I love getting mail. Sales brochures from the newest hair salon in town, a letter from my local real estate agent telling me the market is on an upswing, coupons from the pizza restaurant down the street, a fun burger-shaped flyer offering me $2 off my next meal… I love ‘em all.

Well – most of them. Some pieces are so boring and jam-packed with information that they go from mailbox to trashcan before I get a chance to catch the logo in the bottom right hand corner. But some pieces I keep for my ‘Wall of Fame / Wall of Shame’, where you can find the best and worst pieces that have ever been placed in my mailbox.

A few months ago while reading an article about direct mail (yes… a gripping article), I came across a company that took direct mail to a whole new level.

They uncovered an interesting insight: It seems that the only thing being delivered to mail boxes these days is direct mail pieces trying to sell you something OR a bill. So, NotAnotherBill.com was created.

What is it you ask? Simply put – it is a subscription company that sends out surprise ‘presents’ every month. According to their website, “Presents are sourced from far and wide with the aim of introducing you to great brands, artists and designers to rare treats and finds from markets and fairs.” Very intriguing!

My first delivery was in November. The anticipation of what my special gift was going to be was killing me. Then it arrived… and I was not disappointed.

November’s Gift: Bamboo toothbrushes from the UK.

December’s Gift: A custom designed bracelet from Lennebelle in the Netherlands.

January’s Gift: A chic silk scarf from London designer, Julianna Cassandro.

I’m not sure if it’s the anticipation of receiving a new gift every month, the surprise of what each box holds, or just that feeling of getting a special little gift for myself… but whatever the reason, I am now addicted.

And the marketer in me can’t help but be impressed by the perfect presentation of unique packaging and brilliant branding built on that great insight; that we love feeling special… and hate going to the mailbox for just bills!

Can’t wait to see what February will bring!

Check out their site here!

How many times this week have you gotten mad at the car in front of you for driving too slow? Gotten frustrated at your cell phone provider for dropping a call? Started to mumble at the cashier for taking her time as she scans your groceries?

Truth is, in today’s day and age, it’s difficult to slow down every now and then to smell the roses… to appreciate the small stuff. After all, you lead a busy life. You wake up in the morning, rush out the door without so much as a slice of toast, get to work where you spend nine hours with your eyes glued to your computer screen, too busy to eat lunch, leave to go home at 6pm when you’re off at 5pm, pick up some fast food on the way home because you’re too busy to cook, go to bed, and wake up the next morning to do it all over again.

Who has time to think, let alone smell flowers? Before you know it, another week is gone.

And in all of the madness we often neglect to appreciate the things that make our lives that much better. We forget to make time for the things we really love. What are those things? Well, it depends on the person. Friends. Family. Video Games. Sports. Running. Cooking. Music. Painting. And the list goes on. Each of us have different things that add that extra bit of ‘magic’ to our lives every day.

So why, then, are we so consumed by the small frustrations in life that just cause stress and anxiety? Like the things listed at the beginning of this blog or the fact that you’re probably getting upset with your computer right now because the color-spinny-wheel-of-death appeared on our screen for 5 seconds while loading this page.

Relax. Take a breath. Things aren’t that bad… are they? We’ve come a long way over the past couple of decades and we should appreciate the amazing things in life.

The video that I saw on Conan of Louis CK talking about this really put this into perspective for me in an amusing but effective way and was the fuel for this blog. Take a look:

So how about this New Year, instead of pledging to go to the gym for the month of January (because we all know 75% of people give up after the first month), make the resolution to appreciate the important things around you, no matter how small they may seem.

From technology, to family, to coworkers, to the importance of doing what you love – life’s too short to not appreciate the incredible things we have right in front of us every day. If you take time to smell the roses, I promise you won’t be disappointed with the scent.

Have a great week and happy New Year!

I think of my father whenever I hear the Fisheries Broadcast theme start up just around suppertime.

Most likely, he’d have just picked me up from school, putting his supper preparation on hold to come get me. There’d be pasta or potatoes on simmer at home, and a bag of crusty Italian bread he’d just bought between us on the seat. I’d reach my hand into the paper bag and pull off a crumbly knob. The first time, he complained at my mauling of the lovely loaf. “Come on now,” he’d frown, “wait for dinner.” Then, he clearly kept disguising as an errand what was really a treat to greet me with. “I got some of that bread you like,” he’d say with a smile, nodding towards the backseat.

We’d get home and enter the kitchen to the galloping theme of the Fisheries Broadcast, its bouncing tune striking out as best it could from behind tinny AM radio speakers, evidence of my father, mid supper, all around. Mom would come home then, my brother would emerge from his room, and with one last flurry of plates and pot holders, dinner was served. We’d all sit down in a collective sigh as the radio news got switched off, and the TV news got switched on (and I’d reach for my first official piece of crusty bread.)

I can picture at least five radios that sat in that one place on the kitchen buffet over the years: the black and red Casio with the broken tape deck, the ‘new’ CD boom box, various clock radios with their digital green glow. Each one marked time in the exact same way. The officious notes of World Report at 8:30 am signalled us to get a move on or be late for school. The drone of callers into Cross Country Checkup was part of the Sunday evening soundtrack for unpacking coolers and tossing clothes onto the laundry room floor after a weekend at the cabin. Each monotone caller sounded exactly the same as the caller, and the weekend, before. (Sorry Rex, but for the 13 year old version of me, it was torture.)

But one day this past summer, I happened to be driving home from the cabin on a Sunday evening. “Oo,” I thought to myself. “Cross Country Checkup is on!” This was followed immediately by a furrowed brow, a headshake of disbelief, and a “what did I just say??” But there it was to keep me company, same Rex time, same Rex channel.

And so CBC has inevitably stayed the soundtrack to my life.  It’s worked its way into my world, loyal to its brand, and so I’ve been unwittingly loyal to it.

If I happen to leave my clock radio on in the morning, it’s the same Fisheries Broadcast theme that greets me when I get home.

Supper and the news are still a solid pairing in my kitchen routine, with a few differences. The broadcast streams live on a laptop, and I’ve heard most of it from Twitter already.

But what does Twitter sound like? How does it make me feel? And one day, will my own family all be gathered around the supper table, eyes and thumbs down in our laps, catching up on the news and retweeting each other?

Something to look forward to?

As long as there’s crusty bread.

Ho ho ho! Jessie’s blog about the Toy Factory has really put me in the Christmas spirit! I’ve been humming Christmas carols and having visions of dancing sugarplums all week. But if you’re still feeling a little Scrooge-y, here are a couple of sites that might get you feeling like the jolly old elf himself.

Portable North Pole and Magic Santa are bringing back believin’ with their apps that let you customize videos from Santa Claus (c’mon, no one’s getting letters via Canada Post anymore!).

Portable North Pole

Magic Santa

In a few short steps, the apps prompt you to enter basic information about the recipient like name, age, biggest Christmas wish, and the all-important naughty or nice. PNP and Magic Santa give you lots of options to choose from along the way, letting you customize for co-workers, friends, or family. And they give you the chance to have some fun with it too, because, let’s face it—we may now be filled with Christmas cheer, but we can’t be nice all the time!

Merry Christmas!

The “Toy Factory”. What a concept. Reminiscent of childhood dreams and the magic of Christmas.

Think back to being a child in December, and remember how the thought of being in a toy factory was the most wonderful imagination you could have. Santa’s workshop, a flurry of excitement. Each kid counting down the seconds to Christmas morning, the spirit of imagination and possibility filling the air.

Now fast-forward to the present. The magic of Christmas just isn’t the same. Work is busy. School is busy. Life is busy. The hustle and bustle of the season gets to us, and it’s hard to stop and feel the magic.

The Idea Factory is changing this.

Every year, we host The Toy Factory. Our friends, and even strangers, come together to help us collect money for the Ronald McDonald House and toys for the VOCM Cares Happy Tree.

Since launching in 2008, The Toy Factory has made Christmas dreams come true for over 1000 families. We’ve created online auctions, promoted live auctions, and even utilized the Santa Claus Parade to raise over $125,000 and 2,500 lbs of toys.

This year – we’re shaking things up.

We’re bringing The Toy Factory to life!

Toy Factory LIVE! will be hosted at Club One on December 9^th. We’ve got three rockin’ bands and a live auction ready to kick off the Christmas Season.

The venue is gonna be transformed. We’re talking a real live Toy Factory here. With YOU helping the Idea Factory elves raise over $50,000 for the Ronald McDonald House and hundreds of toys for the Happy Tree.

Get your friends and family, buy your tickets, and join us in making this an unforgettable night. Don’t forget your toy donation!

It’s time to bring the magic of Christmas back to life.

P.S. After only day 3 of sales, we’re 50% sold out as I create this blog.

Tickets: call 726-1449 e-mail factorylive@ifactory.ca visit 7 Plank Road www.thetoyfactory.com

Still being somewhat new to The Idea Factory, many of you may not know that I don’t have a cell phone. This fact usually causes people to look at me as if I just grew an extra head right in front of their eyes. It is incomprehensible to so many and most times prompts the question, “How do you live?!”

That reaction alone has made me reluctant to get one. I realize I sound like an old fart, but why have people become so incredibly dependent on these technological devices? It’s not like I’m anti-computers. I’m completely computer literate and have worked with them most of my life, but I don’t feel the need to have one attached to me 24/7.

The truth is, I haven’t needed one. I used to have one, but since moving here to NL I chose not to get one. Mostly because I figured “Who the heck am I going to call? I don’t know anyone here.” Well, that was three years ago and luckily I DO know a lot of people now and have made a great group of friends.

So, I’ve recently decided that I would like to get an iPhone. How this decision came to me I don’t really know. It just kind of hit me that I wanted to get back into the swing of things to say the least. It also prompted me to join Facebook. Yes, that’s right. I joined Facebook. I think I just heard my siblings’ mouths drop from shock. They’d been bugging me for years to get on there, but I refused. I was afraid to join for the same reason I didn’t want a cell phone. I didn’t want to become one of those people who cannot live without those gadgets. That kind of dependency frightened me and still does.

The future IS technology, and with it, we are gaining endless amounts of information on how to make the world better and how to find solutions to problems. I am happy to be a part of it and know that having a cell phone is a completely normal part of life. The difference is in how you let it form who you are.

An iPhone, Facebook, what’s next for me? Twitter? An iPad? Who knows? But I’m on a roll!

It doesn’t seem like it, but it’s been 10 years since the XFL launched as an alternative to the NFL.

The premise: Less rules, more violence, and more focus on cheerleaders.

The games were forgettable.
The sports pages barely covered it.
Viewership was so low that NBC cancelled it after one season.

You knew it was in trouble when on the first coin toss of the first game – well, not a coin toss but two guys diving for a football – one of the players separated a shoulder.

A failure by every definition of the word.

I say “so what?”

For all the fear and anxiety that overcomes all of us when starting something, if what happened to Vince is the worst that can happen when we fail, it ain’t so bad.

Vince survived.

NBC survived.

They both came out ahead – versus those not having the guts to experiment against a business model like the NFL.

They embraced failure and didn’t buy into a “success-only” mindset which hampers so many of us (me included, unless I constantly fight the urge).

They initiated. They took a chance.

If you want a better job, a better client, a better project, then ignore the “success only” policy.

Put your ideas out there.

Demand failure now and then.

This kind of says it all:

“There are two mistakes one can make along the way. Not going all the way and not starting”.
- Siddhartha Gautama

You can’t lose. Go. Go. Go.

By now, less than 24 hours after his death, there’s been a lot said & written about Steve Jobs. News, Twitter, and Facebook feeds have been lit up. It’s the way we roll these days, and he’s the top story within a world he helped create. This might just be one more piece in an already media-saturated day, but I just couldn’t let the day pass without writing something. His vision and tenacity had a profound effect on me from the first time I started reading about these two dudes, the two Steve’s in California, creating something wild & new.

In the early days of Apple, Steve Jobs assembled a special team with a mix of talents to work on his baby, the Mac. He wanted the Mac to revolutionize the world. He challenged his team to explore completely fresh ideas and challenge convention. He pushed them relentlessly. He made it fun, and he made them believe they were changing the world. He called the team ‘pirates’, and he wanted this tight-knit group to live and breathe the persona. ‘Pirates. It’s not the Navy,’ he had printed on T-shirts. They had to be free from restriction, primed to unleash their talents. Outlaw thinking and a revolutionary spirit was nurtured, and the word ‘pirates’ epitomized the spirit for him. He was the Pirate-in -Chief. That spirit engulfed Apple in the years ahead, driving innovation… ‘think different’ was the mandate. The rest is history.

We need more pirates. More thinkers that dismiss the way things ‘are done’ and imagine how things ‘can be done.’ It’s what makes greatness. It’s what drives change. Change is good.

We need financial leaders to think different to solve our economic woes. We need doctors to do the same so we can defeat diseases like cancer. Teachers need to think of ways to change the status quo.

We need to foster creativity. It’s a precious gift that needs to be preserved. The environment we create should encourage it. It’s how problems get solved. We can all learn something from Steve Jobs. Be a pirate.

Afternote:
I’ve been a raving fan of apple since I sat in front of my first Mac.
It was 1989.
It was a Mac II.
It had color. It had a mouse.
It was a game changer.
It changed my future.
My mind was buzzing. I wanted to sit with this machine forever.
As I connect the dots in my head, backwards, that was the moment everything changed for me.
Today, as I’ve done every day for over twenty years, I make my living in front of a Mac.
Thanks Steve.
You’ve been an inspiration to me, and the products you helped create have helped bring my ideas to life.
I’m sure I’m not alone.

And all research methodologies are not created equal.

Let’s understand the mindset for the last 6 minutes before checking out of your hotel room. For most of us it involves a mad panic involving a combination of packing your bags, figuring out what time your flight is, scouring the room for your credit cards or best fitting jeans left under the bed, and trying to beat the irritating mandatory 11 am check out time so you won’t be billed an extra day.

Agree?

Now, lets understand the marketing department at a hotel that wishes to create a long-winded 9 question survey they can stick in every hotel room and ask you to fill out in neat penmanship before you checkout so they can learn to do things better.

It makes no sense.

I dug further and learned that less than 1% of hotel guests actually fill out these surveys. Not a shocker.

Yet, I continue to see these useless surveys on card stock in every hotel I go to – from Holiday Inn to the Four Seasons.

So, I stayed at the Hilton in Toronto a couple of months ago and snapped this picture as I was getting off the elevator on the main lobby.

Brilliant. I didn’t have to pick up a pen or lose a step in my mad panic. It was cleverly disguised as a key drop off box as soon as you got out of the elevator. (Not at the front desk we all avoid on the way out).

This idea didn’t come from a consultant. It came from someone who finally spoke up in the marketing meeting after a decade of having to endure the frustration of having no in-room surveys to analyze (bored like the Maytag Repair man) and saying “Stop the printer. I have an idea that won’t cost us anything, and it will get 50 times the response rate.”

Why aren’t more hotels imitating this brilliant research method? Maybe its the 323 boxes of unused surveys that were printed in 2001 that someone has to use up.

How can you take this idea to your business and get some feedback from your customers instantly and painlessly?

No longer do we type in a web address and sit and wait (or maybe go for a coffee) for a site to load up. It’s uncommon to come across a site that uses animated gif’s for anything beyond a meme. Never do we build websites with the like of “expage” or “angelfire.” Thank the gods we have something other than Netscape or AOL.

That’s only a 15 year span, but as we know in today’s world, the internet changes daily.

Infographic courtesy of: Online University