stuff4business.com

I spend far too much time in hotel rooms, most of which are decorated so boringly they would give bland a bad name.

I have often thought there must be a great business opportunity to provide something different.

so when I came across these and lots more HERE at funtasticus.com I felt my thoughts had been vindicated, or at least there is a few other crazies, just like me, out there somewhere.

Here’s some cake ideas to stimulate your… um, imagination…

What a great way to create some word of mouth comment, they certainly take the “Ho Hum” out of a plane old birthday cake.

They would make great giveaways, or a great gift to send to regular customers at their office. (so all their workmates learn what a great place you run)

You will find heaps more designs here at Funtasticus.com

Is this the Obama team hard at work electioneering, or, is it an honest to goodness, magic moment, spontaneously caught on camera?

Either way it makes great watching… and offers you a chance to learn what makes a message like this spread.

My cynical nature is aroused a tad (or more) by the amazingly “coincidental”ability of the speaker to hammer home, one very specific, highly detailed and articulate testimonial for Obama’s health policy.

If it’s not a very clever marketing ploy, then it is a great example of an approach that could be used with enormously powerful results.

The simple fact is: Any message is far more powerful if articulated by a third party.

Clips that present the viewer with a drama of adversarial struggle, especially between broadly accepted stereotypes (protagonist street kid, confronted by smart arsed journalist, street kid wins) have the “street” appeal and credibility that drives huge, instant distribution of the message. Seth Godin would call this the ultimate viral sneeze.

P.S. Have a look at the follow up vid on YouTube and make up your own mind, it’s a great lesson on how all this new media stuff does or could work for you and your business.

O.K. This is going to require just a little lateral thinking…

So, put on your lateral thinking cap and have a look at this great use of an escalator, to tell potential customers these guys/gals have a huge variety of stuff to sell. In this case it’s for a hair salon, Juice, but with just a little lateral thought, this same idea would work for any business that can show the variety of products they have for sale.

The beauty of this idea is, they can tune the message to suit several key markets at once, without diluting the overall appeal.

A Brisbane, Australia, (almost my home town) restaurant has earned international notoriety after insulting a customer who had the temerity to let them know she was dissatisfied with their food and service.
After posting a complaint via The Casa Flamenco’s website outlining problems encountered during a $261 dinner party, diner Lorraine Pacey was shocked at the reply:
“Dear Lorraine, Your are an idiot we don’t want your feedback.”
Both communications have now circulated around the world - including featuring on a US website, which has had more than 20,000 hits.
Ms Pacey, a marketing manager who once worked in restaurant marketing, was more than a little shocked by the response, and passed it on to friends.
But even she has been surprised by the speed at which the tale spread across the globe.
“In marketing we usually say if a customer has a good experience they will tell between three and four people about it.
“If it’s bad, it’s usually eight to 10. This bad experience has gone to over 20,000 that we know of.” And is now being featured in prime time television shows and the printed media.
In her email, she reported that while the waiter was “a sweet, friendly guy”, he wasn’t properly trained and did not regularly check back on the table.
“The food was good, we enjoyed it, but it was not enough and it took far too long to arrive,” she noted.
She also said she felt that some of the dishes were overpriced, noting that while she was dining on an advertised offer of 50 per cent off the bill, she would have been disappointed had she had to pay full price.
“I am not seeking any recompense here - I think you have a good concept in the restaurant and your website shows you are passionate about what you do,” she wrote.
Ms Pacey said she had hoped the email would have helped Casa Flamenco staff to improve their performance and help the restaurant get repeat business.
Casa Flamenco co-owner John Jimenez said the response to Ms Pacey had been sent in error.
“We explained it was a misunderstanding. We’ve got a relative on Russell Island and thought it had been sent to him,” Mr Jimenez said.
“Her husband called and we explained the misunderstanding.”
But Ms Pacey says she is unmarried and has made no attempt to contact Casa Flamenco .
An acquaintance of Ms Pacey’s who emailed Casa Flamenco expressing displeasure at the way Ms Pacey had been treated received the following response: “Like we care.”
Tonight on television, they are claiming the restaurant had to be closed for several days due to the volume of abusive telephone calls and emails.
The bottom line is… well surely no reader to this blog needs me to state the obvious.

Bloody hell, I can’t believe this sort of stuff still happens!!!.

UPDATE:

Read the comment attached from Ken Burgin, he has sent us a  link to the interview on TV. This is a must see for all business owners and service teams

Today I had a really bad day, and I don’t just mean a few things got under my skin, I mean I had a really bloody awful day, I mean I had one of those days that make you question weather life itself is merely some cosmic plot intent on humiliating you to a point of destruction.

It all started out really well… I crawled out of bed, showered, breakfasted and all that stuff, then I got a call from my wife who is interstate on business.

She was in a bit of a panic, she had just discovered her Amex payment was due, and because it included much of our overseas trip expenses it would incur hefty penalties if not payed in time. Being a caring and helpful husband, I willingly (that’s a fib) assured her I would willingly forgo my morning painting schedule to assist her, by driving the 20km to the local Amex office.

Overhearing my rare offer of generosity, my son presented me with a shoe box and requested that I return a newly acquired pair of sneakers for a refund.

Now all this seems innocent enough right? I’m one of those lucky individuals that work from home… In the mornings I paint until about lunch time, then in the afternoon I sketch and mess around with experimental stuff for my next painting, later, I do all my internet and marketing stuff. It’s not a fixed schedule, some days I’m not in the mood to paint(yes, we artists are a fickle lot), so it’s all a bit loose and spontaneous, that’s how I like, it works for me… well that is until someone comes along and messes it all up.

Obviously, today was not going to fit into my normal schedule, annoying, but shit really does happen, and that’s O.K.

So, I drove my son to school, well that’s not quite true, he’s learning to drive at the moment, so, he drove me, and as any parent will tell you, the early stages of being driven by your child, is the nearest thing to a religious experience many of us ever have.

But we made it with a minimum of yelling and screaming. What sort of demented soul, ever thought that combining the age of driving with the onset of puberty, might be a good idea?

Then I set off for the trek across the city to perform my generous tasks. After a long wait in a line at the Amex office, I was informed by the less than enthusiastic teller that I would require proof of identity to make the payment. This was followed by a similar rejection from the “Customer Service” lady at the shoe shop, who had obviously been trained in the same “enthusiasm” class as the Amex lady.

So, one and a half hours later, after driving home to obtain the details, I drove again into the shopping center to complete my generous tasks.

That was when I discovered that I was invisible. That is the only way I can explain why, the car exiting their car park, drove into me.

Now, I’m normally a fairly sensitive person, I care about people, but a hysterical woman, more worried about her car than her children, screaming, crying, and accusing me of sneaking up on her, did test my people skills a little more than I would have liked.

Finally, I returned home, to make the obligatory phone calls to insurance companies etc.

After a cigarette (yes, I do have some vices) and a cup of coffee, I decided to splash a little paint on the portrait I am currently wrestling with. Now, to those of you familiar with the technicalities of portrait painting, you will sympathize with the difficulties of remixing paint to match skin tones. It’s a near impossible task and requires a whole lot of concentration and total attention.

So, the interruption of two very persistent, fresh faced young gentlemen offering to save my soul was less than welcome. I finally extricated myself from their clutches by explaining that “everlasting life” was not high on my agenda today and returned to my color mixing.

Then, just as I dabbed my newly mixed paint around the problem area of an eye that appeared to suffering an intolerable attack of palsy, the phone rang, and joy upon joy, a nice gentleman from (I’m guessing Mumbai) informed me that I had been chosen to receive a once in a lifetime opportunity to receive some huge discount on all my future telephone calls. I explained to him that… Well I think, from what I can remember I shouted some very unkind things that questioned his manhood and legitimacy.

I returned to the painting, dabbed and dabbled, then realized that today might not be a good day to attempt the delicate work, required to finish this painting.

So, I put the freshly mixed paint in a container in the fridge and recalcitrantly plonked myself in front of the TV in an attempt to wash the days challenges from my brain.

It was then I discovered how much I hate “Time Management Gurus”, Inadvertently, I tuned into a shopping channel, to be confronted by Mr. smooth talking success. He assured me, that all I had to do was purchase his set of 15 DVD’s and genuine leather bound diary, to learn the secrets that were causing me to lose time and fail to meet my lifelong objectives.

Just think, for just several mortgage payments, I would be in possession of all the skills and unique secrets that would have avoided rude impersonal service, a traffic accident, the interruptions of religious zealots and foreign telemarketers and I would instantly be on my personal road to a Rolls Royce, big yacht, luxurious mansion and personal fulfillment, just like him and his merry band of insincere testifiers.

That’s great, by the way, as I have been sitting here, pouring my personal bile onto the keyboard, the dog has escaped and is digging in the sand of our canal where he gets covered in sand flies, which only the vet cat remove, and the cleaners, in a very rare attack of enthusiasm, have thrown out the container of freshly and carefully mixed skin tone I had stored in the refrigerator.

I think I will go to bed right now, I’m going to call this day quits, before the sky falls or the time management guru convinces me to re-mortgage the house to buy his genuine leather diary, unique priority setting matrix, DVD’s and 101 bonus, miscellaneous secrets to success.

O.M.G. What can I say? It doesn’t matter what I say, it’s sure to attract the wrath of some unidentified forces upon me…

They are a bit glib and trite for my taste, but I’m sure they put a short term smile on the faces of of a few passing heathens and if you want to see more (think of it as your days penance) go HERE where you will find 27 of them.

May the force be with you…

With Valentines day still so fresh in everyones mind, except mine!!!…

I thought this candy heart made by brick artist Nathan Saywa of brickartist.com was very topical and would make a brilliant Advertising/conversation piece. It’s a little bizarre, but then “ORDINARY” doesn’t get remembered.

If you like Lego Sculpture (as a father, to be honest, I’m a bit over those colorful, expensive little bricks that seem intent on doing nasty stuff to your bare feet when stood on, and seem to find their wicked way into every crevice of cars and homes these days)

click over to Nathan Sawa’s site , he really does do some amazing stuff.

I’m still in trouble at home for messing up my Valentines day dates, nothing direct has been said of course, it’s the stuff that is not being said, that is making my life a little more “delicate” than usual.

Oh well, I guess I will just have to rely on the ultimate male contractual cop out, by reminding her the deal was for better or worse… oh yeah, I can hear the acerbic response now, “Nobody could have imagined this much worse !!!”

Oh well the dog and I are beginning to develop mutually acceptable, co-habitation schedules, and life, though a little more tenuous, will go on.

All this open disclosure and self flagellation leads me to the point of this posting… a truly great piece of Valentines day restaurant Advertising… It’s just a “crying shame” I didn’t get my copy a few days earlier.

I am assured this is a true story, but cynical old me, can’t imagine that even a mere male, could be this stupid…

This is reported to be an actual letter sent to Proctor and Gamble from Wendi Aarons, Austin , TX , regarding their feminine products.

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your Always Maxi Pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the Leak GuardCore(tm) or Dri-Weave(tm)
absorbency, I’d probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I’d certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can’t tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there’s a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from ‘the curse’? I’m guessing you haven’t.

Well, my ‘time of the month’ is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I’ll be transformed into what my husband likes to call ‘an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.’

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-hygiene Division, you’ve no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly
happens during your customers’ monthly visits from ‘Aunt Flo’. Therefore, you must know about the bloating,
puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it’s a tough time for most women.

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants… which brings me to the reason for my letter.

Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I
opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the
adhesive backing, were these words: ‘Have a Happy Period.’

Are you fucking kidding me? Does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness is possible during a period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you’re some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never be anything ‘happy’ about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don’t march down to the local Kmart armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life, and anyone else who gets in your way, in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, if you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn’t it make more sense to say something that’s actually pertinent, like ‘Put Down the Hammer’ or ‘Vehicular Manslaughter Is Wrong’, or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly
profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bull shit. And that’s a promise I will keep.

Always.

Best,
Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX