But there was a scene in this week’s (August 15) episode that reaffirmed a belief of mine. In the scene, Don rips into the market research lady (I forget her name) because the focus group indicated that the proper strategy was to use decades-old messaging to sell Ponds Cold Cream.

Here is the scene…

One line says it all: “You can’t tell how people are going to behave based on how they have behaved,” says Don.

I think this line is instructive for, well everyone, but particularly those of us in marketing. Our challenge should always be to challenge the accepted wisdom and try something new. There are lots of different versions of that line that we should take to heart:

• Just because something worked in the past, doesn’t mean it will again.
• Just because something failed in the past, doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea now.
• You can’t tell how much customers will love your brand of motorcycles based on how much they’ve loved them in the past.
• You can’t tell how well Brett Favre will play this year based on how well he played last year.

We should all be mindful of the past, but know that it has very little to do with the future.

Today’s entry: Squishy Foam Porta-Potty

Company: National Construction Rentals

Trade Show: PCBC 2010

Comments: Squishy foam tchotchkes are nothing new. Companies have been giving them away for decades. Irresistible to hold and squeeze, they are a great way to get your brand in people’s hands, literally. This one takes the familiar shape of the portable restroom found at

festivals, tailgate parties, construction sites and other spaces where people gather away from indoor plumbing. It makes a nice addition to my desk.

The only problem: I find myself having to use the bathroom more often.

But for many businesses, whose products or services don’t immediately evoke an “I want that” reaction, advertising is difficult. These are companies that deal in concepts, ideas, creativity, and problem-solving. Their business is built through relationships and referrals. Blasting strangers with shot messages just doesn’t work.

So how can these companies reach new prospects, aside from ongoing networking?

Give stuff away for free.

This goes against everything we’ve been taught as businesspeople and capitalists. But these days, I think the more you give, the more you are likely to get.

I’m not talking about donating products or full-service capabilities willy-nilly. I’m talking about offering help in the form of ideas or advice – related to your area of expertise – to people who are likely to benefit from it.

One place where you can do this is on a LinkedIn discussion group. In these groups people are looking for help and feedback all the time. If you see a request where you can add something of value, don’t hold back. Tell the person how you would address the issue they are dealing with, and be specific. What better way to “advertise” your capabilities?

Doing this will have one or more likely outcomes:

• The person making the request will appreciate your help and ask you to quote your services.
• The person making the request will appreciate your help, take your advice, and refer a colleague to you some time in the future.
• Someone else in the discussion group will see how smart you are, and contact you to make a proposal.

These outcomes won’t happen every time, but the more you do it, the more likely they are to happen. And it’s a far less expensive, far more effective way for you to “advertise” how smart you are to highly qualified audiences.

The brand I’m referring to was Midwest Airlines.  If you don’t live in the Midwest, you’re probably not familiar.  In its heyday from the mid 80s to the late 90s, Midwest was perhaps the best domestic airline in the country.  It was universally loved for outstanding service and amenities.  Every plane had wide, first-class leather seats throughout the plane; there was no coach class.  With quality rivaling most restaurants, the food was included in the price of the ticket and was served on actual plates with real silverware and complementary wine or Champagne.

And, of course, there were the cookies.  Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies served on every flight.  They were almost worth the price of the ticket alone.  Midwest was truly remarkable among airlines.  No one even came close.

But after 9/11 and the subsequent spike in fuel prices, it became impossible for Midwest to offer those amenities and be profitable.  So they began whittling away at the things that were nice about the brand to save costs.  They were in a tough spot, and they had to do what they had to do.  But it was the beginning of the end for the brand.

A series of takeover attempts, mergers and reorganizations led to Midwest being purchased by Republic Airways, which also owns Frontier Airlines.  In the spring of 2010, the two airlines were combined under the Frontier brand.  And that was that.

There were certainly extreme circumstances that led to Midwest’s demise, but I still think there are lessons to be learned here.  Sometimes brands die due to changing business climates and there is little anyone can do to save them.  But often I think brands fade away, becoming a shadow of their former selves – even if the company survives – because they are not properly cared for and managed.

What set Midwest apart were all the little things.  The seats, the service, the smiles, the cookies, all made flying Midwest a pleasant experience in the sea of discomfort and frustration that is air travel.  Those details defined Midwest’s brand.  People were willing to pay extra to fly Midwest.  When they started taking them away, they gradually became just another airline.

I’m sure you can think of other brands that have gone through that whittling away process.  Whether it’s a local restaurant or an international corporation, perhaps there are things you remember they used to do – nice little details – that they just don’t do anymore.  The company may or may not survive and keep providing its product or service.  But the reason to go out of your way to patronize them is gone.  The brand is dead.

What are the little details that define your brand?  The things that people love about doing business with you.  The things people would pay extra for.  The things your competitors can’t or won’t do.  Make a list of those things, decide which are the most important, and protect them.  Don’t let them become the victim of a cost-cutting measure.

I am not saying your brand shouldn’t evolve and change with the times.  That list of little details may have to change or be replaced over the years.  But the day you start taking them away and becoming more like your competition is the day your brand starts dying.

Like K/BIS, and IBS, PCBC was significantly smaller than in years past. Where once it took up all three halls of the Mascone Center, this year it couldn’t fill one.

But also like the other shows, there was a sense of optimism in the air, both by attendees and exhibitors. People are starting to recognize that being curled up in the fetal position in the corner, afraid of the light, is the wrong way to be. They’re starting to make an effort to lead and to put themselves in front of customers.

Will that be the spark this economy needs? I’m no economist. It’s very possible that the optimism is misplaced and that there are fundamental problems with the housing market that still need to be resolved.

I do know this: The optimism can’t hurt, and it sure feels nice.

So that’s my daily inspiration to not let the Lizard Brain win. To focus on the important work of being original, taking risks, leading.

It doesn’t always work. Just today I sat down and watched most of Brazil-North Korea in the World Cup. But hey, it’s the World Cup!

And in fairness, the card was still in my briefcase at that time.

And she’s psycho about her wine glasses being clean.

Sit down at the bar at Smyth, and if she’s not making one of the establishment’s signature cocktails, helping a patron select a wine, or discussing the specials, she’s polishing her crystal wine glasses. Working with tremendous speed, her hand and cloth a blur, she polishes every last smudge and fingerprint off the stemware, holding them up to the light to check her work.

This shows the difference between doing a good job and being passionate.

Her cocktails are delicious, and she’s very friendly and adept at engaging customers in conversation. But so are a lot of bartenders.

People who see her in action, cleaning those glasses, get the message quickly. Katrina sweats the little things. She is motivated by attaining perfection. You know that if she cares that deeply about eradicating dishwasher spots, she must make a killer Mojito.

An individual person has amazing ideas. But people only know how to dilute ideas.

A person is bold and adventurous. People are just scared and boring.

A person can easily follow his gut. People depend on a vote.

A person can get something done by tomorrow. People can’t even finalize the members of the committee by tomorrow.

A person can be clear. People confuse and are confused.

A person can lead. People stall.

True words, indeed.

It wasn’t quite as crazy as the trade shows of my youth, but it was a good nonetheless.

Speaking of my youth, I was reminded that this K/BIS was my 15th time around.  So that got me to reminiscing about my first K/BIS, back in 1996.

At that time, I was a lonely, 23-year-old broncin’ buck with only a few months under my belt at Kohler Company.  The show was in Atlanta that year, a city was a few short months away from hosting the Summer Olympics.  I recall seeing all the construction around downtown, and wondering if they would finish on time.

Speaking of the Olympics, the star of that Games was Keri Strug, the gymnast with a voice like a 4-year-old boy’s, who miraculously stuck the landing of her vault on just one leg.

The Oscar-winning movie that year was Fargo, one of my all-time favorites.  ”I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper.”

In music, the Spice Girls were hot (to this day I still don’t understand why), the Dave Matthews Band was in its prime, and 3 Doors Down was just formed.

In television, MSNBC and FOX News Channel were both launched in 1996, creating a friendly rivalry that lasts to this day.  Shows that debuted that year included 3rd Rock from the Sun, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, and Everybody Loves Raymond.

In the news, 1996 saw the conviction of the Menendez brothers, the arrest of the Unabomber, and the beginning of O.J. Simpson’s civil trial.  The Dow closed above 6,000 for the first time, and construction on the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas began.  By the end of the year, Steve Jobs was on his way toward re-taking the helm at Apple.

And in sports, the Chicago Bulls won their fourth championship and the Green Bay Packers began their journey to winning Super Bowl XXXI, which actually was played in 1997, but I had to work a Packers reference in here somehow.

That was a long time ago.  All of this nostalgia brought about by a trade show.

Perhaps I need a hobby.