I’ve spent a lot of time in Los Angeles over the past 20 years, and I’d argue that LA is the least normal city in the world. In a wonderful, check-out-my-latest-face-lift, don’t-my-fake-boobs-look-natural kind of way.
The home of plastic surgery and plastic people, LA is also home to Skeletons in the Closet. A perfect name for any kind of store in a city where dirt is gold, but when it’s a shop run by the LA County Coroner, it’s even more perfect.
Lunch coolers and travel mugs with the Coroner’s logo, welcome mats and beach towels with chalk outlines of a body…lots of fun stuff. They even have a web site.
It’s an ingenius way of thinking outside the body bag to make a few extra bucks.
Problem is, they’ve been losing money, mainly because they’ve been selling the same merchandise for a while (most likely to the same people).
Won’t you help?
Please buy some dead guy stuff. Or better yet, send them some ideas for new stuff they could sell.
Embalming fluid as a hangover cure to bring you back to life after a rough night? Specials for couples like body bags for two? Or maybe rentals for a half hour on the slab?
One side note: This New York Times article mentions how Skeletons was created, but I’m betting whoever came up with the idea was watching Night Shift at the time. Bill Blazejowski, where are you when we need you?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Today’s great ideas are tomorrow’s wrinkles
When I read about an intriguing new idea it makes the corners of my mouth turn up and my eyes scrunch just a bit in a happy little salute. This happened the other day when I read a New York Times article on some of the New Year’s Eve tie-ins on Times Square.
Lip soother and kiss enhancer Nivea is a natural sponsor, giving out thousands of samples in preparation of thousands of midnight kisses.
Document company Cintas’ clever Good Riddance Day on December 28 gives people the opportunity to shred documents they want to forget about from the previous year. A woman from Tennessee won a trip to New York to be the first to shred: she’ll say Good Riddance to her medical bills from a life threatening operation in 209 that she paid off in 2010.
Smart, compelling, fun, relevant.
The only thing better than hearing about great ideas is watching them come to life in the very best possible way. Which makes me think of Waterford Crystal’s sponsorship of the ball that drops every year. No logo on it, people; they’ve just done a great job of popularizing the connection over the years. Now it fees like no other crystal is worthy of the Time Square ball.
A brilliant tie-in that’s incredibly well known with minimal promotional efforts. We should all be so lucky.
Lip soother and kiss enhancer Nivea is a natural sponsor, giving out thousands of samples in preparation of thousands of midnight kisses.
Document company Cintas’ clever Good Riddance Day on December 28 gives people the opportunity to shred documents they want to forget about from the previous year. A woman from Tennessee won a trip to New York to be the first to shred: she’ll say Good Riddance to her medical bills from a life threatening operation in 209 that she paid off in 2010.
Smart, compelling, fun, relevant.
The only thing better than hearing about great ideas is watching them come to life in the very best possible way. Which makes me think of Waterford Crystal’s sponsorship of the ball that drops every year. No logo on it, people; they’ve just done a great job of popularizing the connection over the years. Now it fees like no other crystal is worthy of the Time Square ball.
A brilliant tie-in that’s incredibly well known with minimal promotional efforts. We should all be so lucky.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Riddle Me This
What’s a five letter word for “incites?”
I don’t know, because I’m not a crossword puzzler, but give me a little time. Trying to figure it out could help me land on a great answer to my next big conundrum.
Courtesy of Northwestern University (Go Cats) via The New York Times comes compelling findings concerning the power of puzzles to help people solve other challenges. Good news for those of us in the business of convincing people to trust their creative instincts and use them to solve problems in unconventional ways.
For all of you out there thinking about how to solve your current vexing challenge—I’m talking to you, marketers, cosmetologists, cosmonauts, animal husbandry professors, pizza twirlers and highway surveyors—yes, all of you, anyone in the business of coming up with ideas: take heed. This is a shot across your bow if you don’t believe in the power of using creative solutions to get to new creative solutions. Getting your brain into the ready state to show it’s stuff. Drawing order from chaos.
The next time you march into conceptual war, arm yourself with some unconventional yet highly effective tools of the trade: A good knock-knock joke, or a tough Sudoku. Get your synapses into a positive mood. According to these wily Wildcats, it’ll lead to better problem solving.
I don’t know, because I’m not a crossword puzzler, but give me a little time. Trying to figure it out could help me land on a great answer to my next big conundrum.
Courtesy of Northwestern University (Go Cats) via The New York Times comes compelling findings concerning the power of puzzles to help people solve other challenges. Good news for those of us in the business of convincing people to trust their creative instincts and use them to solve problems in unconventional ways.
For all of you out there thinking about how to solve your current vexing challenge—I’m talking to you, marketers, cosmetologists, cosmonauts, animal husbandry professors, pizza twirlers and highway surveyors—yes, all of you, anyone in the business of coming up with ideas: take heed. This is a shot across your bow if you don’t believe in the power of using creative solutions to get to new creative solutions. Getting your brain into the ready state to show it’s stuff. Drawing order from chaos.
The next time you march into conceptual war, arm yourself with some unconventional yet highly effective tools of the trade: A good knock-knock joke, or a tough Sudoku. Get your synapses into a positive mood. According to these wily Wildcats, it’ll lead to better problem solving.
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