I love this video. Grasshopper.com recently marketed their name change by doing something only a kid would have the courage to do: they sent out 5000 chocolate covered grasshoppers to influential entrepreneurs around the country. Yes, they were real grasshoppers. That is the kind of thing I love - creative, daring and bold. It makes news, makes a difference and ultimately sets a company apart.
EVEN IF YOU AREN'T an entrepreneur, the chances are you've had a great idea. Maybe deep down you want to be a comedian, artist, actress, teacher, florist or auto mechanic. Everyone has a dream. Maybe you've seen a better way to do something or a problem that needs fixed in your community. Anyone who steps up to make a difference is an entrepreneur to me. It's the fear that stops people from truly being incredible. The older you get, the easier it becomes to create a million reasons why you can't do something. Sometimes it's nice to reflect on the time you were a kid - when nothing was impossible......the funny thing is, it's true still today - some people just lose that magical belief in themselves along the way.
On the marketing tip (the purpose of this blog after all) the only thing I have to ask is this: would they have gotten ANY attention at all with an oversized postcard, a mass mailer to a group 10 times the size in typical letter format, or if they'd mailed this in something other than FEDEX boxes? Doubtful. If you want to gain attention in the information age - you have to be bold and you must go at it with the daring confidence of a kid who believes anything is possible. The amount of blogging, tweeting and media coverage GotVMail has received over this namechange due to this creative mailer is proof positive that having the courage to jump outside typical comfort zones and deliver a TRULY unique message or package is what pays. Grasshopper.com, grasshopper.com, grasshopper.com -- ok - they got me.
Here's to everyone who dares to believe.
Steve Gumm
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