Pow! Right Between The Eyes! Andy Nulman's Blog About Surprise

Hello, It's Me

Now THIS was a Surprise...

Last week, I got an email from myself.  A "friend invitation" from Facebook, actually.

No joke.  No spam.

Just a guy with the same moniker as me reaching out to a namesake. 

Now let me tell you something about the Nulmans:  aside from our obvious audacity, we are all related to each other.  The family originated in Kiev (now in the Ukraine), where a "Nul-man" was the guy who could make something from nothing (the word "nul" is literally translated as "nothing" in French and other languages).  As a rabbi once explained to me:

"Put three zeroes together,
you have nothing.
Put a 'one' in front of the zeroes, and you have a thousand.  THAT is the power of a Nul-man."

Apropos, don't ya think?

Anyway, this "other" Andy Nulman is a cousin--albeit a new found one--who lives in the Washington D.C. area.  He's about my age, and off-beat enough to pose for a Facebook profile photo next to a display of gefilte fish (that's it above).  And I was thrilled to hear from him; in fact, we're planning to get together soon, either in his hometown or mine.

You know, years ago, when I was at Just For Laughs, I had this idea for a reality TV show called "Me, Myself and I," where people who share the same name meet and are followed, discovering similarities, differences and conflicts along the way.  No stupider than "Wife Swap," I tell you, and the opportunities for both hilarious comedy and wrenching drama are endless.

Maybe I'll bring along a camera crew when me and me finally meet.

The View From Here

This from faithful FOP Lawrence Young, an actual ceiling mural in a smoker's lounge.  Don't know exactly where this is located, and don't know exactly how effective it will be in getting people to quit, but its power and message are unavoidable. (By the way, to really drive the point home, a little shower of dirt at random intervals would be a great addition.)

When Business Cards Go Deep

Louis Tetu is a brilliant man.  Conceives, builds and sells companies, and then looks for the next challenge.  And knows how to deliver Pow!, too.

At a recent tech entrepreneur dinner put on by Charles Sirois (no slouch either in the brains or success departments), Louis caused quite a stir by passing out his business card, seen below.  The five extra words below his official title spawned waves of conversation.

Without any splash of color or die-cut gimmickry (and not that there's anything wrong with that), Louis's card was the talk of the night.  Of his understated six point "sub-title," he explained that it serves not only as statement to who he is as an individual (i.e. NOT just a businessman), but manages to act as a "connector" to those he meets, establishing points in common to build relationships, not just business. 

What's more, he insists that every last one of his 700-or-so employees do the same and list four personal attributes on their cards.

It's not fancy nor earth-shattering, but as repeated here ad nauseam, little things can have massive Surprise effect.  You just don't expect to see anything "personal" on "business" cards, never mind four or five words that provide an insight to your psyche.  Thanks to Google, anyone who wants to find your address or phone number can do so instantly.  Rather than just be an adjunct to Rolodex (ask your parents), bizcards today should have a greater purpose, to establish a bond.

So...the million dollar Surprise Central question:

What four attributes would YOU

put on your biz card

to better connect to others?

A Good Night's Surprise

What can you expect from a hotel? 

A good night's sleep perhaps.  A morning paper.  A bar for a drink to unwind before bed, and an eatery to fill up to start your day.

Well, maybe that's life among the Motel 6 set.  In the world of upscale hotel hospitality, it's Surprise Central-styled Pow! that they're selling.

A piece on Starwood Hotels and Resorts' Le Meridien chain in this month's Fast Company examines the group's commitment to shock-and-awe.  The initiative is being led by Sr. VP Eva Zeigler, who is recruiting a lineup of artists to come up with everything from limited-edition designer room keys to hands-on cuisine workshops to a custom-created cacaphonic "soundtrack" to greet customers in the lobby.  Says Henri Scars Struck, who composed said soundscape:

"The goal is to Surprise."

Equally as Pow!-worthy are the ultra-specialized concierges revealed in a story in Time Magazine.  Never mind tickets to the ballgame or a table at that hot bistro, these people can:

--Arrange for dog walks and special food
    (the Pet Concierge at London's Milestone Hotel)
--Fix a cozy fire with selections from a log menu
    (the Fireplace Butler at the Taj Boston)
--Take you for a sightseeing run
    (the Running Companion at Pittsburgh's Westin Convention Center)

--Uh...recommend soaps
    (uh huh, the Soap Steward at Mexico's Tides Riviera Maya Resort)

Somewhere, the guy who coined Holiday Inn's slogan "The Best Surprise is No Surprise" is rolling in his grave.

Dig The Signage, But...

Inherent in its name, Pow! is a powerful word, and even stronger as a visual.  Many use it, but few take full advantage of it. 

Case in point is The Gap.  The web visual below mirrors what's currently being shown in their stores and storefronts. 

But that's where the Pow! begins and ends.  The offer (Buy One, Get One 50% Off) is an industry standard, and about as Surprising as mustard on a hot dog.

Perhaps we're somewhat biased here at Surprise Central, but if you're gonna use it, blow it out of the water.  Don't cry wolf with the omnipotence of Pow!

(And while on the subject of the power of you-know-what, check out Barry Welford's musings on the marriage of the exclamation point to the word itself.  Me and Stan Lee...I'll take it!)

Hey Everybody! Look At Me!

Stand out or step back. 

That's always been a motto of some sorts around Surprise Central. It's been the subject of many a blog posting here, like this one, and these two about my beloved Corvette (which celebrates its seasonal, coming-out-of-storage party this week). 

And now, there's a book about it. 

It's called Step Into The Spotlight, A Guide To Getting Noticed and it's sparkingly-written by a woman who goes by the mono-moniker Tsufit. 

A former Dean's List litigation lawyer, Tsufit cast off her professional shackles and followed her passion into the world of showbiz.  She did stand-up comedy, acted, recorded a CD before settling into her current passion of corporate coaching, saying (and I love this) "I show business how to use show business to get business."

The book is a primer on making noise and attracting eyeballs and ears to you and/or your message, and is highly endorsed by yours truly.  You can't expect Pow! if you don't stand out; there's no Surprise by blending in. 

And if you can muster up about one-100th of the chutzpah that Tsufit oozes, you'll be a magnet for attention.  Check her out, and buy the book, by clicking here.

Hey Ma! Check out HEMA

HEMA is a chain of Dutch department stores that have been around for over 80 years.  They sell the usual variety of department store merch--clothes, toys, small appliances and the like. An in-house cafe, too.   

Nothing special, really. A quick look at the company's cheery-but-catalog-like website corroborates that fact.

For about five seconds.

Then comes the explosion of Pow!

Any more words would do a disservice to this Rube Goldberg-esque stroke of shock, so click this HEMA link now, wait five seconds...and enjoy!

(A tumultuous thank you to faithful FOP Michael Cullen for turning me onto this one.)

First Down, 599 To Go

Here's a stat that knocked me out, and speaks volumes about how to do business in these tough, specter-of-recession times.

The Montreal Alouettes, a CFL team with a mere $18 million in annual revenue (part-of-a-drop in the bucket in the magna-million-dollar world pro sports), makes over 600 public appearances a year in an effort to strengthen its grassroots community relations.  Lemme reiterate:

Over 600 public appearances a year!

That's about 1.7 appearances a day, every day, per year, at schools, churches, factories, lunchrooms, community centers, etc. by team players, execs and/or cheerleaders.  I got the stat from the team's VP Marketing and Communications Claude Rochon at a recent marketing conference (hey guys, only 599 more to go!).

And that's the definition of grinding it out, yard-by-yard, taking nothing for granted.  No wonder the team sells out every game.

Diamond Shreddies Sparkle

This one's been around for a bit, but like fine wine, great art and me, it gets better with age.   More than that, it's a perfect example of the Surprise Marketing technique I call "Wear Virgin Contact Lenses" (or, put another way, try to see something old as if it were your first time).

Post's venerable Shreddies cereal has been "reintroduced" as Diamond Shreddies.  The illustration below says it all:

Simple.  Hysterical.  Effective. Great Pow!

The company is exploiting this to the max, including a promotion where you can win actual sparklers.  Check out its sublime website, complete with recipes and some delightfully funny REAL focus group sessions (well, the people are real; the moderator is a sharp imrov comedian) where perplexed interviewees reflect on the exciting innovation of a "whole new level of geometric superiority."

Led Zeppelin--The Heart Attack

A couple of years ago, I spoke at a conference at Walt Disney World, and taking advantage of the free passes given to speakers, I head over to the MGM park to try out the Aerosmith Rock N' Rollercoaster.  Now, I'm a big fan of Aerosmith, and admit the coaster was a blast, but other than the waiting-in-line preamble, the ride really had nothing to do with the band.

Cut to Led Zeppelin--the Ride, which has got to be the star attraction of the currently-in-preview but soon-to-open Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  With six loops, a top speed of 65 miles per hour (!!!) and climbing 15 stories high, this coaster's about as unpredictable and wild as John "Bonzo" Bonham after a long-weekend bender. That's it below.

But what makes the ride truly Pow!erful is the way it's action is actually choreographed to the tune "Whole Lotta Love."  Like the seats at The Beatles' Love show in Vegas, each coaster car is equipped with a sound system that blasts the song through you.  Sounds nuts, and rock 'n' roll purists are spinning in their graves, but if the "simulation video" (no direct link; go to the Rides link on the site's main page and click on Led Zep) is any indication, this could be the start of whole new way to experience music.

No matter what, after seeing the vid/riding the ride, you'll never hear the line "Way down inside, woman, you need...Looohhhvvvvve!" the same way again.

Coming soon to the Hard Rock Park: Marilyn Manson--The Dark Ride, Elton John--The Merry-Go-Round, The Eagles--The Massage Chair and Elvis--The Snack Bar.

Money Talks

Not precise enough to be considered origami, but too deliberate to be dismissed a crumpled-up currency, Dan Tague's folded, twisted bills are subversive art that have been shocking the senses of those who are taking in his current show at the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans.

We've all screwed around with dollar bills to make George Washington look like a mushroom, but Dan takes this to an extreme, turning U.S. greenbacks into political statements and social protest pieces.  Some of the messages take a little time to emerge, but once you finally "get it," you can't helped but be impressed with his view, ingenuity...and sense of Surprise.
For example, the two above state "The End is Near" and "Trust No One...Liar."  Still, my fave is this one, his take on the nation's favorite talent competition:

Wonder what Dan could do if he were strong enough to fold quarters, nickles and dimes...  See his full collection by clicking here.

Short and Snappy

You don't have to be a multiconglomerate, a member of the Fortune 500 or running for elected office to benefit from a snappy slogan or corporate catchphrase.

Case in point was a veteran shoeshiner I had the pleasure of doing business with recently in Las Vegas.  When he was done reviving my worn boots into sparkledom, I asked him how much I owed him, and in a sing-song rhythm worthy of the ad industry's top jingle-writers, he said:

"The shine is worth eight...
any more would be great! "

In this era of uber-branding--both corporately and personally--is there any reason NOT to have some sort of short sobriquet to be remembered by?  Costs nothing...and could be worth a fortune.

P.S. Yup.  Of course I have one.  For years, my own personal slogan has been:

"The Somewhat Smarter Smart-Ass."

Hey, Wiley Folks--Enjoy Your Visit!

Everybody at Surprise Central thanks you for stopping by.

Come back soon...and often!

Pay Attention--Attention Pays!

As a follow up to yesterday's post, let's dig a bit deeper to fully understand why the proliferation of recognition for the power of Surprise, straight from the mouths of three brilliant Web 2.0 gurus, Max Levchin (co-founder of PayPal and current CEO of social network widget factory SLIDE), Chris Anderson (author of the book and creator of the concept The Long Tail) and Seth Godin (well, you know who).

Levchin believes that the future of advertising relies less on how many people see/hear an ad, but how "engaged" consumers are with them.  As he says:

"The metrics for success
are going to shift away from
who can provide the most reach
toward who is paid the most attention."

Meanwhile, Anderson's next great debatable theory (as discussed here a few weeks ago) is the rise of giving things away, to be solidified in his next book "Free."  As Brandweek puts it in a short piece on the author/thinker:

"Free's argument is that
in the digital age,
it's more important to get attention than immediate payoff."

The last word goes to Godin, who in commenting on Anderson's theory said that:

"Attention is a valuable asset
that used to be a commodity."

Who is paid the most attention will rely heavily on how one generates the most attention...the all-important catalyst best left in the capable hands of Surprise marketers.  Generating attention is our raison d'etre.

Yeah, I know there ain't too many of us around.

Yet.

Apple A Surprise Target

In delivering the crucial continuum of Surprise, few companies do it as well as Apple.  Thanks to Steve Jobs and his continually challenged cohorts, the value of the strategy that's been touted here at Surprise Central for years is starting to be appreciated by the mainstream business press.

To wit, this from the cover story on Apple in the most recent Wired magazine:

"Part of the joy of being an Apple customer...the Surprises that Santa Steve brings at Macworld Expo every January."

One example does not a trend make, though.  Which is why I was equally delighted to read the following about Target in Fortune, which outlined the company's deep commitment to the flow of Surprise:

"To encourage, or rather ensure, a steady stream of bold new ideas, managers with a proven record of hits must duke it out for portions of their budgets every year. 

"So although the events team won a big chunk of the 2007 pie with its idea for a holographic fashion show, it had to come up with something equally compelling if it wanted funding this year. 

"This helped generate such out-there ideas as a temporary store floating in the Hudson river or and a vertical fashion show where acrobats 'walked' down the side of a building. 

"That element of Surprise, it turns out, has been part of Target's DNA for some time."

Any company can pull of some sort of one-off "stunt."  But real corporate longevity (Target, as Target, has been around 46 years), customer loyalty and buzz with a long trail of zzz's, comes when the company maintains the consistent delight of Surprise.

Me? Opinionated?

Had the honor of writing the page 4 op-ed piece in Billboard last week for its annual Mobile Issue (must've said something right, because the mag also put the piece on the front page of its website).  That's it below.  Next goal: taking the Matt Demons--Airborne's in-house punk band--to the top of the Billboard charts.  But I digress... 

Almost as cool was the publication (finally!) of an interview I did way back in December with the political site Apathy is Boring.  Hopefully, the interview wasn't...

Chocolate Chip Ambassadors

And speaking about the Doubletree (see yesterday's post), while they didn't ask, I couldn't help but think of some ways to bring the all-important element of Surprise to their tried-and-true but reaching its "best-by" date cookie offering.

The company, which is rather unexceptional most other ways (except for the Toronto flight screens, again as per yesterday's post), has got a ton of branding mileage out of these check-in cookies, but what was once Pow! has now fallen into the doldrums of expectation. 

And as all smart FOPs know, expectation is the enemy of Surprise, Surprise works best as a continuum, and like week-old cookies, Surprise goes stale when left unrefreshed.  That's Pow! 101.

These cookies are Doubletree's best ambassadors (name me one thing of equal renown that the Hyatt or Hilton or Wyndam chains are noted for), but the opinion here at Surprise Central is that they need to be taken up a notch in their exploitation.  So, here are a couple of things Doubletree may wanna try:

1) We all love chocolate chip, but it's a standard a flavor as cookies get.  Why not mix up the tastes a bit with oatmeal, peanut butter crunch, white macadamian nut chunk, anything!...either as a "Flavor of the Week/Month" or as a completely random choice?

2) Make the cookies do "double duty" as literal fortune cookies.  Have a promotion where random cookie bags are stuffed with a lil' sumptin' extra, like certificates for free rooms, free meals, free drinks or a full dozen of said cookies to send to a friend as a gift. 

3) So you get cookies at check-in.  What can be done to send me off with an equally warm feeling at check-out?

Go get 'em guys.  These are yours for the taking.  And all I ask in return is a double dose next time I Doubletree.
 

My Son, The Maverick

On one hand, this is parental gloating, but on the other hand, with a national newspaper, a very progressive job-seeking process and the ubiquitous Seth Godin involved, this has great Surprise marketing cred...thus belongs here.

Check out this article about my elder son Aidan's "non-traditional" job hunt for a gig with the aforementioned Mr. Godin, then click over here to see what he did to rise up to Seth's challenge. (By the way, the job offers are starting to flow as this post is written.)

Below is the cover page for his pitch.  Subliminal, yet audacious.  Or is it the other way around? ;)

Putting The Airport Into Airport Hotels

Was at the Doubletree Airport Hotel in Toronto last week, and while the hotel chain is renowned for its warm chocolate chip cookie offering upon check-in, what was more impressive (and provided way more Pow!) was the presence of a flight departure/arrival screen in the lobby.

Maybe I just haven't noticed, but this is the first time I've ever seen this in a hotel, which begs the question:

"Why isn't this standard in every
airport hotel lobby
(or better yet, on our in-room
TV screens)?"

Airport hotels cater to two very specific market segments--the traveler, and the soon-to-be-traveling--so it seems that acting as an extension to the airport itself, with sensitive and important information such as real-time flight skeds, would make them even more valuable as a place to stay.

While Airport hotels are only a hop, skip and jump away from the terminals themselves, these screens would allow delayed passengers to skip a few hops and jumps, and make plan changes amongst the reasonable calm of a lobby or bedroom rather than within the middle of the airport maelstrom.

Or choose a rental car agency instead.

And The Winner Is...

Am totally enamored with the new MasterCard campaign, which gives its chestnut "Priceless" slogan--and the spirit of Surprise marketing--a new spin.

In association with a number of Conde Nast magazines (including Wired, The New Yorker, Architectural Digest, and other faves of Surprise Central), the credit card is giving away Pow!erful prizes like a first-class trip to all the seven wonders of the world or an original, commissioned portrait of you by artist Julian Schnabel.

What makes this all the more special is the promotion's modus operandi--nothing to send in, no user-generated videos to make...just crack open the sealed envelope to the four-page spread in the April issue of the aforementioned magazines and, a la the Oscars, see if you've won.

As the picture below sadly proves, I've been reading lots...and winning not .

Which is why there will be no post tomorrow.  I'll be too busy stealthly trawling through magazine stores across this great land of ours.  Or, put another way...

Paying for thousands of copies of magazines:
$2,212,756.00

Opening envelopes while the clerk isn't looking: 
Priceless

St-Ink

I remember back in college, I submitted an assignment to my philosophy professor Mr. Crotty (not my fave, and arguably not my best course), which he threw back in my face the next class and exclaimed quite vehemently:

"This paper stinks!"

To me, it was a crushing insult.  Say the same to Yvan Girardin, and you're paying him an extreme compliment.

Yvan is the CEO of VEX Emotions, an innovative Montreal company that--in association with Cascades Paper and Ultra Ink--has just launched Olfaprint, which he calls "The Third Dimension of paper."

This ain't yesterday's scratch-and-sniff, micro-bubble bursting process.  VEX's technology impregnates the scent directly into the paper stock, which is released into our olfactory canals upon exposure to air, and lasts up to seven days out in the open.

"Traditionally, paper was limited to only two dimensions, visual and tactile," Girardin explains.  "This delivers an effortless olfaction experience for consumers."

But unlike my philosophy paper, Olfaprint has 70 different smells, like bubble gum, cinnamon bun and something called "Paris Hilton," which they say duplicates her signature perfume...but I suspect we can all think of other more apropos fragrances for the name.

Sounds a bit silly, but scent is increasingly being used as a mood-setter and marketing differentiator, and this democratizes what was once only available to the big boys and their mega-print runs.

Put another way, if I had to do that assignment today for Mr. Crotty, I would know what kind of paper I would type it on so that it would REALLY stink.

April Fuel

Welcome to the Second Annual
Pow! Right Between The Eyes
April Fool's Let-Down.

No jokes.  No pranks.  No "gotchas"!

And not because I'm a spoilsport or Springtime Scrooge. 

It's just that you expect Surprises on April 1st.

And expectations are the enemy of Surprise.  In fact, it's a paradox.  You can't expect what you don't expect.  So sorry to be a wet rag, but at Surprise Central, it's just another day.

Uh...you weren't expecting this, were ya?

Close Up...And Tasty

Okay, despite the day, this one's no joke...but another addition to the Pow! Gallery of Obtuse Artworks.

This one comes from Brooklyn artist Michael Elias, who has created a portrait of renowned American serial self-portrait artist Chuck Close...out of Kellogg's Froot Loops. 

Here's what Michael's piece looks like:

Just look at the detail!  Intricate, impressive...and tasty, too.

Compare this to the most recent self-portrait print of Chuck himself, just recently published by the prestigious Pace Editions of New York:

Pace is selling its 200-colored screenprint for about $75,000, while Michael's painstaking handiwork of more than 26,000 six-colored cereal circles is going for an opening bid of $10,000 on eBay.

Now if I only had some empty wall space...