Let’s hear it for unorthodox delivery! (And I don’t mean water births)

I watched Northwestern almost take down the #1 team in the country Saturday night, without their best 3-point shooter, John Shurna. Ever seen John Shurna shoot a 3-pointer? He shoots with his arms parallel to his shoulders (instead of above them). It looks like he’s trying to release homing pigeons. It’s just not natural. But it’s beautiful. Because it works. He’s 3rd in scoring and 4th in 3-pointers made in the Big Ten.

Check it out, about 2:15 into this video.

Makes me think of Rick Barry. Rick Barry was old school when old school was still new school. Ever see him shoot a free throw? He did it underhand. Like when you were 3 years old. Like the smelly guy in the tank top with the chest fur at the gym who doesn’t know what you’re supposed to do with a basketball.

Don’t believe me? Take a look.

He led the league in free throw shooting percent seven times and had a 90% career average. Not too shabby.

How about Jason Belmonte? Mr. Belmonte’s unorthodox approach to bowling would make Earl Anthony roll over in his grave (with some nice English).

He bowls with two hands.

The 2009 PBA Rookie of the Year (Professional Bowling Association), is a handsome, sunglasses, 25-year old rising star, and drawing new folks to the sport. He’s kinda fun to watch.

Finally, Tim Lincecum. The right-handed pitcher for the San Francisco Giants has a crazy, homemade, ridiculously efficient delivery to the plate. The main difference is in his insanely elongated stride, which helps him propel the ball to the batter. The normal stride for a pitcher is 77-87% of his height; Lincecum’s stride is 129%, some 7 ½ feet. It’s amazing to watch.

Does it work? Hmmm…he won the Cy Young in 2008 and 2009, and last year, pitched 8 innings and won the deciding game of the World Series for the Giants. His unorthodox style—and his goofy hair—makes him a standout in the league.

I could go on. But I think you get the point.

If different is good, unorthodox could be special. Give it a shot sometime.

Now that’s what I call a pacifier

This month’s winner in the “I thought of that years ago but dang it, someone actually did it!” category is the Adult Beverage Company. Let’s see if I can explain this without getting too complicated:

Chocolate milk + vodka = Yum!

Still with me?

Yup, another wonderfully simple idea hitting the big time, growing in leaps and bounds, getting widespread press for a cute little idea. Let’s hear it for the two mixologist-moms who cooked it up in their kitchens after livening up their kids chocolate milk after the little ones went to bed.

Further proof that the best ideas are sometimes right in front of your face and almost always super simple. Executing them? Now that there’s the hard part.

The first step is the biggest. After that, just keep your feet moving and soon you’ll be running.

And I have heard that chocolate milk is a good recovery source when you sweat…

Keep your friends close and your data closer

Being a marketer means having a love-hate relationship with data.

I love the way data helps us better understand what the hell our brands really are and how they stack up against competitors. I love the way data can tell us what’s going on in the heads of our consumers.

Data helps us formulate the right strategies to create the right target-facing articulations of those strategies, without which we’d be making art or art’s sake instead of intelligent, focused art, and for that reason alone I would bow down at the data throne.

But as someone responsible for creating the communications that will best engage with and convince consumers, I’ve spent a lifetime ruing the potentially damaging effect data can have on a powerful (and usually therefore polarizing) piece of communication. As well as the hold it can have on tentative clients; smart people who can get freaked out by what’s at stake, and use data as a crutch to take the road most travelled and fall back on safer (and usually less engaging and convincing) executions.

I’ve always tried to treat data as the two-faced friend in high school who I never allowed out of the corner of my eye. Helpful with schoolwork, great to have in a nonsensical conversation, full of the kind of gossip and information that would make me think, “I never would have thought of that myself.”

But also talking about me behind my back. Telling people things about me that they may have interpreted incorrectly or stretched into truths that didn’t really exist. Being wary. Very wary…

If only we employed data just for fun/goofy purposes, using wonderful facts and figures for daily conversation fodder, like the recent stats on Facebook relationships (sad to see seven million more people becoming single vs getting married).

But as long as there are products to brand and sell, there will be data.

So go ahead, crunch the numbers, hug them, smother them with affection. But just in case, remember to keep your friends close, and your data closer.