What's That Code Again?

If you know what this is, than go ahead, tell me what it is and where it leads before reading another sentence. I'll be impressed - maybe there will even be a prize.  For the rest of you, don't worry. You haven't failed yet, but if you own a small business than you need to know now what this little box does.

This is a QR Code and if you have a smart phone you can go to your application downloading menu and search for QR Reader. After you download the app, take a picture and let the QR Reader decode the box for you. This box pictured above takes you here.

What this means for you and your business? Well, right now the technology is still new, however, it means that every product you have can tell a story, without telling it on a piece of paper with limited space. It means that people can know all about your business, your story, your product, your trip, your life with a bar code style decoder. Imagine the possibilities. You can show how your products are earth-friendly, how they travel, who built them, who designed them and you can inspire your customers to keep coming back.  Imagine having a strong core of loyal customers who love your product THAT much.

Apple imagined it. So can you.

The Truth About Legacies

The truth is that legacies just aren't the same anymore. You spend your entire life building a company only to find that your children have no desire to take over that company, or worse, your company is sold and broken apart, piece by piece.  Loyalty is increasingly difficult to come by in the world of business. Today, business owners need to stop and think about what kind of legacy they really want to leave - a world of Enron style legacies or a world of legacies that do some good while they're here.

Selling Dreams - The Airstream Way

In the 1950's to the 1970's the Airstream camper was developed and advertised in "exotic" locations as a way to sell the idea of a dream. Travel with Airstream and see the world.



Of course ads in the 1970's were a little different than ads today. You see a lot more text and of course you had to write to Airstream to have your color catalog mailed. Despite the time differences, these trailers remain part of the traveler's mystic - an object of desire. These trailers still represent the idea of freedom, of travel to places you've never seen. Airstream even included the idea of traveling with their trailers overseas - "Here in America or overseas... Airstream is the only way to go!"

This is a great example of an ad campaign that had legs - a great concept that branded an amazing product and carried through the ages. This shows that a concept, done well can indeed sell for years, or even decades.

You can see the other vintage ads here.  And you can see the latest Airstreams here. 

Airstream Living
Airstream: The History of the Land Yacht
Airstream Trailer 1/18

Saying Goodbye to an Era

This is old news now, but it deserves a mention. One of the founders of Crispin, Porter and Bogusky will be leaving the industry. Alex Bogusky, Head of Creative, has opted to resign his position in order to pursue writing, green projects and sustainability projects.

Under Bogusky, CP&B, has become one of the most talked about ad shops in the industry. They've brought you "The King" and "Subservient Chicken" for Burger King ads. They brought you the creativity of Mini Cooper ads.

But when the time comes and it will for everyone, you take a step back and sometimes take a step away, permanently. Bogusky started an era in advertising, as part of his agency, but it's good to know his genius will still be seen in his books.

You can read more about his career here.

The 9-Inch 'Diet': Exposing the Big Conspiracy in AmericaHoopla, A Book About Crispin Porter and Bogusky

Everyone Screams for Ice Cream!!

It's hard to believe that something as simple as ice cream can have such a loyal following, but two men who built a simple company in Vermont, had that dream. Ben and Jerry's ice cream is anything but ordinary, with flavors like Chunky Monkey and Half-Baked. Their company took something rather ordinary and made it extraordinary and fun.
And they're still doing it with a new iPhone app that includes Moo Vision. Moo Vision is a seriously silly feature on a practical application that allows you to see a 3D image when you point the phone's camera at certain Ben and Jerry's lids. The application also points you to Ben and Jerry's locations, tells you about the latest flavors and events.
Ben and Jerry have built an amazing business that holds true to it's values while still being popular and entertaining. They didn't forget who they were when they designed their app.

Ben & Jerry's Double Dip: How to Run a Values Led Business and Make Money TooBen & Jerry's: The Inside Scoop: How Two Real Guys Built a Business with a Social Conscience and a Sense of Humor

Predicting The Future

I can predict the future! At least I can when the crystal ball is working and the answer is already pretty predictable. For this exercise I'd suggest letting go of that pesky little fear that you'll be wrong and just use a little common sense, with some guesstimation.

Today, you're going to take a look at your business and you're going to attempt to predict the future. Following a combination of tried and true recipes from, "Baked In" by Alex Bogusky and John Winsor you're going to write down what makes your business so successful - what are the cultural trends that make your product or service work so well. And now you're going to write down where your product should be in ten years and what your product needs to do, how it should adapt and how it needs to change in order to continue to be successful.

Need some examples? Good! There is a perfect example gaining popularity today - Silly Bandz.

Silly Bandz are reminiscent of Slap Bracelets - the popular accessory in the 90's. But they also bear resemblance of any fad item you've seen throughout the decades - Beanie Babies, Pogs, one-hit wonders. This decade is different, however, with the opportunities the Internet can now offer.

According to an article about Silly Bandz in the Wall Street Journal the owner of the Silly Bandz company, Robert Croak, is following the "Baked In" recipe. Even though Silly Bandz are currently at the height of their product life-cycle, Robert is already trying to find ways to expand his business. He is looking ahead and trying to predict the future of his product. He's even looking at the hard facts - his product is a fad - and he is already taking steps to expand into other products so he can stay successful.

I know it's difficult, but take a few minutes today and examine your product or service. Where will these be in ten years? What changes will need to be made? What is a fad and what is going to stand the test of time?

Predict the future.

Baked In: Creating Products and Businesses That Market Themselves