Guy with ideas that matter!

I have always respected the 37 signals team,

their products are great and functional.

In March next year their book “Rework” is coming out

and if you are at least a bit serious about being happy and successful (not the other way around)

you can’t miss it!

http://www.amazon.com/Rework-Jason-Fried/dp/0307463745

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Tom Watson had an awesome week.

As a 59-year old golfer he showed at the British Open golf tournament in Turnberry, Scottland

that anything can be done with a little belief in your powers.

This guy not only performed well, qualified all the way to the finals, but also came close to winning it.

At 59! WOW. What a legend.

If only the homeowners who started today’s mess would have the same spirit, there would be no mess.

The point is to never stop participating in life, and contributing what you best can.

And this way you will be another Tom Watson in whatever you do, even on a small scale.

It all counts.

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Went to see Bruno today.

A lot of expectations for a Borat comeback but it did not deliver those.

Instead it was trying to make the case by pushing out gags here and there,

and they were not bad but hold on where is the story?

I mean Borat boy that was an epic journey with ups and downs,

here you have an obnoxious guy who is funny but I can quite put that into context.

Takeaway for me was if you are trying to communicate some message and inlfluence your audience,

you better have a story.

So you do not end up with a shorter attention span (which then dissolves), not to mention engagement

and influencing some action like a purchase or signup to your offering.

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Ok now you may not know this but 20 years ago in Poland (where I come from)

it was hard to find products. Even the simplest ones.

Customers had to wait a few hours to get their bread, milk, butter, tea

(if they were lucky enough that day).

Leaving the political side of it, there is an opportunity side of it for you.

Can you make your service/product so great,

market it so great

let people know you are there so great

that they just can’t resist that level of great greatness

and form a few hours lines?

Just like the Apple’s iPhone?

If you already do that, that’s great.

If not, then you suddenly stand in a century-long line of your competitors waiting

for a line in front of your shop.

And you know what is even more great?

Make that a long-term strategy not just an overnight fad wave that falls flat sooner then you notice.

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Walking the streets of downtown Minneapolis today I noticed Coca Cola Zero buckets

set in different locations, by stores and sidewalks.

As I was walking towards it I thought :

“Damn what will they want me to do now?”

My inbox will not survive another mailing list.

Surprisingly as I got closer to it I was given two

free cans of Coke Zero. And maybe I was the only one

that got away with it but they did not want anything from me.

And I don’t ever buy Coke Zero but this nice little gesture

made my day just a little more fun and made room for the brand in my head.

Maybe it will even make me buy a can and a sports mag to go with it?

Anyway, the point is : Whatever campaign, product lunch, service you are working on

make it pleasurable and don’t try to push the message down my throat.

Hand fun, valuable, relevant stuff, step back and wait.

Because I will come back, it just might not be that very second.

However, if you have nothing to make me a little more happy

I will keep walking.

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Yesterday I had a chance to participate in a great Father’s Day event

although I am still not a father it was fun.

It was all about small weiner dogs racing on a real horse-track.

Huh? Strange, weird, unconventional?! Yes!

And the whole point was that the organisers made it look real and fun.

Each dog was assigned a space with his name, got his racing suit with a color and number

and had a spot at the gate.

Now you might ask why. The answer is : WHY NOT?!

The racetrack had spectacular attendance even tough the weather almost got the event cancelled.

Thousands of people watched 12 weiner dogs race 35yards.

Point in all of this is: Can you throw an event like this?

Whether its for advertising wine, puppet dogs, new GM car or iPhone 5.5.1.2  (whatever)

enable people to have fun, talk about it, take picutres and video, share it, promote it

and most important don’t make it about yourself or your product.

Make it about the people for the people

sales will come, just give it a while.

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As we all know the marketing industry operates on models,

some of them are effective and useful and some totally useless

and only make those who use them feel goof but don’t drive results.

I am a true believer of the subconscious and those who research it thoroughly.

Subconsciously you know its true.

Because emotions matter I don’t care how efficient your model might be,

I mean how can you predict one’s life, behaviour, choices and lifestyle looking at a pie chart?

What makes me wonder is when will we see consumers figuring it out

and brands in need of catching up with them?

I think consumers will outsmart marketing execs.

at least subconsciously.

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Today’s economy is not only bad on financial levels

it had a far worse effect on our emotions – we stopped believing in our capabilities

and that crisis is far worse than the foreclosures.

There is no magic gaussian formula, tool, gimmick or company that can fix it for us.

Its up to ourself to regain the belief that WE CAN FIX THIS and most importantly

take an active action about it. Embrace creativity, don’t think about limits.

So next time you spill a glass (both literally and as a metaphor)

don’t get pissed off, smile, pick it up and move forward.

Because there is nothing you can do about things you can’t control

focus on those that you can.

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I was a visitor at an “Art Fair” and there were some cool vendors.

A guy selling handmade guitars from Portugese wood,

pottery from a lost highway, wine cork guy with unique design “one size fit all”,

photographers, musicians and professional landscape designers.

The point was that there were some great products and offers out there

but very little marketing.

Now how do you recognise that?

You walk past the vendors, there is not that much participation,

they sit there waiting for you to come up and suddenly fall in love with their

product/service. Now miracles happen but its rare.

All of them look like they are physically there but mentally

on a beach in Florida.

Now that could only happen if they sold all of their products,

but wait aren’t they here for that in the first place?

So if you have a fun product/service that people can benefit from

and you have been working for it 25 years

show some passion, commit, CARE.

Because if you don’t care, I certainly won’t.

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I noticed a few of those t-shirts around lately in the US:

Now think about the first feeling that you associate the word with…

ANGER! You want to figure out who the person who SPAMed you was

and (quoting the great Soprano family) “take care of them.”

If however you are on the other side pressing the “send” button I urge you

to think twice about what you are doing. Make sure that the “e-mail marketing”,

“online promotion” or whatever the name you are giving it may be,

is not a simple form of trespassing.

Its easy to get in but you never get invited back.

Instead create some useful story, content that will resonate with your audience

in an engaging way. Ask them what are their concerns, questions

and build around those. You would be surprised how much more effective it is.

Don’t have the time? Well then you better keep breaking in, being shouted at

and never liked again. Your call.

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