Mike Wagner has yet another fascinating post pondering the wisdom of incomplete brands. I love his thoughts and wonder why we don’t acknowledge how often the customer is wielding the paint brush, let alone encourage them to do it more.
I’ve always been an avid reader, but lately I have come across some outstanding books that have changed the way I look at things forever. I’ll explain why I (might) highly recommend you pick these two books up today.
Made to Stick, Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Who should buy this book: Anyone who needs to sell ideas. In today’s idea economy, that’s pretty much everyone.
What this book changes: Even the best ideas die too young. Made to Stick changes the way you present ideas so they’re “stickier” and therefore more likely to live on.
What I liked: The Heath brothers did a great job of distilling a formula for packaging great ideas. They show how this formula is evident in today’s stickiest ideas as well as some that have lasted thousands of years.
What I didn’t like: I really enjoyed the book, so what I didn’t like is fairly superficial. I didn’t care for their choice in acrostic (S.U.C.C.E.S.S.). It works to communicate the message (the stickiest ideas are simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and stories) but it seems a bit generic, long, and duplicate letters (three s’s and two c’s). Ironically, I think it causes their acrostic to fail its own test by not being simple.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Fingerprints
The Houdini Solution by Ernie Schenck
Who should buy this book: Those seeking a higher level of creativity at work. Those who don’t think they’re creative. The hypercreative who are constantly shot down because their ideas are “too far out there.”
What this book changes: The Houdini Solution removes some of the mystique from creativity. It fights the notion that truly creative ideas are all OUTSIDE the box. It shows how accepting your boundaries actually can increase creativity and make it more effective.
What I liked: “The Houdini 50″ – a list of 50 creative training techniques selected by Ernie are printed at the back of the book. This list by itself is worth the cost of buying the book. Also, the book is very approachable. Even though Ernie is an advertising expert, this book speaks to people with no ad experience at all. His precepts are applicable to almost any field.
What I didn’t like: The cover. It’s simply not compelling and I’m afraid many will pass over it because it doesn’t truly communicate the message within. The message focuses on thinking INSIDE the box… but there’s no box on the cover.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Fingerprints
Under the magnifying lens:
Pop! Stand Out In Any Crowd by Sam Horn
An enjoyable and somewhat surprising read so far. I’ll be reviewing this book in the near future.
Several Christmas seasons ago, we were spending time with my wife’s family. My sister-in-law Wendy asked her husband if he wanted more egg nog. “Would you like more, Steve?” she asked.
Overhearing this, their young son decided he wanted another glass. Having heard his parents’ exchange, he now knew what to ask for. “Can I have some more steve too?” Of course we erupted into laughter as we saw his child-like logic make an unusual connection. We now call egg-nog “steve” occasionally.
I’m fortunate in life to have a wonderful younger brother by birth, Nick. I was the artist, he was the athlete. But we always seemed to have a great time together (and still do). Nick always wanted a younger brother, so I told him he could order one from the Sears catalog. But that’s another story.
I never had a big brother, but if I considered anyone a big brother – it is Steve. He has advised me on decisions affecting my career, my family, and my spiritual path. Even though his career moved him to Texas several years ago, I still consider him an invaluable mentor.
Now Steve is offering his sage advise to many others. He has been blogging for a while and comments here from time to time. I would encourage you to check out his Waypoint blog. You’ll find good advice as you make decisions on your career, your family, and your spiritual path.
Go get some “more Steve.”
Beyond Marketing & Advertising Ribbon Cutting
My business partner Sandy cuts the ribbon with me, Alee (hiding behind me), and the Jenks Chamber of Commerce.
Sandy and I are excited to announce the opening of Beyond Marketing & Advertising, a full-service ad agency outside Tulsa, OK.
Our office is located inside the beautiful RiverWalk Crossing center in Jenks, OK.
I’ll still be blogging here at Casual Fridays and will continue doing some work (speaking & consulting) under The People Brand. We feel like Sandy’s broadcast advertising experience balances nicely with my non-traditional approaches to marketing.
So, it’s an exciting time over here and changes keep happening. Just thought I’d share the happenings.
Here are a few tidbits from my presentation yesterday. I spent most of my blog time (and more) preparing to speak at Entrepreneur’s Day, so this might be my only post this week.
The Marketing Proverb
If this is a marketing proverb, what is the moral?
or, some ad agencies prefer to
…simply entertain.
Do you ask this question?
How did you hear about us?
TV
Radio
Newspaper
Direct Mail
Billboard
Other
Hey car dealers… want to see some results?
When you see 71% of car purchasing decisions are influenced by word of mouth…
You’re right, but you can…
How do you influence word of mouth?
I’m not talking fashion trendsetters (unless you’re an apparel company). If you’re a technology company, these are the geeks. They’re the raving fans of your industry.
Do you make it easy for people to hand off your message to others? More on this here.
The coupon above might get one person to show up, but it doesn’t encourage them to hand off the baton.
This coupon creates social currency. “You’ll like me more because I got us all free drinks.”
Online (blogs/message boards) or offline (customer advisory boards/customer events).
So, maybe we add two lines to our marketing proverb:
And the moral of our NEW proverb is…
