Articles offering suggestions and technques to help you grow your business.
Last Updated on 7 July 2021 When I was six or seven years old, my grandfather took a trip to Australia and brought me back a boomerang. While I thought it was the coolest thing, no matter how much I practiced […]
Do you regularly attend networking events? Do you have a system for processing the names and business cards you gather to quickly follow-up with new contacts? New to my market, I’ve made it a goal to get out of the office […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Ah… “Drive Sales.” Is there a company that doesn’t have “sales driving” as a key strategy? It can’t be much simpler than a choice of three levers. (1)Find New Customers Create a New Market with […]
Last Updated on 11 August 2019 At Idea Sandbox we talk a lot about being childlike and using your imagination… how solving problems is about creativity and how creativity is driven by your ability to imagine new ideas… I found this […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 One of the best starting points for a strategy session is at the end of it. Starting by clearly expressing what the end results should be, serves as a clear target for participants to aim […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 [The garage where Hewlett and Packard started HP, 1939 photo] Founders Bill Hewlett and David Packard had the right idea when they first built their company. They believed if you had passion for what you […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 We are proud to be contributing to the new “direct to fan” platform, Tidbitts. They’ve pulled together a wide variety of expert contributors who provide a weekly bite-sized chunk of interesting content. Idea Sandbox is […]
Last Updated on 24 August 2014 POINT: John Moore The price of a product doesn’t necessarily affect its marketing plan. Objectives still need to be set. Strategies must be identified. Tactics need to be developed. Constraints (budget & timing) must be […]
Last Updated on 7 July 2021 We all want our customers to return to us. In a moment of choice, we hope they would choose us again over a competitor. That they’ll be loyal to us. Google will provide you with […]
Last Updated on 8 October 2013 POINT: John Moore “Give, and you shall receive.” It’s an old and overused proverb. And for good reason… it works. The more kindness we give others, the more kindness we receive. The more knowledge we […]
Last Updated on 13 September 2013 Today’s the final day of the virtual book tour for Converge: Transforming Business at the Intersection of Marketing and Technology by Bob Lord and Ray Velez. On Monday… Ray Velez expanded upon the major themes […]
Last Updated on 26 May 2022 POINT: John Moore The surest way a brand will form emotional connections with customers is through its unique personality. It’s also the surest (and strongest) way for us to form emotional connections with people. Think […]
Last Updated on 26 May 2022 POINT: Paul Williams A unique selling proposition or unique selling point, or USP can be described as “what you would advertise that would make customers switch brands.” You’ll also see or hear POD – point […]
Last Updated on 7 November 2012 John St., an advertising agency out of Canada, has a new service: Buyral. The tool that guarantees your video to go viral. With Buyral you don’t have to hope for thousands of views, it can […]
Last Updated on 6 November 2012 This Election Day, the Washington, DC area yoga community is offering complimentary yoga classes all day long…50 studios across DC, Virginia and Maryland all with free classes. The headline on local signage reads…”on a day […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Last Wednesday I participated in the Wines of Chile Blogger Tasting: A Chilean Terroir Master Class, a virtual tasting sponsored by Wines of Chile and organized by their agency, the thomas collective. This genius marketing […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 by Shannon Jones This weekend I was reminded of the power of a simple, inexpensive and easy marketing tool … the t-shirt. At last month’s Wine Bloggers Conference in Oregon, we visited Willamette Valley Vineyards. […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 I hope your week is off to a great start. I thought you might like to read two recent interviews featuring Idea Sandbox and our approach to creativity and problem solving. They were conducted just […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 The three secrets to being more innovative and hosting better meetings are to… involve the right PEOPLE, choose and use the right PROCESS, and hold your meeting in the right PLACE. 99% of the time, […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 When creating a marketing offer, you’ve got to make sure they are as meaningful to your customer as they are for your business. Today, my old* dentist sent the following automated email. As we near […]
Last Updated on 5 July 2012
Last Updated on 7 July 2021 It is no surprise; there is more bad brainstorming than good. As someone who leads brainstorm sessions, you’re going to face jaded audiences—folks with rock bottom expectations. In addition to the ideas and solutions generated […]
Last Updated on 7 June 2021 3 People x 5 Ideas = 125 Ideas Grade school arithmetic would lead you to believe when you have three (3) people in a room, each with five (5) ideas, and you’ll have a total […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 When the German physiologist and physicist Hermann Helmholtz was seventy years old [in 1898], he was asked at his birthday party to analyze his thought processes. Later, Graham Wallas, in his [1926] book The Art […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 You’re nearly ready for next week’s problem solving session… × Problem clearly defined and the objectives of the day outlined? Check. × Silly-Puddy, Play-Doh, and Slinkys? Check. × Flip charts, colored markers, Post-It notes? Check. […]
Last Updated on 21 August 2017 At times, has your company or team ever felt lost at sea? I recently built an exercise for a company that was ready to grow… and while they had goals in mind – a destination […]
Last Updated on 26 May 2022 Not too long ago… In a business galaxy not too far away… John Moore and I were retail marketing managers at Starbucks Coffee. Our hands were always dirty, working in the trenches designing and […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 Meetings. We have too many of them. Many Most aren’t productive. They are a necessary evil. But they don’t necessarily have to be evil… There are all sorts of strategies when hosting meetings. If you […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 Our current options for great places to hold meetings are minute compared to the number of important out-of-office meetings we conduct. While there are a handful of creatively crafted locations in the United States, our […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 Why haven’t you hired Idea Sandbox to work with you yet? I’m assuming either… (a)You have a crack team of brainstormers and strategists in-house, and therefore don’t need to hire me. (b)You desperately want to […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 Happy Birthday Jules Verne! Thank goodness Jules pursued his passion for writing instead of law (for which he attended university). And, had a good publisher friend in Pierre-Jules Hetzel – who helped improve Verne’s writing. […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 The most up to date list of locations can be found on the Places page within Brainstorming Tools section. You have to love when someone “makes your case” – that is – says or supports […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 While I wouldn’t brand myself a meeting fairie, per se… Seth does a great job wrote today… What would happen if your organization hired a meeting fairie? The fairie’s job would be to ensure that […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Five secrets to make even stronger, meaningful connections with your Twitter followers. For each and every person who has chosen to follow you on Twitter: Read their profile. Follow and explore the link they provided […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 Sand For Your Inbox October 2010 I’m excited to share with you a free Guide To Great Reading which includes fifteen books we recommend in the categories of: Creative Thinking & Innovation, Be Remarkable, and […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 The lead at your last brainstorm session probably preambled with something like this: “Remember team, there is no such things as a bad idea in brainstorming. And there are no boundaries. Let the sky be […]
Last Updated on 1 September 2020 A great quote found Roger von Oech’s book, ““A Whack on the Side of the Head” reads as follows… “Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone elseand thinking something different. The quote […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 For the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, China wanted to ensure rain storms took place where and when they want them to… That did NOT include the opening ceremony. So, the Weather Modification Department in China […]
Last Updated on 17 August 2010 “How do we define service at this company?” If you were to send that question in an e-mail to the person responsible for operations, the person responsible for hiring, the person responsible for marketing, the […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 John Moore, the marketing medic at Brand Autopsy, has written another book that offers succinct marketing and branding advice inspired by working at Starbucks Coffee Company. It is called: Tough Love: Scripting the Drive, Drama, […]
Last Updated on 16 June 2010 Starbucks is trying to repeat what brought them initial success as a company – taking a low quality product and offering a higher quality alternative. They started with brewing rich, bold coffee and introduced North […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Starbucks Coffee Company on Monday the 17th of May in the year 2010 has “jumped the whale.”* Starbucks announced today they will start offering Starbucks Natural Fusions, flavored coffee beans in grocery stores. For those […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 Imagineer Jargon: “Weenie” The Imagineer Term Weenie – Walt Disney’s playful term for a visual element that could be used to draw people into and around a space. According to Disney Imagineers, a weenie is […]
Last Updated on 10 September 2020 Being the first, the best, or the only one doing something (and in a way meaningful and relevant to your customers) is a strategy your company can use to stand out from your competition. Something […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 This short stack of used sticky notes contains, without exaggeration, tens of millions of dollars in good ideas. I wouldn’t classify them as “great” or “revolutionary” ideas. Not rocket science. Most, fairly basic. Yet, if […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Taking your business from good → to great → to remarkable can seem a daunting task. But, it may be easier than you think. The bad news from a customer perspective is that companies aren’t […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Mocha Valencia Frappuccino, was the one of the new beverages in the summer of 2002 at Starbucks Coffee. I was the marketing manager in charge of the summer promotion. The beverage team described the taste […]
Last Updated on 10 September 2020 I invite you to visit the Marketing Profs Daily Fix blog today, where I posted an article about a brilliant Amsterdam-based ad campaign for Mini Cooper cars. The ad was created locally by UbachsWisbrun/JWT. In […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Last week I prepared a recipe for an Italian dish that calls for fresh-peeled tomatoes. I have a vegetable peeler… nice and sharp with a rubber grip. I’ve used it for carrots, potatoes, zucchini, squash… […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Below is a word-for-word cut-and-paste from today’s Seth Godin’s blog post: “What do you need me to do?” “What do you need me to do?” This is a question that defines the person asking it. […]
Last Updated on 1 September 2020 Some weeks ago, I shared a decision making method that utilized a Two-By-Two Diagram to rank/filter ideas using two key parameters. While I received positive feedback, I was asked what to use when you need […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Unity promotes cohesiveness. Variety creates interest. A business lesson taken from classical music. Ultimately, all composition comes down to a balance between unity and variety. Too much unity, too much of the same thing, leads […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Wouldn’t it be great if there were a build-a-brand kit that provided all the pieces necessary to construct the perfect business? You could have it delivered to the office just like a cabinet from IKEA. […]
Last Updated on 10 September 2020 So you are… …A marketer. …A sales person. …A blogger. …A [_ _ _ _ _ _ _]. But is that settling? Why be A, when you could be… …THE marketer? …THE sales person? …THE […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 I love tools that are simple to use, easy to learn, but offer profound impact. The performance chart is one of those tools. They consists of a group of continua (left-to-right axis) where you plot […]
Last Updated on 12 July 2017 This past weekend I visited Disneyland Paris. [Fig. 1 – Sleeping Beauty Castle]In addition to themepark attractions and constant entertainment while browsing the merchandise/souvenir stores… among the mugs, hats, and shirts I came across […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 The story of Little Red Riding Hood was told to Italian and French kids way back in the 1600’s. In the 1800’s, Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm popularized this tale along with their other “Grimm Fairytales.” […]
Last Updated on 10 September 2020 It’s always an honor when someone cares to hear your advice. It is my pleasure to share with you a BlogRadio interview I was part of on Saturday evening that featured… well… me and Idea […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 The internet is like a multi-story department store… You could spend all day exploring different levels, come back the next day and find more stuff you hadn’t seen the day before. I originally missed finding […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Have you ever been in a brainstorming or strategy meeting where all the elements seemed just right and ideas just kept flowing and flowing? You and your team were able to hit ideas “out of […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Starbucks Coffee Company’s CMO, Terry Davenport, provided a preview of their new long-term brand campaign on their Ideas In Action blog. Terry declares that Starbucks is finally going to start telling its story. (1) I […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 It’s one thing for me to tell you what a great resource Idea Sandbox is. I sure think so, and my mom does as well. However, when a third party makes an unsolicited recommendation, the […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 New York based comedian Demetri Martin has a new show called “Important Things With Demetri Martin.” It airs on Comedy Central at 10:30 pm. (I’ve included Demetri’s flyer here to the right.) In each half-hour […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Hilton Group Hotels (Hilton Hotels, Doubletree Hotels, Embassy Suites Hotels) have recently launched a new, concierge-style program called Requests Upon Arrival. When booking online, hotel guests can pre-order items delivered to their room for arrival. […]
Last Updated on 19 August 2017 Check out Jena McGregor’s piece at BusinessWeek. Jena highlights great ideas that came about as a result of/during tough times. Very interesting. Makes you wonder what will come of our tough times. A History Of […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Kindle is an electronic book reader created by Amazon. There’s been some hubbub lately as the new, upgraded version is now available. Seth Godin reviews it on his site today offering a slew of great […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 I don’t currently live near an L.L.Bean. I don’t currently own L.L. Bean product. But from this moment forward, I will stop in an L.L. Bean any chance I get. I will visit their website […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 I snapped this a couple of weeks ago while shopping in Washington DC… L.L.Bean has it right. They’re not offering unusual discounts, slashing prices, cutting quality or any non-sense. As Chris McCormick the CEO says… […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 How would you like some free advice that may help to grow your business? This “Friday the 13th” is your lucky day! A couple of weeks ago, I crafted a post for the MarketingProfs Daily […]
Last Updated on 10 September 2020
Last Updated on 7 July 2021 This panel is part of marketer/author/artist Tom Fishburne’s Brand Camp cartoon series. The “Idea Factory” is Tom’s evaluation of “factory-thinking,” a thought inspired by Seth Godin’s book, Tribes. Tom’s illustration points out how many organizations […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 This ad just arrived in my inbox. Very clever. This is to promote Valentine’s giving… The tagline reads: “The ultimate love note. Give an engraved iPod nano this Valentine’s Day.” The ad is clean. Clever. […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017
Last Updated on 1 March 2017
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Today is “Black Friday,” the beginning of the American Christmas shopping season, and one of the busiest retail shopping days of the year. Some shoppers think it is called Black Friday because – to take […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 The Wall Street Journal published a piece, by writer Raymund Flandez, highlighting methods restaurants are taking to cut costs to offset reduced customer traffic and record-high cost of goods. Restaurants are having to find creative […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 As of this moment, Starbucks stock is trading at $8.65. That’s pretty low considering they were over $40 around 18-months ago. One of the challenges Starbucks has faced in recent years has been growth pressure […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 The Age of Conversation, that is… I’m excited to share with you that The Age of Conversation: Why Don’t They Get It – the new marketing book written by 237 writers, marketers, and business people […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Originally featured as post on the MarketingProfs Daily Fix site. When times are bad the future is uncertain. But, quite honestly, when times are good the future is *just* as uncertain. The only way to […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Grow Your Business (1) of (2) Announcements It’s been sorta quite in the Sandbox lately. I’ve been working behind-the-scenes to make what I do more targeted, and more meaningful for you. Just as I recommend […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019 Suffering from idea block? Like writer’s block, you know your idea or solution is just below the surface… but you can’t quite dig it out. You need an idea shovel. Well, Idea Sandbox has help! […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 It’s listed in the official handbook of marketers, that for at least 36 hours after the Super Bowl, you must work as many references into your daily speaking and writing as possible. I didn’t have […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Starbucks announced it is going to stop selling heated sandwiches as the smell interferes with the scent of the coffee. Gutsy move. Killing a significant cash contributor in the name of experience takes moxie. But […]
Last Updated on 10 March 2020 Are you trying to figure out what to do with your life? What to be when you grow up? This installment of “Sand for Your Inbox” is a special edition. I have handcrafted a proven […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 In Steve Martin’s memoir, Born Standing Up, Steve shares the challenge of trying to consistently provide a “good” performance. I see a direct relationship between what Steve comments about and the same concept in business… […]
Last Updated on 11 August 2019 I have a quick story for you that involves my mom, dad, a latte, and creative problem solving. Mom and dad were out-of-town on a business trip. In the hotel room, minutes before they had […]
Last Updated on 14 November 2019
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 As stated about three-quarters of the way into your Marketing 101 book… Products, like people, have been viewed as having a life cycle. The product life cycle concept describes the stages a product goes through […]
Last Updated on 22 May 2011 Personal effectiveness. Time management. Productivity. We’re on the lookout for tools and methods that may grease our personal productivity gears and help us get more done, more efficiently. In that spirit, the folks at the […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Washington DC-area California Tortilla restaurants offered a $1-off your purchase if you beat the cashier playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. A really cool idea. I just heard about this from John Moore (from Brand Autopsy), who […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 I was really impressed with the delivery company DHL when I saw that they had a moving office in Amsterdam in the form of a canal boat. What a great idea… Canals weave all over […]
Last Updated on 13 April 2011 Last week I had the privilege of visiting Monticello. The home, plantation, and community designed and built by Thomas Jefferson in Virginia in 1769. You’ve seen Monticello a million times, but may have never thought […]
Last Updated on 11 August 2019 Do you look for “Aha!” moments when you read? I do. I read mostly business related books – once in a while dive into the classics – but mostly business and creativity related books. I […]
Last Updated on 19 August 2017 This article is the 5th in a series of 5 where John Moore and I, two former Starbucks marketers, offer recommended changes based upon Howard Schultz’s email to the Starbucks leadership team. I have said for […]
Last Updated on 11 August 2019 In the late 1800s, in a time when lack of clean water and sanitation was causing epidemics, a local chemical maker in Vienna, Austria needed a publicity stunt to let the public know how well […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 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 […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 It’s important to pay attention to the points of contact you have with your customers. These are known as customer touchpoints. These are all the times/places when you or your business comes in contact with […]
Last Updated on 18 April 2023 The beginning of a new year is resolution season. How do you avoid the let-down, after you have enthusiastically created resolutions for a new year, starting with a clean slate, and by February you’ve stopped […]
Last Updated on 24 May 2022 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 […]
Last Updated on 24 May 2022 In his book “Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable” Seth Godin points out that… “In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.” What stands out more in a […]
Last Updated on 24 May 2022 Not just different, but dramatically different is what Doug Hall prescribes… Who: Doug Hall Inventor, author, consultant, and recent judge on the ABC television network show “American Inventor.” What: “Dramatic Difference” What is it?: Your […]
Last Updated on 24 May 2022 How do you break your company or product away from the pack of sameness? Welcome to the first in a series of guides highlighting techniques marketing experts suggest to be different and build awareness… Here […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Many of us are charged with the job of building awareness of our brand, company, product, and/or ourselves. The best minds in business agree, to get noticed you need to be different. Not just slightly, […]
Last Updated on 10 September 2020 A friend of mine, Virginia Miracle (great name, huh?) is the Director of Word of Mouth (great title, huh?) at Brains on Fire – a naming and identity company based in Greenville, SC. They “help […]
Last Updated on 1 March 2017 Historic photograph reveals that an Imaginary Board of Directors was consulted to invent time travel. Scientist Dr. Emmet “Doc” Brown (b. 1920) consulted his Imaginary Board for each of his key projects, including the invention […]
Last Updated on 19 August 2017 My original plans for an Idea Sandbox location included a place in Seattle for people to come to brainstorm… A Disneyland for creative thinking… a three-roomed brainstorming theme park. You could book themed rooms… a […]