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

A Surprising Way To Make A Living (Literally!)

Well well, what better way to start a week than with a kindred spirit who embodies the spirit of this blog...and mixes it up with profit potential.

Such is the story of Maya Gilbert who, along with two friends, has put together a company called "Surprise Industries," which--as she puts it--"crafts surprise experiences in NYC."  (To paraphrase the ancient Red Rose Tea slogan, "Only in New York, you say?  Pity...").  According to Ms. Gilbert, she got the idea by visiting the Something Store (found here and featured in my Pow! book), but said that the real, word-of-mouth-generating win would be from concocting life-altering experiences instead of a random product at your doorstep.

Sound crazy?  Well, these guys seem to be busy planning everything from flight school to sword swallowing (check out their insanely busy schedule), and you never know what you're embarking in or on...until you get there.

Response has been great, so check out the video below (which does a way better job of selling the concept...and the thrilled delightful response to it).

And then hit Maya up for a franchise for your town.

Surprise Industries Teaser from Surprise Industries on Vimeo.

Where Boredom Meets Why Bother

 
I must admit that I dig Tim Hortons.  Go there often, enjoy the coffee, enjoy even more the homespun atmosphere and hardwired interweaving into the cultural fabric of Canada.  You're never far from home when you're near a Timmy's. 

Like all Canucks with a more-than-modest modicum of national success under its belt, Tim Hortons is trying to crack the American market, and as a patriotic compadre, I wish I could wish them well. 

But I'm scared.  Here's why:

This one hurts, guys, as you have become a deserved and much beloved icon above the 49th parallel, but trust me, there is NO WAY you're gonna do it, not a Timbit's chance in a meatgrinder, with a namby-pamby, dull, say-nothing slogan like:

Tim Hortons: 

Where Quality Meets Value

I couldn't believe it when I first heard it, thinking that is was some sort of parody or Canada-bashing joke.  But no, there it was, confirmed in a somewhat biting article in Brandweek.

Not that "Always Fresh" is a work of creative genius, but "Where Quality Meets Value"?  That could be the slogan for 10,000 nondescript, dull, uninspiring businesses, from a corner shoe store to a wholesale meat packing plant.  This is the anti-slogan, one which must've been composed by a mole being surreptitiously funded by Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks or Krispy Kreme...and being high-fived as I write this.

Holy jeez.  Someone PLEASE tell me this is some mistake.  In the meantime, I think I'll drown my sorrows and say my prayers over a single-single.

Book Opening Acts Lead To More Book Openings

Read with interest, and much envy, about Margaret Atwood’s book tour, christened by Maclean’s Mag as her “Traveling Salvation Show.”  Forget stodgy in-store readings or dreary “behind-a-table” encounters, the great dame of Canadian literature has taken to the road with a “show” that features singing, recitals, a full costumed choir and even some eye-popping dance moves (hey, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen Maggie get down) in churches and other non-traditional venues.

Surprise, Surprise indeed, but what was really impressive about Queen Margaret’s tour was that is was more old-school rock ‘n’ roll (tour to sell recorded music) than new-school bookselling (let’s do something different, for Christ’s sake!).

And this got me to thinking…
 
Like great rock tours of yore, when a headlining act would bestow its blessing on a newcomer and expose them to an audience much greater than they could possibly dream of reaching at that stage in their career, why don’t the elite power-authors (Dan Brown, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Mitch Joel et al) use their reach to “break” new writing talent?

Stay with me here.

Let’s say that each copy of Brown’s latest opus was appended with two chapters from a writer that he, and/or his publisher, is particularly enamored with.  Read those chapters, like ‘em, and you can download the rest of the book for a fee.  Or for free.  Or download a mega-deep discount coupon to pick up said new book in store, generating much-needed traffic and the possibility of picking up something else once you’re there.  Or, for a limited time, do a big mofo BOGO promo, where the Brown book is physically bundled with another one, or your choice of three, with a huge honking rubber band.

Anyway, you get the drill. This is more than Amazon recommendations or bookstore shelves proclaiming “If you like this (Harry Potter), you’ll like this (The Hunger Games)."  This is a sampling program with hard product…or at least digital versions of same.

Does it work?  Well, back in my teen days, thanks to the *generosity* of bands like Kiss and Bad Company (or, more likely record company pressure or greed, but I digress), I got to discover then-just-breaking bands like Cheap Trick and Lynyrd Skynyrd (yeah, I know…a long time ago).  More recently, without headlining Damien Rice, I would’ve never gotten to know The Frames.

Movies do this all the time, albeit at the "front of the book” with a series of trailers.  I think the book biz, one that’s in the doldrums, can benefit from seeding the marketplace this way...or some way like this way. 

Yeah, I’ve seen some “added bonus” chapters in books, but the follow-up was passive at best…if anything at all.  What I’d like to see now are the weight-carriers throw their weight around in a way more aggressive, uplifting and “discover this!” manner.

So if any mega-selling author is willing to take up the challenge, I’ve got a perfect book to start with…

Pow! Right Between The Legs

Sometimes, writing this blog is too easy.

Here's today's lob ball, courtesy of "The Laugh Shop" in Calgary's Blackfoot Inn...

Ya know, I ran the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival for 15 years, and saw all types of reactions to comedians--people fell off chairs, tumbled out of seats, needed a hit of oxygen, hit one another, even climed up on stage to smack a performer.

But I never saw anything quite like this. Guess they're funnier out west. 

This is part of a billboard, radio, print and online banner campaign (can't wait to hear the radio ads!).  May not be everyone's taste, but does indeed check the box on the "Shock and Ahhh" category of Surprise-generation.

Uh...just thought of a great ad for a scary House of Horrors next hallowe'en ;)

Shocking Behavior And Continual Disatisfaction

Working on the launch of Airborne’s TXT-TV network has re-sparked my insatiable quest to understand all things about television (remember my Just For Laughs TV producing background?), most notably the screen’s place in the world of social and other newly-relevant media.  That said, the November issue of Fast Company’s very complete piece on Hulu and its CEO Jason Kilar (that's him looking up below) is a great read. 

Amongst Chuck Salter’s detailed reporting and crisp storytelling are a couple of pearls of wisdom; the first very at home here at Surprise Central, the second an odious tell-tale warning to anyone venturing into any business that deals with the public.  To wit, from Kilar:

“Consumer behavior is one of the hardest things to change.  The gap between the existing and the new has to be materially better that it shocks you into a behavior change.”

Early adopters may cut new swaths, particularly in the digital blogfacetweet space, but the vast majority of the real world takes the path of least resistance. Read Neale Martin’s underrated book “Habit: The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore” for a deeper understanding.  Getting them off that path is perhaps marketing’s greatest challenge (which is why I megaphone the shock of Surprise on a constant basis, but you already know that…).

But even if you’re smart and daring and persistent enough to bump a market off said path, you’re far away from easy street.  As said here ad nauseam (but for good reason), Surprise must exist as a continuum to be fully effective. One shock is never enough. Hence the article’s second mammoth point, from analyst Will Richmond of Video-Nuze:

“Hulu was a breakthrough service but people are never satisfied.  It (ostensibly the market for TV on the net) was a desert and Hulu provided water, but now the people also want food and table settings.”

And while you’re giving ‘em that, you’d better be preparing dessert.

Making It Worthwhile To Crack Your Nuts

Here's what we're giving out for Hallowe'en over at Surprise Central:

They're called Washington Walnuts, a classic tactical use of the Time-Bombing tactic explained so eloquently in my oft-mentioned Pow! book.  Each real shell contains a folded up dollar bill, mixes undetected into a bag of regular walnuts, and pays off to a lucky Surprisee once cracked...sort of a positive spin on the ol' razor-blade-in-the-apple or needle-in-the candy Hallowe'en tricks of yore.

They sell for a somewhat steep $15 per bag of three; such is the cost for ingenuity and painstaking labor, I suppose.  You can get yours for yours online from the Shopsin's General Store.

And now, off to answer the first of many knocks at the front door...

Airborne's Scandalous Hallowe'en Lunch, 2009 Edition

Well. once again, the denizens of Airborne Mobile have gone far beyond the boundaries of creativity and decency with their costumes at our annual lunch.  This is one of our great traditions, one that mixes the Surprise of seeing "What Will They Think of Next?" with a sense of camaraderie and team-building. 

Here are a couple of costumes that I can show you without being arrested, sued...or beseeched by job applicants (names and identities withheld to protect the guilty):

  

New this year, thanks to rookie HR Manager Trish Maharaj, was a 30-minute team pumpkin-carving contest, which featured this somewhat violent homage to yours truly and his managerial style:

The ultimate winner showed a little more decorum with this Tim Burton-esque creation:

The end result?  Well, a little mess and a whole lot of come-together fun. The trick is doing things like this.  Always well-appreciated. The treat is who we do it for.

Times may be tough, and the business climate always challenging, but it's days like this that make me appreciate coming to work with those who come to work with me. 

Best Damn Marketing Video of the Year (And Most Surprising, 'natch!)

Powerful, Pow!erful stuff indeed. Trust me, watch this until the very, very end. 

Speaks volumes about the way our mind works, and proves unequivocally the Surprise Theory #3 that Little Things Mean A Lot.

Killer, killer, killer.  Oh please let this be real and not a Balloon Boy-esque hoax! (Much thanks to Caro and Kelly for turning me on to this one.)

Des publicitaires piégés - Blog

The Card That Stays With You

Add yet another member to the Pow! Astonishing Business Card Club.  Embodiment of the Second Great Surprise Theory, namely "Little Things Mean A Lot,"(read the book for the other three) these relatively puny pieces of paper (or plastic, or metal, or what have you) produce results, generate oodles of word-of-mouth, and perform other feats of marketing magic on a dramatically disproportionate level.

That said, check this one out:

Comes from a place called "Gotstyle," which is perhaps the hippest men's store in all of eastern Canada. (So many menswear shops purport to be a "lifestyle" boutique or "full experience," but this hidden gem is the real deal.  Check 'em out here...but back to their card.)

Now, every well-dressed man knows the value of a proper collar stay (this blogger even has his own set of multi-length brass ones in a leather pouch...which would sound perverse if I weren't talking about collar stays...but I digress), and what happens when one goes missing.  Not that you'll ever put this card into action, but the fact that you could if you need to makes it efficient, Pow!-worthy and fun. (Truth be told, these things make a nice little weapon if you need to poke someone's eye out...but I digress once again.)

Before you dismiss this idea as a bit of harmless (well, almost) fluff, consider that the Gotstyle card is one of many made by a company called Collar Card, which includes such sartorial superstars as Saks 5th Avenue, Nordstrom and Brooks Brothers as clients for its patented product, one their website describes as "the perfect product for the traveling businessman or any contemporary man on the go."

Indeed!

The Joy of Unknown Fashion

Gotta say that the Twitterati who follow Pow! (like @ryancoleman, @casiestewart, @luv_ideas and @toestor) came up with a WAY better title to last week's post about the Japanese eatery where what you eat depends on what the person in front of you orders, namely (and simply):

"Pay It Backward"

So where would I be without these faithful, creative FOPs?  Well, without a post today, frankly.  This one's from my son Aidan, who perhaps sent this along as a hint for a gift for his upcoming birthday...

Very reminiscent of the Something Store I profiled in the Pow! book, the Hipstery is a t-shirt site that's way more about selling the element of you-know-what than merely selling a decorated cotton fashion item. The "About" section is more entertaining that most humour sites (particularly their Return Policy, well worth scrolling down to), and obviously, I'm particularly enamored with their philosophy, which goes:

"We believe, in a world increasingly losing mystery through rampaging technological advancement, we're forgetting how to enjoy the unknown, to take a chance. The Hipstery is our response."

So, how does it work?  There's a simple, three-step process (listed below, illustrated above) that connects you to your bounty.  As they put it:

• STEP 1  Pick a size, then take the checkout quiz to tell us about yourself.
• STEP 2  Our t-shirt scientists select the perfect t-shirt for you.
• STEP 3  You receive your mystery shirt, liking it so much you weep with happiness!

Great idea, even greater spirit.  Check 'em out here.

Gives the folks at Surprise Central another reason to keep fighting the fight.

What's For Supper? Literally.

Got this recently from another most generous and enthusiastic reader, Robleh Jama.

RJ here.

I'm a Torontonian slash web entrepreneur (sold my baby sneakerplay.com - a social network for sneaker heads earlier this year)  - and the guy who tweeted about your book a couple of days ago.

I recently purchased your book and I only read the first chapter before my brain was flooded with cool ideas on how to surprise and delight customers...I will definitely be applying this to the project I work on in the future....and am looking forward to reading the rest of the book on flight I'm going on later this evening.

(Okay Andy, enough ego-stroking...get to the point!)

I just had to share this really creative application of "Surprise" service from a cafe in Japan that I came across via PSFK. It's about a mystery cafe called Ogori:

"In a nutshell, you get what the person before you ordered, and the next person gets what you ordered. Thus, if you’re in on the game, you can choose to be either a generous benefactor, and treat those that come after you – or try your luck at being cheap. Either way, it’s an interesting experiment that explores surprise, kindness and encourages interactions." (See photo below.)

How cool, and exciting, and scary, is this?  Gives a new meaning to "Uh, I'll have what she's having," doesn't it?  Check out the full story here.

So...why do this?  Well, one of the four main theories of creating Surprise is "Sometimes, There IS No Reason." There's a lot to say about the Karma you're puttin' out by playing the game, and it indeed DOES get people talking more than they would about your average Japanese corner snackbar.  To quote Cabel Saasser, who sent the story into the PSFK blog, "It was SO worth it."

No arguments here.

Those Who Like It, Like It A Lot (Especially in the Philippines)

One of the questions I am most frequently asked is:

"How's the Pow! book going?"

My answer usually is this:

"Dan Brown or Malcolm Gladwell ain't shaking in their boots, but what I lack in sales power...I make up in impact."

What I've discovered is that Surprise is an acquired taste...like Maker's Mark bourbon, or Tom Waits (essentially, the same thing, but I digress).  I suppose if I can borrow a slogan from Alexander Keith's Pale Ale:

"Those who like it, like it a lot."

Case in point is this email I got from Matthew Aligaen-Cua, an entrepreneur and student of Applied Chemistry at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines.  I've cut it down a bit, but tried to leave in his unbridled enthusiasm (so please excuse his intermittent grammar miscues, as it doesn't seem that English is his mother tongue) :

Hi Andy, 

After months of search your book here in the Philippines I finally got hold of it ! Woohoo ! And I'm blown away by your book. I must say this is one of the rare books that stops me to reach out for a pen and paper to write down stuff and ideas that is coming into my brain !

I just turned 21 and about to graduate from college and pretty much went all in loaning $30,000 to start a new company, everyone is pretty shocked to know what I did. WTH Matthew! is something that I keep on hearing and well sometimes it gets to you and thanks to your book I feel energized again.

I usually come up with crazy ideas and often apply it like start free photocopying for students (and actually making money out of it). Your book made what I did make sense even more and your book also gave me a few tips on how to create more POWS! and actually implementing it.

Cheers,

Matthew

Below is a picture of Matthew, a kid who has pride in his country and is busting butt to succeed within some less-than-ideal parameters there.  And check out the free photocopying business he launched.  (But baseball cap with a suit?  We need a wardrobe consult, my friend!)

So no, I ain't no Gladwell or Dan Brown or Tom Peters. 

But it's stuff like this that makes writing the book more than worthwhile.

Reverse Snobbery

Love this for many reasons, not the least of 'em being that it was sent from my son Hayes over the weekend from Chicago.

You've seen this in high-faultin' restaurants, haven't ya? (You know, the ones where you don't use words like "high-falutin'" and "ya.")  Where the '84 Napa Cav is paired with the sauteed duck, and the Brunello is paired with the veal paillard?

Well, this from the cuisines of Burger King and the cellars of Coca-Cola:

If you can't read it, Coke is described as "Real, full-bodied taste with a refreshing bubbly finish" and pairs well with Whoppers.  Sprite has a "Crisp and full body with a whole lotta character" and pairs well with BK Chicken Fries (of course!), The Angus and Tendercrisp, while Dr, Pepper, whose "23 fruity flavors give it pep" pairs well with all of BK's Stackers.

A wine and cheeseburger party, anyone?

Better Late Than Never (Still Tastes Sweet)

Uh, where was I last year when this was all the rage?  Rip Van Winkin' perhaps?  Jeez, I could've used this as a prime example for the Pow! book...

If you haven't already seen this (and if I missed it, chances are...), take a look at a most ingenious campaign for the next wave in all-inclusive mobile devices.  Who needs an Apple iPhone when you can have a Pomegranate MePhone?

Don't want to blow it for those of you who will see it for the first time (click on the link above or the picture), but given the truly inspired approach, I can forgive the somewhat contrived connection between the device and the reason for its creation. 

Once you get there, and get it, think of all the other ways--boats, lobsters, fish--the client could've TRIED to get your attention.

And think about what you've done that is STILL getting attention one year later.

Too late for the book indeed.  But definitely an add to the Pow! speeches.