Being remarkable isn’t easy. Often remarkability means doing something new that’s never been done before. It often requires doing something that others don’t or won’t “get.”
Walt Disney faced challenges in getting people to understand his vision of Disneyland before it opened. (Nothing like it had ever been done before).
Here’s a quote from George Lucas (Producer/Director [...]

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What do you see when you look at this image?
[click if you'd like a larger image]I shot this photo recently while visiting the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey.
At first glance, there is too much to take in at once. It all blends together. As if it were all the same thing.
Then… as you get used [...]

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Automated Teller Receipts (ATM) litter is a nuisance. More times than not, the area around an ATM looks like what’s pictured below… a carpet of discarded transaction receipts.
Do you even notice this anymore because it has become the standard appearance at ATMs?
The ATMs at my bank offer the option to view the balance via on-screen [...]

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Those who become a member of the Idea Sandbox “Sand for Your Inbox” eNewsletter are sent a custom, hand-crafted membership e-card… It literally offers creative license to think creatively and problem solve in remarkable ways.

Each time someone becomes a member - before I send the “welcome” message - I visit their website and try to [...]

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According to Harvard Business Review the strategic sweet spot of a company is “where it meets customer’s needs in a way that rivals can’t, given the context in which it competes.
(Source: “Can You Say What Your Strategy Is?” by David J. Collis and Michael G. Rukstad, Harvard Business Review, April 2008, page 89)

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Have you seen last year’s movie Evan Almighty? (I’m on a movie kick this week…)

Evan Almighty
Briefly, the plot…
Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) is a newscaster who was just elected to Congress. His slogan was “Change the World”. He moves his family to Virginia to start his new life. What Evan doesn’t know is that his world [...]

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I’ve always been a fan of Steve Martin’s brand of humor. He’s a part of my iBoard of Directors.
John Moore at Brand Autopsy (who has been talking about Steve Martin’s memoir) Born Standing Up sent me the URL to the recent interview (below) between Steve and Charlie Rose. It’s interesting to hear Steve talk about [...]

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You probably know Marty from his book “The Brand Gap“. His most recent book “Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands” talks about and teaches us how to create and harness the power of differentiation in a cluttered marketplace.
Who: Marty Neumeier
What: Zag! Be Different. No, REALLY Different.
What is it?
As the pace of business quickens [...]

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The crux of Guy Kawasaki’s book “The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything” is about turning ideas into action! In chapter 9, “The Art of Branding,” Guy offers advice on how to create a remarkable product or brand.
Who: Guy Kawasaki
What: “Create A Contagion”*
What is it?
Create “something contagious that infects [...]

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In their book “Why Johnny Can’t Brand: Rediscovering the Lost Art of the Big Idea” Bill Schley and Carl Nichols Jr. share their idea of the dominant selling idea (DSI) and how to create a #1 brand. While you may be familiar with product differentiation these fellas talk about both product and brand differentiation.
Who: Bill [...]

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