Chip Heath and Dan Heath: Made To Stick
Roger Von Oech called this one months ago; "The next 'Tipping Point'," he enthused. While I don't think the Brothers Heath will make as much of a social dent as Malcolm Gladwell, their book is much more relevant as a "hands-on" tool for any marketer (and makes a compelling case for the infusion of Surprise. Thanks guys!). Taking their own advice, Chip and Dan make a handful of powerful points, and do so simply, interestingly and eloquently. Along with the Sernovitz book, this is my bible for many of my new business endeavors, as well as for the fundraising campaign my wife and I are leading for our son's school. A real find! (*****)
Andy Sernovitz: Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking
Andy is smart. He's getting people like me, and hundreds of others I suspect, to talk about his book. How? By being simple, to-the-point, no-nonsense, but most importantly, pertinent. Fewer anecdotes than "Citizen Marketers," but more of a practical How To manual. He's the reason every one of my posts have an "Email This" link. (****)
Daniel Gilbert: Stumbling on Happiness
More than I bargained for here. Thought it would be another treatise on "How To Be Happy," but this is more of a "Why" and "How Come." Incredibly well-documented and a breezy, whimsical writing style that almost speaks out loud. His Harvard students must have a blast. (****)
Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba: Citizen Marketers
A lot of common sense and stuff I aready knew, but I love the way they neatly package the User-Generated Comment movement. McLuhan would be proud--we have become the message. (****)
Paul Allen Smethers & Alastair France: Five Myths of Consumer Behavior: Create Technology Products that Consumer Will Love
Read this? I devoured it in two days (interrupted only be the need to sleep). Very specific, but incredibly relevant to anyone creating tech products, like we do at Airborne. Written in a breezy, accessible style (despite its subject matter), the authors' melding of the standard product S-curve and a broken-up consumer adoption funnel is pure genius. What a find!
John Perkins: Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Just started, but needed a tale of international greed, corruption and badness to get over Mitch Albom.
Tom Standage: A History of the World in Six Glasses
Not as eye-opening as The Victorian Internet (his previous), this is still a wild romp through history, showing the progress of man via six vital liquids. Blood would've been an interesting #7... (****)
Gavin Weightman: The Frozen Water Trade
Brilliant and unsung. The story of Frederic Tudor, who chopped up the frozen lakes of Massachusetts and sold the result to the West Indies. Ridiculed, committed to an asylum and bankrupted, he eventually saw his dream come true, introduced the concept of refrigeration and changed the world. Thanks to him, I can play hockey indoors. (*****)
Seth Godin: Small is the New Big
I am a Seth Godin junkie. I buy just about everything he puts out. While I get off on a lot of his ideas, I get off even more on the way he has built himself into a cottage industry. At this point, he could get lazy, but I'm amazed at his consistency in coming up with gems and staying poppin' fresh. (****)
If there was ever any doubt that the times, they are indeed changing, it was put to rest this weekend with my son Aidan's reaction to a t-shirt I wanted to give him:
"No thanks, Dad.
It's not ironic enough."
Making a statement doesn't seem to be enough anymore. This is the dawning of the age of subtext.
On the road, and trying to change the world, once again...
As you read this, I'll be busy hosting a highly-focused, boutique conference in Toronto, namely Strategy Magazine's Mobile Marketing Workshop. As a pioneer in the field, my company Airborne Mobile has been at the forefront of mobile media since the year 2000, but these days, with major brands and ad agencies starting (and that's the operative word: STARTING) to understand the value of this most direct and personal channel as a marketing tool, the stakes are a lot higher than the act of downloading wallpapers and ringtones.
One of the inherent early problems has been the lackluster nature of most mobile campaigns. While the industry is now (as I like to say) "learning to crawl before it can limp," there is a definite need for some Pow! to engage the customer and ensure that mobile marketing is embraced and not eschewed. The future starts now.
Well, let's see what the day brings...
Hosted a fundraiser for cancer last week (Sheila Kussner's amazing Hope and Cope group) and had the chance to meet Mel C, a.k.a Sporty Spice of the Spice Girls. Now given my age and taste in music, the Spice Girls were never in heavy rotation on my charts, but I must say I came away with more admiration for Melanie than I thought I would.
No attitude, sweet and highly accommodating. A pleasure to deal with, and charmed everyone that she did. Say what you want about her quintet, but they are still the top selling girl group of all time, and the fact that Melanie's not sitting back but taking a solo act out on the road, grinding it out in small clubs and actually showing up to help raise money at fundraisers says a lot about her character.
So Mel, you may not sell me any CDs, but you are definitely on my Hit List. Hope your solo career benefits from the good karma you exude.
(P.S. Big shout-out to Howard Kay, photographer of the stars, for the above snap.)
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.
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.
Antony Bruno is a man of his word.
The Executive Director of Billboard's Digital/Mobile Conferences took a gamble last fall with a free-form, no-holds-barred panel at the semi-annual CTIA convention (a mainstay for us folks at Airborne). The result was a blast (see re-cap here), and I wondered aloud if he--and his parent company--would have the guts to continue this type of programming.
Well, link away to the agenda of next month's Billboard Mobile Entertainment Live! event and see that the hits just keep on coming. Well, at least on the panel discussion that I'm moderating at the event later this month.
The panel is called "Creative Conundrum: What Sucks and How Do We Fix It?" and its objective is not just to speak aloud all the things we folks in the mobile media industry say in the privacy of hallways and on the phones, but to make the poor drones in the audience pick up their eyes from their laptops and Blackberries and pay attention for a change.
Joining me will be:
Russ Cox of Turner Broadcasting/The Cartoon Network
Jeremiah Zimm of MTV
Rob McDermott, manager of Linkin Park
and former Fox Mobile President Lucy Hood
All have been instructed to yell, scream, interrupt and make their points loudly. This ain't no kiss-ass, agree-with-everyone-to-be-polite benign industry panel.
The bar has been set high, and I hope we pull it off. But at least the inspiration is there at the start--when was the last time you went to an industry conference session with the word "Sucks" in the title, not just in the evaluation?
Last Friday, I once again carried out my semi-regular gig of speaking to the marketing students at McGill University's Desautels School of Management, and what started out as the usual, free-flowing affair soon focused in on the topic of Surprise Marketing.
First of all, the students' interest in and challenging questions about the subject was profound (so chalk one up to the potential of Pow! becoming a College-level course). These young future leaders weren't just on the ball, they were hopping on it with one foot, doing backward flips and landing back on top with ease. An impressive bunch.
But two comments struck me hard during the 90-minute session. The first was from a woman who, after about 45 minutes of "How To" examples, asked:
"Isn't Surprise Marketing just
customer relationship management?"
To which I responded:
"Exactly. But 'just'?"
I went on to explain that Surprise Marketing serves to delight its recipients, which--if delightful enough--serves to solidify the bond between customer and marketer. And I don't care WHAT business you are in, from a mom-and-pop corner store to a multinational, there is NOTHING more important than the bond between you and your customer. Find a way to eternally concretize this bond and you'll never have another business worry. Ever.
But "eternal customer concretization" is easier said (even five times fast) than done. And Surprise Marketing is a great start.
The other comment was from a regular at my McGill verbal barrages, and he said something that will forever change the way I see snowstorms. As much as most of us whine and complain at their disruptive nature, this young man saw the Surprise element in them.
"It breaks us out of our routine," he said.
"You never know what's going to happen.
You don't know how--if!--you're gonna get to school.
You don't know who you'll help or who will help you.
It's exciting to think of what lies ahead each time
your daily routine is thrown into disarray by a snowstorm."
Great reverse perspective thinking. A candidate for the first Doctorate in Surprise Marketing, no doubt.
Anyway, the reaction to the talk has sparked me to put together a one-hour speech on the subject, a multi-media, show-and-tell, how-to, Pow!-sprinkled, thought-provoking, hyphen-laden extravaganza...
...which makes it debut (where else?) closing out McGill's Management Graduate Business Conference on Friday, March 7.
Hope there's no snowstorm...
Two follow-ups from yesterday's post on flaunting wealth or thrift:
Alan Victor, President of Jack Victor (the internationally-renowned, 95-year-old, high-end men's fashion manufacturer) tells me that in China, men don't clip off the designer logo labels on the wrist-cuffs of their suits, but display them as a badge of prestige.
And speaking of China, and men's fashion, how's this for big balls? The Beijing Silk Street Company, a clothing marketplace notorious for selling knock-offs and fake designer-labeled fashion and accessories, is starting its own line of brand-name products.
“For over 30 years we’ve always been selling other people’s clothes,” said George Wang, the market's GM. “We’ve never sold our own.”
As if that's not ballsy enough, Wang is cautioning counterfeiters to stay away from his Silk Street label, warning that rip-off artists will be dealt with "according to the law."
What law he did not elaborate, but you gotta give him major points for chutzpah.
The "news" is that next Sunday night, January 20th, at 8:00 p.m. eastern time, I will be appearing as a member of "The Bloggers" team on the live, nation-wide Test The Nation gameshow on the CBC in Canada.
The format--team vs. team vs. the entire country-- is a great one, and has been a huge hit in the 40 nations in which it has aired.
But that's not the "story."
The story is, like Joe Namath in the 1967 Super Bowl (ask your parents), I am guaranteeing a win for my team. Let me reiterate in big and bold:
I HEREBY GUARANTEE
"THE BLOGGERS" WILL WIN
CBC's TEST THE NATION
I am comfortable and confident in laying my reputation on the line for two reasons: My team, and the competition.
"The Bloggers" (listed at bottom) are the brilliant future of this country. Don't ask how I lucked out to be part of this illustrious group of thinkers, commentators and rabble-rousers, but I did...and I fully intend to ride their dazzling coattails to an easy win.
Now, just look at the sorry bunch we're up against:
Celebrity Lookalikes--
Maybe one of you wannabes should've looked like Einstein instead.
Cab Drivers--
Read this blog post. 'Nuff said. (But please hang out until the end of the show to drive us to our victory party. That is, if you can find your way to the studio in the first place...)
Chefs--
Get into the kitchen; you can't stand the heat.
Flight Crews--
Sorry, no Auto-Pilots here, guys. In your words, "Buh-bye!"
Backpackers--
No chance, greenies. 15 minutes under the lights in a TV studio and you'll be gasping for air.
Fightin' words? Of course. But I'm prepared to back them up.
If, by some freak accident, The Bloggers actually don't win, I will agree to endure the humiliation of being spanked on air during the closing credits by co-host Wendy Mesley. If Brent Bambury wants to join in, so be it. (If you could think up a nastier payback, lemme know.)
Lemme take this even further. In an email from show producer Molly Duignan last week, she said:
"...there is a $5000 Sunquest Vacations travel voucher for the highest scorer of all the in-studio participants on the Test!"
So, to sweeten the pot and double down on my bet, if by some fluke that the highest scorer in-studio is NOT a blogger, I will hand over a cheque of $500 made out to the charity of choice of the (very) lucky winner.
So there you have it. Not just one guaranteed win, but two. Crazy perhaps...but what did you expect from a guy who's blog starts with Pow!?
As promised, here's the list of next Sunday's winners, with links to their excellent blogs.
See ya in the Winner's Circle!
While I'm trying not to divert your attention from the expansive, exhaustive Year-End Vacation Compilation post, this feelgood travel story just couldn't wait until I'm back in the office.
Whenever we travel by plane together, my two sons laugh at me for anal-retentively tagging each of my bags. Not only do I ensure that every bag has my permanent Aeroplan Elite tags and the airline-issued baggage tag, but I also add those hand-written paper ones at every leg of the flight. My bags end up looking like a French chandelier, but better be safe than sorry I always say.
Especially these days, because just after clearing security before catching my recent flight to Vail, I got a strange, Surprising call on my cellphone.
"Mr. Nulman, this is Air Canada calling."
Oh no. What nightmare awaits me now? I held my breath.
"It seems that somehow, the flight tag has fallen off one of your bags," the voice continued. "Where are you exactly?"
"I'm heading to the gate," I answered.
"What flight are you on?" he continued.
"The 7:50 to Denver," I replied.
"Fine, we have plenty of time. The bag will meet you there.""One thing...how did you know it was mine?"
"Well, I saw your name and phone number on the tag, so I figured I'd take a chance and see if I could get you before you left."
"Hmmm...one more question. If you didn't have my name and number, what would've happened?"
"Well, we could've kept the bag here, and waited to hear for a lost luggage claim. But because of the holiday rush, who knows when you would've received it."
By the way, the waylaid bag contained two pairs of snowboard boots, a mountain jacket and a helmet...things that, if missing, would've put quite the damper on a snowboarding vacation.
Particularly since they all belonged to...guess who?
My two sons!
About a month ago in a similarly-named post about GoSmile White, I yammered about "Corporate-sponsored colors" (like Tiffany Blue, UPS Brown and Target Red) and suggested their rise is due to the fact that we are running out of inanimate objects (a la "peach" and "avacado") to name colors after.
Profound, no?
Well, methinks me worried too much, too soon. Over in Paris (where else?) Jean-Gabriel Causse's uber-hip Bluebretzel has expanded the parameters of the rainbow by producing high-end cotton/cashmere t-shirts in unique hues such as "Mona Lisa's Eyes Brown," "Caviar Kaspia Beluga Caviar Black" or "Earth Blue as Seen by Apollo 17."
This ain't no mere gimmick; the company painstakingly researches and matches the pigment of these iconic shades in a highly-complex, significantly scientific manner (check it out at left).
The end result is a t-shirt that sells for 60-75 Euros (depending on long or short sleeves), and is generating all sorts of buzz in the fashion world.
More importantly, a la Nudie Jeans, Causse (whose background is one of advertising, not fashion, go figure...) is breathing new life into a commodity product. Not since Dov Charney's "Made in L.A./Sweatshop-Free" American Apparel has there been such a compelling "story" to tell about the lowly t-shirt. When was the last time you bragged about yours?
Even more kudos to Causse--the Bluebretzel website not only explains the details of his color search, but is home to perhaps the friendliest, most intuitive and store-replicating shopping experience on the web. Worth every minute of your time to check it out.
Better save up, though...
As a follow-up to last month's Fall Week (posts from October 1 to 5; Surprise Central's version of Discovery Channel's "Shark Week"), for the next five days, all Pow! posts will focus on reflections I had before, during and after a speech I gave for MDS Nordion last week (by the way, I just set the Guinness World Record for most use of the word "week" in one sentence).
So, without any further ado, I bring you...
Speech Week!
------------------------------------
As most FOPs (Friends of Pow!) will tell ya, I speak at a lot of conferences. Attend more than my fair share as well. Most of them within the confines of multi-doored, mega-structures called "Convention Centers."
So here's today's Question of Perplexion:
If these halls are built for speeches,
why the hell are the doors within 'em
so interruptively, obnoxiously LOUD?
It boggles the mind. It seems that the smaller the meeting room, the louder the Kerchunk! of the handle and the longer the hydraulic wheeeeeeze of the door itself as it opens and closes. It's like an alarm that signals "I have to pee," "The speaker is boring"...or worse.
The result is a pain in the ass for everyone involved, particularly those on stage who are disrupted not only by the doors themselves, but by the headturning and general reaction of those in the room as THEY react to the noise.
Time Magazine just named the iPhone as Invention of the Year for 2007.
Well, if you get started now, and come up with a silent door for meeting rooms across this land, you will get my vote for 2008.
And gratitude from speakers and audiences everywhere.
Kudos to the folks at GoSmile, the teeth-whitening system which recently entered the Pantone Matching System with a shade called "GoSmile White."
(I used the stuff earlier this year, and while the ampoules were cool, the toothpaste--while outrageously expensive--was out of this world. Worked pretty well, too.)
Jeez, you can't ask for better marketing than that, being the standard-bearer for the color white. I bet the detergent marketing people at P&G are kicking themselves for missing the boat on this one...
Along with Tiffany Blue, UPS Brown and Target Red, GoSmile White is part of the new breed of corporate
"sponsored" shades; the natural progression, I suppose when we've run out of inanimate objects to name colors after. I mean, which came first, the colors Peach and Avocado, or the edible orbs they are named after? Yet another question for the ages...
If this keeps up, Kenneth Cole Black may be "the new black"...
And let's not forget about Pow! Crimson...
Two things I love:
So imagine my glee as I get to enjoy both at the same time with the recent brouhaha over the Radiohead "pay what you want" download concept and Madonna's $120 million "360-degree" full service deal with Live Nation.
Both deals saw headline performers eschew their longtime record labels for an independent route, which last week's Entertainment Weekly called in a cover-page shout out:
"The Week That Changed Music."
Meanwhile (here comes the contrarian and fight part), over in last week's Billboard Magazine, Exec Editor Bill Werde writes a very heartfelt and headsmart piece entitled:
"Contemplating Two Weeks
in The Music Biz--
That Changed Nothing."
While reading the full piece is time well spent, here are some of the highlights:
"It's true, the majors are in a bad spot...the big four still lean heavily on the blockbuster, and as contracts for legacy artists expire, many will be tempted by other arrangements.
"But while the mainstream media churns out articles explaining how the Internet enables artists to go labelless, the situation is more complex. The Internet doesn't make celebrities. The Internet is a distribution platform. And now that celebrities are reaching the end of their label contracts, it makes financial sense for them to take their celebrity out the door.
"If Radiohead were a new band, how much attention would they have received for their efforts?
Werde makes a valid point. Some things easy to do when you're backstopped with money and recognition. But to those tens of thousands of bands plugging themselves on their MySpace sites, it may be noble for them to buck the system...but it doesn't make it any easier for them to make a real living.
Werde goes on to use the ubiquitous Tila Tequila as an example. The self-proclaimed "Queen of My Space," with over 2 million friends in her social network, could only muster less than 1,000 downloads of her new single the first week of its release. Christ, even my off-tune rendition of Green Day's American Idiot (and there ain't no link coming, folks) could do numbers like that with a banner ad or two here at Pow!...
Look, despite my love of the music biz and a jaw-dropping collection of recordings ranging from Edison cylinders to MP3s, I'm no expert in it. But with a history in selling stuff to an audience--both at Just For Laughs and with Airborne--I know that the most important driver of any consumer-touching company is a hit.
Be you a restaurant, a seller of waste-paper baskets, a fashion designer, a blogger or a monopolistic software behemoth (Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, at the recent Masters of Marketing Conference, bemoaned: "We need hits. Whatever a hit is, we need it!"), a hit product drives your business...and eventually gives you enough power to "eliminate the middleman" a la Radiohead and Madonna and so many more to come.
If the record labels go away, someone's gonna have to find a way to make musical hits. And I ain't talking languishing on the Long Tail with a few hundred sold here and there; I'm talking mass-market, on-everyone's-lips, soundtracks-of-our-lives songs.
Without them, there won't be anymore aging superstars to give their music away for nothing or for Live Nation to sign.
And no more knockdown debates over game-changing deals.
Did you hear that smashing sound?
On Tuesday at the CTIA conference, I broke a carved-in-stone vow when I appeared on stage as part of a panel discussion.
I had sworn off ever being part of another panel since a travesty of a Youth Marketing conference in L.A. in April.
And for good reason.
Most panels discussions are not.
They are a falsely polite borefests where people speak one after the other for 5-10 minutes while the remaining panelists sit in stultifying silence waiting their turn. To make matters worse, most close with the perfunctory Q&A session...where there are few "Q"s and even fewer "A"s.
Add to this mess a moderator who is either cluelessly unfamiliar with the panelists, or so filled with his own agenda he (and most are males) ignores those sitting next to him and delivers his own long-winded diatribe instead.
A recipe for irrelevance and disaster. And one I'm not willing to partake in anymore.
Give me keynotes, or give me death!
The reason I acquiesced was a promise made by my buddy Antony Bruno, the Exec Director of Billboard's Digital/Mobile Conferences. He vowed that this would be a "different" kind of panel; one with no theme, no structure, no form and no holds barred. It was his "experiment," he said, one positioned at the end of the day, with little to lose except about an hour.
Well, never mind "nothing to lose," there was everything to gain. The session, amazingly, ended up as a WIN-WIN-WIN, for those involved on stage, for the audience, and for Billboard Event folks.
This was an anomaly right from the start, where the standard bottled water before each speaker was replaced by six-packs of Heineken and Coors (full disclosure: this lunacy was my idea, was fully funded by Airborne Entertainment, and was in no way sanctioned by Billboard or CTIA...as if!), which were shared by audience members brave enough to take us up on our offer of "Free Beer!"
And once the ice was broken by a question from the audience, the session became a rollicking free-for-all where people shouted, argued, pointed fingers at each other, laughed, challenged us, fought with and supported one another. They even gave broke into a spontaneous applause break when an audience member--Maggie Roswell, a vocal actor who does voices for The Simpsons--was challenged to do said voices, and rattled off about 15 well-recognized characters in a breathless minute (including the infamous Shary Bobbins, shown at right).
Meanwhile, up on stage, myself and three compadres needled, interrupted, ganged up on, and occasionally agreed with, each other. At the end of the session, which went over its time limit by 15 minutes and would've kept going had we not stopped it, WE got out of our seats and gave the audience a standing ovation for being such spirited and hearty participants in this most unique of conference experiences.
What a blast! And what buzz when it was all over.
While smaller than some of the keynote sessions that dominated the day, EVERYONE at this free-form experiment was engaged in the conversation or debate.
Compare this to what I witnessed throughout the day, where the audience paid WAY more attention to their BlackBerries or laptops (or to the buffet table, as was embarrassingly the case when Quincy Jones was being interviewed) than to what was going on onstage.
This is the difference between "Talk With You" and "Talk At You." Who wants to merely listen when you can actively participate?
And while this took guts to try, it's gonna take even more guts to continue.
To be continued...I hope.
So, as Fall Week comes to a close at Surprise Central, here's the lesson emanating from yesterday's diatribe about my Corvette:
It Pays To Stand Out
"Generating Surprise" is a tactic. It's an incredibly effective one, and the inspiration for this blog, but just a tactic. It belongs to the greater strategy of "Attracting Attention." And that's a key strategy to survive in today's hyper-competitive biz world. Other than the CIA, I don't care what business you are in--going unnoticed is the highway to going broke.
Back to the Vette for a second. My office at Airborne has an underground garage with a dangerously steep driveway that peaks and opens onto a bar-and-restaurant-filled pedestrian mall called Prince Arthur Street. I have two cars, a black Jaguar X-Type and the aforementioned Vette. When I roar up the driveway in the Jag, nobody gives me a second look (unless I almost run someone over at the top). I am anonymous.
But when I do the same in the Vette, all the action on the street freezes. The car is a retina-magnet, a conversation starter, a target for pointed fingers. People instinctively gather around, start to chat, give me the thumbs up (for some strange reason). It adds at least five minutes to the journey every time I leave work.
Such is the power of drawing attention, of standing out.
And remember, this car is close to a half-century old. Most people on the cusp of 50 are starting to slow down, to gravitate towards beige and boring. The Vette shows that audacious old guys can still cut it. To that end, I saw two older gentlemen this week. One wore a shapeless pair of khakis and an off-white, long-sleeved polo shirt. The other wore a navy blue sport jacket, red flower in his lapel, and an aqua blue cap.
- Who do you think attracted more eyeballs?
- Who would you think has better tales to tell?
- Who would YOU rather hang out with?
Rhonda Byrne made a fortune with her book The Secret, which she says "reveals the most powerful law in the universe." That law is one called The Law Of Attraction.
But as much as you wait for it, Attraction doesn't come on its own. You have to draw it out. You have to be the worm on the hook, jiggling for the eyes to bite.
And the only way to do that is to stand out from the crowd.
Not everyone can drive a classic Vette. Or wear a turquoise hat.
In fact, it can be quite intimidating trying to stand out. But it can be done.
Lemme put it another way--it MUST be done.
I'm taking the weekend off, but next week, I'll be back with a short primer telling you how to do it.
Right now, I'm off to take the car to its winter resting spot.
Forget the season's solstice; there are two key events that truly, officially mark the beginning of Fall:
I can't speak for Garner, but I know I try to postpone the inevitable for as long as possible. But over the past week or so, the increasingly chilly weather made it hard to drive the 'Vette at night and morning, and even on sunny afternoon, there's a substantial bite in the open air. The end is near for '07.
Now, people who know me can't believe I can be so attached to a piece of metal (well, fiberglass in my case), 'cuz I am not one of those obsessive creatures known as a "car guy."
I'm an aesthetic guy, a surprise guy.
And that's what makes my convertible such a great companion.
You see, it's more than a mere automobile. It's a Magic Car. Really.
No matter where I go with it, it brightens people's moods. It inspires upbeatness. Everyone smiles.
Ev-er-y-one.
From burly, menacing Hell's Angels to curious Chassidic Rabbis. From little old ladies to major babes. From gearheads to eggheads. Kids ask to pose for pictures with it ("It's a superhero car!" one kid cried), and producers have asked to use it in movies (Yeah, right! Like I'm gonna let you drive it...). I can't tell you how many times people have asked to buy it.
And no matter where I go, people stop me, roll down their windows, shout from balconies and ask me the same three questions:
"What year is it?"
(Answer: 1960)
"How big is the engine?"
(Answer: No clue...whatever you say)
"Is it the original paint?"
(This one kills me....I just say "Yeah")
What's more, the Vette inspires no envy. People tend to adopt it and treat it like it's their own. Once, outside a restaurant, my son and I watched as some guy admired the car, then reached inside to pick out some of the early autumn leaves that had fallen on my seats. Another time, outside a chi-chi designer's store, a girl ripped into a guy who just so happened to park his Ferrari behind my car. "If you wanna impress someone, park behind a Chrysler mini van," she screamed for some bizarre reason. "This car beats your car's ass!" Thank God he didn't beat hers...or mine.
As hot as this car is, it's a simple piece of work. No power anything. Roll-down windows that don't roll down all the way. Steering that's a better workout than my gym regime. All powered by an engine, while big and roaring, that's positively Flinstonian compared to its modern-day brethren.
Still, this car turns heads whiplash fast. And there's a lesson to be learned from all this. But I've rambled on way too long today. I'll learn ya the lesson tomorrow.
Until then, parked outside Montreal's fabled summer hot rod hangout The Orange Julep, here is my Vette (with my son Hayes in the driver's seat) in all its glory.
Buried within yesterday's post was a reference to the slogan "I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up," made famous (infamous?) by those cheesy Life Alert TV ads of the '90s.
Well, after doing a wee bit of research, the team at Surprise Central wore its face of shock when it discovered that the USA Today, in a series of lists compiled to celebrate its 25th Anniversary, named the ad and its catchphrase as the #1 TV ad "We Can't Get Out of Our Heads."
While there is a difference between being memorable and being tortuously emblazoned upon our frontal lobes so that we'll never forget it, but a win's a win, I guess.
To show our respect, the entire crew here is spending the rest of the day on the floor. 
I've always had a saying about business trouble:
A problem is not a problem
...until it hits Main Street.
Well, given what I witnessed during a trip to Wal-Mart a couple days ago, this whole China "Tainted Toys" thing is a problem.
A big, big problem.
I was in the pet section and watched two people poring over the dog toys. They were examining the labels like a scientist examines specimens under a microscope. They dismissed the painted squeaky rubber toys outright, and after a few minutes of contemplation, they did the same to the stuffed animals and the rope toys.
Total toy purchase: nothing.
Guarantee you one thing--this was not an isolated incident.
If people are taking this much care over playthings for their pets, you know that this has some serious consumer ramifications.
Over 80% of all toys sold worldwide--for kids and for dogs and cats--are made in China. Today. Who knows, if Main Street speaks loud enough, pretty soon we could be in-sourcing our production right back to all the places we took it away from.
Beijing SHOULD be trembling, and if I were a betting man, I'd bet on a wave of "Made Here" hang-tags appearing on products everywhere, and soon.
"Local" is soon gonna be "The New Green."
Today is the halfway point between the almighty bookends of the high Jewish Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. And as I sat in synagogue celebrating the former last week, I recalled one of my favorite Surprise stories; one which demonstrates that sometimes, one man's Surprise is another man's heart attack.
Well, close to it.
In a nutshell, last year, the elders at my synagogue contacted me to help them out on their annual Cantorial concert. Now for those of you not familiar with the concept, traditional Cantorials are filled with traditional religious songs sung by Cantors...hence the name. Been done the same way for centuries. 
Obviously, I was called upon to do something different. My concept was a quasi-blasphemous twisting of the concert called--are you sitting?--Cantorama!
While it would feature many of the renowned traditional religious songs, they were to be sped up a bit and backed by a whup-ass rock band.
And since most Cantors are blessed with versatile, booming voices, the plan was to have them singing pop standards and show tunes, but backed by the congregation's choir, with some of the musical arrangements changed to a more standard Jewish/Klezmer sound, including heritage Jewish instruments. All in all, the goal was to turn the concept upside down.
Well, the Cantors loved it. Gave them a chance to stretch their wings, their vocal chords, and have a bit of fun. But the people who had to lead the orchestra, sell the tickets, and face the congregants were aghast. "Over my dead body!" many said. And given the intensity of the yelling match Talmudic debate that ensued, it almost came to that.
So basically, Cantorama only got as far as my head...and the poster mock-up shown here. But every time I heard the ceremonial blast of the shofar last week, I couldn't help but think how cool it would've sounded alongside a trumpet, sax and trombone.
Not for everyone's tastes, but trust me, it would've been un-ignorable.
One day...
I have giant plasmas and LCD TVs at home, with surround sound that penetrates my body like a sigmoidoscope.
I can watch whatever I want, whenever I want to, with whomever I choose to.
That said, no matter what I'm watching, it still ain't "A Night at the Movies."
Going to the movies is an experience!
Well, it should be.
And to that end, as promised Monday, this post about how to make it one.
To show how easy this really could be, let's keep all the cinema "hardware" constant--the seats, the screens, the food, the box office...even the films themselves.
The only thing I'll change (for now, ha ha!) is the opening scenario. So let's walk through it together.
Let's imagine that we've entered the theater, taken our seats, and endured those chintzy trivia questions, the ads and the previews. Suddenly, the screen fades to dark, a musical flourish rings throughout, and a spotlight hits a person, an actual live person with a mic, standing in front of the screen.
Imagine him, or her, kicking off the show by saying this to you:
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Nulman Multiplex and the 9:10 p.m. screening of Pan's Labyrinth.
"Our statistics show that our 9 o'clock screenings are our most popular, so please try to make room for all of your fellow film lovers who have bought tickets.
If you have to go to the bathroom, you have 90 seconds starting about now...so if you hurry, you can be back for my grand exit. Anybody have any questions before I go on?"
More than just an "intro," this serves as start of a new kind of cinematic relationship. The silliness of the bathroom joke/mention breaks the ice, and puts people at ease. The brave of the bunch may actually pose a question or two, graduating the moment to interactive status. Now it's time to bring people together with some soft-peddling of the usual warning announcements.
"Going to the movies is a shared journey, so let's make it a pleasant one for all of us. Do each other a favor and turn off your cellphones, unwrap all your candies and gum, and whisper some last words, because for the next two hours, the only noise you should hear is the sound from our 27 speakers.
"Okay, and your own shrieks of delight...
"And remember, not only is film piracy a bummer, but it's illegal. But we know that none of you here would be foolish enough to do something so uncool, right?"
Again, a bit of interactivity. And the hard stuff is out of the way. Now, it's time to set up the experience with some inside info.
"You people are in for a real treat tonight. This film has been nominated for the Best Foreign Picture Oscar, and although it's subtitled, the incredible story, the amazing performances and the eye-popping--literally eye-popping!--special effects will make the dialog come alive loud and clear in your heads.
"Something you may not know about this film is that director Guillermo del Toro insisted on building the whole mill set from scratch, to ensure proper camera angles and atmosphere.
"Look out for Doug Jones, a mime who plays two integral roles: the Faun and the Pale Man monster. He'll show you why they call this 'An Adult Fairy Tale Nightmare'."And by the way, who's sitting in row 17, aisle seat? Well, this is for you...a card that entitles you to a free large popcorn every time you see a movie here. Enjoy!"
Oooh! Sneak previews! Something to look out for! A bit of Pow! (Well, what did you expect?) And now the close. Just about every museum, theme park ride, even church, in the world ensures that nobody leaves without a chance to upsell 'em on something. So why should cinemas be any different? Consider this, then:
"So get ready for a wild cinematic ride. And don't forget, on your way out, you can pick up the film's soundtrack, a 'Making Of' DVD, or advance tickets to The Simpsons Movie at our 'See You Next Time' booth.
Well, it's time. Ladies and gentlemen, the Nulman Multiplex is proud to present...Pan's Labyrinth!
Okay, so I won't win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
But the cost of this screen playing? A few bucks.
The benefits? A multitude, starting with the conversion of what is now akin to herding cattle into something that's informative and personal. Should be good for the bottom line as well, with additional revenue-generating opportunities.
It's not easy. Not every multiplex employee has the composure or spirit to pull this off. But with so many out-of-work or wannabe actors and comedians around, I think that this gig would be a cool one...and better than waiting tables.
So there you have it. The way things would be done at MY moviehouse.
My work here is done. I think I'll go grab a bag of popcorn.
Just back from Toronto where, in between the bizdev and the partying, I managed to catch five films.
Now most films at TIFF (what folks in-da-know now call the Toronto International Film Fest) are more than your standard Friday Night At The Multiplex variety. Here's the drill:
--A podium is wheeled to centre-screen.
--A member of the TIFF Programming team welcomes you, thanks the sponsors, gives you the "Don't pirate this movie!" warning, and then introduces the film's director.
--The director says a couple words (in the case of Ang Lee, very touching; in the case of The Coen Brothers, shyly mumbled)
--The director then introduces the film's producers and stars. The ensuring result ranges from polite applause (let's say for the international cast of Fugitive Pieces) to insane pandemonium (when The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford's Brad Pitt hit the stage).
--Then they wheel the podium off, and roll out a few more thanks and promos (to volunteers and more sponsors) on screen.
--Finally, the film begins.
Now I have no problem with this. Masters must be served, even at--especially at!--$49 a ticket. And other than the annual Robert Lantos marathon, most of these go for about five minutes.
But after five of 'em, I couldn't help thinking that there must be a better way. And not just for these high-falutin' festivals, either. What I propose could be--should be!--added to all film screenings everywhere for a bit of added drama and added value and added FUN for the people who love movies.
So, as a service to my very glamorous and impeccably-dressed friends Piers Handling and Michèle Maheux, co-directors of the TIFFany of all Film Festivals, I offer the following advice-slash-opening scenario.
But in the great tradition of Hollywood...it's a cliffhanger.
Tune in Wednesday to discover what it's all about.
No matter what success I've enjoyed with Airborne, no matter what I do for the community, no matter how prolifically I blog, my time running Just For Laughs has left an indelible imprint on my "Personal Brand" (as Mitch Joel would call it). Despite the fact that I left the event eight years ago, people still stop me in airports, in shopping malls or on busy streets and ask me to "say something funny" or--worse still--regale me with a joke...or eight.
However, after running into author Naomi Klein in the airport yesterday, I realize life could be much worse.
On the road plugging her new book "The Shock Doctrine," the brainy agent provocateur is best known for her rabble-rousing tome "No Logo," which brings me--at long last!--to the point of this post.
As she passed by the check-in gate, one well-dressed woman turned to her equally well-dressed friend and sniffed:
"Psst...look. That's Naomi Klein, the writer.
No Logo? Yeah right, just check out her jeans!"
Suddenly, telling jokes doesn't seem all that bad...
Got a couple of emails (should use the comment box, folks!) about last week's post on wildman jeweler Franco Pianeconda.
In essence, the question being asked was: "How could a guy sell ultra-expensive jewelry with such a madcap, street-level attitude?"
The answer my friends, is not blowing in the wind, but through the pages of this month's Fast Company magazine, particularly in Dan and Chip Heath's "Made to Stick" column.
In it, they explain:
"Luxury has become more about
personal pleasure and self-expression
and less about status."
In other words, the Pianeconda attitude is more valuable than the jewelry. But you need the latter to ooze the former.
They go onto take this one step further:
"Luxury goods...are the mark of connoisseurship. But connoisseurship only works when you are recognized
as a connoisseur.
"A connoisseur lives to be recognized
by fellow aficionados."
Pianeconda appeals to a certain few; the few who would probably be ignored or eschewed by a hoity-toity Cartier-wearer, but embraced by those "in the know" of his style and mind-set. Kinda like the Chrome Hearts line of "screw you" accessories (if you have to ask, you don't wanna know).
Crazy, off-beat and inherently Surprising...but not unexpected in a world where the more beat up and skanky your jeans are, the more they cost.
So here's what usually happens:
Big meal, I'm full, but the seductive temptress called dessert comes around. Although I say "I just wanna little taste of sumpin' sweet," I end up regretting the results 500 or so calories later.
To the rescue of my waistline and my workout regime comes Sinfully Delicious Gourmet Dessert Sprays, a shpritz that's free of sugar, fat and calories, but apparently bursting with flavor (or make that flavors, as the sprays vary from milk chocolate turtle to cinnamon apple and key lime pie to strawberry cheescake).
The Surprising innovation, from Atlanta's Innovative Candy Concepts, retails for $3.50; about the price of a slice of the sin it replaces. And while very Jetsons-like in theory, I'm wondering if in practice this tongue tease will satisfy a sweet-tooth's craving...or (perish the thought!) actually amplify it?
For me to try...and for you to find out once I do.
(And if this DOES work, imagine the possibilities--full spray meals, samplers for food you're afraid of trying, special Holiday-themed sprays, like Eggnog for Christmas, turkey for Thanksgiving or even Maror for Passover.)
It's called 20ltd.
I thought I'd be over this one by now, but I keep going back. Again and again.
It's the Internet's first true luxury boutique. Frankly, I think it's the best shopping destination on the entire WWW (particularly if you're into Surprise).
Because there's always a reason to go return. Only twenty different items on sale at any one time (that's the 20 part).
And
