What better way to celebrate Post #600 than to inaugurate what is sure to become one of the most cherished honors in International Commerce--the title of
"Surprise Marketer of the Year"
And perhaps the biggest Surprise of all is who the folks at Surprise Central have decided to bestow said title upon.
Namely... Woot.com.
Actually, faithful readers of this blog will recall my first-ever mention of Woot way back when in April of 2007. What I marveled about then I am even more enthusiastic about now.
Everything wrong with bricks-and-mortar retail is right with Woot, which makes them a must-visit even if you're "just looking."
First of all, there's the spirit, with wacky contests and a forum where people do a lot of talking (and believe me, Chris Wilson, the company does a heckuva lot of listening.) The site's statistics and metrics alone (click the "Product Stats" tab on the front page) are more entertaining and interesting than most sites, period. (For example, each day's first purchaser earns the distinction as "First Sucker").
And then there's the writing. Ahh, the writing! Everybody here at Surprise Central is green with envy at the way these guys can bring the most mundane product to life with perhaps the most creative wordsmithing on the web. I can just see the copywriting team (jeez, I hope it's a team and not some lone genius) cackle with delight, Dr. Victor Frankenstein-like as they inject the juice of life into moribund overstock electronics every day.
Steve Jobs and Apple, the only other real contender to this post's honor, do the trick every few months or so. Woot keeps the Pow! flowing on a constant basis, extracting the Battle Cry of Surprise "What will they think of next?" every 24 hours. Incredible.
And it doesn't stop there. Just check out this email I just received from them (which come at random, not on some regular basis, increasing the likelihood that it will be read and not immediately booted into the "Delete" sinkhole):
As a retailer, it'd make sense for us to fall in with the BUY STUFF, AMERICA conga line. But by now, you know that we at Woot never do things the "normal", "sensible", "rational", "intelligent" way. We're not about to follow the herd over a cliff. When we go over a cliff, it's because of our own poor judgment, not someone else's. That's been our credo since about five minutes ago, when we first thought of it. And we've stayed true to it ever since.
That's why we're encouraging you and your fellow wooters to save this holiday season. Save your money! Save until you pull a saving muscle. Horde your money until you are literally choking on it. Save until maybe, like, mid-February or so, when the market will be a-glut with great deals for the taking every day. You'll avoid the crowds, take advantage of desperate retailers, and not have to hear "Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time" even once.
Sure, maybe you'll disappoint some of your loved ones. But if they really love you, they can wait a couple of months, especially if your finances are at stake. Besides, if your so-called loved ones wanted you to set yourself on fire, would you? Of course you wouldn't. And that's the kind of independent thinking that will one day break the mindless conformity of our consumerist holiday ways.
But be warned: you'll want to stay far away from Woot.com this week. The breadth and scope of bargains we'll be offering - especially starting Tuesday morning at midnight - will be powerfully tempting. They could even lead you back down the spend-spend-spend path with the rest of the sheep. And that would make us sad enough to cry while we're taking your money.
See you in February!
Woot.com
So what can I possibly say after that? Except...
POW!'S FIRST-EVER
SURPRISE MARKETER OF THE YEAR!