
At first I thought this was a Monster.com ad. But the payoff at the end with the demonstration of the Tide To-Go product brought it all together. I didn't recall that it was called "Tide To-Go" until I watched it again (for this post, so perhaps it would lose a point or two?). But, bottom line, I could go to my grocery store and easily ask for this product.
CareerBuilder.com
"Queen of Hearts" - You can feel her pain when you see the woman in the drab office, with a lobster-eating jerk boss, in a dead-end job. And then her heart rips out of her chest, makes its way to the boss's office and quits on her behalf. The tagline "Follow Your Heart" is great.
The closing shot of the CareerBuilder logo crushing the typical office building. It worked for me. If I were searching for a job, I'd check out their site.
eTrade
Either you think talking babies are funny or you don't. I do in this instance. I think they way they put together this ad... obviously putting words to a kid just sitting there (of course digitally making the baby's mouth move) is very clever and feels spontaneous.
I recall that it was funny. It was eTrade. That they have over 1000 sign-ups a day. Evidently it's easy. Got my attention. Informed me how easy eTrade is. I can recall the product name.
They also captured the recent hubbub about the recent research stating how clowns are actually scary for most kids. Topical. Extra points for that. One of the spots is just below, the other you can view here.
Coke and Bud are such established brands... I can say Coke and Bud and you know what I mean. They have it a bit easier as product/brand recognition is already quite established for most Americans. So for these guys, getting my attention and engaging me are most important.
Coca-Cola
Coke did a great job with their "It's Mine" ad. A few balloons from the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade seem to come to life and fight over the Coke bottle balloon. Clever to use the popular Stewie character balloon (Family Guy) and Underdog (movie now in theaters). Priceless that the Charlie Brown balloon gets it. Charlie Brown always had trouble playing football - what with Lucy removing the ball last minute each time he'd run up for a kick. So it was 'refreshing' to see good ol' Chuck be a winner.
I will also give Coke credit for the clever Jinx ad where Republican Bill Frist and Democrat James Carville - who during an interview can't agree on anything - say the same thing at the same time, and Frist says to Carville. "Jinx, buy me a Coke." Somehow the experience brings them together and they spend the rest of the day touring Washington DC sights and become friends. Even enemies can agree on one thing - the refreshing taste of Coca-Cola. Again, a very topical ad and clever. Also a clever way to bring the parties together. Nice work.
Budweiser
Bud was clever. Two of their ads feature the three benefits of Bud. (1) Refreshment. (2) Drinkability. And... (3a) the ability to fly and (3b) the ability to breathe fire. Then you see the problems with the third new benefits. Getting caught in airplane engines and accidentally burning the house down. I didn't remember that they were for Bud Light. I guess they missed that mark with me as well.
These ads were fun, but didn't leave me feeling better about the brand. To me Bud showed up. Entertained. But that was it. I didn't feel better about the brand the way I did with the Coke ads.
From a marketing perspective, I thought the Jackie Moon spots that Bud did were clever. A bud commercial featuring "basketball star" Jackie Moon (the character from the upcoming movie Semi-Pro). Fun partnership.
Penalty
The ads that fell flat for me were...
The car ads. I'm not in the market for a car, or perhaps not the right target audience. Two I recall... and interesting to me that they're both targeting younger drivers.
First, the guy who wakes up in bed all greasy and the grill from his car in his bed. Nice spoof of the Godfather. The Audi R8 they showed was sexy, but I couldn't tell you the brand or make. "Old luxury just got put on notice." Targeting younger drivers.
Second, I thought the car commercial for Cadillac featuring Kate Walsh was provocative. Her line, "when you turn your car does it return the favor?" Clever. I recall that this was Cadillac because as a marketer I thought it was interesting that Cadillac is trying to appeal to young women (like Kate Walsh) versus older Italian men - like my dad. I haven't seen Kate in any of her shows so her celebrity didn't help for this viewer.
I enjoyed the Cars.com ads, but forgot about them. I really liked the Bridgestone "Scream" spot, but it didn't stick that it was Bridgestone advertising. Recall makes me think it was a promoting a car that handles well. (In re-watching the spot, YES it is obviously a Bridgestone commercial, I see that at the end... But as a consumer, I didn't remember that.)
I have a quick story for you that involves my mom, dad, a latte, and creative problem solving.
Mom and dad were out-of-town on a business trip. In the hotel room, minutes before they had to leave for a dinner event, dad realized he didn't have collar stays for his dress shirt. You know, those thin plastic strips which insert inside the collar of a man's shirt to keep it from curling.
Mom thought for a minute... took dad's latte... and disappeared into the next room. When she returned she had two collar stays.
Mom used the scissors she keeps in her toiletry kit and hand-crafted two collar stays from the lid of dad's latte.
Thin. Plastic. Rigid. Brilliant.
Not only is this a great collar stay hack, but also a great use of imagination to solve a problem in a pinch.
Next time you find yourself in a personal or business bind, take a look around... Is there a solution that may be right in front of you if you thought about it differently?
The collar stay is a thin fingernail file shaped piece of plastic or metal that is inserted into a narrow pocket located under the point of each collar tip (here it is shown resting on the collar for demonstration purposes only). Collar stays are routinely removed when clothes are laundered and reinserted prior to wearing. It is easy to spot someone who has forgotten to replace their collar stays, as their collar will be curled under and appear sloppy.
I find this ice breaker cocktail napkin to be a genius idea.
It is pre-printed with the key information needed when trying to meet someone at a bar. They can be found at a site called npw.co.uk and are called Lifestyle Cocktail & Bar Hello Napkins
My favorite is that you can check the box that says...
I WOULD LIKE TO MEET YOU... [ ] WHEN I'VE SOBERED UP
Have you ever been in a spot where you had a business question - but didn't want to ask your boss and appear ignorant?
Ever needed a template for a specific document, but found out your company doesn't have one?
Ever feel like someone else has probably figured "it" out if you only knew where to find "it?"
Why reinvent the wheel? I'm compiling business best practices, templates, techniques - anything that would help us to do our jobs a bit better...
This information will be hosted on the Idea Sandbox Wiki and will always available to everyone free of charge.
If you have a favorite resource, a trick, template, form, weblink, book, or any other recommendation regarding theses topics, please let me know in the comments section...
Here are the content categories I'm targeting...
Figure it out
Stay informed - monitor customer, business and industry trends
Problem identification - make sure you're addressing the correct issue
Brainstorming - techniques for generating ideas
Decision making - techniques for making the best decisions
Getting It Done
Craft the plan - tips, techniques, templates for business and marketing related plans
Be the champion - how to pitch, sell and lead projects
Launch/flawless execution - tips and techniques for launching programs without a hitch
Creativity
How to be creative - tips and techniques to be more creative
Examples of creativity - examples of creativity others may emulate
Communication Skills
Writing - be a better writer
Speaking - be a better speaker
Presenting - tips for better presentations
Facilitation - tips on leading groups
Leadership Skills
Management - tips on how to manage yourself, managing up, down and through influence
Being Persuasive - how to influence others, how to resolve conflict
Leadership Secrets - setting strategy, negotiating, leadership styles and more...
Providing Feedback - communicating under any circumstance
Time Management - techniques to make the best use of your time
Staying Organized - how to put everything in its place, and have a place for everything
Visit the Idea Sandbox Wiki to see the information I've already collected on these topics.
Am I missing any topics? Let me know that as well! (I'm happy to provide you with credit for the source information as well as include your URL link in the source information to drive traffic to your site).
When pronounced properly (mole-ay-skee-nay), it sounds like a condiment or the name of a snowy sports complex... But Moleskine is actually the brand name for notebooks that have been around for ages and seem to be gaining in popularity. (At first I thought it was pronounced like it looks - mole-skin... which made me wonder what the cover was made with...)
What makes a Moleskine special or different from the everyday journal?
History... This is one of Van Gogh's...
But also the craftsmanship and features...
Some distinguishing characteristics of the Moleskine?
They're typically black in color... They're durable... bound with thread instead of glue... so the pages won't pull out... this also allows them lay flat. The cover is oil-cloth covered known as moleskine.
There is a bookmark ribbon sewn in and a bound elastic band holds the book shut.
They come in all sorts of styles, sizes and formats from blank, lines and grids to sketch book, story-board, musical staff, and watercolor paper... as well as traditional styles like a phone book, dated diary/appointment journals...
Some History
In every Moleskine, there is a slip of paper that explains the story of the Moleskine in 6 languages. (I've added a few links to provide context).
The history of a legendary notebook
Moleskine is the legendary notebook, used by European artists and thinkers for the past two centuries, from Van Gogh to Picasso, from Ernest Hemingway to Bruce Chatwin. This trusty, pocket-size travel companion held sketches, notes, stories and ideas before they were turned into famous images or pages of beloved books.
Originally produced by small French bookbinders who supplied the Parisian stationery shops frequented by the international avant-garde, by the end of the twentieth century the Moleskine notebook was no longer available. In 1986, the last manufacturer of Moleskine, a family operation in Tours, closed its shutters forever. "Le vrai Moleskine n'est plus" were the lapidary words of the owner of the stationery shop in Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie where Chatwin stocked up on the notebooks. The English writer had ordered a hundred of them before leaving for Australia: he bought up all the Moleskine that he could find, but they were not enough.
In 1998, a small Milanese publisher brought Moleskine back again. As the self-effacing keeper of an extraordinary tradition, Moleskine once again began to travel the globe. To capture reality on the move, pin down details, impress upon paper unique aspects of experience: Moleskine is a reservoir of ideas and feelings, a battery that stores discoveries and perceptions, and whose energy can be tapped over time.
The legendary black notebook is once again being passed from one pocket to the next; with its various different page styles it accompanies the creative professions and the imagination of our time. The adventure of Moleskine continues, and its still-blank pages will tell the rest.
As you can imagine... by using one... You'll be in good company.
Where to Get Them
The Moleskine official website states, "Moleskine is sold in all the best bookshops and in particular at: Barnes & Noble, Borders, Waterstone, FNAC, Feltrinelli, Mondadori."
If you can't find them locally, follow this Google Search for "buy moleskine"
A Few Moleskine Sites
Once you move beyond 'this is just a notebook' to 'hey this is a really cool tool' - you'll find these links helpful!
Moleskine - the official company (Modo & Modo) website. Check out the Press section.
Moleskine Art - Folks share the artwork they've created in and on their Moleskine. (site is image heavy - may download slowly)
SketchBob - features artwork he has made over the past 20-years much of it within Moleskines... Wandering Moleskine Project - A set of Moleskines were sent around the world and each person had a week to make a contribution to the pages... Images of the books are posted. Interesting.
To help your personal creativity, I recommend keeping an Idea Journal. The Moleskine works perfectly for this. Here's more about keeping an Idea Journal.
Have you ever navigated a website to find it down because of repairs, upgrade or error? Typically disappointing, huh?
Well, tonight I went to visit one of my favorite websites the iconfactory. (www.iconfactory.com)
They are in the midst of reworking their website... but instead of being greeted with static, staid text... they have a QuickTime animation (in the style of their site) that progressively illustrates the process of their re-working.
It appears that their process is going to take 6 days as they have 6 different movies to watch. Today (as of Thursday July 27) they are on day 4.
[A snapshot of their site]
Instead of being upset that I can't access what I needed from their site... I can't wait until tomorrow to see the next segment of the movie!
How can you do this for your customers? How can you turn a negative situation into a positive and exceed expectations - even though you may be delivering bad news?
Iconfactory posts thousands of icon collection designed by folks from all over the world - an amazing collection.
Here's the link to Day 1... I recommend watching all of the movies... and re-visit the site once it's complete.
In fact, "Doc" Brown admired his board members so much he has named his pet dogs after them. In 1955 his pet dog was named Copernicus and in 1985 his dog (the first living creature to experience time travel) was named Einstein.
Dr. Emmet "Doc" Brown (pictured right) discusses acquiring plutonium to power the flux capacitor with Martin McFly, circa 1955
Fun Fact: Time travel was made possible through the invention of the high-powered flux capacitor. It requires 1.21 gigawatts (GWe) to generate enough energy to propel a stainless steel sports car to and from the future.
That's right. I'm in the process of getting a design makeover. The folks at Principle have designed a new logo, color scheme, web page design... the works... Snazzy! (And still under construction).
Hmmm... there is a reality show in there somewhere... Called Up Yours!... it features companies being given business make-overs... Leadership is sent away for the week and the Up Yours! Team comes in and replaces lameness with greatness...
Day and night - for five business days straight - the Up Yours! Team
tears out the old antiquated policy, programs, red tape, and corporate
bull... And replaces them with programs that are employee friendly,
customer friendly and community friendly.
Crappy customer service policy? Changed!
- Now the customer is king!
Poor culture for innovation? Don't allow employees to contribute?
- They launch "The Inner Voice" a program that zips employee ideas straight to the top for consideration.
Weak compensation package? Poor benefits for employees?
- They implement a cutting-edge point-based benefits program that
permits employees to spend points on the benefits they want or need.
Don't need coverage? Use the points toward vacation days or get a cash
payout!
It's now Monday Morning... the Up Yours! Team still sleepy
from the all-nighters are ready for the reveal. A bus pulls up... the
door folds open... Leadership, dressed in fresh pressed suits, pour out
of the bus and into a presentation room. The lights dim and the
presentation slides flip... one great program after another is revealed!
A senior vice president high-fives a vice president!
A customer sighs, "Finally!"
The HR gal nearly passes out.
The CEO gets teary as she can barely recognize the place... "Wow,
what a great place to work. And boy, is the competition going to be
nervous!"
Another episode of Up Yours! concludes successfully. The signature
slow motion shot of executives and employees hugging and crying fades
to black.
Aw geez, I better copyright this idea right here and right now... Anyone know Mark Burnett's email?
So, anyway... I hope you like the new look...
*I think I first heard that line - "we've upped our image, now up yours" - on the '70s TV situation comedy "WKRP in Cincinnati"
I believe it was a tagline that the ad team put together for one of
their advertisers. (If I'm getting these details wrong, someone let me
know.
To find circumvent spam filters that scan key words to block messages, a clever spammer sent their message as an image.
This spam message for drugs found its way into my inbox.
I bring this up partly because we all can relate to spam, but mostly because - like it or not - a spammer is a marketer. They are folks who attempt various tactics to deliver their message to a potential customer with the intent on building awareness, trial and purchase.
While I hate spam as much as the next person... (for clarification, I'm still speaking of unsolicited e-mail messages, not the meat product)... I'm always impressed with the ever-changing tactics spammers employ to get their messages through... clever headlines, attachments, long stories and letters - all trying to find a new way to break through.
Despite clever ways of intruding... The true question for a marketer is "Is it working?" Even if you DID get into someone's inbox... are people finding random e-mail messages a reliable source for their sex enhancing drugs and discounted software?
One of my favorite holiday movies is Miracle on 34th Street. Part of the plot revolves around a Doris Walker (a mom) who has raised her daughter Susan to be sensible and not believe in "myths" like Santa Clause.
In one scene, Kris Kringle is discussing with Susan how she doesn't like to play with the other kids in the apartment building because they play silly games. Kris realizes that Susan lacks imagination and the ability to pretend. He takes a few minutes to explain to her what imagination is...
Kris: "Do you know what the imagination is?"
Susan:
"Oh, sure that's when you see things, but they're not really there."
Kris:
"Well, that can be caused by other things too! No, to me the imagination is a place all by itself. A separate country.
Now you've heard of the French nation, the British nation, well this is the Imagi-Nation. It's a wonderful place.
How would you like to make snowballs in the summer time? Eh? Or drive a great big bus down Fifth Avenue? How would you like to have a ship all to yourself that makes daily trips to China and Australia? How would you like to be the Statue of Liberty in the morning, and in the afternoon, fly south with a flock of geese?"
Susan nods her head wanting to know more.
"Very simple. Of course, it takes practice. Now the first thing you've got to learn is how to pretend..."
One of the ways to create breakthrough ideas when problem solving and brainstorming is to forget convention and what exists... As Santa suggests... Use your imagination! Pretend and make believe a newer, better way exists.
Spending wisely and more creatively is a passion of mine. You may have read some of my thoughts about more meaningful ways to spend (re: GoDaddy.com) when I was back at Brand Autopsy.
I got a note back from PhotoStamps today... Earlier this week, I mentioned creating an Idea Sandbox postage stamp using stamp.com's PhotoStamp service.
My dreams of stamping customer "Thank You" letters with my logo in the postage are short lived... The US Post Office doesn't allow business advertising in stamps...
Here's what PhotoStamps said in their e-mail...
You received an email stating that we did not accept your image because we had a concern that your image contained business advertising, which is currently not permitted by the U.S. Postal Service.
Stamps.com is working hard to change this policy, but for now, here are some ways you may consider changing your image so that it may not be considered business advertising:
Show pictures of buildings, products, or other images without adding business logos or writing on the image.
Ideally, submit images, graphics or pictures alone with no writing visible in the image.
We thank you for ordering PhotoStamps and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We encourage you to try again. If you would like additional support with your business order, please call our enterprise sales team at 888-478-0022.
Oh, well.
I totally respect this policy - come to think of it... can you imagine the SPAM stamps we would receive on mailers pushing cheap medication, mini-webcams or enhancement pills?
...that's what the flyer in my Sunday paper said... PhotoStamps.com (part of stamps.com) offers you the ability to upload an image, place it on a stamp and have the sheets mailed to you...
I thought this was such a great idea - I had to check it out...
Here's the stamp I created below.
The site says that since May 2005 they have sold 1.4 million photo stamps...
20-bucks later, I've got a sheet of 20 stamps on the way... (Mac Users: They've even got a downloadable version for Mac that allows you to use iPhoto to create stamps on your desktop).
How cool is that? I can send a letter to a customer delivered with my own stamp...
Or a stamp with brainstorming, problem solving images on it to support what I do in my business.
Or a stamp with my new house on it - to send on "We've Moved" postcards...
Is it worth if for me to pay a dollar a stamp instead of the 37-cent rate? Heck yeah. It's a nice way to make something common uncommon.
Apple has taken too long. I couldn't wait anymore. I had to buy a PC based Tablet.* While I love a good pen to good paper... there seems something very practical (and fun) about a digital idea book.
Now I'm a dual platformer with both a Mac and Windows machines. I'll have a stay-at-home Mac, and the tablet as my portable digital notebook.
There she is... Isn't she a beaut?
I've been using it for just under a week and the true measure that I love using the tablet took place this week.
The tablet has the ability to recognize your written handwriting and convert it to text. In fact, I've written this post long-hand and had the tablet convert it to text for this post. I even purchased an upgraded pen (stylus) that has an 'eraser' on the end... so when you make a mistake - just like a pencil - you can rub and erase your writing...
Yesterday while working on a project, I erased a passage... I didn't get all of the writing erased so there were a few pieces of image on the screen... As if it were pencil eraser dust, I moved my hand across the screen to brush the eraser dust off of my paper...
It's electronic... so it didn't move anything... But how cool is that? That in just a few days the tablet has become so comfortable to use as electric paper, I instinctively tried to brush away the eraser dust. I laughed out loud.
I've spent most of my time using the application OneNote by Microsoft. It's a digital notebook. I've got everything from... my personal goals, task lists, and client notes all organized in the style of a paper binder - colored tabs and all. But with features that paper can't provide... infinite number of pages, spell check and digital search capabilities.
(That's a screen shot from the OneNote website, not my work. I have no idea who Bob G is... Nor do I know anything about the water leak in C3... maybe it's some kind of clue...)
The tech details: I purchased the HP/Compaq TC1100 model. (shown above). Two key reasons I chose this machine? Small size and weight... The keyboard is removable so you can just use the screen (slate) for input. It is lightweight (just over 3 lbs.) and about the same size as my old Classic-sized Franklin-Covey paper-based binder. I truly plan to use this like a pad vs. like a laptop.
I've downloaded templates from the DIY Planner (a very cool site/project) as electronic templates. I'm replicating my paper system with the digital system.
All this along with the very cool drawing programs have made the investment in a tablet well worth while - stay tuned!
*The good news for all of you - and I'm not sure if you knew this about me - is that my purchases personally control the speed of innovation and timing of product releases at Apple. If this purchase matches each and every one of my previous Mac and iPod purchases over the past 15 years... Apple will be announcing their tablet in about a week from this post date...
This morning, on the waterfront, the city of Seattle is conducting an emergency preparedness drill. Earlier in the week, residents of the area received a postcard stating:
The City is conducting a test of the Public Audible Warning System (PAWS)
This is only a test.
The postcard describes how the system will use strobes and loud tones, followed by a short verbal message.
I'm glad the city is conducting drills of this sort, but the reason I'm writing this post is to share what the tones were...
The collar stay is a thin fingernail file shaped piece of plastic or metal that is inserted into a narrow pocket located under the point of each collar tip (here it is shown resting on the collar for demonstration purposes only). Collar stays are routinely removed when clothes are laundered and reinserted prior to wearing. It is easy to spot someone who has forgotten to replace their collar stays, as their collar will be curled under and appear sloppy.
When pronounced properly (mole-ay-skee-nay), it sounds like a condiment or the name of a snowy sports complex... But Moleskine is actually the brand name for notebooks that have been around for ages and seem to be gaining in popularity. (At first I thought it was pronounced like it looks - mole-skin... which made me wonder what the cover was made with...)
