Because it might just be the one that wins consumer's hearts!

It all started with an advertising post on Facebook that was meant as a joke but consumers went completely crackers over the imaginary product. Fans were disappointed upon learning about the post's fictitious nature and that it was simply for amusement.  Listen as Ritz turns their outlandish idea into a reality hit.

Fans of all things symmetrical and self-proclaimed OCD-ers were quick to share their delight on social media. Even more brilliant is the fact that you can't even buy one of these even if you wanted to. Ritz gives them away for free every few months and once that limited number of cutters is gone, you must wait for the next special edition batch to become available again.

The cracker cutter has become so popular that it has been forever etched in the form a cracker cutter cookbook and was shortlisted for a Cyber Lion award; a truly great honour and accomplishment.

Have you ever had an idea you brushed off because you thought it was too out there? I'm here to tell you that the ideas that generate the most buzz and profit are usually the ones that are thought to be "outlandish" at first. Remember, innovating means coming up with something new and different that causes change in consumer behavior, creates a revolution and/or upheaval! But before you go jump off a building into a shallow pool of water with your logo painted across your chest, take a seat and have a creative "anything goes" brainstorming session with a few of your employees. The more outlandish the idea, the better. You might be surprised to find that brilliant and innovative gem of an idea!

What outlandish idea have you dismissed in the past? Maybe it's time to revisit it.

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner

Make even the worst of enemies shake hands.

I'm a Canadian, so I don't usually like to give my opinion on US elections but what keeps playing over and over in my mind was the hand shake at the end of the second debate seen here in the final minute.

The debate started without a handshake; almost as though the two candidates saw the other as absolute enemies (or worse).

Unlike older debates such as this one, where the two candidates seem to be enjoying the back and forth.

However, the final brilliant question asked of each candidate to think good thoughts and tell the audience the best attribute of their opponent. This lead Donald, who earlier called for Hillary to be jailed, to lean over and shake her hand.

There is some great marketing advice here.
 
When the candidates were forced to say something admirable about each other, they experienced the pressure of cognitive dissonance (a feeling of conflicting attitudes) and modified their behavior to fit their words. Cognitive dissonance is the feeling of uncomfortable tension which comes from holding two conflicting thoughts in the mind at the same time. It is central to many forms of persuasion to change beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors. This produces a feeling of discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance, etc.
 
In a psychological study, participants were asked to do a truly boring task for 30 minutes. Then those participants were split up into groups. One group was asked to talk some “prospective participants” into doing the experiment by lying to them and telling them that the actually quite boring experiment was fun and interesting. The other group was not asked to talk to or lie to anyone. 
 
After that, all the participants were asked to describe and rate the experiment — was it fun, interesting, worthwhile, etc.  The ones who lied about it, knowing it was a lie, ended up either believing their lies or changing their memories to fit their lies, because they actually continued to describe the experiment as fun and interesting. The ones who never lied about it described it exactly as it was: very boring.  Cognitive Dissonance caused the liars to shift their perspective to fit their actions.
 
When people repeatedly “go somewhere” in their minds, they’ll eventually “go there” with their bodies as well. If your ads get people to imagine doing business with the company, repeatedly, they’ll eventually do business with the company when they need whatever that business sells.

How can you get your customers talking positively about you?

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner

The power of a friendly face.

My Creative Director, Christin, recently moved into a new home west of Montreal. She began receiving flyers from snow removal companies that serviced her area. Knowing she would have choose between them she wanted to do some research first to see if she could find any information or reviews that would lead her to choose one over the other, and she didn't want to make the decision based purely on their advertising. 

"I didn't want to base my decision on how much the snow removal company spent on their advertising. Although quality advertising is a good sign, I didn't want to judge them that way. I wanted social proof that they were trustworthy and would, at a minimum, clear my driveway before I had to leave for work. That was first priority.

But to my surprise and just in time, a lovely gentleman named Charles from Como Snow Removal presented himself at my door just last week.  I asked him my questions. With a smile on his face and exuding company pride, he assured me that not only was my driveway going to be clear of snow before I woke up each morning but that they would be by every couple hours, day or night, should there be a snow storm. I could feel his passion and commitment to his work. After chatting with him a bit more, I shook his hand, thanked him for coming to see us and said goodbye. Quote in hand, all I could think was: What a nice guy!

A few days passed and I still hadn't hired a snow removal company. I sat down at my computer to see if the other companies could win me over or set the bar higher than Como already had. However, the other snow removal companies really didn't have much web presence. Some had a website but Como was the only one that was active on social media. During the snowy season, they communicate with their clients on a regular basis, keep them informed of the weather and snow clearing schedule. They regularly thank their customers, often posting pictures of their hard-working staff and occasionally add in some humour. Here's a sample.

I respect a snow removal company that makes an effort to be more than "just another snow removal company". Como Snow Removing is always hard at work, participating in community activities and events, sharing their gratitude and making sure they remain the snow removal company you'll hire over and over again.

At this point, I don't need to get another quote. I'm convinced that Como is the company I want to hire even if it means paying a few bucks more."

It all began with a simple hello. Never underestimate the power of the human touch.

When was the last time you reached out to your customers?

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner