The following advice comes from Fawzia Gulsha, a friend in Dubai, who is both a royal princess and a very successful real estate agent in Dubai.

“The starting point of great success and achievement has always been the same. It is for you to dream big dreams. There is nothing more important, and nothing that works faster than for you to cast off your own limitations than for you to begin dreaming and fantasizing about the wonderful things that you can become, have, and do.”

I have given this same speech in different words so many times “after” an accomplishment.

Bill Egan, a client when he was International President of Johnson & Johnson once complained to me, “People think vision is ‘let’s go into the hair care business.’  Where is the real vision.”

We think that real vision is the ability to imagine and see in detail a scenario that has not happened yet, but theoretically could.  I believe a part missing in Bill’s comment is “bigness.”  I think in part vision is in the BIGNESS.  If one said, let’s own the hair care business, a minimum of 70%, it would be different.  In other words, is it possible that the size of a goal can actually lead one to Visionary Thinking?

For instance, the goal, “let’s invade and take over Cleveland,” would lead to visionary thinking, wouldn’t it.

I  love this business.  Yes, I must suffer through the Gatorade fiascos, and the Tropicana near disasters, but every now and then, you stumble across something wonderful,  Today, I discovered Whistle Creek walking sticks and canes out in Estes Park, Colorado.

I have a heath nuisance that might force me use a cane, and I don’t just want any old cane so I have been on the Internet.  I found the one I want for starters, but I don’t want to buy a personal thing like a cane online, so I finally decided to call the parent company out in Estes Park to see where I might find one of his Sumac Root Walking canes.  Well, it’s a small company, so George answered the phone.  He’s been in business for 25 years having sold his first company to AT&T.  He explained that he had about 2500 retailers across the country.

Georgia went through retailers in GA.  He knew exactly who had what, and finally gave me four numbers within three hours of my house that he knew for certain should have the exact cane I was looking for, the Atlanta Zoo, a hiking shop in Helen, Ga, another in Newnan, Ga, and one over in Rome, Georgia.

If I go to giant retailer, I can rarely find an employee who knows what they have, much less the specific name to ask for in the next aisle.

George, on the other hand told me about each of the four stores, something about the owners, their phone numbers, and what they ordered last time.  What an absolute pleasure.  Finally he offered to send me three or four canes, and let me send back the ones I did not want.  How nice it was to be treated like an adult.

I continue to be both astounded and embarassed.  I saw the advertising copy tonight for the New Gatordade.  This is beyond a useless piece of footage.  Someone is being given corporate permission to ruin one of the great brands of all times.

Can’t wait to see the newest numbers released.  I am just disgusted.

Over the years I have seen foot after foot of truly great advertising that could not get approved.  That could never get on the air.  Then to watch drivel like this approved, shot and aired is unbelievably discouraging.  I feel for every great copywriter I have ever known, and there have been a few.

There is a good piece of drama on TV disguised as an advertising commercial.  Open in shop, son working with calipers on block of wood.  No help from Dad, only encouragement.  Son ends up with blocky looking soapbox derby car vs. other cars that look like Mattel engineered.  Son with clunky looking car wins soapbox derby over the slicker cars.

I have seen this commercial about 6 times over the weekend.  I have not a clue as to what product or service is being advertised.  I can remember the action almost verbatim, but nothing about a product, never mind which product.

What a waste of time, talent and money.   I really hate to say, but no excuse for this kind of advertising from advertising professionals on either the agency or client side.

An associate, Rhonda McHardy sent us this new ad campaign for Air New Zealand.

Is it clever, or is it brilliant?   What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elD38pJX7iE&feature=related

I guess when we are looking at ways to create compelling differentiation, we have to include in our mental check lists, “upside down.”

I am of course speaking of Topsy Turvy, the new tomato plant that grows upside down out of the bottom of a hanging basket.  Everything about this product fits the principles of Killer Branding;  Focus, Alignment and Linkage. I know you must have seen it on TV.  And now I am getting emails about it to follow up the TV awareness.

The only thing that keeps me from buying this brand is the same thing that keeps me from having a vegetable garden in the first place.  I have very little sun, and frankly vegetable gardens are ugly and defeat the purpose of gardening to me, which is to envision, create and grow beauty.

Topsy Turvy is ugly also.  It did not have to be, but it is.   I cannot see one hanging on my patio.

I ate the other night at the Montgomery Inn in a surburb northeast of Cincinnati. The Montgomery Inn is actually a KILLER BRAND. People from all over come there just to have their barbecued ribs.

This is a great example of focus.  The Montgomery Inn is a full-service full-menu restaurant.  Very upscale, in a very nice part of town.  But they know that one thing on their menu is special, the ribs, and that is all they ever advertise.  The Rib Place.

Focus on a compelling differentiation and deliver.  For longer than I can remember that is exactly what the Montgomery Inn has done.   I went there deliberately because when I think of that part of the country, I think of the Montgomery Inn.

The signs in the baggage department at Kansas City airport say, “Welcome to Kansas City, the heart of America.”  Thirty years ago I would have agreed.  That’s the city P&G picked as the test market for Bounce.

But now, I don’t know.  Kansas City hasn’t changed that much except for the good.  It is America that has changed.

Up to the 1950’s the show business belief was that if it played in Peoria it would play in America.   They used to premier films there to plan the national distribution.   It’s been a long time since I have heard Peoria mentioned, in fact since the early days of Richard Pryor whom I believe was raised in Peoria.

SO I ASK YOU.  What is the symbolic “heart of America” now?  Do we have one?  Is it now Miami, or New York, or Los Angeles because of their more up to date ethnic mix?  Is there any place that ideologically represents the nation?  Is there anywhere that translates to “little America” to use a term from test market translation? Help me here.

I tried a new toothpaste at the Hyatt in Kansas City.  Acquafresh Extreme Clean, with micro-foaming action.

This formula comes out of the tube in a red and white swirl and turns pink while using.

AM I THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD WHO DOES NOT WANT A TOOTHPASTE THAT REMINDS ME OF GUMS BLEEDING?

Animal crackers with which we are all familiar were not a brand.  Animal crackers are a commodity with many different manufacturers over the years, even a few now, but the niche category has been all but owned since 1902 by Nabisco with its Barnum Animal crackers.  WHY??

In 1902, Nabisco created a special package of Barnum’s Animal Crackers, the circus wagon box as a one-time Christmas promotion.  The box had a string so that when empty it could be hung on a Christmas tree.

Up until then the crackers were sold only in bulk in barrels in store.  You bought them by weight.

The circus wagon package was so popular, and the string became popular because kids carried the box by the string, that over time Nabisco came to own this category with its Barnum Animal Crackers, which clearly are a KILLER BRAND.