Astonish Your Customer(s)

A VC admits a mistake

Or, how a VC evaluates a deal - good, bad and in between. 

http://www.paulgraham.com/airbnb.html

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

 

 

Salvation for the stranded airport traveler

Air travel is bad and getting worse and it is never more problematic than when people get stranded in an airport over night (en masse). People sleeping, or trying to sleep, everywhere and on every surface available is inhospitable to a good rest. 

Maybe someone could create a "pad" to sell to those stranded folks to give them a taste of comfort and humanity. Maybe the "pad" could be made of recycled multi-layered corrugated cardboard, built in such a way to allow for durability and comfort, or maybe it is a one & done recycled product.  

How much would people pay for a reasonably comfortable "pad" to place on the floor to keep them off the dirty airport floor and get a better rest? $20? $30? Nothing?

Maybe this is a biz opportunity for a firm that makes corrugated products to partner with a transportation logistics expert (e.g. UPS or the #2 or #3 player) who are both looking for a way to diversify their revenue stream and/or create goodwill for the companies?  

O.D.O.o.O.D.B. 

Blood Donors - an overlooked audience

Most people, the vast majority in fact, do not give blood, but millions do. I do, about 3-4 time per year.

Like most, I give at a local Red Cross office or when the blood mobile comes to my church or work.

Similar to a holiday like Christmas and Halloween, donations happen routinely, broadly and predictably.

Seems like a marketing opportunity and I am not talking about the companies/brands that supply the free drinks, and snacks donors are asked to consume at the conclusion of the donation. 

What would get a blood donor's attention? What frame of mine are they in after they give blood? How could you serve these folks? Could you meld these folks into a community that takes action to a certain objective or activity - a community of people that are passionate about something (doesn't have to be blood donation), who would interact routinely?

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

 

My two front teeth

There are four million babies born every year in the USA. That means that every year about 4 million kids loose their two front teeth - every year, year in and year out, for time eternal. 

It is a super-cute, eagerly awaited and celebrated right of passage for every kid, parent and grandparent.

There's even a song about it, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth".

What's the product for it?

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.  

A rose by any other name

Could you change people's interest in something and their behavior just by changing the name or identity of a product?

Pfizer's created the term Erectile Dysfunction to market Viagra, instead of using other less aspirational options. 

How about Dental Floss? I sold J&J Dental Floss, the 800 lb. Gorilla of that market. Despite endless product improvements, advertising, free sampling and chiding by dentists and hygienists, only about 12% of the population floss regularly (2+ times per week) and data proves that a good portion of the 12% are lying about their usage of the product. 

There have been many advances in floss technology to make the process easier to perform, more pleasant and more effective. Yet, basically every brand still identifies the product as "FLOSS" and thus ties it to all the negative baggage that floss implies.  

I don't know what the answer is but how about... gum massager? Massage your gums and clean your teeth. Gum purifier?

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.  

Special-Need Adults

I have a cousin who is an elementary school teacher. She says that parents are obsessed with having a label placed on their child ... gifted, ADD, ADHD, high-functioning x or y, special-needs this and that. No kid is just plain normal, in the same way there seems to be no such thing as black coffee. 

I often hear parents say things like ... I think I'm ADD too, or I think she must get it (ADD) from me. 

I know that there is an adult ADD drug - whatever. 

Seems like there is a big opportunity for marketers to coin special-need categories for adults and to create products to address those issues. How about starting with "over-obsessed about my kids" syndrome. 

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.  

Cater to the Seven Deadly Sins

Sequoia Capital's Roelof Botha says he only invests in companies that let consumers indulge in one of the 7 Deadly Sins - envy, sloth, gluttony, wrath, pride, lust and greed. 

Does your product let consumers so indulge or how about avoid or extricate themselves from the hold of these sins?

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

TY: Red Fin: The 8 Best Questions from Venture Capitalists  

Dummies, Idiots or Basics

Ever read one of the Dummies or Idiots books? I've read a few and was quite pleased with each - to a point. 

Ever read a Cliff Note or Spark Note? 

I like them better. 

Why?

Dummies and Idiots bury you with information, covering every conceivable issue related to the topic. 

If I am a Dummy or an Idiot, does it make sense to deluge me with tons of, often highly-detailed, information? 

Where's the "Just The Basics", or maybe it's the Imbecile, series of books? I'll start there and then proceed to being a Dummy or an Idiot as I need more info. 

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.