Synopses & Reviews
Pow! Radical new methods for reaching jaded, cynical consumersPut simply, when it comes to your business, your new idea, even yourself, this book can be the difference between a "Who cares?" and a "Holy cow!"
Business, both big and small, is in desperate need of new ways to inspire bored and cynical consumers who have grown weary of the same old song and dance. In today’s information economy, it doesn’t matter how many people you reach, but how much attention they pay. And the best way to get attention is with the powerful, but largely misunderstood, element of surprise.
Pow! Enter Andy Nulman with the art of surprise marketing. An explosive new outlook, surprise marketing solidifies the bond between you and your customers like nothing else, and keeps them coming back for more by providing a continuous flow of what they never expected. Pow! Right Between the Eyes reveals the secrets, theories, and tactics of surprise marketing, and wields outrageous real-world examples (and even more outrageous tools like "The Lubricant to Yes" and "Euphoric Shock") to help expand the boundaries of the extreme and create a bigger bang for bigger profits.
On his quest to unlock the secret of why some things knock your socks off and others put you to sleep, Nulman shares insights from director Alfred Hitchcock, designer Philippe Starck, playwright David Mamet, Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane, Harvard psychologists, songwriters, bloggers, and even the inventor of Pirate Booty snack chips. And he shows how today’s smartest companies are winning big with surprises stories like:
• How Oprah’s shocking announcement that "Everybody gets a car!" sent her Web site traffic up 800% and helped the Pontiac G6 outsell its competitors by 20%
• How Target earns $7 billion a year in free publicity with stunts like a floating temporary store in New York’s Hudson River or putting on a vertical fashion show where acrobat models walked down the side of Rockefeller Center
• How Bear Naked Granola reversed the trick-or-treat tradition by sending costumed street teams door-to-door to give away granola samples on Halloween
Andy Nulman is a wildly-successful businessman and even wilder public speaker who first learned the power of surprise working with Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, and many other comedians as the cofounder and CEO of the Just For Laughs Festival, the world’s largest comedy event. His book shares hilarious and effective surprise promotions that he himself dreamed up for the event and in his current position as cofounder, President, and CMO of Airborne Mobile, which brings brands like Maxim, Family Guy, and the NFL to the mobile media world.
Don’t forget to read the book’s two forewords by the legendary John Cleese and CBS Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson. Surprising choices for a business book? Well…what did you expect?
Review
In the midst of a recession, Nulman offers a way for marketers, advertisers and entrepreneurs to capture consumer attention by harnessing the power of surprise marketing. Starting with entertaining forewords by comedian John Cleese and talk show host Craig Ferguson, who both understand the necessity of shock and timing in getting laughs, Nulman proceeds to offer (and amuse) with astute insight about how companies can create a bigger bang for their buck by imparting the unexpected in their marketing. Using case studies of ad campaigns, the author describes what successful shocking marketing is (Oprah declaring, “Everybody gets a car,” to her studio audience, which sent her Web site's traffic up 800%) and is not (St. Louis using the ubiquitous arch in an ad campaign to portray the city as “surprising”). Drawing on 15 years of experience as the CEO of the Just for Laughs Festival, the author emphasizes that the element of surprise is pertinent for anyone trying to sell a product or gain attention for a cause or event. This colorful and enlightening book will engage business readers looking for innovative ways to win without breaking the bank. (Feb.) (Publishers Weekly, December 22, 2008)
Synopsis
With the power of traditional marketing rapidly waning, the concept of Word-Of-Mouth marketing is becoming increasingly vital...and effective. But W-O-M is not a self-starter. It needs a catalyst. If word-of-mouth fuels modern marketing, Surprise is the spark that ignites it. Done right, Surprise solidifies the bond between customers and your business. It cements the crucial marketing relationship, makes people want to deal with you versus "the other guy," and keeps them coming back for more. Coupling innovative real-world examples with easy-to-follow theories and "how-to" steps, Pow! Right Between The Eyes! trains business owners, marketing directors, entrepreneurs and all kinds of organizations how to expand the boundaries of the extreme and create a bigger bang.
Nulman includes several real- life examples of surprise marketing, including methods that he has used himself. In Chapter Four, he details a marketing campaign for Airborne Entertainment that involved printing promotional messages on actual dollar bills (with fade-able vegetable ink, of course). The money was thrown into the audience unexpectedly, revitalizing a bored and jaded crowd.
Synopsis
Pow! Right Between the Eyes! features the following:Two surprising forewords by John Cleese
"Buy this book. Or you will die."
Craig Ferguson
"Andy is that rare thing in this world—courageous. He has a steel trap, commercial mind . . . nothing short of a business genius."
ONE EYE-POPPING AFTERWORD BY DAVID ALLEN, bestselling author of Getting Things Done
"Who knew that there was a veritable science of Surprise, as well as an art? Kudos to Andy Nulman for demystifying such a universally valuable component of the human experience."
AND DOZENS OF AMAZING IDEAS TO LEAVE YOUR CUSTOMERS TINGLING WITH EUPHORIC SHOCK
In today's information economy, it doesn't matter how many people you reach but how much attention gets paid. And the best way to get attention is with the POW!erful but largely misunderstood force of surprise. Done right, surprise ignites word of mouth and solidifies the bond between customers and your business like nothing else. It doesn't matter what you're selling—your product, your service, even yourself—this book provides you with an easy-to-use secret weapon to help open eyes, open mouths, and open wallets. Put simply, it's the difference between your customers saying "Holy Jeez!" or "Who Cares?" So, what are you waiting for? You've already picked up the book and read this far . . . you might as well just buy it and get started!
Synopsis
Here's a Surprise: statistics show that only the smartest and most dedicated of readers actually take the time to peruse the inside flaps of a book cover. By doing so, your deed speaks volumes of your commitment to doing something different and separating yourself from the rest of the pack. Way to go!
Rest assured that this commitment will not go unrewarded. You're about to learn how to change your business and delight your customers. By following this book's Tao of POW!, you'll discover how to apply the "Lubricant to Yes" to deliver "Euphoric Shock," and how to generate lopsidedly influential POW! moments. You'll realize why "Everyone's a Kid in Disneyland," learn how to "Time-Bomb," see through "Virgin Contact Lenses," understand the reason why there doesn't always need to be a reason . . . and then get to use these tactics to grab attention and earn a special place in the hearts—and wallets—of your customers.
On his quest to unlock the secret of why some things knock your socks off and others put you to sleep, author Andy Nulman shares insights from director Alfred Hitchcock, designer Philippe Starck, playwright David Mamet, Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane, Harvard psychologists, songwriters, bloggers, and even the inventor of Pirate Booty snacks. And he shows how today's smartest companies are winning big by expanding the boundaries of delightful extremes. Drawing on real-life examples from recognized corporate giants like Oprah, Target, Harvard University, Nintendo Wii, Kraft, and P&G—and featuring dollar-bill explosions, rogue wirecutters, sexy thongs, and insanely expensive hamburgers—POW! takes you where no other business book has gone before and gives you the tools to take yourself, your projects, and your bottom line further, right now.
So get set for a wild ride. ReadY ...take aim ...and POW!
About the Author
In industries ranging from hi-tech to show business,
Andy Nulman has been making people gasp and leaving them pop-eyed and open-mouthed for over three decades. A surprise marketer before the term even existed, he has parlayed his hands-on expertise and continuous research of the genre into this book. A renowned speaker and corporate showman, Andy is celebrated for his unique outlook on the world—and unique look of his wardrobe—and for marching off the beaten path to the beat of his own drum.
For proof and more information, please visit www.andynulman.com
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.
Foreword John Cleese.
Foreword Craig Ferguson.
10 Rather Surprising Things You Should Know About Me.
Prologue Surprise Drives It Home.
Chapter 1 Why Surprise Is Crucial.
Chapter 2 What Is This Thing Called Surprise?
Chapter 3 What Surprise Ain’t.
Chapter 4 All Powerful? Almighty? Almost: The Surprising Surprise Conundrum.
Chapter 5 Shock 101.
Chapter 6 Let’s Hear It for the Surprise Theory Quartet!
Chapter 7 The Art of the Business of Creating Surprise.
Chapter 8 The Tomorrow of Surprise.
Epilogue A Diploma in Surprise.
The End of Pow!
Afterword David Allen.
Notes.
About the Author.
Index.