Unbreakable? Perhaps Not....

A friend of mine on Facebook posted this video and I couldn’t help but comment on the lesson that it provides for every organization promoting a product or service. In the video, a BBC reporter has stopped by a booth at CES 2010 to test a phone that is termed “unbreakable” by the CEO he’s interviewing. Gulp. Needless to say, the reporter does break the phone much to the chagrin of an embarrassed executive. Back to the drawing board for marketing wordsmiths at Company X! It’s a good lesson for all of us who are responsible for crafting messages. If I had to create a highway sign out of this it would read: Alert! Superlatives and adjectives can kill the best of plans. Use judiciously and at your own risk.

Giving Thanks to Dorothy Boyd

This year has been a real roller coaster from an unpredictable economy to wacky events including Balloon Boy and the fall of Tiger Woods. Regardless of larger events, a few things remain the same – we are still moving forward, innovating and taking calculated risks. There is no shortage of people who have seized the economic downturn to venture out on their own whether by choice or circumstance. I love my profession and decided to make the leap this year – why not? However, the one thing that made a difference in the venture was having a few "Dorothy Boyd’s" with me. You may recall the character of Dorothy played by the effervescent Renee Zellweger in the 1996 box office hit Jerry McGuire. Dorothy has the tenacity and courage to forge a new path regardless of what comes her way. Well, I have a few Dorothy’s on my team and I’d like to thank them all – you know who you are. Happy New Year!