If you come out of Macy’s Herald Square, through the West 34th street exit, and walk down the block, you can see Victoria’s Secret on the corner.

At the time of this blog post, there is a huge poster over the Victoria’s Secret main entrance, featuring a model wearing the lingerie company’s newest bra, “The Showstopper”.

As I stood staring at the poster, it occurred to me that calling naming the bra “The Showstopper” was a bit of an overkill.

Why?

All of  the Victoria’s Secret branding and advertising is designed to “stop the show” and capture your *full and undivided attention.*

Don’t believe me? Watch the following commercial and see if you can pull your eyes away before the 30 second segment is up.

Victoria’s Secret “Very Sexy Seduction” Commercial

I bet most of you watched the 30 second clip from beginning to end, proving my point – the marketing folks at Victoria’s Secret excel at “stopping the show”. No bra needed – or at least, think of a name that’s less redundant!

Questions:

• Do you think Victoria’s Secret branding and advertising does a good job of capturing your full and undivided attention?
• Do you think calling their newest bra, “The Showstopper” is a bit redundant?

A fantastic promotional video by the folks at Warby Parker, promoting their nifty Home Try-On Program.

Today marks the passing of Apple visionary, Steve Jobs. The world is a tad bit less bright.  Apple’s website commemorated the passing of the company’s founder with two pages, in typical Apple fashion:  simple and stylish.

Rest in peace, Steve. You’ll be missed!

This week I have a guest post entitled “Single Pressures“, which is being featured on Diana Antholis‘ blog, “Enter: Adulthood”. Head over to Diana’s blog and check out the post.  Feel free to comment on the post and share your opinions.

Links in This Post:

Enter: Adulthood – http://www.enteradulthood.com/

Diana Antholis’ Twitter Profile – https://twitter.com/dianaantholis

Single Pressures - http://www.enteradulthood.com/post/10974803656/singlepressures

"Amazingly smooth, like me."

I drove past this billboard a few weeks ago, while I was driving to Philadelphia to visit the awesome and amazing Katie Colihan.

First thought: “Lame.”

Second thought: “Who decided it was a great idea to use that tagline? The context of that advertisement, with the woman on the left, implies a very different meaning!”

Third thought: “Drinking Dr. Pepper isn’t a smooth experience – soda creates bubbles and fizzles as it goes down your throat.”

Fourth thought: “There’s nothing ‘smooth’ about Brazilian waxes. I’ve heard the whole ordeal is quite painful.”

Fifth thought: “So, the message being conveyed here is ‘Getting a Brazilian wax (you know, hairs ripped out of your nether regions) is like drinking a can of Dr. Pepper?”

*shudder*

Last thought: “No wonder Dr. Pepper’s advertising budget is being increased by $30 million dollars – they need a MUCH BETTER idea to get those cans to fly off grocery store shelves!”

Links In This Post:

Katie Blogs http://katieblogs.com/

Double Entendre http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/double+entendre

Dr. Pepper to Add $30 Million to Ad Budget http://adage.com/article/news/dr-pepper-add-30-million-ad-budget/228962/

Give these two scenarios some thought.

Study the picture above for 15 seconds. Let the meaning sink in. Keep reading.

In my previous post, I talked about the importance of  having something in common (what I call the “point of commonality”) to start a conversation.

However, I left out one vital piece of information:

Before you embark on a conversation with someone, the most important question to ask yourself is “Why?”

Asking yourself, “Why do I want to speak to this person?”, focuses your thoughts, so you have a definite reason and end goal in mind. Once you have your end goal in mind, your brain fills in the blanks – gives you ideas of things you have in common with That Person –  so you can move your conversation to its’ destination. You have a clear path ahead and you know exactly where you need to go. You’ve left zombieland and arrived back in civilization!

If you start a conversation without asking “Why?”, then your conversation will be vague and convoluted. At best, the person you’re talking to will lose interest and your conversation will die a Most Horrible Death. At worst, you could be eaten by a pack of zombies.

Look at the picture above a second time.

Of the two scenarios I mentioned above, which one would you prefer to be in?

Links In This Post:

Coffee Shop Networking http://www.timothyjohnsoniii.com/2011/06/coffee-shop-networking/

The Joy of Conversation http://www.brandstoria.com/2011/01/the-art-of-conversation/

A lot of people have a lot of angst and frustration when it comes to . . . you know . . . talking to strangers. But, in fact, it’s not as complicated as you might think. An excellent place to practice and hone your networking skills is your local coffee shop.

Imagine you’re standing in line at your favorite coffee shop. You breathe in that smell of fresh roasted coffee and you think to yourself, “There is NOTHING better than a fresh Cup of Joe!”

You’re a regular at the coffee shop and you know all the baristas by name. You have absolutely no problems talking to THEM.

Your eyes scan the menu overhead as you wait in line, settling on your favorite drink. You know exactly what you want: The Deliciously Dark Chocolate Mocha.

You get to the register and place your order. After a short wait, the barista slides a huge, steaming hot mug across the counter, filled to brim with the Deliciously Dark Chocolate Mocha, which is topped with a mountain of cold, frothy whipped cream. You carefully pick up your mug and make your way across the shop to your usual table by the window.

You sit down and your mouth starts to water as you bring the Dark Chocolate Mocha to your lips. Your taste buds do a happy dance as the coffee slides across your tongue. You smile dreamily. You’re in Tastegasm Heaven.

However, your pleasant reverie is shattered as you look at the person sitting at the table across from you. Who is That Person?

Well, it could be:

• Your Hero
• Your Crush . . . Celebrity or Otherwise
• The Person You Want To Be When You Grow Up
• Your Favorite Blogger
• The CEO of a Company You’re Dying to Work For
• Someone Else Altogether

Your eyes widen. Your mouth goes dry. Your mind goes blank. You’re going to have a HUGE problem talking to That Person.

YOU WANT TO TALK TO THAT PERSON, BUT YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO SAY. WORST OF ALL, YOU CAN’T STOP STARING.

You know that if you open your mouth and try to speak to them at that exact moment, nothing but goobly-gook is going to come out.

The whole situation is quite awkward, isn’t it? You WANT to say something, but you feel like there is an enormous gulf in between you and That Person. There can’t be ANYTHING to talk about that you both have in common.

Your brain is lying to you. That thought is a lie and a sham. You DO have something in common and that thing is right in your hands – a delicious cup of coffee!

Your confidence comes rushing back and you take a sip of your coffee. You look towards That Person and notice they seem to enjoying their coffee immensely. You smile and make eye contact. That Person smiles back at you.

Now, here comes the moment you’ve been waiting for. You open your mouth and say, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate that cup of coffee you’re drinking and why? I’m a huge fan of the coffee here, so I’m curious as to your opinion.” That Person stares at you thoughtfully, and says, “Well, as a matter of fact, I think . . . ”

And, BOOM! You’ve talked to a perfect stranger. It was a lot easier than you thought, no?

photo credit: Chrysaora