See Andy's other stuff:

Contact Me >>

Newsletter #885: The “Do Something Different” Issue

[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]

When you make something funky, goofy, smelly, odd, or unexpected, you can create something worth talking about. Here are a few ways smart marketers are doing it:

1. With their gift cards
2. With their staff
3. With their spokespeople
4. Check it out: Websites Like

1. With their gift cards

Why do all gift cards look same? At Austin’s STAG clothing retailer, theirs are wooden coins with their value stamped on them, wrapped in a pouch, and presented in a wooden box. They’re so cool, you almost don’t want to spend them. By making them so remarkable, STAG has turned the lazy gift card into a truly special present to give a friend.

The lesson: When was the last time you told someone about a gift card? How can you make yours worth sharing?

2. With their staff

More than anything you do, the people you hire are your biggest opportunity to do remarkable things and be unique. At Nashville’s The Cookery, owner Brett Swayn is taking full advantage of this by hiring the homeless. Through his nonprofit restaurant, he’s hiring and training them in culinary skills — skills they can use to go on to get other jobs in the industry. And in doing so, he’s also creating a one-of-a-kind restaurant experience that lots of people are talking about.

The lesson: What’s unique about your culture and the people you hire? How can you help them get customers talking about you?

Learn more: WSMV.com

3. With their spokespeople

A lot of brands drop heaps of money on big-name spokespeople, but few are as memorable as the trees German nonprofit Oro Verde used. That’s right, trees (which turned out to the perfect spokespeople for their rainforest-saving project) were given signs that said things like, “Need money for my family in the rainforest.” The super-simple program gave the 10-employee Oro Verde an instant army of volunteers collecting donations around Germany — and doing it around the clock.

The lesson: Instead of telling the story for your fans, customers, or people in need, what could you do differently to help them say it themselves?

Learn more: CreativeCriminals.com

4. Check it out: Websites Like

Want to find more sites like the sites you like? Use this simple search engine to quickly discover new places on the web like the ones you already
love so much.

Check it out: Websites Like

[contact-form-7 id="27185" title="contact-form 3 TellAFriend-Post"]