November 11, 2006

"Think of a Card, Any Card"

I just read a book about a card sharp who taught himself to deal from the center of the deck. Needless to say, an undetected deal from the center of the deck is a very difficult maneuver! The technique which he devised required him to strengthen his fingers which were already very strong and nimble. He regularly pressed each finger against the wall and also put small balls between his fingers and then formed a fist. These exercised, along with many many hours of practice, enabled him to perfect the technique.

The book colorfully describes the 1920's and '30's world of card sharps and magicians. And, in doing so, it reveals the secrets behind many card tricks.

One (of many) that I never knew is that the most common way of knowing which card you've chosen when the magician says, "Think of a card, any card," is that the magician has actually shown you a card...but he does it so quickly that you don't realize he has done it...although you DO remember the card and that's the one you "think of."

Well, of course, this is an early example of product placement. The product is in the show...we don't necessarily notice it...but, when we set out to make a purchase decision, lo and behold we choose that product.

It's Vance Packard's Hidden Persuaders all over again!

Have It Your Way

Successful companies these days are providing ways for their customers to individualize their experience with the company's product or service. A great example is Crocs, those brightly colored synthetic shoes that have soared in sales (sales are expected to triple in '07, vs '05). The current issue of Business 2.0 has a good article on the company. Not only can customers buy their Crocs in a wide variety of colors, but now they can adorn their Crocs with Jibbitz, various plastic whatevers that fit into the holes of one's Crocs. Yet another way to have it YOUR way.

Makes me realize that if any company these days isn't giving their customers a way to individualize their experience, they are really missing the boat.

November 7, 2006

Back from the Mountains

Delay in posts caused by business travel and then four days of hiking Vermont's 270-mile Long Trail. Typically at this time of year, the trail is covered in snow and not accessible to hikers. Not so this year. There was only a slight dusting of snow.

Winter's cold is not only arriving later in Vermont, it's also lasting a shorter length of time. Maple sugar season used to consistently start in March. Now it's more likely to start in February.

Between1816 and 1940, Lake Champlain froze over during all but six of those 124 years. In recent years, the lake hasn't frozen at all.

These are hard fact proofs of global warming in just one small piece of our precious planet.

There doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency about this issue from our federal government, so it seems to me that the action needs to be local. As we've written before, the answers are not very complex. It's only a matter of will and commitment...and that's something that we marketers ought to be able to catalyze. It's what we do.

Outside In

One of Steve Wynn's innovative ideas for his new Wynn Resort in Las Vegas was that instead of displaying its glamour and glitter on the outside (like the fountains in front of The Bellagio or the jungle in front of The Mirage), his new resort would present an austere exterior and save all the good stuff for when you came inside.

That's just what he's done, and it's a runaway success.

Now I read that the new Tysons Corner Center mall in McLean, Virginia is picking up on the Wynn idea and presenting rather anonymous facades of stores rather than traditional glass exposures.

As any seductress knows, what you don't show is often more tantalizing than what you do show. That seems to be the theory behind these stores, and people are really digging it.

People really enjoy discovery. They like to be surprised and engaged. And setting it all out there from the git go just doesn't adequately involve the customer. I'd say the Tysons Corner Center - like Steve Wynn- is really on to something.