Good Examples
Last month, I told you about conspiracy theorists who tried to āproveā that the moon landings were a hoax. (Hereās that email.) In that email, I noted that many marketers remind me of the conspiracy theorists. They take a couple of facts and paste them together to create a wacky, inaccurate picture. A few weeks ago, my…
I was planning to send a different email to you today. …until I checked my inbox this morning and opened one of the best cold-call emails Iāve ever received. I wanted to share it with you because itās sooooo good and you can learn so much from it. It begins: āHey Tom, Curious if you’re…
I was cleaning out some old files and found the āDress Code Policyā for one of my early jobs. Coat and tie required. No jeans. Closed-top shoes. No sneakers. Etc. Etc. Etc. Blah blah blah. That was 1998. Times have changed. I remember the first time I worked at a place with āCasual Fridays.ā It…
When Ben Franklin was a young man, he turned a rival into a fan with a brilliant, counterintuitive move. Ben had co-founded a literary and debate society and served as clerk. When he ran for reelection as clerk, the rival ripped Ben in a long, hateful speech. Rather than counterpunch, Ben asked the hater for…
When I asked Tim Dean to describe his ideal client for me, his answer blew me away. Tim is a life coach whom I ran into at a networking event. His ideal client: āParents of a millenial son or daughter who is living at home.ā Weāve all heard the old adage about finding a niche…
In 1911, Bobby Leach went over Niagara Falls in a barrel. On purpose. He broke a few bones and spent a few months in the hospital. But that was OK with him. He survivedā¦ …and then he cashed in on his fame. He wasnāt the first person to survive that fall. A woman named Annie…
I got a call last month from my son, Jacob, who declared, āIām never flying United Airlines again!ā Hereās why he was so upsetā¦ Jacob was at the Denver airport, at one of those self-serve check-in kiosks. It was crowded and hectic. There was a long line to get through security. He was frazzled. He…
When I was a dumb kid, I feared my IQ would drop if I had my wisdom teeth pulled. I was over that by the time I was 19 and dating Kathy. She had her wisdom teeth pulled the summer we dated. She couldnāt stand the pain. I suggested she rinse with warm salt water.…
On April Foolās Day 1998, Burger King ran a full-page advertisement in USA Today to introduce the new āLeft-Handed Whopperā The ad proclaimed: āFinally, after years of neglect, left-handed eaters will no longer need to conform to traditional right-handed eating methods when enjoying Americaās favorite burger.ā Highlights: āWhopper rotated a full 180-degrees to ensure better grip on bunā¦ā āRearranged orientation of…
This is the story of how a bottle of foot powder was elected Mayor of a town in Ecuador. Iām not kidding. During the 1967 mayoral election in PicoazĆ (population 4,000), a foot powder company launched an ad campaign with this slogan: āVote for any candidate, but if you want well-being and hygiene, vote for…