At Craig‘s recommendation, I've been reading Jim Collins‘ latest: How the Mighty Fall. Excellent, fascinating read.

Upon first glance, what grabbed my attention most was the cover design. Not necessarily because of its greatness or lack thereof. Rather, because it made me want to drink a Coke Zero (and no, I am not obsessed with Coke Zero…I know this will be my 2nd post about it, the previous being: Hello Soda, meet Gender).

Collins cover design is remarkably similar…don't you think? Same colors, similar font & simplistic style.

It started me thinking…if Coke created their Zero product to appeal to men, and designed the packaging accordingly, did Collins take a page (no pun intended) from their strategy in an attempt to also focus the marketing of his book to men?

And whether he did intentionally copy Coke Zero's design or not, would it be a bad thing if he had?

What if – like Collins – you are trying to sell a completely different product in an entirely different market (like business books vs sodas)?

Is copycating always a bad thing, or can it be a sometimes smart, clever, or shrewd move?

Personally, I am torn. Part of me wants to cry out against copycating, "no, no – be original. be your own man! no posers allowed!". But the other part sees it as a shrewd move…let someone else do the heavy lifting. This comes with the caveat (of course) that you should never, nor can you effectively, copycat a competitor.

Thoughts?

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I've been reading Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. A wonderful extension to recent films King Corn and Food, Inc. and (both of which were inspired by the book), TOD goes into even greater detail about the history and causes of our national eating disorder. Any food-eating American who is either literate, knows where their local movie theater is located, or has access to a DVD player owes it to themselves to spend some time with at least one of the above resources.

I'm about half-way through the book now, and one of the most fascinating subjects is the comparison between two drastically different approaches to designing a food system: the industrialized system and the much smaller, pastoral operation (the picturesque farm most of us think of). Unfortunately the former is where almost all our food comes from and the latter is more or less a fringe movement.

It would be too difficult to get into all that TOD details, so I made these little, simplified diagrams show the basic differences between the two approaches. It's amazing how we've turned a process that was essentially free (solar energy, built-in clean up, virtually zero waste) and sustainable into a complex, environmentally-damaging industrial machine fueld by petroleum, chemicals, lots of money, corporate political pressure and government subsidies. It takes far more inputs to make a typical hamburger than what we get out of it.

Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms is one farmer at the forefront of the grass-based movement. A brilliant interviewee in Food, Inc., he's been elevated to hero-status for me after reading on about his story and philosophy in TOD. He's living proof that the simple pastoral approach can be done, done well, sustainable, and even profitable.

So perhaps it is possible to get that proverbial free lunch. By simply learning from and taking advantage of models that nature built over years upon years of evolution, we're close.

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Andy Levine is the founder and President of Sixthman, an incredibly unique affinity travel company that brings together like-minded people in exclusive, interactive and intimate environments. They have produced events such as The Rock Boat and Cayamo, and they are embarking on several new concepts this year such as VH1′s Best Cruise Ever and The Elvis Cruise.

Andy is actually my first and only boss and I can tell you without any exaggeration that Matchstic would not exist today if it were not for him (I'll save that story for another day, feel free to ask me).  What I respect most about Andy is the way he treats people.  All people.  Not just the "important" ones.  When I worked for him managing bands and most in the music business were interested in big record contracts and music videos, Andy kept a simple philosophy that I will never forget: No Fan, No Band.  It's this appreciation and connection with these fans (others call them "customers"), that has led Sixthman to be the market leader in it's category.

But Sixthman didn't get there overnight.  Andy has fought hard over many years and it's the courage of him and his staff that has led them to where they are today.  So without further adieu, here's Andy…

Craig: How did Sixthman get started?
Andy: I learned how to play guitar in college and was asked to join a band as long as I booked all the gigs.  After college, we broke up and I began promoting shows at a club in Gainesville, Fl called Richenbachers and managing the band Sister Hazel.  When Sister Hazel began touring nationally, I moved to Atlanta and started Sixthman as an artist management company.

Craig: What caused you to shift your focus?
Andy: Our philosophy in managing bands was to put most of our energy into building a healthy relationship with the fans rather than vying to be an MTV darling.  We found that by taking such good care of our current fans, they were bringing new fans to the band.  That manifested itself into a demand by a group of loyal fans for a convention with the band in 2001.  They reminded us that they had done everything we asked them to do to promote and assist the band.  Attended concerts, bought cd’s, called radio stations to request airplay, let us sleep on their couch etc.  We produced a cruise in Labor Day Weekend of 2001 for 400 fans and it was a huge hit.  That inspired me to explore making a business out of it by partnering with bands to build an experience for them and their fans.  It seemed to make all the sense in the world.  Like minded people on vacation with their favorite bands.

Craig: What were some of the reasons people maybe didn't believe in this new direction?
Andy: The biggest hurdles to get over where funding, idea of being trapped on a ship and the perception of cruising in general.  In the beginning, we had to put up $1,000,000 for each cruise in advance and the returns were not great for that kind of risk.  Bands quickly got over the being trapped on a ship thing once they saw that the people who paid to join them on vacation were very respectful and genuine fans who cared about them rather than just looking for a picture or an autograph.  The cruise thing being for old people just kind of went away once people saw what a great venue the ship became for this kind of festival.

We had some people in the office who thought we should stick with managing bands and starting a record label but that just wasn’t making sense to me or getting me excited.

Craig: What did you deal with in continuing to move forward with this new vision?

Andy: Each year we would be looking at a small return, if any, for a lot of work.  We kept focusing on learning and building the experience which allowed us to fight thru any doubt as we saw a majority of our customers returning every year and bringing friends with them.  All we could do was identify things that were working really well and highlight them as reasons to keep pushing forward.

Craig: What happened as a result of the new business focus?

Andy: After a few years of pioneering this concept, we got a call from the Barenaked Ladies asking us if we could produce a cruise experience for them and their fans.  I simply said, “we have been waiting on your call”.  They are the prototype band for something like this because they had a reputation for a great live show, genuine connection with their fans and mainstream success with radio and cd sales.

Craig: What does the future hold for Sixthman?

Andy: We are in the midst of learning all the great lessons you learn in business and getting a little better each day at execution on land and at sea.  The question we are trying to answer is, “Are we in the business of creating music cruises or can our skill set apply to bringing any community together.  I am betting that the concept is broader than music and that we will bring some cool new things to life.  For example, we have partnerships in place with VH1, TBS, Electronic Arts, Grand Ole Opry, Graceland and Time Life to create experiences alongside their brands.  We believe experiences are going to be a priority for many groups of people and want to be the best at making them amazing.

Craig: What advice do you have for anyone else who may be analyzing their business and thinking of a strategic shift?

Andy: A few years ago, we engaged Matchstic to interview some of our customers, vendors and employees to see what we were truly the best at.  They let us know that we are showing the most promise at Tearing Down the Walls between people and their passions.  As an artist manager, I was able to leverage that skill 35% of the time.  Now we leverage it 90% of the time.  That exercise was profound for us.  Discover your Brand Essence.

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Imagine growing up with a 24/7 endless abundance of remote control cars and playing time on the rapmaster 3000 keyboard at your fingertips. That was my childhood.  My Father co-owned a RadioShack in my small town of Dickson, TN. So you could understand that I have a special place in my heart for the king of obscure adapters and Micron computers, and that might be why I'm so frustrated with their recent marketing moves.

To reach a younger, more tech-savvy customer base, Radioshack launched a new campaign last week, called "The Shack". They claim "Our friends call us the shack", trying to connect a sense of community with the brand. They also claim to "have more expertise than a truck load of Einstein's", flaunting their technical know-how. The 88 year old company is set to spend $200 million in ad work alone to promote these messages.

What concerns me most, is not the campaign name, but the additional elements to promote the message, namely the "Netogether" website.

From what I can tell, the Netogether "event" is over, but the idea was a live feed that "connected" two epicenters of activity, San Francisco and New York with performances, hosts, and D list celebrities. Oh, and I almost forgot the "Say Something" function to post floating comments to the site that reeked of something from the late 90s.

So here's my dilemma: What in the world does this online initiative have to do with the message of "The Shack"? What does connecting two cities via live video feed with concerts and entertainment say about their product line or their expertise? I have yet to "connect" any train of strategic thinking for this move. All it says to me is outdated ideas to match their outdated products.

What if they used those budget dollars to launch an annual conference for computer technicians for FREE? Or focus on the individual franchises, like my Father use to own, and allocate dollars for mini "How To" workshops free for the community. Or even if they developed a better online idea where users could ask questions, submit videos, or watch how-to videos pertaining to topics voted on by users.

What else could you do with $200 Million to promote "The Shack"?

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In May the city of Seoul, South Korea began to paint 4,929 parking spots pink, with pink figures wearing pink skirts in the middle. Much like handicap spots, these are more convenient parking areas now for women only. Leaving men to find whatever else is available. This and other changes are a part of Seoul's attempt to reduce gender inequality. Under the motto that "if a woman is happy, we're all happy". Other changes will include re-paving the sidewalks so high-heels don't get stuck in the cracks, renovating public facilities like restrooms to make them more female friendly and adjusting the hand straps on buses to an average female height. Additionally, Seoul is even adding day cares to drop off the kids while mom goes to work.

Seoul's urban design initially focused on males since they were the primary workforce. However, over the past two decades there's been a trend towards women joining this workforce. In fact as of 2007, 54% of all South Korean women are now working women. Its taken a long time for South Korea to recognize equal gender rights. Since its democratization in the 80′s, progress has been made but social stigmas have continued to place Korean women at a disadvantage in the workplace. These design considerations are intended to give working women some much needed support.

Admittedly I am a bit out of touch with being a working woman, much less South Korean culture. And there are differing opinions as to whether these changes are in fact progress or more regress. But I do find it fascinating how urban design, whether mindful or not, becomes gender weighted over time. And how if those design considerations flow out of an social construct in the midst of change, that by simply changing the bathroom wallpaper, progress can be sustained.

This reveals some of the role that design plays in society. When the culture begins to change, the design of its environment changes. Design is a reflection of societal change. Same is the case with the new World Trade Center designs or the growing number of organic isles at the grocery store. Even the extra lanes on the highway and the size of cup holders in new cars. They are all "design" choices been made that reflect the current patterns and the foreseeable future. Design reflects and progresses change.

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We had the privilege of working on a campaign with Compassion International in early '08 – duly named Bite Back (check out the full case study here). It was an incredible project and campaign to be a part of.

Fast forward a year and a half later…and SEED (SouthEastern Excellence in Design) saw fit to present us with an award for our work on the campaign. Yes, yes…we may be self congratulating a bit…but hey, we're excited!

And definitely check out the video they put together of all the '09 award-winners above (the Bite Back work is at the 2:38 min mark).

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Mad Men is the best show on television right now. Great story, smart writing, obsessive attention to detail and compelling actors — the program has it all. And it doesn't hurt that it's a show about our industry, highlighting the same ideas, struggles and triumphs that we experience regularly (albeit with less smoke and liquor).

With the highly anticipated Season 3 on the way, Mad Men has reached an explosion in popularity. First, Zippo's official MM-branded lighter. Now, you can "MM yourself" at this AMC mini-site and export it as an avatar to use in all your favorite social media apps. Want to be an extra? Upload your best MM pose to the Casting Call site. You might want to stop at Banana Republic first, who will dress you like Draper for less than $850.

It's not ironic that a show about the ad industry would get its own healthy dose of cross-promotional, branded goods, but has it gone too far? While I often pine for the sleek, tailored work environments in days of yore, manufactured looks from the Gap are definitely not the solution. And like all over-commercialized things, the brand will likely feel cheapened and lose a sort of intangible value. When your name becomes a verb, oftentimes it's not a good sign.

If any good can come of this, maybe Luckies will make a return to the U.S. The Raymond Loewy- designed logo and package is my favorite of all time.

Mad Men Madness – your thoughts?

A. Good Economic Stimulus! MOAR MAD MEN.
B. I want to look like Don Draper! (Or Miss Holloway!) Bring it on!
C. The kid showing up to work in the baggy suit is scaring me! Make it stop!

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So the swine flu is back in the news and when thinking about this virus, I tend to think less about dying and more about wondering why it's so interesting to talk about.  I think one of the main reasons that the swine flue has spead (and i mean the conversation, not the actual virus) is because Swine Flu is such a sticky name. I read back through Blake's post last week where he discussed naming and the Swine Flu name fits all of the same rules of the make-up of a great name:

1. Different
2. Brief
3. Appropriate, but not too descriptive
4. Easy To Spell
5. Satisfying to pronounce

It seem the doctors are trying hard to switch the name to H1N1, but it just ain't happening.  It's not memorable at all.  When newscasters talk about it, most all of them say "H1N1, commonly known as ‘swine flu'" because they are essentially marketers trying to communicate well.

And let's face it, Swine Flu communicates a lot more to the common human than H1N1.

What do you think?  Should more people be using H1N1 or Swine Flu here to stay (again, the name, not the virus).

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Your house is on fire. You only have a brief second to grab one thing and get out of the house. What do you grab?

Brands are the same. You only have a few seconds to say one thing; What are you going to say?

Message clutter is a brand killer, and we all fall into it's trap. "But my company offers so many great things, I can't highlight just one, besides in this market you have to diversify your product offering to survive", that's a likely excuse, and that has some validity, but facts are facts. If you say three things then you say nothing. Our minds only have the capacity to retain small bits of information (poor feeble minded us), so to standout your brand has to own one thing and one thing only.

One thing is all you get. Say too much and the fiery house comes crashing down on you.

Here are some messages that come to mind for existing brands:

• BMW= Ultimate driving experience
• Mercedes= Luxury
• Hulu= Free TV
• Enron= Cheater cheater pumpkin eaters
• Obama= Change
• Skittles= Taste the Rainbow

Your turn, What are some others?

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All this says to me is look twice and keep driving. And then think of how ridiculous that just was. And then wonder how much the guy dancing is getting paid. Then think it couldn't be nearly enough. Then think how sad his life must be. Then wonder who came up with such a dumb idea. Then associate that lameness with the lame sandwich I would've gotten. Not to mention the unhappy "sandwich artists" who would have made it. Then I think of Jared…

From ridiculous to sad to lame and unhappy. Is that the Subway brand?
In a lame attempt to get me in the store you've completely turned me off. Way to go.

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