With al beauty focusing in our society it a need for a change. There is a market for used things even for used relations. It is no bad to be a brand also a market for ugly things (beauty is coming from the inside). Too little fun and buzz on the date sites, with generic concepts. They al say that they deliver but maybe not what I am looking for?
I did a big mistake for many years a go, at one of my first lectures. For a big audience I wanted to show them evidence of that “the bad taste is big business” does exist. So I asked them do you now how many records Barry Manilow sells a year? No they answers they I fill in I don’t know but it is millions and he makes billions. But at one lecture two persons in the audience replayed, “we have his records and we don’t think it is bad taste!” The point is good anyway but I don’t use it anymore (but I wont by his record).

When will we se Date-A-Wreck.com up and rolling?

I personally love the Rent-A-Wreck concept. First when I did here about it was in the states when I started to complain about that al the cars I could see and rent was to new and didn’t have the right old American feeling. But someone else did find the solution before me – Rent-A-Wreck. I wonder when we will see the same service in dating? It could be named Date-A-Wreck.com as counterbalance to al the beauty focus the society are throwing on us. And I don’t think beauty is what al people are looking for. This dating service could be places where soul mates meet that are not looking for a beautiful shell.
How is this solution a bad idea? Ore is it a case full of demand from consumers? Why is the dating business, big business? What do you think “the bad taste is big business” does exist? Witch is the worlds biggest bad taste brands?

Companies span the entire range from ONE to customer-oriented to companies that can’t even be bothered to answer the phone (insurance companies and banks, consider yourselves warned). Where does your company place? How ONE is it? Here is a ten-step test you can use to see how well prepared your company is for the coming consumer revolution.

Ten-step test for ONE
1. If you close your eyes, can you see yourself as a customer of your own company? Do you see yourself in the brand mirror? If not, pretend you’re a customer and inform your boss.
2. Call in and ask to speak to yourself. Be happy, angry, or wrong and see how you are treated.
3. If your company sells retail, put on an exhibition of customer-designed products. If the products sell, congratulate the head of purchasing for his or her good work. Write a press release.
4. Survey your company’s partners and suppliers. Do you have common interests, common customers? And, what can you do with that synergy?
5. Trial and error made Dell a Fortune 500 company. How often do you dare to fail?
6. Who at your company hears the customer’s voice first? How many customers have you hired?
7. It should never take more than 20 seconds to find the information you need on the company website. Does your company make the grade? Can customers communicate with each other on the site? Is your website interactive or is it more of a store window?
8. Benchmark other industries and learn from their mistakes and successes.
9. Would you want to be a customer at your own company? If not, perhaps you should start your own company.
10. How much time does your CEO spend with customers? IKEA’s CEO, Ingvar Kamprad, spends a large part of his time with the customers. Dell’s CEO, Michael Dell, spends at least 40 percent of his time with his customers.
11. Add at least three to five more tests to this list. Please drop me an email here and tell me how it goes.

I wish I got the time to write al my book ideas but I don’t. Most of creative work is what I call “the art to see” and here is something for you to see. A hot bestseller right now is The Game by Neil Strauss a dating book for men in which the secrets in how to success getting dates with woman are developed into sort of a game. Al the woman I have been talking with about the book say that they “hate it” – but still they cant deny that it works (at least for getting dates, not relations). Here is the book idea for an bestseller to the opposite target group:

Write a book on how the manipulation in the dating “game” works. And how to see how is real and how is in it for the game and not the relation. Think a woman would be best to write this book, she could do interview with woman and man about how the game really works. A man could also write it with some journalist skills.
A book that has a demand is good, but it will not be a bestseller if it is not been read of the right target group etc. Seth Godin is sharing really good tips and tricks for you how to get your coming bestseller out on the market, read more.
Good luck with both the book and the dating research. Send me a copy when its out, I am source you will write it much better than I ever would done.

In the war industry they build brands to scare. They attract buyers by building scary brands – F16 is not only a war aircraft its a brand that scars its enemy of to back off. The fear factor also work for brands as Harley-Davidson.

The fear factor in branding is working like a magnet (the gravity force works in both ways).

What is the fear factor for: insurance, Jeep, holidays, traveling etc?

A company that has managed to make the product its spokesman is Apple. The company’s computers replaced the square, grey, box that was once mandatory for all computers with unique modern design and vibrant colours. The computers gave consumers personality and colour. In return, consumers gave Apple enthusiastic fans. I have had an Apple since the Mac Plus in the 80’s. I’ve always wondered why most of Apple’s best advertising addresses people who’ve been using the product for a long time rather than to first time users? Can a product be superior without succeeding? My laptop is attracting admiring looks as I write this sitting at a cafe. This product creates story-telling. Apple’s Macintosh has what many consider a superior operating system, superior hardware, superior design and a brand image that is practically an icon. Yet, Apple has never managed to capture more than 5-10% of the PC market. Why?

Seth Godin is pointing out a “brick by brick” solution on his blog today:

“If you are swinging for the fences all the time, looking for one, you might end up striking out a lot. Bricks, on the other hand, are the way most industries are won.” Seth Godin

I have seen a switcher in real life. One of my friends who was a PC lover and an Apple hater, bought an iPod (a good switcher product). He was so taken with the product that he later bought an Apple computer as well. I couldn’t resist sending him a basket of fresh apples.

Apple could broaden its business even more than with just the iPod. Dell is expanding into all sorts of business areas with great success and Apple could do the same or better. In every home, a switch is imminent from the old boxes we called TV’s to new digital technology. The home TV market is changing and the time is right for Apple to take a share of that market. Millions of people already have home cinema equipment (DVD, surround sound), but the big screen projection is not particularly impressive.
How can brands sell their offer brick by brick ore as a switcher product?

Summertime and swimming is a good combination. Swimming and bloging is perfect combination in my experience. What I mean is that when I swim al my creative thinking is so good processed, that swimming save me time. After swimming an hour, I have at least one weeks work done. Don’t tell this to my consulting client for they will then only pay me for swimming (but it would be quite cool to be a professional swimmer).

Water is a perfect think tank for open minds in a transparent market.

Here is a way for you to make your swimming time to become “a creative water workshop:”

Public swimming pools are often divided into a number of lanes based on different activities: training, exercise, instruction, diving, etc. The customers are the ones that make the system work. They all have different needs, yet they all share the same water. Here there are endless parallels with the marketplace.

I don’t take responsibility for your safety ore others around in the swimming pool. But it would be great to read your test report from the water workshop.

It sounds like science fiction but the toy industry is right now looking in to how toys can be physical connected with kids. This means that kids don’t need to use their hands ore even their eyes to play with this future toys. Why are the toy industries doing this? Kids are more open for new things (they want to be more extreme than their parents ware at their age). Toys are BIG money so they have resources for research. Traditional toy manufactures need to fill the gap between “old traditional toys” and “computer games.” Kids are the wildest and fastest target group on earth when it comes to BUZZ around a new product.

Evolution and Revolution is connected

Lets look at an idea how it could look at an introduction of the toys. Lets say Harry Potter is going to release a new movie. Lets start with invited 500 kids in the 200 biggest cities in the world for the premier night. They al sit down together with some reporters that like to share the experience with the rest of the world. When they enter the cinema, they do get a new toy that connect to their brain. The movie starts but there is nothing on the cinema screen (everything is coming from the new toy machine direct into the kids senses). It will be a total illusion. Kids don’t then watch Harry Potter, they a part of the story and can choose to be Harry ore somebody else in the story. If they like to see the film as a game they can choose level of interaction with the movie. This means that you can be a part of the cinema. I guess the problem with mobiles phones sounds in the cinema is gone…
This kind of research is being done right now (secret sources). I wont go in to all the complicated issues when it comes to the ethical part of doing this toy machines. It is a dangerous road, where fantasy and reality can be mixed up for the kids. But at the same time some evolution theories are pointing out that homo sapiens wont develop if we don’t get mixed with a computer ore some other animals (think parents prefer computers).

Today’s toys are anti-creative

When I was a kid I did not always had al the toys needed to play whatever felt to play for the moment. Then I used cheers as cars and other stuff around in the house. I believe this is one of the reasons for why I developed my fantasy and are today working with workshops and make CEOs play on new markets. The toys that we did use back in the days where more of a box that you could get out of the box with (a build what you like concept). But if you go to a toy store today you will find a lot of boxes locked in “build this x model only” concept, with a total fantasy free handbook how to build it. This kids are growing into work life some of them will need a handbook ore maybe a lot of creative workshops to get business moving.

Today products are only tomorrow’s museum

If the new toys hit the market with a build in connection to kids brains then tomorrow’s workplace is going to be an interesting and creative business place. It would also make today’s computers, mobiles and other product to belong to a museum. I guess for most of us it would be the same situation as the grand old lady I was talking to at the train yesterday: “I could not believe that the television was real when I fist heard of it. Real moving pictures in our home.”
When will Harry Potter release this kind of “brain connect” movie? How will computers and mobiles etc work then? Is this marketer’s dream, when they can build top of mind brands inside our heads? What do you think of the ethical issues of this new toys future? What do you think of the lady on the train? What were your favorite toys? Did you toys develop you creative thinking as a kid? MacDonald’s are spreading more toys than anyone on the earth, how will they mix the commercial needs with the ethical issues do you think?

We’re all egoists (maybe not you and me, but everyone else) and we all want to live in paradise. To sell to the egoist in us, a brand has to create a bit of that paradise. What most brands forget is that paradise building goes on long after the act of consumption. No one wants to sit all alone with his or her wonderful telephones, faxes, and computers. Everyone wants to play with those toys, yet it isn’t the toy that’s the main thing; it’s the play. Everyone wants someone to interact with; everyone wants the positive brand experience to continue.

Are companies out after a divorce, with their consumers?

When you get married you get a ring on your finger, a symbol that helps make the act more concrete. In the corporate world, however, the company’s interest lasts as long as the act of
consumption. After that, the company doesn’t want to hear from you and will only talk to you if you have a complaint – a bit like the tail end of a bad marriage.

Yesterday was the grand finale at the Pride parade in Stockholm 35.000 joined the parade in colors from the rainbow and 350.000 in the audience open their mind and become ONE. Gay pride is a big movement in changing minds (and that’s why it started). This year it was full of gay tourist that did spend their money in Stockholm (pink money). The commercial level of this parade is growing because of the visible money (new media channels etc) that the guy community is investing in brands.

The tin opener for the gay community to attract the corporate world started as pink but wild end in the colors of the rainbow.

ONE reader Lars Johansson did send me the photo above and with good input from the festival (thanks Lars). Brands like IKEA and MER (more) did make slogans that were talking to the community direct: “Get in to the wardrobe” and “Make love MORE.” I think that the level of the money is so big that most marketing managers should soon be dressed in pink.
How can different organizations learn from pride parade? Is the commercial level going to growing from green to rainbow colors in al markets? Is the best concept the ONE everybody can dance to?

Monkeys don’t go to gym, for they live as ONE with their nature of their surroundings. Even if I as a consultant sometimes am working as a “gym trainer” for CEOs I rather set them free in to the nature where they belong. When they let the monkey in them go fee and climb, seeing and feeling what’s out their with their consumers, they will become ONE with nature of business.

Is the reality to complicated then the Zoo at the boardroom?

An example is products that are connected with the great outdoors. The relationship is not always visible in the city, nor are the activities of environmental groups tangible. It is only when there is a concrete connection to what these groups are trying to protect, that a genuine response and true commitment can be inspired.

The difference between a monkey and a human is only around 1%. It is even less between a CEO and a consumer.

Showroom Naturelle
Manufacturers of sporting goods, outdoor clothing, fishing equipment, jeeps and the like have a strong need to communicate on a concrete level. Even nature reserves and national forests can be marketing in a more tangible way. A showroom can be built at a subway station or an airport. The showroom could feature a real forest with live animals and a babbling brook. Climate and genuine forest sounds can be simulated in realistic manner. From the subway with fluorescent lighting straight into the woods. There can be “moose crossing” signs posted around town along with teasers reading: “Deer have been sighted in the subway!”

When the country literally comes to the city, more big city people will become aware of the importance of a clean environment.

The total market for all participating companies would increase proportional to the amount of increased environmental consciousness. Environmental groups can communicate that this is something we all must work together to solve. The target group is active people, that is, people in motion and these people are most easily reached in a subway or at the airport. Where there is movement, there is also consciousness. When consciousness is affected new forms of communications are created.
Experiences in showrooms show conscious or sub-conscious needs which lead to new patterns of consumption.
Other countries’ tourist boards could use showrooms in subways to build miniature replicas of their respective countries. One week Turkey, the next, Tanzania. The idea is to wake curiosity and a longing to see the country for oneself. What values are created when the subway company can advertise: “We can take you around the world, one flight down”?
I leave it to the reader to ponder the implications.
So way pay does CEOs pay for the gym?