Brains on Fire

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  This one’s for the underdogs

  Posted on February 27th, 2009 by Spike and currently 4 commenting.

  Why do we pull for the underdogs? Is it because of that Cinderella story that gets ingrained in us from our childhood? I dunno. But I do know that we love underdogs. I guess it’s about the potential story. Or that underdogs know they have to work twice as hard and be twice as smart as the big, established companies (or teams) out there.

  Then there’s the joy of the upset. The surprise and celebration of the long-shot win. The stories that are told over and over about the dramatic “I can’t believe it” happenings.

  But here’s the catch: What comes after being the underdog? Then you’re the big guy. Look at all the big companies out there today. At some point, they were the underdog. Nike. Microsoft. GM. Starbucks. The list goes on and on. When they started out, they had to be scrappy. Resourceful. And now? Well, there are a very, very small group of them that have maintained that mentality.

  So what’s the moral of the story? Be careful what you wish for.

  Tags: GM, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks, underdogs
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  Zits and Imperfections

  Posted on February 26th, 2009 by Spike and currently 5 commenting.

  Maybe I’m getting way too personal, but I recently had a HUGE zit on my forehead. Yeah, 35 and I still get them – yea! And while I don’t think I’m narcissistic, I do like to look good (or at least what I think is “good”). So like anyone who cares about their appearance, I obsessed over that zit. When I looked in the mirror, it’s all I could see. When I talked to other people, I thought that they were looking at it the entire conversation.

  But they weren’t.

  My point (and yes, I do have one) is that sometimes, we as companies obsess over things we think that everyone – our fans – are going to focus on. We freak out about it. But in reality, when you have people that love you, they overlook your flaws. They don’t even see them. They know that you’re human and that you’re trying as hard as you can and that sometimes – sometimes – things happen that you can’t control. And as long as you have a history of fixing those things as they come up, you’ll be the only one freaking out.

  Now, off to buy some Oxy.

  Tags: fans, imperfections, Movements
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  Build a Community like a Piano Man

  Posted on February 25th, 2009 by Geno and currently 3 commenting.

  To call me an evangelist for Couple SweptAway in Negril, Jamaica is an understatement. My last visit – my third – was the best experience I’ve had yet. The staff, the food, the resort… awesome. But the highlight for me and the folks I traveled with was spending a couple of evenings with Ultimate Chocolate the Piano Man at The SweptAway Piano Bar. “Ulti,” as the repeaters call him, is a celebrity for his piano playing skills and the skill he has at getting the entire bar involved each night. I don’t envy Ulti, because every night a new cast of characters fill the bar and it’s his job to get everyone involved. But I witnessed magic as Ulti brought together people from Switzerland, Germany, Spain, England, Canada, Quebec and the U.S. of A. Singing songs from Van Halen to The Beatles. Being a community guy, I had to grab a napkin, and sketch out his work:

  

  #1 CHOOSE YOUR INSTRUMENT
  Find the most authentic instrument to facilitate participation to build your community – in this case a grand piano will do just fine.

  #2 HAVE A PLAN
  When you have to build a community every night, it pays to have a plan that puts everyone on the same page. A book of lyrics is the Piano Man’s plan.

  #3 PARTICIPATION THROUGH INTRODUCTIONS
  The Piano Man knows that his community is a collection of people that are new to each other. But the magic of music will bring them together. So the Piano Man passes the mike, breaks the ice and levels the playing field. It let’s everyone know who’s in the house. The TOOL here is the mike, and getting people taking first makes it easier to participate.

  #4 CHANGE THE KEY
  Not everyone has a great singing voice, but this shouldn’t stop the participation. The Piano Man pays close attention to each individual voice, changing the key of the music to support an individual’s voice. Everyone wants to feel like a rockstar, the Piano Man knows this very well.

  #5 TAKING REQUESTS
  The Piano Man has a plan – but not a script. Encouraging people to share the music they’re passionate about brings people together.

  #6 THE DEFINING MOMENT
  Cheap Trick had its Budakon, the Piano Man has to have great timing to bring the entire community together for that ONE SONG. One night it might be Sweet Caroline, the next night it might be Piano Man. The key is paying close attention to the audience and bringing the collection of strangers into a community.

  #7 ALWAYS SAY THANK YOU
  The Piano Man knows that if you had fun, you’ll be back. And hopefully you’ll bring a friend next time. The Piano Man finishes thanking you for making the night special.

  Tags: Brains on Fire, Cheap Trick, communities, Couples SweptAway. Jamaica, customer evangelists, geno church, Keys to building a Community, Piano Man, Ultimate Chocolate
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  Past – 6.24-26.09 Spike speaks at AMPLIFY 2009 – Sydney, Australia

  Posted on February 24th, 2009 by Spike and currently 4 commenting.

  Spike goes DOWNUNDA for AMPLIFY 2009, AMP’s 3rd Innovation and Thought Leadership Festival, which will again run in Sydney, Australia from 24-26 June 2009.

  AMPLIFY is an initiative born out of the IT@AMP community to engage the whole AMP organisation in conversations about:
  • emerging technologies and trends that are shaping the future,
  • their impact on society at large and our business in particular, and
  • the innovation and long-term growth opportunities that arise as a consequence of these shifts.

  We invite thought leaders, innovators and change agents from around the world to “paint pictures of these scenarios” through a series of TED-style talks, exhibits and demonstrations in our corporate office in Sydney which is transformed into a campus-style learning environment for the Festival. All 3000 employees get an equal opportunity to attend these learning sessions along with our leaders, executives and Board members and key clients and associates.

  Tags: AMP Bank, AMPLIFY 2009, Australia, Speaking, Spike Jones, Sydney
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  Past – 3.25.09 – Geno speaks at Furman University Ad Club – Greenville, SC

  Posted on February 24th, 2009 by Geno and currently 0 commenting.

  Geno gets his academic on and hangs with his fellow Furman peeps on Wednesday, March 25th at 5:00PM.

  Details to come!

  Tags: Ad Club, college, Furman University, geno church, Greenville, South Carolina, Speaking, university