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

What I Learned This Week: A Mime on Red Bull

At three separate occasions over the past two weeks in the office, certain people we deal with at Just For Laughs were described as "All Talk/No Action."

In all types of business this archetype is a pain-in-the ass, but because showbiz is a business of many promises made and relied on, this type of behaviour is even more aggravating...and damaging.  

Making live shows and television shows are hampered by what I tend to call a 3-D Domino Effect; in other words, something small tumbling here today rapidly festers into something chaotic and potentially catastrophic somewhere else tomorrow.  

That said, when someone makes you a promise, you'd like to put it behind you and depend on it as you go about building the fragile house of cards that is the ecosystem of show business.

No wonder we're so disdainful of those who re-neg, or just as bad, never deliver on their supposed words of honor.  Now, no names (sorry gossip mongers!), but suffice to say that a few people made our lives much more difficult since the arrival of August, with its tight post-production TV schedules and mad pre-production of our Sydney, Australia and Toronto events.

During the aforementioned separate occasions, we discussed the behavior we long for; in other words the opposite of All Talk/No Action. I mentioned that when I was at Airborne Mobile, I had a sign printed and hung over my door so that any time someone entered or exited, I would be forced to read it.  The sign read:

Never Promise More

Than You Can Deliver;

Always Deliver More

Than You Promised

This spawned the need for an icon, a prototype, a mascot for someone who is All Action and No Talk, the antithesis of our nemesis.

And that, in turn, spawned this week's learning--the creation of our new hero, one who embodies the behavior and reputation for all of us to aspire to:

A Mime on Red Bull

Long may he (or she) live!

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By the time you read this, I'll be on some safari in a distant somewhere of Kenya.  Amazingly, I am taking a vacation of two weeks, and instead of going radio silent, I've decided to re-publish two of my favorite posts from the six years that I've been doing this.  

With over 1,000 posts to choose from, it wasn't easy to pick just two, but I chose a couple whose lessons were re-learned over the past month, so at least there's a relevance.

And with that, I now board my flight to Nairobi via Istanbul to enjoy a new adventure or two...and perhaps a couple of new lessons for us.

Like Chocolate For Water--Courtesy Marketing (Courtesy of Kevin)

The Pow! book enjoyed the glow of a good review this week from Kevin Tumlinson and his RandomBits blog.  More than just the kind words though, what makes this more gratifying is that my"Little Things Mean a Lot" story about Christmas chocolates in line at Chapters bookstore inspired Kevin to come up with an associated story and Pow! moment of his own. To wit:

"For some reason, when I read this story, it brought up a memory from about fifteen years ago. I was at an Earth Day concert with a girl I'd been dating for a few months. We were still young enough in our relationship that I had let her convince me to see a live performance of Lisa Loeb.

"That day, the temperature was certainly in the triple digits, and the sun was brutal. People were being carted out in ambulances. Random concert goers were bursting into flame. And, of course, the vendors saw this as an opportunity to rake everyone over the glowing coals that made up the parking lot at our feet.

"Water, suddenly the most in-demand substance around, was selling in small, two-ounce bottles for a startling five dollars per. Also, they ran out of water around the end of hour two of the ten-hour sweat-fest.

"So, what does this have to do with free chocolate at a Chapters bookstore? I was just thinking, what if some enterprising company had said, "Hey, people like to live! Let's go buy a truck load of ice-cold bottled water, park our company-branded truck out front of this huge gathering of people, and give out free bottles to anyone who comes by!"

"Imagine if they'd had the foresight to get vanity bottles, and put their name and Web address on them. Imagine if they'd done this while asking nothing in return, with maybe the hearty slogan of, "Continue to live...compliments of Kevin." Or insert the name of someone or something YOU'D like promote...

"Imagine that...marketing through courtesy. That's certainly a surprise. I'd love to see more of it."

Well Kevin, the best way to see more of it is to do it yourself. 

What are you, or ANY of you out there, waiting for?

Fannin' The Flames of Relationship-Building (90 Seconds At A Time)

I admire Jim Fannin as a professional and as a person.  Hard not to.  Here's a guy who looks at least 15 years younger than his age, thinks with the wisdom of someone 25 years older and is so continually positive it's hard to talk to him without being infected by, or envious of, it (then there's always asking him what he's on).

The renowned motivator, "Zone Coach" and head-coach to myriad corporate giants and sports stars (to his credit, he's one of the few people who emerged unscathed from the current bio of former client Alex Rodriguez), Jim has just launched a simple yet profound new relationship-building concept, and an audacious way to promote it.

In a nutshell, Jim's "90-Second Rule" stiplulates that the first minute-and-a-half of any personal encounter is its tipping point; as he puts it:

“If you‘ve been away from someone you care about or love for at least two hours, the first 90 seconds that you see them has more impact on the relationship than spending hours with them later on."

Taken one step further, being conscious of his 90-Second Rule can positively affect the numerous relationships that engulf us; the soul's version of "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," I suppose.

Well, the book's coming soon(he's working with super-agent Bill Gladstone), and in the meantime, Jim has put together this site, the film below, as well as a contest with a grand prize check of $25,000 to whoever provides the most compelling video testimonial to the principles outlined in the 90-Second Rule.

Details here, and now off to work and see if the 90-Second Rule works on the staff at Airborne Mobile.  All I have to do is get them to actually listen to me for 90 seconds...

Pining For More Pow!

I've worked with Comcast's Troy Ewanchyna for a number of years when he was at the NHL.  One of my fondest memories is the walking to a lunch meeting with the Prairie-raised exec during a bone-chilling, minus-27-degree winter's day.  I was bundled up beyond recognition, he was in a four-season business suit.  They grow 'em tough on the plains.

Yet Troy seems to have a soft spot for Surprise.  He sends over this lament in a recent email:

Your book strikes a chord in a strange but neat way. I swear that for the past year or so I've been telling people that "I feel like there are no surprises in life anymore... we're lazy and don't think enough." 

Some cases in point that I've used:

- We don't remember phone numbers any longer. Everything is programmed into Outlook and cell phones.

- I go to an AC/DC concert and there's a printed playlist sitting there in the suite...I know the whole concert before the first song is played. People even plan when to take a bathroom break or whether to stay for the encore.

- I'm at a college hockey game and just when a penalty expires the announcer says "The teams are now back at even strength!"  I remember the good old days when the goalie had to bang his stick so his team knew the guy was coming out of the box. Surprise d-man!... You weren't paying attention, I'm picking your pocket and going on a breakaway.

- I worked at a GPS company and saw a lot of this first hand: How crazy iit that people will blindly follow their in-car navigation systems and nearly drive over a cliff before they stop and think?

Good points all, Troy.  But there's a big difference between an over-reliance on technology (points 1 and 4) and the elimation of the unknown (points 2 and 3). 

What would be fun is if the announcer made his call 15 seconds BEFORE the penalty is over, or if AC/DC veered off the set list a bit and covered a Billy Joel song or something (not as crazy as it sounds; on his last tour, Billy and band backed a roadie named "Buzzsaw" who sang a truly inspired version of "Highway to Hell). 

The beauty of Surprise is that when one door closes, it just forces you to find another one to open.  Except in the cases of your points 1 and 4; trust me, you don't want the Surprises those babies can bring!

Friday's Lesson: Charts Are Not Just Cheap, But...

Given the fact that I perform numerous speeches and am called on for an equally-numerous amount of corporate presentations, I have become somewhat of a PowerPoint Improvement Junkie.  I have to say quite unabashedly that my PowerPoints whup ass; they're bold, colorful and--naturally--Surprising. They sing, shout, entertain and explain.

But they are so because of my never-ending quest to make 'em better.  I've read all the books, from Seth Godin's Really Bad PowerPoint to Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen.  And last week, I added Dan Ward's "Charts Are Cheap" to my list of learning.

Dan, a military technologist who knows a thing or two about efficiency, has cobbled together an elegantly simple, yet deeply profound, primer on simplicity.  While it may be a tad "too black-and-white" for this wildly-hued blogger, the points Dan makes (including the one at right) are eye-opening and easy to adopt.

I could post this via SlideShare, but you'll miss the explanatory notes that add context and depth, so in a way to share the best of it with all of you, here's the process:

1) Click on this link: Charts Are Cheap 

2) You'll be taken to a zipped file.  Click "OK" or "Open" (Trust me, it's safe)
3) A Filzip screen will pop up, with the PowerPoint link inside.
4) Click away, enjoy...and learn!

Much thanks, Dan!

Preaching Surprise: It Ain't Just Me

This from THE authority on word-of-mouth marketing, Andy Sernovitz:

Rogue Books--Pow! Travels The World and Attacks

One of the best part of writing the Pow! book is the feedback I get from readers...particularly the more visual elements of this feedback.  Cases in point:

All the way from the docks in Hobart, Tasmania (!!!) comes this pic of Michael Eury, who conceives and delivers training workshops in presentation skills and learning design.

You can catch Michael's blog (and a review of Pow!) by clicking these words.  Meanwhile, somewhat closer to home in Maryland, mobile advertising pioneer Paul Palmieri shows what happens when you order Pow! in multiples--like wild animals or teenagers, they're vicious when traveling in packs.  Time to call my lawyer...just in case.

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Another Damn Good Surprise Quote--Laurels From Hardy

If you're looking for someone to blame for all of this, then blame Steve (Shardy) Hardy. 

The quiet-on-the-surface/turbulent-under-it creative generalist is the reason I started blogging in the first place; a former Airborne employee, the way Steve expanded his intelligentia network via his blog impressd the hell out of me, and a little bit of advice later, well, here I was.

That said, the kind words he recently published about the Pow! book were most appreciated indeed.

But what really hit home was a comment published to his post, from a former colleague of Steve's named Alan Wiggan. 

"You might remember a Creative Director we worked with, Trevor McConnell, whose - very successful - mantra was: 'Arrive unexpectedly and leave understood.'  

"There is a very important element in this formula and it is 'understanding'. Surprise without meaningful purpose is a party trick; linking surprise to a meaningful end is damned hard to do well and those who can are deserving of our admiration."  

The brilliant adman really hit the nail on the cranium--a "stunt" is for today, true Surprise is everlasting.  In fact, Alan's eight word summation deserves repeating, albeit in a very un-Shardy-like uber-bold, shout-out fashion:

Surprise without meaningful purpose is a party trick

Buzz vs. Word Of Mouth: Just What We Need, Another Fight

Barry Martin sent over a comment about a recent post on Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell's industry-standard Church of the Customer blog about Word of Mouth vs. Buzz.

You can read the whole post here, but in Barry's words:

The post is about Word of Mouth vs. Buzz. Essentially, WOM means offering an experience worth sharing with those who trust you, and Buzz is the attention generated by innovative attention seeking. Pow ideas seem to fall into the buzz camp. I mention it because the buzz came off as offering short term benefits.

Here's my take:

It's easy to dismiss "buzz" and look down upon it as short term, but the way I see it, without some spark or catalyst, there will never be anything to talk about in the long term.

But let's face the cold hard fact:
Most people, most businesses, NEVER do anything good enough, impressive enough or special enough to make people want to talk about them in the short term, long term, or ANY term.

WOM is not a self-starter.  It needs a catalyst, a kick-start, something to get it roaring. 

Surprise is that something. If WOM is the fuel for today’s effective marketing machine, Surprise is the spark that ignites it.  And the brighter the spark, the more raging the ensuing inferno. In the seminal book on the subject, Andy Sernovitz, lays down the guiding principle of the genre:

“Word of Mouth Marketing isn’t about marketers or marketing. It’s about real people and why those real people would want to talk about you and your stuff.”

Granted, sometimes the "Why" is earned and ingrained over time.  But these days, most of us don't have the time to ingrain in our brave new world of enlightened, cynical, information-omnivorous consumers.  Consumers with more access to more data than any society in history.  Consumers who won’t accept trade-offs.  Consumers who take for granted that everything had better be right, every time…and know how to bitch loudly when it ain’t

When it comes to price, quality, after-sales service, the shopping experience, guarantees, the whole enchilada, these guys know what they want.

They want it all.  More than that, they EXPECT it all.

And there’s only one way to please people who expect it all.

GIVE THEM WHAT THEY DON’T EXPECT!

So Surprise isn't a luxury or a figment of friviloity but a veritable necessity.  And it ain't at odds with WOM, it's complimentary.

And as for the sad BailoutBooth example outlined by Ben and Jackie, perhaps the most important notion to keep in mind is that great Surprise is not yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded theater.  Surprise may be explosive, loud and powerful, but there needs to be a finesse involved when crafting it. 

The caveat is that while garnering Surprise is great, it has to be "the right type" of Surprise.  If I walked through Times Square with my schmecker hanging out of my pants, I'd get attention alright, but not necessarily the type that would endear me to others and concretize my professional relationship with them.

In outlining his Four Rules of WOM, Sernovitz validates the need for Surprise. 

Rule #1—Be Interesting.  Nobody talks about boring companies.                

Rule #2—Make People Happy.  Happy people are your greatest advertisers. Thrill them.”

No need to even go to numbers three or four.  Point made.

Getting Things Done...En Masse.

I owe a lot to David Allen.

Indeed, the best-selling author and worldwide guru of Getting Things Done agreed to provide the afterword to my Pow! book, but the reason that I approached him in the first place is that I've been a long-time disciple and believer in his productivity/efficiency strategies and tactics.

In fact, when people ask me (and often they do!) "Where do you find the time to do everything you do?" I point them to two primary factors: David's books and amphetamines. 

Okay, I'm kidding about the amphetamines.  But I'm dead serious about David's books, namely Ready For Anything, the bible-like Getting Things Done and his newest (which I just started plowing through over the weekend) Making It All Work (find 'em at your fave bookseller or here).  They've sold millions, been translated into multiple languages, and have spawned an army of followers whose professional and personal lives have been improved dramatically, ranging from the common working man to the executive suite to some of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

Which is why I'm equally juiced about David's next venture, the GTD Summit he and his group are putting on in San Francisco on March 11-13.  I love the way David, always the realist and facing problems head-on (such is a root of the GTD philosophy), puts the conference into perspective given the economic mess we're going through:

"It's a unique combination of challenge, irony, and perfection that the first GTD Summit was planned way ahead of anyone's awareness of a global financial meltdown.

"What worse time could there be to ask people and organizations to invest discretionary time and financial resources for process improvement, innovation, lifestyle, organization and leadership development?

"And on the other hand what better time would there be to enhance and apply the best practices for staying focused and in control?"

You've heard the clichés before: it's not an expense, it's an investment, etc. etc. etc. But as anyone who has seen David speak will tell you, the learning is concrete, applicable, and unique. Add people like the iconic Guy Kawasaki, who's heading up a line-up of uber-intelligent presenters, not to mention the equally-intelligent attendees, and you'll understand why this conference will truly help you...well, get things done.

If you're the least bit  into it, get more details here.

Open Bar!

Charlie Hoehn is a bright young guy (check him out here), and one of the most faithful FOPs out there (another offshoot of my son Aidan's remarkable network).  He's got great taste, and a detective's nose for what's cool.

Like this:

From Japan comes these Barcodes that aren't just artistic and creative, but actually work when scanned.  Decades ago, Mad Magazine ran a piece that actually predicted something like this (don't recall the whole thing, but one barcode had mascot Alfred E. Neuman cutting it like grass), but the fact that the D-Barcode company can make something eye-catching, creative and functional out of the most mundane of imagery once again eliminates excuses for those too lazy or afraid to try something new.

Take this one step further with Limited Edition, "Collector's" or famous artist Barcodes (can you imagine what Takashi Murakami would do?), we could soon see products being purchased not for what they are, but for the scan-able tag stamped upon 'em.

See more of them here. 

And thanks again, Charlie!

Talking The Talk 2

Today's the day.

One of the great collective publishing projects returns.

237 authors (including yours truly).

15 countries.

1 book (albeit the second time around for it). 

Welcome to The Age of Conversation 2--Why Don't They Get it.

Available now.  Order it here.

There are two great reasons to do so:

1. It raises money for Variety, the Children's Charity.  Every dollar from the book goes to them.
2. The collective wisdom of the people gathered within.  Editors Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton have assembled some of the brightest bloggers/thinkers in the marketing world and challenged them with eight different themes.  In fact, in addition to them in AoC2, it's well worth your while to check them all out in their respective corners of the blogosphere:

Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi,

Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich,

C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson,

Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner,

Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller,

Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson,

Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming,

Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber,

J. Erik Potter, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster,

Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski,

Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux,

Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel,

Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice,

Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz,

Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman,

Rachel Steiner, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen,

Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Sreeraj Menon, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood,

Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman,

Uwe Hook,

Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau,

Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, and

Yves Van Landeghem

Available in hardcover, paperback and instant download, so stop reading this and start reading this.

But Is It Art?

I think so.

Okay, so it's no Sarah Palin goalie mask, but that big guy you see below is world-renowned pop artist Steve Kaufman and a jacket he hand-designed to coincide with the release of my Pow! book (yeah, I know, pre-orders here).

Steve has his own book coming out shortly (which you can preview here).  Hmmmm...I wonder what I can design for him in return?

Here's Something To Think About...

Spent the weekend catching up on my reading (things going crazy good at Airborne keeping me over-busy), and gleaned yet another pearl of wisdom from Chip Heath and Dan Heath.  As faithful FOPs know, the brothers' now- classic book Made To Stick was one of the elements that helped concretize my theories about the powers of Surprise, which is why I don't miss anything they do...well, professionally, at least.

Their column in this month's Fast Company is ostensibly about improving PowerPoint presentations, but more profoundly touches upon the difference between being telling something or making others want to discover it, a key Pow! factor. To wit:

"Curiosity must come before content. 
Great presentations are mysteries, not encyclopedia entries. 
The best presenters don't structure their presentations by thinking:
'What's the next point I should make?' 
Instead, they decide
'What's the next question I want them to wrestle with?'"

Compare this to just about every corporate PowerPoint presentation you had to suffer through, where the standard operating procedure seems to be: "Here's way too much writing that you will read in 30 seconds and that I will spend the next seven minutes repeating."

Yes, there are killer PowerPoint improvement books like Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen, but you can still blow it following his minimalism advice if you give away more than you tease. 

The Heaths' advice goes way further than what you see on a presentation screen.  It's a secret to solidifying business relationships--hell, ALL types of relationships.  Use frequently.

We Have a Winner!

First under the wire, and a damn good one to boot!

As a response to last week's "let your books tell a story" challenge, Dan Ward came up with this winning entry:

Brownie points for using one of my old tomes, Dan!  Your prize--my new one, when it's published in February. 

Can't wait to see what you do with the title "Pow! Right Between The Eyes!" in your next stack.

A Financial Perspective

Given the madness of these times, I've been spending some of my time looking over some personal finance sites, and one I enjoy the most--great combination of info and a jaunty read--is Ramit Sethi's "I Will Teach You To Be Rich."  Great reading for all, especially for those under 30.

Given what I've been gleaning, given Ramit's sentiments and wisdom, I've decided to share the following with you FOPs...something I trust will put everything in its proper perspective.  The two lessons: either be patient, or don't buy Time Magazine.  Here we go:Download time_magazine_covers_3.pdf

Saint, Not Sinner

Tonight starts Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish Calendar, where Jews atone--and are forgiven--for their sins, and are acknowledged for their good deeds. 

My friend Andy Sernovitz can chalk one up in the latter category for this endeavor.

He's putting on a conference about big-company blogging and social media, and has given away a bunch of tickets to benefit different charities. 

Now he may not raise a ton of money this time around, but it seems that perhaps Andy's onto something that could be shared by all conference promoters: not only could they auction off some tickets for charity's sake, but perhaps the buyer (or seller) could match the tickets (a la Tom's Shoes) and give them away to a student or non-profit organization that could benefit big-time from the learning but may not be able to afford the entry price.

That's my good deed for the day.  And now, starvation.

Appreciating the Appreciation

Two mentions over the holiday weekend filled the Blackberry with email and kept the servers humming. 

One saw Pow! cited by the omnipotent Mitch Joel as one of his "Five Blogs That Move The Needle" (and as complimentary as that was, even more so was seeing the other four I was grouped with). Click here to check out the entire post...and the other four.

The other was 12 years in the making, but a truly great Surprise.  In 1996, when I was still CEO of the Just For Laughs Festival, I invited cartoonist Lynn Johnston to the event.  We had great success with animators like Chuck Jones, Joseph Barbera (the second half of Hanna-Barbera) and Jay Ward (of Rocky & Bullwinkle fame), and since her comic strip "For Better or For Worse" was the most popular in North America, we figured she'd be a natural progression for our up-close-and-personal talk/Q&A sessions at the Gesu Theater.

Well, we were right.  Crowds jammed the place in droves, and bestowed upon the quite flabbergasted Ms. Johnston with the type of treatment usually reserved for our mega-star Gala hosts of the era, like David Schwimmer, John Candy, Lily Tomlin or Kelsey Grammer.

Given the fact that I was producing a Showtime TV show for the event the night of her performances, I missed seeing her live, but couldn't miss her radiant aura when we met at the Delta Hotel later that evening.  In appreciation for her Festival experience, she gave me a signed original strip, which hangs above the desk where I compose most Pow! posts.

But that's not all.  It appears that Lynn's appreciation lasts long, as I witnessed on Sunday, with the panel at right...part of her "Farewell" wrap-up strip, which you can see in its entirety here.   

Jumpin' Jack Flash...

I remember, upon my first trip to Las Vegas many years ago, seeing a circle of slot machines surrounding a sexy, shiny red Corvette, on top of which was a flashing neon sign that screeched:

"WIN THIS CAR!"

Last week, driving from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Durango, Colorado, I passed three casinos who tried to lure customers through their doors with a flashing neon sign that screeched:

"WIN FREE GAS FOR LIFE!"

A true sign of the times.  A sad one. Gas pumps have replaced sports cars as status symbols, it seems.  Commodity trumps frivolity.

Coming soon to a casino near you: "Win Free Food For Life"

 

Tired Eyes

Two guys, after too many shows, having a 3:00 a.m. chat in the lobby of the Hyatt.  Just got this picture of Craig Ferguson (who was kind enough to write one of the forewords to my Pow! book) and yours truly from last Saturday at Just For Laughs.  More to come...

What Are Friends For?

In the midst of all my madness, I attended a board meeting for Just For Laughs this week, the comedy event that I helped grow (and one where I still direct its Gala shows, but more on that later this week).

At said meeting, plans for next year's debut Festival in Chicago were unveiled, and talk turned to talk...well, on how to generate it for the ChiFest.  I recommended they hire my friend, the wizard of Word-of-Mouth, Andy Sernovitz.

I sent my former colleagues over to his company's website, showed them his book, and they were dutifully impressed.  Calls went out.  Meetings will be taken.

That was easy.

They were so impressed that they asked what agency does something similar in Montreal, so that they could hire someone to help push the local event. 

That wasn't as easy. 

Hail the power of specialization.  Now that Digital Agencies have become a cut-throat competitive genre, not just on their own, but folded into and unfolding out of traditional agencies, the more precision niches, like Word-of-Mouth, are beginning to flex their muscles...and their relevance.  And as they spawn competition, you'll soon see micro-niches of specialization like Showbiz W-O-M, Medical W-O-M, Environmental W-O-M and so on.

So until a Montreal W-O-M Agency pops up, I recommended the next best thing to my JFL brethren and sistren--go take one of Andy's crash courses (like the one he's doing on July 30th in Chicago), and bring the expertise in-house.

P.S.  If you're interested, it's open for 50 people only.  JFL is taking two spots.  If you want to join them, click on the banner up above.  And if you mention "weloveairborne," my namesake may even give you a juicy discount.

Looking Back With Virgin Eyes

Another Father's Day postscript if I may...

I have to say, although somewhat biased but not much, that my sons are brilliant.  My 17-year-old, Hayes, designs furniture for the future, while my 20-year-old, designs much of the future itself. 

One of these days, I'll share pix of Hayes' industrial-influenced residential creations with you, but today, I wanna show you Aidan's new work, a blog called (no relation to Madonna or Richard Branson):

Like A Virgin

The concept is simple, but amazingly sticky and profound--in essence, Aidan visits the first post of famous and favorite blogs and rates them.  Like seeing old high school pictures of today's superstars, the flashbacks are sometimes tell-tale, often polar-opposite to the present, but always fascinating nonetheless.

He came up with the idea while battling a little writer's block trying to compose a first post for another new blog (called "The Projectionist") he was putting together with a friend.  He figured seeing what other first posts were like would give him the inspiration needed...but I don't think he counted on THIS MUCH inspiration. 

Today he goes big and dredges up the first post of Mark Cuban.  Check it out, and suggest your favorite blog (but don't try this one; I was honored to be his debut debut post yesterday).

A Quarter-Century of Whacking

Big day, and very special day, around Surprise Central, as the book that changed everything is being re-released in a revised and updated version...25 years later.

Faithful FOPs know my admiration for Roger von Oech and his groundbreaking creativity primer "A Whack on the Side of the Head."  As I've mentioned here before, when I was in University, my buddy Sheldon Davis and I were disciples of Roger's. He was a Surprise marketer's dream (yes, I was a budding one even back then) and as students, we eschewed the boring texts our profs assigned us and read Roger's stuff instead.  I've been influenced by the man ever since.

I've read 'em all since, folks, and I've re-read this one over the weekend and a quarter-century later (!!!), it doesn't just stand the test of time, it is even MORE relevant today. 

What's more, I passed along a copy to my son Aidan who, at 20, is about the same age as I was when I first picked this up.  And guess what...even that Gen-Y-er digs it big-time.

This is like the Bible of Business Books...well, at least the "How To Win Friends and Influence People." A Whack has already sold over a million copies around the world in 17 languages. If you haven't read it yet, do yourself the favor.  Rarely is such profound advice this much fun.

Congrats, Roger.  What an accomplishment.  Let's meet up here 25 years from now for your golden anni...and Pow!'s silver.

 

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.

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.

Biz Books Bite Back

On the back page of this month's Fast Company, Elizabeth Spiers takes venomous aim at Business Books, which she calls "the modern era's second-worst literary promulgator of intelligence reduction." 

"Contrary to what your parents and teachers told you." she jabs, "reading does not necessarily make you smarter."

Ouch.

As a perhaps-too-fervent reader (and sometimes writer) of the said literary works,  I would be incensed if I only knew what "promulgator" meant.  Okay, I kid. 

While Elizabeth has a point (indeed many biz books are repetitive, uninspiring and propagate theories that are obsolete by the time you plod through the volume), it's unfair to tar the entire genre with the same poisonous brush.  Like the diverse array of novels at our reach (which Elizabeth is about to delve into with the release of her first "And They All Die In The End"), the biz book shelves are stocked not just with the regrettable and forgettable, but the well-intentioned and the classics.  Giving up on them would be like abandoning the drinking of wine after being disappointed by a few five-buck bottles of plonk.

But I came here not to bury Elizabeth, but to praise Jospeh Jaffe, Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton, three biz book authors who do the field proud.  And for different reasons.

Joseph just released Join The Conversation, his second great thought-provoker (following in the footsteps of "Life After the 30-Second Spot").  There are those in the biz book world who regurgitate the current jargon; Jaffe helps create and add relevance to it.  He's a different kind of smart. 

The book is a breezy read, filled with brand-name examples (both widely well-known and uniquely personal) and pertinent illustrations.  But what sets it apart from the type that Spiers rails against, is the depth of its subject matter (marketing as conversation and vice-versa), and the way it exploits it to explain it.  In other words, the book itself is more a conversation than a lesson, a list of rules, a pedantic Harvard treatise or a self-obsessed rant.  And the way in which Joseph has chosen to market it--reaching out to the marketing community and harnessing the social media power of his connections--shrewdly proves his hypothesis.  Prophecies have rarely been this self-fulfilling.

Followers of his popular blog JaffeJuice or clients of his innovation agency crayon may find some of what's inside Join The Conversation somewhat familiar...but unfortunately, not everyone reads marketing blogs or has the guts to hire a guy like Joseph.  This is one of those books that will pop the eyes of newbies, allow us usual suspects to follow along with a wink of recognition...and perhaps give Elizabeth Spiers second thoughts.  You can pick it up by clicking here.

But even if Spiers has a most carbonized hard-ass, she has to find a bit of love in her heart for the work of Drew and Gavin.  Last year, they launched The Age of Conversation (that's a heckuva lotta conversations on the bookshelves, dontcha think?), a collective of 103 marketing writers from 12 countries (including a most honored yours truly), where everyone contributed for free and donated all proceeds of the project to Variety , The Children's Charity. 

Well last week, the most dynamic of duos announced The Age of Conversation  2: Why People Don't Get It, which has attracted close to 300 potential authors to its swelling pages.  Details on release date et al will be coming soon, so check this space. 

In the meantime, if you STILL haven't picked up your copy, I'm urging and imploring you to HOLD OFF until March 29th, when the authors and friends are gathering together for a Bum Rush on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and other book retailers.  The Bum Rush was initiated by Chris Wilson of freshpeel, so I think it's only fitting to send you and some link-love over to him to find out the greater details and reasons why.

So there we go, Elizabeth.  We biz folks may not be writing War and Peace, but with initiatives such as The Age of Conversation, at least some of us are trying to end the former and bring about the latter.

This Boss Works For YOU

Well, this is indeed a pleasant Surprise to close the week. 

The story I wrote for Lawrence Kirsch's collaborative Springsteen fan book "For You Bruce," highlighting our backstage meeting 27 years ago, was excerpted and appears on RollingStone.com.  Check it out below of by clicking here. 

Not only does this heighten my excitement for Sunday's show here (my 11th time seeing Bruce), but for the gathering of worldwide fans and contributors at La Brasserie Brunoise, a restaurant just outside the Bell Center, for a pre-show pre-party...because anyone who's ever seen The Boss can tell you, the show IS the party.

Surprise Central Soulmates

You'd figure that after over 200 years of dealing with it, the city of Chicago would know how to deal with winter. 

Yet once again last week, in the space of three days, the quagmire named O'Hare airport was closed three times...which is the main reason why my trip to the RAC conference was a relative bust.  A vast amount of attendees were held up by the weather, and those who actually made it into Chicago were consumed with how the hell they'll be getting out of there. 

None-the-less...I managed to meet two companies that are true soulmates of Surprise central. 

The first is called Accessvia, who provide in-store signage and desktop publishing apps to the retail trade.  Snore, right?

Wrong.  These guys had:

• the best giveaways (including a coloring book that was the best sales-message-disguised-as-entertainment that I've seen in ages),
• the best in-booth promos (two in fact; a coloring contest and photo shoot) 
• the best logo (many, in fact; all featuring their black cat mascot) 
• the best slogan ("The Eternal Order of Accessvia") 
• the coolest CEO (the Richard Branson of printing, Dean A. Sleeper) 
• the best use-of-funds (sponsoring Made To Stick author Dan Heath's keynote and book-signing), and
• the best stunt (an Airborne-reminiscent dollar-bill blast to drive home their message that working with them and "money will fall from the sky").

Printers.  Incredible.

Despite this, they STILL weren't the most outrageous scions of shock at the conference.  That honor goes to a tiny Portland, Oregon company called Voodoo Doughnuts, who have generated a tidal wave of media buzz by doing to donuts what Cirque du Soleil did to the circus. 

This sure ain't your father's Dunkin' Donuts or Tim Horton's.  In addition to some X-rated competitions (check out The Annual Cockfest here), Voodoo Doughnuts also offers live concerts, legal Weddings and real Swahili lessons in their one and onlystore.  At the conference, stylish co-founders Kenneth "Cat Daddy" Pogson and Tres Shannon threw down their renowned "Tex-Ass Challenge," where contestants must wolf down a super-sized donut--the equivalent of a half-dozen regular treats--in less than 90 seconds.

The wildness carries onto their all-made-by-hand donut menu as well.  My faves include an actual Voodoo Doll donut (which "bleeds" raspberry jam when jabbed with pretzel-stick "pins") and a Bacon-Maple Bar complete with real bacon strips.  By the way, they taste good, too.

With offers of expansion and franchises flying fast and furious, one hopes that Cat Daddy and Tres can capitalize on their creative concept without watering down the spirit, originality and oversized gonads that has generated such well-deserved buzz.  And such majestic Pow!

Take Two

Well, Gavin and Drew are up to it again. 

After the success, both financially and critically, of their Age Of Conversation community book project, the dynamic duo--kindred spirits but separated by about five continents--are launching AOC 2.0.

And this time, much to the delight of everyone here at Surprise central, with a bit of a twist.  Namely, it's up to you to decide the topic of the book from a choice of three:

• Marketing Manifesto
• Why Don't People Get It
• My Marketing Tragedy (and what I learned)

Although I am EXTREMELY partial to number 3, the vote is an open one, and I urge you to click over here and log in yours.

Last year, I had a blast penning my ode to loudness, and if the cards fall in the right spot, I know I can whup ass with some tales of misery and imagination.

If, uh, they let me back in again.

(Seriously speaking, the best part of the whole adventure was linking up with and meeting the 99 other chapter authors, each and every one bright, forward-thinking and benevolent.  Here's to the return trip!)

Buying Into It

Well, I'm back from the incredibly-run Shop.org conference in Orlando, and the buzz on Airborne's new retail mobile marketing initiative has been, to say the least, positive. 

The conference blog encapsulated my keynote quite completely, as did Giselle Abramovich at MobileMarketer, while Andy Sernovitz (that's he and I below) went one step further with his videoblog.  And this update just in: Simon Rodrigue of HomeDepot passes on these kind words.

Meanwhile, the guy who seemed to get it most was (no Surprise here) Mitch Joel...not only because he had me to deal with in shopping centers and restaurants for three days, but because of his ever-expanding, acutely-astute marketing savvy.

Next up, we take this show on the road to Chicago, for the annual Retail Advertising Conference, on Feb. 6. 

This could be the start of something big...

(UPDATE:  Already seems to be.  Got sent this late-breaking story about Google's reaction to Mobile Marketing by both Mitch Joel and Barry Welford.  Thanks guys!)

 

Don't Wanna Brag But...

When I call 'em, I sure call 'em!

End result of tonight's "Test The Nation" on CBC (which was a first-class operation and a superb networking blast, by the way):

My team, the Bloggers, win...not just as predicted, but as boastingly GUARANTEED last week right here.

Also as GUARANTEED here, top scorer over-all was a blogger, my buddy Rick Spence with an incredible 57 out of 60 correct (I had a mere 51 correct, FYI). Not only does this increase bragging rights, but it saves me $500.

Well, not really, as I'm still gonna donate it to a charity, but at least it'll be out of goodwill, and not for losing a bet.

I'm on a prognostication roll. Super Bowl predections, anyone?

UPDATE:  Below is a pic of yours truly holding the most prestigious trophy hardware since Lord Stanley's Cup.  Thanks to the fastidious Craig Silverman (who has yet to catch one of the many errors here at Surprise Central) and his blog for it.

 

Nice shot, but somewhat festishly perverse, dontcha think?

Book 'Em

You know how much I read, how much I love to read, and how much I love giving out reading material as gifts.  Well, with Xmas just a few days away, here are two very self-centered but worthwhile recommendations (in other words, books that actually stooped to the level of having me contribute to them).

The first is the oft-mentioned, idea-filled and charity-benefitting "Age of Conversation."  Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton's brainchild has now hit the big-time, being sold on Amazon.com, with all proceeds still being donated to Variety the Children's Charity.  Find out more, and buy the thing for crissakes, by clicking here.

The second is a unique Bruce Springsteen coffee table opus put together by my long-time friend Lawrence Kirsch. "Kirschie" and I shared many adventures and misadventures in the late '70s and early '80s when I was the Entertainment Editor of the Sunday Express newspaper.  But enough about stories I can't print due to fears of lawsuits from record companies, elderly waitresses and assorted rockstars...

A renowned rock music photographer (that's his shot on the book's cover at left), Lawrence channeled the Web 2.0 staples of user-generated content and community into hardcover form, where fans (including yours truly) contribute personal stories and photos of their passionate admiration for The Boss. 

Lawrence had told me about this one years ago when it was in its embryonic stages, and the result is way more than I could have ever imagined; a classy, elegant chronological chronicle of one of the great artist/fan relationships in showbiz history.  Getting great buzz, too.  And deservedly so.

Order yours here, but do so quickly, as the initial limited edition has less than 100 copies left to sell.

Delivering On My Promises

It's good to have friends, particularly if they're in the Tax department or in the media.

Rick Spence, a long-time member of the People I Dig list (see left), is a member of the latter, and was kind enough to give credence to the relatively nascent (well, to the general public at least) discipline of Surprise marketing in today's National Post.  You can check our Rick's column by clicking these blue letters.

Nicely written and well appreciated...but I DO have just one minor correction/addendum, if I may.  To close the story, Rick wrote:

Does he practice surprise marketing as Airborne's chief marketing officer? "We'll be doing it next year with some of our marketing and promotion incentives," Nulman promises.

Well...to be frank, Surprise marketing is what GOT Airborne to where it is.  Examples are many, including the oft-told tale of the Donald Trump Dollar Bill Toss and the Free Beer panel discussion, not to mention our infamous Maxim parties (no links folks, sorry!). 

Indeed there's more to come, but there was a lot that went, too.

Okay, so now that THAT's cleared up, why not pay Rick a visit at his entrepreneurial blog.  Tell his server I sent ya.

Reverse Shoplifting (A Consultant is Born!)

At the risk of being All Dan Ward, All The Time!, I pass along this news because of the effect of my devious hand within it.

About a month ago, my blogging buddy Dan wrote me the following:

I'm looking for some cool (i.e. inexpensive but effective) ways to spread the word about my latest book, The Simplicity Cycle. I know, that's what everyone is looking for... but I was wondering if you have any ideas or suggestions, particularly of the Surprising variety.

I'm already blogging about it, giving away the PDF version for free, pursuing some trade pubs…but I suspect that's all the obvious stuff... and I was hoping you might have a thought or idea for me...

Being in the midst of Airborne and Just For Laughs madness, I didn't give it much thought.  But sure enough, in the midst of a drive to a cousin's wedding, the following mad idea of "Reverse Shoplifting" invaded my mind, and I wrote Dan back:

How many hard copies do you have?  Take a bunch, put a sticker on them saying something like "Here's a Simple offer.  Take this book home.  IT'S FREE!!  All I ask in return is that you blog about it!" and leave it in the business sections of big bookstores. 

This will create buzz, perhaps even scandal, but lemme tell you, it will spread the word.

Well, gotta give Dan credit.  He has cannonball cojones, and decided to take the plunge.  As we speak, a team of equally daring friends, including Gabe Mounce, Eric Hoelmer, Chris Quaid, Trevor Gay and Dave Hurd are sneaking into bookstores in England, New York, L.A., Las Vegas and Washington D.C. to plant Dan's giveaways.

Stories of reverse shoplifting and other mayhem to come (I hope!), but with this post, I have accomplished two things:

1. Earned my own copy of The Simplicity Cycle
2. Established the Pow! Marketing Schemes & Dreams Consultancy

Alright...who's next?  ;)

The Age Of Conversation...Starts Today

Screw Harry Potter and his Deadly Hollows!

The REAL big buzz in the publishing world belongs to The Age of Conversation , a collaborative effort dreamed up and meticulously guided by Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton.  It comes out today, but last night there were midnight bashes in online bookstores throughout the world, with kids and adults alike dressing up as their favorite The Age of Conversation contributor, munching on Alpha-Bits cereal (the official foodstuff of the AOC) and downing unprecedented amounts of smart drinks.

I could ramble about what it's all about and how it all came together, but Drew and Gavin have done such a phenomenal job of that with a blog, I would be adding nothing but babble.

Here's what I will say about the project, though:

1) Even more important than the book's subject matter is its soul.  This is a book with a heart; ALL proceeds from ALL book sales will be donated to Variety, the Children's Charity.  And there are three ways to buy 'em, ensuring that all along the reading spectrum --from the digital downloader to the hardcover hoarder-- can buy the book in their fave format via Lulu.com.  Here are the more-than-reasonable prices:

• The e-book--$9.99  ($7.99 going to charity)
• The Paperback--$16.95 ($8.10 to charity)
• The Hardcover--$29.99 ($8.55 to charity)

2) This is no cliché or butt-kissing--I am TRULY honored to be part of the project.  I worked like a looney to be eloquent and relevant in my piece, entitled "How to be LOUD!"

3) And why did I work so hard?  'Cuz I had at least be as good as this group of prestigious peers, who all deserve a round of applause for gathering thoughts and banging the drums to raise the level of support and donations for The Age Of Conversation.  Check 'em all out:

Gavin Heaton
Drew McLellan
CK
Valeria Maltoni
Emily Reed
Katie Chatfield
Greg Verdino
Mack Collier
Lewis Green
Sacrum
Ann Handley
Mike Sansone
Paul McEnany
Roger von Oech
Anna Farmery
David Armano
Bob Glaza
Mark Goren
Matt Dickman
Scott Monty
Richard Huntington
Cam Beck
David Reich
Luc Debaisieux
Sean Howard
Tim Jackson
Patrick Schaber
Roberta Rosenberg
Uwe Hook
Tony D. Clark
Todd Andrlik
Toby Bloomberg
Steve Woodruff
Steve Bannister
Steve Roesler
Stanley Johnson
Spike Jones
Nathan Snell
Simon Payn
Ryan Rasmussen
Ron Shevlin
Roger Anderson
Robert Hruzek
Rishi Desai
Phil Gerbyshak
Peter Corbett
Pete Deutschman
Nick Rice
Nick Wright
Michael Morton
Mark Earls
Mark Blair
Mario Vellandi
Lori Magno
Kristin Gorski
Kris Hoet
G.Kofi Annan
Kimberly Dawn Wells
Karl Long
Julie Fleischer
Jordan Behan
John La Grou
Joe Raasch
Jim Kukral
Jessica Hagy
Janet Green
Jamey Shiels
Dr. Graham Hill
Gia Facchini
Geert Desager
Gaurav Mishra
Gary Schoeniger
Gareth Kay
Faris Yakob
Emily Clasper
Ed Cotton
Dustin Jacobsen
Tom Clifford
David Polinchock
David Koopmans
David Brazeal
David Berkowitz
Carolyn Manning
Craig Wilson
Cord Silverstein
Connie Reece
Colin McKay
Chris Newlan
Chris Corrigan
Cedric Giorgi
Brian Reich
Becky Carroll
Arun Rajagopal
Andy Nulman
Amy Jussel
AJ James
Kim Klaver
Sandy Renshaw
Susan Bird
Ryan Barrett
Troy Worman
S. Neil Vineberg

So what are you waiting for?  Buy the book!

Bark and Scratch

A few people who read Tuesday's post about Graham Smith called to ask: "Why would such a successful advertising guy go into dog training?" 

Well, there are two answers.  Firstly, Graham LOVES dogs.  We should all be so passionate about our work.

Secondly is this Surprising statistic, culled from Brandweek:

According to the American Pet Products
Manufacturers Association,
Americans spent $38.5 billion on their pets last year

To put this in perspective, that's about $18 billion more than the U.S. Government allocated for foreign aid.

So, if you believe in reincarnation...

Major League Bummer

Pardon the pun (you’ll understand why soon), but…bummer!

For the first time in seven years, I won’t be in New York traipsing about the massive Licensing Show for Airborne Entertainment. What’s keeping me home is a minor medical operation I have to undergo (see this Thursday’s post), but that’s not the bummer.

The real drag is that I will miss Craig Yoe’s somewhat cracked, very cheeky stunt.

Craig, the owner and chief creative bonkbrain at YOE! Studios has been lamenting—and rightfully so—how traditional and dull the once wild ride of the Licensing Show has become.

This year, he’s decided to do something about it. Here’s an email I got from him last week:

Yo, Andy!

I love the Licensing Show and the great people who run it, but we've been talking about how to make it even more fun.

OK, here's my Big Idea:

1. First thing Tuesday morning (tomorrow!) come get your YOE! Studio Th0ng at our booth #1549 (see a pic of the th0ng above).

2. Scurry to the restroom and put it on--under your clothes.

3. At precisely 12 o'clock noon everyone is to stop what they are doing and drop trou and sing in unison (to the tune of "Ding Dong, the Witch Is Dead") the following lyrics:

Ding dong, show your th0ng,
It feels so good, it can't be wrong.
Ding dong, show the world your th0-o-n-n-n-g-g-g...

4. Then at the conclusion of the song hug your neighbor and then un-drop your trou and continue on with the all-important task of being a licensee or a licensor (or a supplier to those folks like YOE! Studio). That's it! It's that simple.

This will be SO COOL! Imagine, people from many different countries, people of different color, people of different ages, people of different shapes and sizes all united together singing and celebrating our "th0ng-ness." Being open, being free, not only dropping our trou, but dropping our pretensions, dropping our inhibitions, dropping our darn pride that keeps us apart. I'm getting all choked up just thinking about how wonderful this is going to be as I am sure you are, Andy.

You're welcome.

Craig Yoe (~;O#))>

YOE! Studio

Will it work? Gee, I hope so. I’ll have the Airborne folks in attendance try to eye-witness and snap a photo or two.

But no matter what, it warms the heart of all of us at Surprise central that people like Craig still exist…and are willing to try and convert industry tight-asses into collective bare-asses.

A word of advice to Craig: Buddy, you’re playing with Supreme Pow! I know the folks who attend the Licensing Show. You’d better put the Paramedics—and your lawyers—on red alert.

Good luck!

Freebooks!

Today's a holiday in Canada and what better way to celebrate it than to give you guys a bunch of free books.  Yup, we're opening the vaults here at Surprise Central, and don't worry, these are all of the downloadable type, so no waits, no shipping charges and no taxes.  So, as the legendary Bob Barker useta say, "Whatta we have for them, Johnny?"

Well, first up is my Australian friend Adam Lawrence of Work.Play.Experience blog fame. An "experience designer" (note to self: find a way to use that superb title somewhere somehow),  Adam has written an ebook called 12 Showbusiness Tools for Your Business, which teaches how to bring some Hollywood (or the Aussie equivalent) flash to the exec suites.  You can get it by clicking here.

Next is Dan Ward, of Project Blue Lynx.  Dan is working on a book (and ain't we all?) called The Simplicity Cycle, and as a sneak preview, he sent me his Change This manifesto of the same name.  he asked me for my cents, so let's just say that I thought it more than good enough to pass along to y'all.  Enjoy it by clicking here.

And last, and certainly not least, is one I actually put my two cents into.  It's yet another do-good/feel-good project from Drew McLellan of Drew's Marketing Minute (he and Gavin Heaton are also about to release The Age Of Conversation, so stay tuned for more details on that collaborative effort).  Drew rounded up about a whack of us blogger types, and asked us for our advice for the planet's 2007 Graduating Class as they embark on "their first real job hunt."  The result is a free ebook kinda called A Fighting Chance.  Click once and get it here. 

Along with my diatribe, you'll read sage wisdom from the likes of:

Aaron Potts
Andy Brudtkuhl
Andy Wibbels
Ann Handley
Ann Michael
Anne Simons
Becky Carroll
Bob Glaza
C.B. Whittemore
Carolyn Manning
Chris Cree
Christine Brown
CK
Darren Barefoot
David Reich
Delaney Kirk
Derek Tutschulte
Designer Mike
Doug Karr
Doug Mitchell
Drew McLellan
Joan Schramm
Kevin Hillstrom
Lewis Green
Liz Strauss
Mario Sundar
Mark Goren
Mark True
Mary Schmidt
Nick Rice
Patrick Schaber
Paul McEnany
Phil Gerbyshak
Roberta Rosenberg
Roger von Oech
Rosa Say
Seth Godin
Sharon Sarmiento
Stephanie Weaver
Steve Miller
Steve Sisler
Terry Starbucker
Toby Bloomberg
Tony D. Clark
Valeria Maltoni

So there--a little link love and a lot of respect.  Enjoy 'em all!

Tag! Mitch Is It!

The ubiquitous Mitch Joel writes an eloquent response to my human tagging post of last week in his Twist Image blog.  In it, he makes the case for being remembered by being memorable, saying:

"Social media is heating up the online channel and Marketers can’t forget that creating a lasting impression in face-to-face situations (think about Norm from the old sitcom Cheers) is becoming more challenging (as Andy so illustratively demonstrates).

I don’t think it can be facilitated by simply “tagging” people in real life. I think the real opportunities lie in individuals developing their personal brands so the people they’re meeting remember them."

Now, as the King of Personal Branding (now there's a sobriquet for the quote sheet, my friend), Mitch travels the country teaching common folk how to develop theirs.  And as anyone who has ever seen him can attest (and lemme tell you, these days, from The Power Within to keynoting at the Canadian Marketing Association's National Convention, he is EVERYWHERE evangelizing this message), he makes a strong and entertaining case for it.

But here's the one problem I see, Mitch:

Some people's Personal Brands are boring

In other words, it just may be that one's personal brand is a dull one.  It may be unique, but not exciting.  Despite the shade, a grey accountant or middle management suit is still grey. Try as they may, some folks just add to the background instead of cutting through it.

And if so, these people need one of two things:

One of my "tags"...

Or one of your Personal Branding Workbook CDs.

Or both!

The King Of Truth

One of the ancillary benefits of doing The Power Within speeches in Ottawa and Vancouver back in March was meeting Gary King, who works with Tony Robbins. 

An acclaimed speaker in his own right, Gary's motivational take is a unique one. A la Jim Carrey in "Liar Liar" a near-death experience has left him incapable of telling a lie (hmmm...I guess that means that he really DID like my shirt), so Gary has made it his calling to spread the word on The Power Of Truth.

One of the great evenings I spent this year was in the company of Gary and W Mitchell (another unique speaker, believe me), where he told us of his 24-Hour Truth Challenge; "Your life, health and peace of mind will never be the same," he promised.

"But I'm in the wireless business," I protested.  "I don't know if I could do 24 minutes of truth!"

Well, I tried it (albeit over a weekend).  And--truth be told--it was actually kinda fun.  Granted, there's a fine line between saying everything you're thinking and telling the truth, but the result was liberating.

...AND educational as per generating Surprise.  This was an additional, unexpected benefit.

In marketing, consumers have become incredibly skeptical after years of dealing with untruths in all shapes and sizes. Their levels of trust have been worn down and their callouses of cynicism have hardened to carbon.  They are expecting the lie, and are hunkering down to deal with it. Just about every time.

Just think of the supreme  Pow! you can generate just by telling the simple truth.   Arguments are suddenly deflated, negativity is flushed away, and the path to dealing with the problem or the situation has been exponentially widened.  Imagine how much better your headspace would be, and how you'd be able to make alternative plans, if the airline explained why your flight was delayed...if the taxi driver admitted he was lost...if the waiter confessed he forgot to put in your order...if the blogger said he couldn't think of a fourth example to round out this paragraph.

A lie is something you deal with alone.  As Gary says, "There is no such thing as an inconsequential lie."  Each one starts a domino effect that ripples wide and long.

The truth is something you deal with with others. 

And in the relationship called marketing, you NEED others to deal with.

Gary King...you are indeed one.

 

Mark of Excellence

One of the great aspects of blogging is the community that it develops. 

I have met some of the smartest people I know since starting up the Pow! engine; in fact, I'm expecting to meet even more as a bunch of bloggers gather for drinks and dinner tonight across the street from my office.

Community also means doing for one another, so when a fellow blogger embarks on a mission, a noble one at that, we come together to help him out.

FOPs will recognize the name Mark McQueen of Wellington Financial .  He's one of the "People I Dig" over to your left, and he's helping raise funds for a needed piece of medical equipment at Toronto's Sunnybrook Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  If you do nothing else, at least click here and read Mark's reasons why; every click is a caring one. 

And every dollar goes to help someone who's in a situation you pray you will never be in yourself.

Go get 'em, Mark!

Amazing Grace

If there was ever a guy who could change the much despised cable TV industry, it's Dean MacDonald. Deano's an old friend with an infectious personality, whose self-deprecating wit belies his razor-sharp brilliance. 

Despite his overly-corporate photo at right, Dean's also one of the most creative and ballsy businessmen I have ever met.  When he's in the zone, he makes Richard Branson look like an actuary.

After leaving the top position at one of Canada's cable behemoths a few years ago and learning what NOT to do, Dean bought a rural based cable network and molded it in his own image, building it into the 5th largest TV/internet/phone service provider in the country. 

He calls it The Amazing Persona. 

No, that's not its slogan; leave it to Dean to create the only cableco in the world with an adjective in its actual name.  Check it out here.

Having the word "Amazing" connected to any service company (particularly a cable company!) is like having the word "Kosher" connected to a bacon cheeseburger.  Yet that's the Surprising standard Dean has set for his organization. 

Now if only the rest of the industry could follow suit...

Lube Is All You Need

A publicist friend who is astute but shy (let's call her "Please don't use my name!") called to say she agreed with yesterday's post about the concept of "selling" vs. "making it easy to buy."

But then she added her pearls of wisdom:

"You can't call Oprah to do something on you.
You've gotta do something to make Oprah call you."

No, I Won't Back Down (Again!)

One of the drawbacks of being the worldwide spokesperson for Surprise is being confronted by all comers and asked to do sumpin' different all the time.  Like the toughest guy in the bar (a title I never remotely held, by the way), I find myself wielding all sorts of in-yo'-face challenges here at what should be my serene Surprise Central hideaway.

(Not that I am foreign to these expectations, mind you. As CEO of Just For Laughs, I was besieged constantly by seemingly well-meaning people asking me to tell them a joke.  "Did you hear the one about the pain-in-the-ass accosting the fed up executive?" I used to reply.  But once again...I digress.)

The latest "double-dog dare ya" comes from Robert Hruzek, owner, author and operator of the Middle Zone Musings blog and social lounge.  Robert is hosting a writing contest, one which features mercifully-brief six-word stories (something we both were enamored with after reading a bunch of 'em in the November Wired evidently), and closes relatively soon...this Sunday, to be exact.

Using the largesse Texans are renowned for, my Houston-based blogging buddy had tossed two gauntlets my way:

1. To actually write one of these six-worders
2. To be a "Surprise" judge and pick the story with the best Surprise ending

Well, the last guy to back down from a Lone Star State challenge ended up being President of the United States, and I can't do any worse than him, so pardon me as I bend down to pick up these gloves and throw them right back with two resounding Yups.

Robert, I guess I can judge the swarm of stories on my flight to your somewhat chilly state on Monday (I'm heading to Dallas for the NHL All-Star Game, Kemo Sabe Stetson in hand).  Avalanche me.

And as for my story, here goes:

"Why six?" smirked the contrarian.

Thank you.  You've been a wonderful audience.  WInners and details to come soon, I suppose.

 

Worth A Buck...At Least!

A brilliant man, my friend Austin Hill.  Check out The Million-Dollar Blog Post, his Holiday Gift to the World.  A great salesperson selling a great idea makes for one easy sell.  Austin, I'm in, and here's proof!

All is Wellington and Done

With apologies to The Pretenders, I am back on the train, gang. Coming home. And wary of Stewards carrying scalding coffee.

One of the great Pow!s during my brief sojourn in Toronto was learning ‘bout a heartwarming and coffer-filling initiative launched by Wellington Financial, one of Canada’s leading tech financing specialists. Playing against the stereotype of selfish, cash-grabbing Scrooges (a key “How To” in generating Surprise), Wellington donated all profits generated by its loan portfolio and its general partnership on Tuesday, December 12 to a handful of charitable organizations in and around its home base of the aforementioned city (strict Montreal by-laws prevent me from mentioning the word “Toronto” twice in the same paragraph).

And if you think this is an insubstantial amount, you OBVIOUSLY don’t know Wellington.

No wonder its Prez and CEO Mark McQueen is one of the People I Dig.

Even more so now…

Ball of Cracks

And speaking about Roger Von Oech, I may have to sue you, my friend! 

The Ball of Whacks you sent over has become so addictive, it has taken away my focus during important meetings as I fiddle incessantly with the red pyramids.  I enjoy the satisfying "thwack" the pieces make when they stick together so much that I ignore other sounds, like phone calls or people knocking on my office door.  What's worse, I turn into a wildebeeste whenever my employees whine and ask for "their turn" with the orb. 

Productivity is down, I may not hit my Q4 numbers...

But I'm coming up with more good 'n' creative ideas, so maybe there's something to the side effects.

Whack on!

When It Reigns, It Pours

At the risk of sounding like a swell-headed egomaniac, in addition to the Sports Business Journal piece (look down one post), I was also interviewed by uber-entrepreneur Austin Hill at his textbook-worthy Billions With Zero Knowledge blog.  When you evangelize the art of Surprise, you're often called on it, hence Austin's questions about the rather unconventional way I hire. 

Perhaps my favorite hiring story (and one I forgot to tell Austin) was that of Farlan Dowell, an Airborne Entertainment product manager, and former Price Is Right contestant, who's leaving us for to work for a competitive company (the quisling!) in L.A. 

Farlan was exuberant and rather "out there" during our first interview three years ago, and I sent him away with the challenge of doing something special to convince me to hire him.  About a week went by and I heard nothing, and figured he'd copped out and joined the ranks of the uninspired and insipid.  But the next day I got a call from a store owner down the street.

"You Andy Nulman?" he asked.

"Well, you called me," I replied.  "Who are you?"

"You don't know me, but there's this guy outside my window in a box."

"A box?"

"Yeah, and it says 'I Want To Work For Airborne Entertainment.  Call Andy Nulman at 289-9111.'  So I'm calling you."

I got about a half dozen similar calls from different people on St. Laurent Boulevard.  I opened my window and stuck my head outside my 7th floor office, and sure enough, there was this goof parading up and down the street, head and limbs protruding from a large cardboard box emblazoned with my name and my company's (see it in all its glory below) , causing a traffic jam of curious onlookers and horn-honking supporters.

I called him upstairs and he got the gig immediately.

And if he wasn't such a traitor...he'd still be with us.  You could read the interview here.  And you can get in touch if you think you can fill Farlan's rather large shoes...uh, box.

 

Squeezing Too Much

Big buzz around the Airborne Entertainment offices—“Five Myths of Consumer Behavior” co-author Paul Allen Smethers is coming to meet the staff and impart words of wisdom next week to help us as we develop our new mobile product lines.

Five Myths is one of my fave bizbooks for the year for two reasons—its merciful brevity and its laser-beam relevance to everyday consumer marketing. While all five “myths” are pertinent, the most Surprising of the bunch is #5, the one about product features. Daily advances in technology allow manufacturers to squeeze more and more of everything into just about anything.

But it seems that it’s all for naught.

‘Cuz we don’t want ‘em. 

Not in our cellphones, our PVRs, our TVs, or our cars. Our products, while shrinking in size, are bloating in complexity. Even the iPod, the celebrated consumer product of eternal happiness and goodwill, isn’t immune to this.

I guess I shouldn’t be Surprised. One of the non-negotiable rules of marketing I learned from the late, great Don Tobin back in junior college was the “KISS” rule—Keep It Simple, Stupid (although I had my own interpretation of the KISS rule at that time, which included partying every day…but I digress).

This concept morphed into another adage I coined during my days producing TV and Live shows at Just For Laughs:

"The Audience isn’t as hip as you think they are, or want them to be.” 

In other words...go deep, but not over their heads.

Sometimes, even as the world changes so rapdily, old time wisdom is still relevant.  Or, as I said earlier in my original Surprise manifesto, “Everything new is old again.”

Just Desserts--More Vindication!

Great Seth Godin post about a little Surprise with your after-meal coffee. 

Without going into great detail, it's in response to a piece about McCain's "Sweet Classics" mini-desserts,and how they can add an extra buck or two to your restaurant bill.  Now, as a fitness nutter, I'm all for smaller portions, particularly the sinful sweets. But if I owned a restaurant, I'm sure that by eating the few cents these sugar-bites cost and include them with the after-meal beverage, I'd make it up in Surprise spades with upbeat buzz and return customers. 

Or if I was really hungry--money-wise--I'd ratchet up my overall prices a tad and shout out "Free Desserts!"