From Dayton to Hog Heaven…

One of the coolest stores in Dayton, Ohio is F&S Harley Davidson.  Located on North Dixie Drive, the store is family owned; run by Jeff Stolzenburg, his sister Jenny, and his parents.  F&S is a massive complex, filled with beautiful Harley Davidson motorcycles, Harley merchandise, a conference center, storage facility, repair garage, parts warehouse, and more.  They even have free coffee for guests, and I love free coffee.  One step through the front door, and you immediately begin to picture yourself out on the open road riding one of these beautiful machines.

When I worked in Dayton as an Account Executive, F&S was one of my favorite clients.  They were always fun to work with. They were not afraid to push the boundaries, and they sell an unbelievable product to a very loyal customer base.  Truly a dream account.  I still keep in touch with Jeff and the F&S crew, and they even hosted a fundraiser for the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio for free last March.  Great people, and a great place to visit if you have never done so.

With that said, this year is Harley Davidson’s 105th anniversary.  The company is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the anniversary, and Dayton will be included in the mix as several corporate executives from HD will be leading a cross country ride right through Dayton.  The group, which should be sizable, will be stopping at F&S in the afternoon on Monday, August 25th, and staying into the evening to answer questions, press the flesh, and greet the Harley faithful from the Miami Valley.  This should be a really cool event, and something that you Harley enthusiasts out there will not want to miss. When the ride leaves Dayton, the group will be headed to Wisconsin, where the company is based, to continue the celebration. Word on the street is that it is going to be legendary, with big name acts playing private shows over several days!

Part of the fun in Wisconsin will be the newly opened Harley- Davidson museum, featured in this month’s issue of Wired.  Harley fan or not, this is a great example of pulling people into the experience of the company and its devoted followers.  There are very few companies that could open a museum people would actually want to visit.  I stand in awe at the way in which Harley-Davidson has managed to cultivate such fierce loyalty amongst its customers.  If I ever find myself in that part of the county, I am going to make it a point to visit. Clearly there is a lot to learn about motorcycles and even more to learn about marketing.

New Harley-Davidson Museum Is Heaven for Hells Angels

If I Was In Charge of… NBC

Next February, good old fashioned broadcast television - the kind delivered by the combination of aluminum foil and rabbit ears that sits atop of my old school analog set - will cease to exist.  The Federal government is mandating that television networks broadcast solely in digital signals. Thus, if you are like me, you will need to get yourself a digital converter soon.  Still, I think this turn of events in conjunction with the tough economic times we face might just open up a new opportunity for Network television.  Follow along while I briefly explain my reasoning.

Recently I used the $40.00 voucher from the government to purchase a second digital converter for my home.  I bought it at Target, and it ended up costing me $10.00 after the voucher.  As I was buying it, a guy in line who identified himself only as a Television Executive, asked me if I really viewed television strictly over the air.  I proudly replied yes.  He was dumbfounded.  He could not believe that I was able to manage with only network television to guide me.

This got me thinking, why would I need cable at all?  With my digital receiver I now have over 30 stations, all for free.  I have more than 10 versions of PBS - covering kids programming, cooking and arts, travel, state government, and traditional programming.  Not only that, but local stations also offer multiple channels for me to enjoy.

Now that got me thinking even further…  With the expanded bandwidth afforded by digital broadcast television, why would the networks need cable or satellite for distribution?  The answer is they don’t.

So, if I was in charge of NBC, I would create 100 niche channels and make them available for broadcast through the local stations.  Music, sports, finance, politics, gardening, gossip, talk and more - all for free.  Why would I do this?

Well the whole point of commercial television is to sell ads.  If I can attract people to my content, I can sell more ads.  If people can give choices without having to make them pay, they should be interested - especially now as family budgets are stretched to the limit.  By being the first network to embrace this move, NBC could take a dominant role in the new niches that will emerge in the digital broadcast space. (note that you can substitute CBS, ABC, or FOX and it still works).

Look at your most recent cable or satellite bill and then tell me you would not be interested in having all the networks embrace this potential opportunity.  Imagine having 100, 200, 400 digital channels all for free.  Imagine having over $1000.00 back in your pocket at the end of the year - how is that for a stimulus package?

No, cable and satellite are not goint away.  No, I would not pull programming from them… yet.  What I would do is take advantage of tough times, federal mandates, vouchers, digital technology, analog televisions that still work, and mounting consumer frustration to take advantage of what might well be the biggest opportunity to come to television in years.

What would you do if you were in charge of NBC or another television network?

Voices Episode 6 - Jason Hillard

How far would you go to help a friend?  Would you be willing to have one of your organs removed to save them?  No, this is not an intro to a party game about difficult questions, this is a real question - one that was posed to Daytonian Jason Hillard.  Listen as I speak to Jason, who is about to donate one of his kidney’s to a friend in need.

I found out about Jason’s act of incredible kindness a few weeks ago, when he sent me an email to let me know that he would be closing down his office for a few weeks as a result of the surgery.  He then went on to explain why, and provided some prelimiary details about the pending operation.  I was floored that he was going to actually do something so kind, and I asked him if he might like to do a podcast to share his story with the rest of the world.  Thankfully he said yes.

On Friday, July 25th, 2008 - just a few days prior to his surgery, Jason and I sat down at his home in Dayton’s Oregon District for a conversation.  For me, it was so inspiring to sit across from this guy, a guy I know pretty well, and see him calmly describe this amazing act of generosity as if it were just another day.  Literally, he told me that he was more nervous about recording a podcast than about the surgery.  He really is an amazing guy.

I encourage you to listen to this podcast, and share Jason’s inspiring story with others you know.  For anyone who needs to restore their belief in the goodness of mankind, look no further than Jason.  Oh, by the way, when he recovers he and his wife, Ann Charles Watts, who is in charge of Habitat for Humanity in the Region, are hoping to become foster parents.  They serve as an example to us all of how to be Servant Leaders.  I am honored to know them.

If you would like to help Jason and his family or just offer some words of support, contact me and I will forward along his information to you.

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko

Looking for a little inspiration to move you forward in your career.  How about a comic book?  The Adventures of Johnny Bunko is the latest book by author Dan Pink, who also penned A Whole New Mind - another of my favorites.  The book is done entirely in the popular style of Japanese animation known as Manga.  Who knew that manga could be so enlightening?  The characters are particularly funny, with career counseling coming from a fairy who appears when the main character breaks open carry out chopsticks.  Not exactly the run of the mill career guide.

The book is an easy read, makes some very meaningful points about how to approach your professional career, and the comic book format makes it particular enjoyable to read.

There are 6 key points outlined in the book.  Here they are with a few extra notes to add context.

1. There Is No Plan - I know this one very well, having been involved in companies that have gone through downsizing, mergers, acquisitions and other assorted craziness.  Pink asserts that you can either make “safe” decisions that may lead to something better someday, or make decisions that lead to the opportunities to learn exciting new things, build skills, and enjoy life now.
2. Think Strengths, Not Weaknesses - Pink references Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, one of my favorite authors, and discusses the idea of leveraging that which you love and are good at to make a living.  Instead of trying to improve upon that which you despise or struggle with, focus on your strong points.  This will ultimately lead to a job where you can achieve “flow” on a regular basis - with time flying by as you enjoy and are engaged in what you do.
3. It’s Not About You - The most valuable people use their talents to bring out the best in others.  If you want to improve your life, start by improving someone else’s.
4. Persistence Trumps Talent - The best of the best are those who stick with it in the tough times.  For musicians and athletes alike, it comes down to practicing hard every day.  The same is true in business.
5. Make Excellent Mistakes - Too many people get hung up on trying to avoid failure at all costs.  In doing so, they never try anything new.  It is ok to fail, as long as it gets you closer to excellence.
6. Leave An Imprint - Life is short.  Do something that matters.

Whether you like business books or not, this one is a must read.  It is so different from most of what is out there and presents the message in such an innovative way, that you are sure to think a little differently about work by the time you get done reading it.

Ja Mata

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko

The Physics of Marketing - Brownian Motion

In 1827 Robert Brown was trying to observe the fertilization process of flowers under a microscope when he noticed slight movements in the grains of pollen, which were suspended in water.  “Were the particles alive?”  “No, so how did they move?”  The answer is Brownian Motion.  The pollen on the microscope’s slide was suspended in water.  Thus the movement of the pollen was not due to the pollen being alive, but was actually caused by the constant and random movement of the water molecules which were bumping into the pollen.  These collisions created the illusion of the pollen being alive.  In actuality the movement was a by-product of the movement of the water.

This phenomenon can be observed in the way that air pollution spreads, or how dust particles seem to dance about in a sunbeam gleaming through a window.  Brownian motion can be influenced by things like the type and temperature of the particular gas or liquid in which something is suspended.  For example molecules in warm water are more active than in cold water, and thus would result in more movement.

How does the concept of Brownian Motion pertain to marketing?

For me this is very similar to the concept of signal versus noise, discussed by Don Wheeler in his book Understanding Variation.  The central premise is that a data without context is basically meaningless, and that changes in numerical values are not necessarily representative of real change.  Wheeler asserts that “the first mistake in interpreting data is to interpret noise as if it were a signal.”  The second is to “fail to detect a signal when it is present.”

Much like Brown’s initial reaction to the moving pollen, business leaders can mistakenly attach value to motion.  So the 5% increase in sales that made everyone feel so great, could actually be the act of random motion.  The increase in the response rate on that piece of direct mail - might just be noise.  Conversely, the decrease in hits to your web site might just be the result of random movement.  There is a certain amount of variation inherent to everything.  Thus, making the numbers or beating the numbers can be misleading.

Just as happens in suspensions, every environment is different.  And just as temperature and chemical composition influence the amount of variation, so do things like competition, market saturation, market awareness, and other factors.  Some industries may have little fluction, some may have substantial changes.  As Wheeler states, The Voice of the Customer decides what you want from the system, the Voice of the Process decides what you will get.  “It’s Management’s job to bring the voice of the process into alignment with the voice of the customer.”  That is how real motion, not random motion, takes place.

As a marketer it is important not to attach too much importance to individual data points, (the numbers are up today, the numbers are down today) but rather to view the data as a whole.   Variation, or random movement, is inherent to nature.  One must take the time to separate the signals from the noise, and then to act accordingly.

How would you apply Brownian Motion to Marketing or Business?  Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

2008 Tour d’Burg!

The 2008 Tour d’ Burg.  What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon - surrounded by family and friends, gathered in downtown Miamisburg, watching hundreds of great cyclists compete for the Ohio State Championship.  Even better we got to cheer for my brother in law Geoff, who was competing in the race - his last as a category 5 cyclist.

To our delight, Geoff finished 2nd in his race - one that saw a handful of cyclists sprint it out for the last 300 yards to the finish line.  Geoff made a late push down the final straight-away and overtook 2 others just as he crossed the line.  It was thrilling to watch.  My wife and I, and everyone else there were jumping up and down and cheering as Geoff rode past us triumphantly.  I think he had the loudest cheering section of anyone in the event. It was awesome to see him come across the finish line with such enthusiasm.  I know how much he loves cycling and how hard he has worked to get good at it.  It was a moment to remember.

This was our second Tour d’ Burg - and again it was a great day. The Miamisburg Police Department handed out free bike helmets for children, vendors handed out clickers, noise makers, and trinkets, and there was face painting, balloons, games, and food vendors galore.  The event was not overly crowded, but had enough people there to make it an exciting event.

I hope that Miamisburg will continue to put this event on, as it is quickly becoming one of my favorite summer happenings.  I also hope that Geoff will be riding in next year’s race.  Although the competition will be stronger, I know Geoff has what it takes to bring home a trophy or two for the day’s efforts.  And if he rides in a better category, that just means that our cheering section will have to step it up next year too - which of course will be fun.

Did you attend the Tour d’ Burg?  What did you think of the day?  Will you go again?

Here are some pictures of the event, courtesy of another great brother in law - Chad -  who served as the unofficial photographer for the day’s events.

Tour d’Burg 2008 | 2008 Tour d’Burg!

Whatcha Talkin Bout Willis?

By this time you have probably heard about Twitter.  If not, here is a quick summary.  Twitter is a site where you, and the rest of the world get 140 characters to answer one question “what are you doing?”

Now the common first reaction by someone who discovers Twitter is to scrunch up their face, tilt their head to the side and scratch it, sigh, tilt their head back again, shrug their shoulders and say “huh?”  “What is the big deal?”

Well shortly thereafter you begin to discover that on Twitter people are sharing thoughts and opinions on everything under the sun in a very concise and easy to understand format.  Better yet the format is constantly evolving.  Twitter also makes it possible to follow brilliant thinkers like John Moore, Pete Blackshaw, and Guy Kawaski, as you follow “what they do.”

Still, the whole thing can seem a bit overwhelming and disjointed.  That is where the new Twitter Search (formerly Summize.com) comes into play.  Simply type in a term and you can search in real time what people are talking about.  Search Dayton, or Obama, or McCain, Pizza, Reds, Apple, whatever - Twitter search will aggregate the results so that you can begin to make sense of it all.  Better yet, it is equipped with an RSS feed so that you can track the conversation as it evolves.  Track mentions of your name, your employer, your friends, and on and on.

So do you wonder what Willis is talking about?  Well I am not sure if Willis (Todd Bridges) uses Twitter, but you can find a whole bunch of people talking about him and darn near anything else by using Twitter Search.  Give it a try, and share the interesting things you find with your comments.

Twitter Search

Thanks to Our Dirty Friends

As a member of the board of the EFWO and a parent of a child who has epilepsy, I want to say thanks to the record number of people who turned out Saturday for MUDSTOCK 08, the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio’s annual charity fundraiser event.  It was a huge success, drawing in roughly 2,400 people from the Miami Valley and beyond, and raising over $80,000 in the process.   Here are some pictures courtesy of the Dayton Daily News.

Thanks also to the long list of corporate sponsors, the hundreds of volunteers, and to everyone who was involved in making MUDSTOCK 08 successful.  Special thanks to Jim Hausfeld from ClearChannel, who served as the ringmaster for the event, and to EFWO Executive Director Janine Poppa.

The money raised will represent nearly 1/3 of the operating budget for the organization, which serves residents of Auglaize, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, and Shelby counties in Western Ohio.

If you are interested in getting involved with the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio, contact me or visit the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio home page for more information.  We are always in need of volunteers.

Volleyball players get muddy for a good cause

Sam’s 10 Charts You Can’t Live Without

Sam Lawrence is the CMO for Portland based company Jive Software.  He is a fascinating guy and a thought leader in enterprise social software.  His web site, GoBigAlways is full of great content, including his latest post 10 ROI Charts You Can’t Live Without.  The post concisely articulates several ideas that I believe to be prevalent in modern business, and thus I thought I would pass it along.  Nice work Sam.  My favorite happens to be #3 pictured here.  Check out Sam’s post, and let me know your favorite of his 10 charts.

Go Big Always - 10 ROI charts you can’t live without

Obama in Dayton Friday

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama will be coming to Dayton, Ohio this Friday.  He will be speaking about his proposed energy policy.  The event is free, but tickets are limited.  This is a great opportunity to see a Presidential candidate up close and in person.  I hope that I can score tickets and make it to the event.   I would also like to invite Senator Obama to do a Podcast with me following the event. Hey, it can’t hurt to ask can it?

See details below:

Join Barack Obama at a Town Hall in Dayton on Friday, July 11th, where he’ll discuss his plan for a Secure Energy Future. A SECURE ENERGY FUTURE TOWN HALL Stivers School for the Arts 1313 East 5th St. Dayton, OH 45402 Friday, July 11th Doors Open: 10:00 a.m. This event is free and open to the public. However, TICKETS ARE REQUIRED. To obtain a ticket, please visit one of the locations to the right. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Only two tickets will be available per person. To get two tickets, each person must turn in two names along with contact information. For security reasons, do not bring bags. Please limit personal items. No signs or banners allowed.

TICKETS MAY BE PICKED UP AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS: Montgomery County Democratic Party 131 South Wilkinson St. Dayton, OH 45402 Contact: 937-223-3729 Butler County Democratic Party 633 High St., Suite 105 Hamilton, OH 45011 Contact: 513-371-4756 Miami County Democratic Party 14 North Walnut St. Troy, OH Contact: 937-552-2626 Neuhardt for Congress Headquarters 43 South Fountain Ave. Springfield, OH 45503 Contact: 513-371-4756

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