General

In the book, we talk about how vivid details can make ideas more credible. Here’s an example from the annals of advertising, plucked from an article on the copywriter Claude Hopkins:

Back in 1919, Schlitz beer approached Claude Hopkins. Their beer sales were in 15th place. They asked Hopkins if he could help them sell more beer. He agreed to meet with Schlitz and toured the brewery. He was fascinated with what he discovered. He then returned two months later with an ad campaign.

His ads told of the “crystal clear water from a special artesian well”. They told of the one “mother” yeast cell that produced all the yeast for fermenting the beer. It was the result of over “1,500 experiments and produced a very distinct fresh, crisp taste”. He told of how the bottles were “sterilized 12 times to ensure purity, so that nothing would interfere with the clean taste of the beer”.

The Schlitz people hated it. They explained to Hopkins that this would never work. They told him, “All beer is made the same way.” Hopkins calmly assured them that people would be fascinated with the “behind the scenes” look and, that no other beer maker had ever told the story.

After much discussion, Schlitz relented and let the ads roll out. Six months later, Schlitz beer was the Number 1 selling beer in the nation.

From 15th place to 1st in half a year – absolutely astonishing…

In actual fact, Schlitz were right. All beers are made pretty much the same way.

But, what Claude Hopkins had done was to turn the features that went into making beer, into the benefits people gained when they cracked one open and drank it – clean, crisp and, distinctive.

The work of a master.

I forgot to blog this when it happened, but consider it a historical pointer. SlideShare ran the “World’s Best Presentation Contest.” Winners are here. My primary comment is that I hope these are not, in fact, the world’s best presentations. Not to be a downer.

The winners are all extremely strong as examples of graphic design and layout. And that’s great, but that’s not the same thing as a great presentation. In many cases, the stunning visuals aren’t used in the service of a sticky idea. The visuals aren’t used to make ideas concrete, they’re simply adding decoration. For instance, check out the presentation for the Sustainable Food Lab. This is a great example of a feel-good presentation — anyone who watches it will say, “Wow, that was cool.” And a week later, no one will remember anything about it. There’s no focus, there’s no sharp unexpected hook to call us to attention, there’s no story. I wish it were stickier — it’s a great cause.

From the top of a story on Wal-Mart in today’s NYT:

“A confidential report prepared for senior executives at Wal-Mart Stores concludes, in stark terms, that the chain’s traditional strengths — its reputation for discounts, its all-in-one shopping format and its enormous selection — ‘work against us’ as it tries to move upscale.”

In other news, a therapy session for Earl Swatstorm concluded, in stark terms, that Earl’s strengths — his tough-guy manner, his fanatical attention to money, and his obsessive collecting of “B.J. and the Bear” memorabilia — will actually ‘work against him’ as he tries to find a girlfriend.

I’€™m very excited to announce that our book has been selected for the MarketingProfs Book Club! This will be a great chance to discuss the ideas in the book and talk shop about making ideas stick. Why is Jared so damn sticky? What are some of the worst SuperBowl ads in recent memory? How did Hamburger Helper’s brand manager get her team to build more empathy with the product’€™s core customers? We will dive into questions like these, as well as non-marketing sticky ideas (e.g., Why do some of Aesop’€™s fables stick better than others?). Should be good fun.

I’d encourage anyone who likes the book to join in the fray. And if you haven’€™t read the book, maybe you can get a free one: we’€™re giving away 50 signed copies for free to kick off the club. (But move fast — to be eligible for a free book, you’ve got to sign up by Friday at 5pm PST). All the details are right here, including a very cool ‘€œbonus’€ available to anyone who signs up. See you in the Book Club! (And a huge thanks to CK and Cam for making this possible.)

Check out Gavin Baker’s post discussing an interview with Gary Erickson, the founder/owner of Clif Bar. One quote from Erickson: “For me, stories are useful for a couple of reasons. First is, I’m not very technical when it comes to business. I can talk a bit of techno-language and theory, but it’s boring. Second, people relate to and remember stories. Their eyes roll back in their heads when you start talking theory, but stories are engaging. People are inspired by stories and parables.” And thanks to Gavin for linking the interview with our book!