How To Create Amazing Stuff

My former professor (and, I'm confident in saying, friend) Julia Pachoud Bennett posted this on Facebook and I very much thought it was worth sharing. Definitely has inspired me to share a bit more of my writing with confidence rather than reluctance. I hope it manages to move you to do something amazing as well...





So...what amazing stuff are you going to do? Leave a comment and let me know.

-Mike

The Trouble With Baby Names

My wife and I are not expecting a baby anytime soon. In fact, we plan to wait at least a few years before we have a baby at all. This is a good thing.

But, for reasons I will never understand, my wife and I get into one specific baby-related argument on an almost-weekly basis. You may be wondering how, as two people who are both in agreement on the baby status of this marriage, my wife and I have baby-related arguments so often.

The answer lies in a name.

Or rather, the lack of a name. You see, my wife (the woman I’ve committed my life to and would die for without a second thought), seems to think it’s important that we not only discuss baby names for our minimum-of-two-to-three-years-away-from-being-born baby, but also that we decide on a baby name for our minimum-of-two-to-three-years-away-from-being-born baby.

Unfortunately, the names she prefers are names that I have NO desire to name my son or daughter. At all. Not because I dislike the names by themselves, but because most of the time I have weird connections with the names that leave me not wanting them for a baby name.

As a result, we fight about baby names. A lot. To the extent that I believe I’ve committed to at least 3-4 baby names I will never allow simply because I’m hoping that, two and a half years from now, my wife will have forgotten that name and moved on to the next name I don’t really care for.

My point is this: If you’re reading this Sir Jude Jonah Billeter or Amelia Ramona Eleanora Billeter, I’m sorry. Your mother won. I got tired of fighting her on the names and just let her pick all of them at once. Just remember, I was ready to name you something cool like Malachi or Xavier.

Of course, there’s no reason I can’t call you that anyway. Isn’t that right, Malachi?

Have any of you had this… “discussion”… with your husband or wife before? Did you come to an agreement, or are you still duking it out for naming rights? Let me know so I don’t feel like I’m alone on this island of bickering. And love. Bickering and love.

Photo by Alan O'Rourke. Thanks Alan!

"You Don't Know Bertha Constantine" (But You Should...)

Hey everyone. It has been a little while since I’ve written on here, but I’m back in action with exciting news (and possibly a request).

A friend of mine named Andrew Kightlinger is a director. Someday he will be a big time, super famous director. But right now he’s a “setting the foundation for an extremely successful career” director and his film “You Don’t Know Bertha Constantine” is going to play a HUGE role in that foundation-setting.

I personally am excited about this film for many reasons.

1. The concept is unbelievable, which is why it has already won “Best New Screenplay” at the Newport International Film Festival and “Best Original Screenplay” at the Honolulu Film Festival.


2. The actors are fantastic (and one of them, Julia Pachoud Bennett, is my former professor at Augie, which is extra awesome).


3. As I’ve already mentioned, Andrew is extremely talented.

Now Andrew is trying to raise the final $5,000 he needs to finalize the film and send it out for other film festivals and stuff. And he is wisely using Kickstarter to help him finalize the whole thing.

My request is that you at least click over to his Kickstarter page, check out what he has to say and check out the sweet stuff you get if you donate. If you feel compelled, give money (whatever amount you please). If you don’t feel moved enough to give money, at least consider spreading the word. Whether it’s a tweet or a Facebook post or anything else you can think of, I know both Andrew and I would appreciate it.

To be clear, I have no direct association with this film other than a friendship with Andrew and the desire to see someone who is chasing his dreams find success. If you guys are down with that, your support is appreciated too.

I’ve linked to the Kickstarter page a few times in this post already, but here’s the embedded Kickstarter as well:



Also, if you have any interest in interviewing Andrew or anything like that for a blog or news story or anything at all, leave a comment to let me know and I'll connect you with him.

Thanks everyone!

-Mike B.

Conversations With My Wife, v1

Me: "You know what's weird?"

Her: "What?"

Me: "Superman fights for truth, justice and the American way...but he's not even American."

Her: (Blank stare)

Me: "In fact, really...he's not even human..."

Her: (Blank stare)

Nothing like a good philosophical debate before bed. Poor woman. Why she let herself get into this mess, I'll never understand...


Photo (Superman) by Katherine Johnson. Thanks Katherine!

Do Your Ads Have A Purpose (Or Are They Just Filler Text)?

Another blog post I originally wrote for the ADwërks blog, but wanted to share on my personal site too. Hope you like it.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua…

Be honest. You thought we screwed up, right? You thought maybe one of us ADwërkers blew it and accidentally posted filler text in place of a thought-provoking, world-changing blog post.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it was intentional. We wanted to demonstrate a point. If the copy, content or ads you produce do so little to inspire movement or ignite passion that they might as well be filler text, then it’s time to consider a stronger approach to your messaging strategy.

To be clear, this isn’t a matter of copywriting. It’s not a simple question of “does this ad get someone’s attention?” It’s a matter of whether or not your marketing reflects your company’s unique qualities and aspects.

If you’re a banker, think about your bank’s latest newspaper ad. Now think about that same ad with a rival bank’s logo placed over yours. Would anybody (besides you) know the difference? If you’re in the auto repair business, would anybody notice if your radio spot had a different shop’s name voiced over your shop’s name? If the answer to either question is no, then you have a problem.

Because if the ads you run are simply filler text like lorem ipsum, it’s time you consider a new approach. One that gets to the core of your business and shows the world what makes you unique. One that shows people the aspects of your business that none of your competitors can copy.

There’s a reason we at ADwërks emphasize handcrafted marketing as our calling card. Because in this day and age, if it’s not unique, it’s not going to be noticed.

And if it doesn’t get noticed, it might as well just be filler text.

-Mike B.

Photo by Mårten Björk. Thanks Mårten!

How Do You Make A Good Offer GREAT?

I originally wrote this post for the ADwërks work blog, but figured you guys might find it interesting too. Hope you like it!

Bed Bath & Beyond is smart. Sneaky smart, even. Here’s why.

This weekend, Bed Bath & Beyond held a special “Bridal Registry Wrap-up Party.” The purpose? Recently married couples could get 20% off the gifts on their bridal registry that nobody had given them at their wedding.

Naturally, my wife and I circled the items we “needed” and headed in to clean house and show Bed Bath & Beyond we meant business. But when we arrived, the Bed Bath & Beyond folks hit us with a double-whammy that lit our eyes up like a Christmas tree (and ultimately proved how in control they were all along)…

“You can actually get 20% off of EVERYTHING in the store today.”

Wait…what? Everything? Even if it’s not on the registry? Like…everything?

Yep. Everything. Thankfully, my wife isn’t a wasteful shopper, but we still ended up with numerous items in our cart that were never on our registry (like a new electric razor for me…jackpot). All because Bed Bath & Beyond gave the right offer to the right (target) market.

Think about it: a select niche of shoppers was already in a buying mindset and had fresh wedding money to spend. By expanding the 20% discount to every item in the store, Bed Bath & Beyond ensured that guests of the “party” (snacks and door prizes included) would grab at least a few items they may have never purchased or would have purchased somewhere else at a lower price.

By making their good offer great, Bed Bath & Beyond saw loads of overflowing carts pass through their checkout lines – with little more than a carefully disguised 20% off coupon.

The question is, what are you offering right now that, with a little planning and focused targeting, could take your offer beyond just “good?” Let us know in the comments below. And if you don’t have any ideas, give the crew here at ADwërks a call. We can definitely help you figure it out.

-Mike B.

P.S. – Always be careful in the Beyond section at BB&B…

Photo by Rob Young. Thanks Rob!

Driving brand management (in the real world)

I originally wrote this post for my work blog at ADwërks, but also wanted to share it here on my personal blog. Enjoy!

Imagine a perfect Saturday afternoon. You’re driving down the street when you look in your rearview mirror and discover that, seemingly out of nowhere, a large pickup truck is riding your tail and isn’t letting up.

Your blood boils. You’re already going the speed limit. In fact, you might even be going a few miles per hour over the speed limit. You think, “Why is this idiot so desperate to get past me?” Then you get over to let them pass and, as they speed by, you notice an “Anderson Construction” or “Jackson Bros. Plumbing” logo along the side of the truck. And you think to yourself, “Well I’m never using THOSE jerks in the future.”

Unfortunately, that’s what happened to me last weekend. Odds are you’ve experienced the same at least once or twice in your life.

As a business owner or manager, can you really afford to have drivers leaving such a negative impression of your business on potential customers? Of course not. But, for some reason, it happens more than it ever should as far as I’m concerned.

In an era where business owners are increasingly concerned about the next “viral campaign” or “engaging” on their Facebook page, maybe they should remember to train their employees on reputation management in other important markets like, you know, real life.

I know everybody can have a bad day and people are people, but if you’re going to slap your logo on the side of a truck and let employees drive it around town, remind them that they are no longer Johnny Anonymous. They represent your business now, and, unless your business doesn’t care for new customers, they should probably drive like it.

Think of it this way: A little bit of brand management from the start will do a lot to keep your employees from driving me crazy – and driving me away from your business.

-Mike B.

How about you: have you dealt with similarly frustrating experiences? As a business owner, have you trained your employees to represent your brand with class and professionalism? Let us know your thoughts on either question in the comments below.

Photo c/o nick@. Thanks Nick!