“Weird” “This commercial is just creepy” “Bizarre, but funny” “Brilliant!” “Over the top. Was the creative team on acid?” “Horrifying, dumb, disturbing.” “The funniest commercial I have ever seen” “I would never buy Old Spice” “Bring back Mustafa” “Solid gold. Give Old Spice all the awards” Those are just some of the comments I encountered when I asked a … [Read more...]
Making the unremarkable REMARKABLE through the unexpected: one more secret to generating word of mouth
With the season of little black cocktail dresses on the horizon, what better way to switch it up than to look at a new application for black. While “Orange is the New Black” is a hit TV program with many, apparently when it comes to toilet paper, black might be the new white. Who knew? Apparently the most mundane and functional of items, toilet paper, was due for a … [Read more...]
Are you ready to buy with a QR code or NFC tag?
I initially stumbled onto the Walmart toy display by accident. It was Nov 5th, and I was barely recovering from receiving my coffee from Starbucks in a Christmas cup. I still had a burnt out pumpkin on my deck from Halloween. And I wasn’t even IN Walmart at the time, so let’s call it an “unprovoked attack” of holiday marketing. I’ve only brought myself to write about … [Read more...]
In search of the secret sauce for an Epic Viral (split?) video
Seems many marketers are in search of the epic viral hit these days. “Make a video and make it go viral,” they say. Seems simple on the surface. Heck, if a cat spinning from a ceiling fan or a chemist blending things that aught not to be blended can garner millions of hits, how hard can it be? Yet the secret sauce eludes for most. The whole question of what makes … [Read more...]
Could the secret to increasing sales actually be about selectively sharing secrets & limiting access?
Psst! I’ve got some secrets to share. We're going to explore the idea of secrecy and limiting access as a marketing ploy to increase demand and sales. “Please don’t tell,” or PDT to regulars, is a secret cocktail bar in New York City. While it’s a lot less hidden these days due to the “secret” word getting out, the concept is unique and certainly word of mouth worthy. … [Read more...]








