The Sizzling Idea Blog: Hot Banana Peppers

A Marketing Lesson for WWE: "Please, Don't Try This at Home" Re-Invented

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:08:00 +0000

It’s pretty well known that WWE wrestling is a well-faked theatrical event. But special techniques and little exploits in equipment make it look painfully real.
The thing is though, it’s so real that most kids take it seriously, and a handful of them actually try the moves. And no matter how many John Cena wristbands they wear, it just doesn’t work out. That’s the main premise for the “Please, Don’t Try This” ads that they’ve been airing for years.

But honestly, if you’re a little 8-year old, are you really gonna listen to an ad that tells you not to take after your idol in life, just because it says “please”? And after seeing a vignette of injuries, wouldn’t any regular toddler psychopath be more attracted to trying the WWE moves? If you really wanted to send a message to that bully who keeps taking your lunch money, do you call him a fat loserpants, or do you tear his pectoral muscle off his shoulder with an RKO?

Exactly.

And this blatantly ineffective promotion hasn’t helped the WWE in its quest to appeal to concerned parents. Professional wrestling has become synonymous with over-the-top violence, and to shed this image, I suggest this to Vince McMahon:
How about you make an ad that actually encourages kids to try this? Hear me out— it could go something like this:

… WWE Superstars are professionally trained performers and the moves we perform take years to perfect. Without proper training you will injure yourself. That’s not to say that you can never try them. Ask your parents if you can enrol in a wrestling school and search for one online at WWE.com/training, so you can try what we do in the ring, in a safe environment. If you want to be where I am today, wrestling in the WWE, stay safe. Train before you do.

To begin with, this would strike a real chord in kids’ minds, when they hear that they can be wrestling in the WWE. It’s not hypocritical; it’s not telling you not to try something, right before you see someone try it. And it’s engaging because the kids are shown how they can “try this” and not why they can’t.

At the same time, the WWE can start cultivating more talent, which can only mean better programming. Flat out, it’s a win-win.

Limewire Alternatives: Who Will Die, Who Will Be the Next Limewire?

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:28:00 +0000

A few days ago, the almighty Limewire was forced to shut down by the US Federal Court. However, while this marks the end of one saintly service’s run, it also opens the door for a flood of new free music services.

Let’s face it. These days, not many people are willing to spend a dollar per song to craft libraries of two or three thousand tracks; it’s just not practical. That’s why Limewire was such a runaway success and likewise, why it was the prime target for a mega-lawsuit. Still, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) can’t shut down every last file-sharing service that becomes available for download. So as new revolutionaries see the notoriety that Limewire has gained, free music services will obviously begin to pop up fervently in the coming weeks.

And I know that as soon as the end of Limewire was pronounced, millions of people around the world asked, “What will I do now?” And I also know that never did paying for music ever cross their mind (sorry, recording industry). So I’ll be interested to see what sorts of fresh applications and online services join the action, and how existing services will promote themselves with the dawn of this new age.

I’ve already seen Limewire alternatives, many under the keywords “Limewire shut down”, heavily advertised on Google searches. But while this may be a great way to gain quick publicity and a throng of new users, creators have got to keep in mind that the more openly they promote their product, the more easily the recording industry will find it. If they’re smart, those pesky RIAA dudes will be circling like vultures around the internet in the next few weeks.

We’ll just have to see who the next victim of this organization is and after the dust has settled, who the next Limewire will be. Or better yet, will Limewire make some sort of miraculous return as totally legal software, like some rumors are hinting at.

But just to tell you, don’t worry. There’ll never be a catastrophic point in time where you’ll have to pay for music. It’s your job to find out how to avoid it.

A Hot New Halloween Fundraising Idea: Using Halloween to Benefit Your Charity or Cause

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:20:00 +0000

Some people love everything about Halloween; decorating the house is not a chore for them, while costumes are spooky, whacky, or comical, and not stupid, stupid, or boring. However, if you’re either an obsessed business geek or a die-hard charity-goer (two labels that both happen to describe me), every special day on the calendar is a chance to fundraise. Halloween is no exception.

For years, UNICEF has partnered with elementary schools to encourage kids to ask for spare change along with the traditional sugary treats. They call the campaign "Trick or Treat for UNICEF" and they even provide little orange boxes for kids to carry the donated coins in.

And recently “Free the Children” has followed in UNICEF’s footsteps. The "Halloween for Hunger" program pushes teens to say “Trick or treat, and food to eat,” asking for canned food to donate to the less fortunate.

However, there’s a new business model that I’ve thought of. What if an organization asked people to pledge to donate a portion of their candy to some sort of worthy cause? This would incite some serious enthusiasm, simply because there’s no hassle for the homeowners who are already giving candy (they already have the candy ready), while no money is involved either.

After this, they could sell these candies at some sort of community event for, say $0.25 each to generate a nice profit for a good cause.

And honestly, who knows what level this idea can be taken to? What if a food bank created a campaign like “Trick or Treat for the Hungry” or “Trick or Treat for an Orphanage”, where participants would give their candy to those less fortunate who don’t get a taste of these yummy sweets every day?

Just think about how easy it is to make someone’s day, especially a kid’s. I know a Kit-Kat or a Caramilk can quickly brighten my mood; think about how it could make an orphan feel.

How to Effectively Organize a Fundraising Event: Learning from Free the Children's We Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 21:38:00 +0000

On Thursday, I had the privilege of attending We Day, Free the Children’s annual kick-off party in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. As a result, not only was I able to skip school, but I was blessed to be a part of such a feverish and inspirational event. Around 18,000 youth leaders set their alarms for 5 or 6 o’clock in the morning, to cram themselves into the Air Canada Centre by 8:30. And even so, they had the energy to scream, sing, and do the “We Day Dance” throughout five spectacular hours of inspirational programming.

The scene seemed more like a Justin Bieber concert than your old charity event. But the amazing thing was that teens― yes, hormone-filled, good-for-nothing teens― screamed for world- renowned philanthropists, inspirational speakers, and newspaper editors rather than pop stars with obscenely high-pitched voices.

Simply put, each year, We Day is a feat in humanity’s collective quest to make the world a better place.

So how did Craig and Marc Kielburger, co-founders of Free the Children create such a successful event? Well, it’s a combination of two crucial things:

Remembering the Target Audience

Ask any successful speechwriter, business owner, or marketing manager; remembering the target audience is crucial. The basis of Free the Children’s outreach efforts is young people. Thus, We Day was made to cater to young people in every way possible. Down with Webster and K’naan, two hugely popular Canadian musical acts were invited to perform, while the atmosphere throughout the ceremonies was designed to encourage teens to scream and project their enthusiasm. We gladly participated in the usual “how’s-it-going―good―I can’t hear you― good!” routine, then moved onto stunts like a simultaneous photograph with flash on and an empowering chant of “Freedom!”

Setting a Good Example

So remembering the target audience pumped us up during the event. But what’s going to keep us pumped up for the rest of the school year is the example Free the Children set. Every inspirational speaker talked about dreaming big and following through in a youth-friendly way. Above all though, Free the Children exhibited what we can accomplish if we put our minds to it just by the kick-off party’s extravagance. Seeing everything that they were able to achieve with We Day inspired me to think about what I can achieve.

Now, if you’re running a fundraising event, just apply these two principles that Free the Children has perfected, and you’ll be seeing results in no time.

Another Reason Why You Should Get Facebook: It's a the Best News Agency

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 21:56:00 +0000

Most of us would agree that being in the know is essential, especially in this fast-paced, digitalized world. These days, you’re simply expected to be aware of what’s going on in the world; newspapers and magazines litter every corner, in honor boxes, coffee shops, and street vending stations. TV and radio turn on with the push of a button. But above all, the internet means you can browse all your favorite papers with a few clicks of the mouse, while the dawn of the smartphone era means that you can be fed an incredible amount of information no matter where you are.

The fact in the matter is, if you don’t know which Congressman just visited where, which technology upstart just got taken over, and which superstar just won the Grammy for “Best New Artist,” your survival is at question. But there’s a dilemma.
Sometimes, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to spend two reading the Times, online or otherwise. That’s why I’ll rarely read the news more than once or twice a week. I seem to have a more efficient method. It’s called Facebook.

Yes, along with stalking co-workers, finding long lost friends, and sharing your latest break-up story, Facebook has yet another function. I mean, think about it. Why is being informed so important to you? For most people, it’s all about being socially accepted and being able to hold a decent conversation with your neighbor on the subway.

And this exactly why it’s a good idea to trust your friends as your most reliable news agency. They’ll post all the things that go on in the world that they’re happy about, sad about, mad about, etc. And if your friends are, to some extent, a good representation of the average person, what’s on their minds is probably what’s on a lot of other people’s minds. Suddenly, after your friend posted a rant about her disdain for Tea Party-ers, you’ll know what’s basically happening when somebody brings it up in conversation.

Brilliantly simple but incredibly effective.

Hackers Control Apple and All of Technology: Will the Blackberry Playbook Embrace Them?

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:00:00 +0000

The moment the iPad was released, computer geeks, amateur and professional alike, began their determined endeavors to hack the new gadget. And if you think about it, we can say the same thing for pretty much every piece of technology― that has achieved even marginal popularity― that has been released in the last 3 or 4 years.

Let’s face it, hackers control our technology. Companies spend millions of dollars and thousands of man hours trying fruitlessly to thwart the efforts of these people. But why?

Even if Apple has 100, 500, or even 1000 of the most capable programmers in the world working on solutions to hacking, there are probably hundreds of thousands of people contributing to solutions to those solutions. Sure, they don’t have fancy Ph. D’s in computer sciences from MIT but 500,000 novice programmers beat a thousand experts any day.

So my question to the mighty Steve Jobs is:

Why waste all these resources on trying to prevent the inevitable? Besides, so many users are drawn to Apple products just because they can be hacked, then decked out with some sort of custom operating system. If Apple is really all about satisfying its users at any cost, shouldn’t they be working with hackers to create better products? And shouldn’t they be open to “hacking” if in reality, it only improves their products?

And now, as the Blackberry Playbook was announced yesterday, I’m looking forward to seeing how RIM will respond to its hackers. The first company to embrace them might be the one to see profits stacking up like firewood, while its competitors wither in the background.

Didn’t I say that hackers were the most powerful people in technology?

The Most Ethical School Fundraising Program: An Idea for School-Friendly Fundraising

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 21:24:00 +0000

Last year was the first year that I really got involved within my school, joining every last club I could get my hands on. And looking back now, it was a hugely rewarding experience in every respect; I learned a lot, had a lot of fun, and got to do my part to make the world a better place.

One of the groups I joined was “Free the Children”, which was basically our school’s chapter of the international humanitarian organization. So just another one of those fundraising groups. But not really.

From the beginning of the year, we were faced with a hurdle. The administrative team at our school was frankly, not too thrilled about another lengthy line-up of fundraising initiatives. This was because in previous years, some groups had gone over the top, forming irritating little clusters of fundraising events. Every week they’d ask the student body to bring in five dollars for freezies or ice cream sandwiches or cookies, often to benefit highly selfish causes. Thus, we were naturally not aiming to follow in these footsteps, and so we asked ourselves this question:

How can we get money without asking for money?

And by this, we didn’t mean that we wanted to use some subtle combination of psychological warfare tactics, to pressure our classmates into giving money. Rather, we actually wanted students never to have to bring in money to buy this or buy that. We needed some sort of alternative…

Then, voila! We came across an organization called Bag2School and what these guys do is that they provide your school with a bunch a blue garbage bags. You will fill these bags with clothes and for every tonne of material you collect and hand over, they will give you $200.

Now, at the time, that seemed like a whole lot of material and I didn’t believe we’d be able to get even half a tonne. However, in the end, we collected almost 1.5 tonnes of clothing and got a generous little bonus, so they gave us a little more than $300.

And we were an elementary school. Think about what a high school or college would be able to do.

How to Easily Make a Million-Dollar Company and a Global Brand

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 14:55:00 +0000

I love having fun. I attend every little festival or celebration I can get my hands on and regular the local cinema with various groups of friends. It’s become a bad habit. Or maybe a good one.

To this day, I’ve never been disappointed in my grade average, which consistently hovers around 86 and 87. However, after every semester, when everyone loves to fervently compare their averages, I will never be on top. There are always those passionate students who commit themselves unconditionally to acing every test and crafting a masterpiece out of every assignment. They are almost dutiful in their devotion to whizzing through every 600-page philosophy book and then reading ahead in the history textbook in whatever time’s left over.

And honestly, I have the utmost respect for these people because of how much they are willing to sacrifice in order to reach their goals. Probably, by the time they’re 25, they’ll have amassed a degree at Harvard and a $2 million contract at some Wall Street investment firm.

But in this day and age, it’s not the all-out bookworm that founds the billion-dollar brands; it’s the intelligent socialite who was able to take in all the culture around him and make something of it.

Take Maureen Kelly, the CEO of one of America’s fastest growing cosmetics companies, Tarte Cosmetics. She operates strictly off instincts, never exploring price models or running cost analysis. Her brand’s latest product launch is a groundbreaking line of cosmetics formulated with the highly-touted Amazonian clay. But she didn’t read about this secret ingredient in The Economist or some century-old book on principles of warfare. She discovered it while on an eco-vacation in Brazil.

Now that’s taking “getting out more” to a whole ‘nother level.

Life's Guilty Pleasure: Lollipops with Gum in the Middle

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 20:09:00 +0000

As a kid, you would spend half your allowance on little toys and the other half on candy. But at the candy shop, it was always a difficult decision. Do I want that lollipop or that stick of gum? Well, it was a great day when you went in that door, and right after you heard the little chime, you witnessed history. It was a shelf full of gum-filled lollipops!

Could it really be possible? Yes! Now, you get gum and a lollipop all in the same package. How could you not love that?

And these gum-filled lollipops, well they started a revolution. A revolution of thing filled things. Jelly-filled donuts came after and now, decades later, we email-filled phones and game-filled MP3 players. So want to create a cool new product? Just combine two cool old products and voila, you have a creative hot banana pepper.

All great products are weird at first. Just take a look around this blog and you'll see that every post highlights something weird. Weird is awesome!

Why Angry Users are Good Business for New Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:16:00 +0000

A few days ago Twitter decided to re-dress its site in an entirely new interface that it claims is “an easier, faster, and richer experience.” I love that. I love an easier, faster, and richer experience. However, the folks at Twitter have opted to use a gradual roll-out strategy where only a limited number of users get to try the new Twitter. Eventually, everyone will get a look out the new outfit, but for now, only a few chosen ones are lucky enough.

And that’s cool and all, as long as you include me. But unfortunately, I happen to be one of those kids whose friends all still use Facebook and therefore, is stuck with a follower count of about 35. So I don’t exactly qualify as a VIP member, and so me and my miserable follower count remain trapped in old Twitter. Sob…
Still, despite the fact that I’ve joined the ranks of countless users, frustrated that they don’t get new Twitter, the site may be making a good business decision screwing with everyone.

Remember when the iPhone came out in its raw, primeval form? And remember how pretty much nobody could possibly get their hands on one, unless they camped outside of the Apple store at 3 AM? Do you really think the all-knowing Steve Jobs couldn’t have predicted that Apple would run out of iPhones within the first few hours of its release?

Obviously, he planned it.

Why? Because if only a few people can get their hands on it, they’ll be quick to flaunt their good fortunes. And what happens then? Well, everyone else just wants the iPhone even more because one of their friends has it.

As a matter of fact, it appears that Twitter is executing this same strategy to perfection with its new site. All the users who have gotten new Twitter are conveniently tweeting about how much they love it, making us non-new-Twitter users green with envy. Hence, when we’re finally invited to the party, the satisfaction will be so great that we’ll have the urge to, yes, tweet about it. And maybe, two Twitter users will be so happy about getting new Twitter, that they’ll actually talk about it (yeah, REAL talk) and a non-Twit will be listening in. Then, the non-Twit might even be so intrigued that she’ll join Twitter.

And soon, Twitter will take over the world. The end.

How to Boost Creativity and Innovation in Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:08:00 +0000

Today I was quite pleased to find out that I was granted an interview to join the DECA group school. However, what I was not too pleased to hear was that the group would enforce a dress code for the interviews; it was announced that we would have to don “appropriate business attire”. At first, I didn’t really make much of it. Fine. I’ll wear a dress shirt and some dress pants.

But what really got my eyes rolling was when I was informed that my definition of “appropriate business attire” didn’t entirely match theirs. No less than a full-out suit would be accepted. So on Friday, I’ll be bringing a suit to high school…

Neat, huh?

I’m still wondering why they’re so bent on seeing their applicants in such formal attire. I think it may be the need for “extreme professionalism”, which frankly, I believe is becoming outdated. Now, this by no means is a hit on the value of overall professionalism. It’s great to be considered professional.

On the other hand, what I’m talking about when we try a little too hard…

These days, you’re seeing more and more of those generation-y-driven, Fortune 500 companies that go with a more lax dress code. I’m a huge fan of this “first-date dress code” phenomenon that the best companies are gradually adopting. What I think this sort of dress code does is that rather than having an uptight and uncommunicative atmosphere in the office, it creates an air of friendliness, mutual respect, and most of all, creativity.

When you see your boss frowning in a suit and tie, you’re scared. You don’t want to mess up and you don’t want to share your semi-weird idea that might make him mad. The problem is, semi-weird ideas are the ideas that transform million-dollar companies into billion-dollar companies. Now, what if your boss is smiling with a dress shirt or maybe even just a polo on? In many cases, that will change your mindset a little bit.

Think about it. When you scan through those lists of the world’s best places to work and read the descriptions, you’ll often find very lenient dress codes. And often, these very lenient dress codes will be attached to companies with more relaxed, cool, hip, young, and creative brands.

Doesn’t that sound like a good brand?

Marketing Your Product to Kids: The Strategy of the World's Most-Loved Eraser

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 20:56:00 +0000

Browsing through any good office supply store, you’ll find a row of erasers featuring so many similar-looking pieces of rubber that you might think you’re at a tire store (but only if you’re blind, can’t smell the papery-ness, and can’t distinguish a nerdy voice from a tough-guy mechanic voice). But honestly, what’s the difference between them? They’re all in the same size range, have the exact same purpose, and I can’t say I’ve heard of a “luxury-level” eraser. The only thing that sets them each apart might be that some are white, some are pink, and some multi-colored (ooooh... you’ll be the envy of every one of the teacher’s pets). They don’t even include a little feature list on the package, just for the terminally analytical people in the world.

All in all, there is literally, no differentiation between the various brands of eraser. And no differentiation means really bad marketing.

That’s except for the revolutionary “eraser for big mistakes”. The eraser for big mistakes is a painfully simple concept; it’s just a bigger version of that generic pink eraser, positioned as a more effective solution for those really big mistakes that we make sometimes. However, is it really that much better than a Pink Pearl for fixing your pencil-related tragedies?

No.

But is it finally a brand that is slightly different, amusing, and maybe even cool in the eraser marketplace? You’d better believe it. If you’re a little kid going into the 1st grade, are you really going to be looking for the best-quality eraser? Or are you going to be looking for something that is unique, fascinating, and something that you can show off to your friends (trust me— kids love just this sort of humor… Why do you think SpongeBob’s so popular)? I think it might be the latter.

Now, don’t you think that this exact strategy can be applied to almost anything marketed to kids? Kids love something different and cool. Why do you think flexible pencils, smelly markers, and light-up shoes sell so well? Think about it. Can we do anything to change other brands for kids?

How about talking calculators? Now that's some real marketing.

Why People Love Searching for "9/11 Pictures" on September 10th

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 22:55:00 +0000

Occasionally, I like to take a quick scan of Google Trends to know what’s going on, as a sort of idle alternative to reading the Times. And today, I came across a hot search list headlined by a few celebrities, Stand up 2 Cancer, and “9 11 pictures”. This was a curious trend to me. Why are people searching for 9/11 pictures?

I’m almost certain that millions of people don’t just want to refresh their memories of this horrific tragedy. Also, in the hot searches, “911 memorial” ranks eighth (three behind “9 11 pictures”), while “September 11” is all the way back in the eighteenth spot: You’d think that people who were looking to remember fallen ones, would be more prone to search for “9 11 memorial” or at least “September 11”, rather than looking for pictures.

So why are 9/11 pictures so popular?

Well, I believe that it’s not because people particularly want to view these photos, but because they want to publish and use them.

As soon as an anniversary of 9/11 arrives, the blogosphere lights up with posts regarding the terrible loss of lives, charities benefiting victims, and the “truth” about 9/11. In fact, according to Surchur, a web trends site, the popularity of “September 11th”, “9 11”, as well as a number of other terms relating to 9/11, are a 10 out of 10 in blogosphere popularity right now. Of course, naturally, photos of the event are an essential element in postings about 9/11, so every blogger is looking for appropriate photos to use.

At the same time, school has started and teachers are all preparing to assign the first homework of the year. I’m sure that many teachers would turn to 9/11 as a topic for an essay or study project, which many students will want to include photos in.

But why is it that “9 11 pictures” is such a popular search term on September 10th? Well, I believe this is the answer:

Think about it. If you’re a blogger wanting to take your blog viral, you’re gonna want to be the first one to post about everything. And the best way to be the first one is to post before things even happen. Numerous bloggers are either publishing or working on their posts today, in order to “stay ahead of the game”.

So that’s my explanation to this phenomenon. Just look at things in a different, more creative way, and you’ll start seeing explanations to everything.

Sharpie Has Permanent Pencils, I Want Self-Erasing Pens...

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 21:04:00 +0000

About a month ago, Sharpie came out with its brilliant “liquid pencil” idea. Basically, the appeal is that it’s a pencil that uses liquid graphite to mimic the sensation of writing with a pen. At the same time, the liquid pencil is also erasable for roughly the first three days, and then becomes a more permanent marking (quite practical if you think about it).

Now, I’ll admit that I’m no school supply nerd (and to those of you that are, I’m sorry your life had to turn out that way), so I only just found out about this. And here’s how I did:

So I’d just watched Agent Cody Banks for the second time (in widescreen though this time) and I was feeling inspired. I pictured how life would be as a spy… You’d go on missions to save the world, no one would ever be able to know where you were, and no one could ever find out about the secret messages you sent to fellow spies.

Wait. If you never wanted anyone to see those secret messages, how could you prevent them from being seen? What if you wrote the messages in ink that erased itself?

Sounds straight out of Harry Potter, eh? Well, frankly, I think it’s very possible to formulate a substance that would quickly disappear from any paper. Maybe the ink would be able to evaporate after a certain period of time. Or maybe the ink could dissolve into the air or the paper after a week. Or maybe the ink could gradually blotch until it became utterly illegible after about a month.

This would ensure that very few people other than the desired recipient would get a chance to read the message.

And think about all the other uses… What if a negotiator was in a tight situation and could only get out by signing an undesirable contract? He could use his trusty temporary pen to satisfy his counterparts for the time being.

Wanting to see if such an invention already existed, I googled “temporary pen” and landed on this page about the Sharpie liquid pencil.
http://marketinginnovation.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/08/the-new-sharpie-liquid-pencil-a-temporary-marker.html

On the contrary, if you think about it, my idea was the exact opposite of Sharpie’s: I want a pen that becomes temporary while Sharpie wants a pencil that becomes permanent.

Neat, huh?

How to Get People to Donate Money: Use the Nike+iPod Business Model

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:38:00 +0000

So I got a Nike + iPod sensor for my birthday this year and I have to say that it was a pretty sick birthday gift. What made it even cooler was the fact that I’d just read about it in “Brand New World” by Max Lenderman (a great book by the way) and had been salivating over product reviews like they were Sarah Roemer movies.

Basically, the Nike+iPod is a beefed up pedometer that you can put in your shoe. And not only does it compute simple stats like distance, calories, and pace, but it gives you spoken feedback, lets you set goals, and records a history of your workouts. However, the system is really only half the equation. The really funky part is the online capability. From the Nikeplus website, you can create a profile for your fellow runners to see, and deck it out with your workout statistics (all neatly graphed out to chart progression), which you can easily upload by syncing your iPod to iTunes. This allows you to challenge friends as well as the biggest running fanatics all over the world, to see where you rank.

And after a few weeks of using the Nike + iPod, what I noticed was that suddenly, I was running much more frequently. It seemed that a number of things, all having to do with owning this new thing, contributed to my newfound love for running. The satisfaction of simply navigating to the app and watching it work its magic was great, while the thought that my efforts would be both recorded and shared with the world (you can share your workouts with Facebook and Twitter as well) also gave me a little boost. How about how I could actually see my improvements in solid numbers or how I could admire the “total workout distance” (the sum of all workouts) meter slowly inch up?

The Nike+iPod model was, in general, a fitness motivator.

So why can’t other products mimic this model? What if high schools and colleges did this with grades? When teachers entered marks into a student’s report card, they’d be automatically sent to a site that could track progress. We’d be able to track our progress in various subjects, over multiple years, and maybe even get advice from our teachers over the web. People could compare their progress to others and maybe, there could even be a leaderboard.

And what if a fundraising organization did this for donators? Users could track how much money they donated and their progression, thus putting pressure on them to slowly donate more to beat their own records. There could be a leaderboard in this sort of community as well, while rich folks would definitely get a kick out of challenging friends to donation competitions. I think people would really be happy about publishing their donations on social networks to add to their reputations.

What an idea!

Adjust the Size of Your Hockey Skates: Reebok Pump Skates

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:39:00 +0000

Watching the Blue Jays lose the other day, I was thoroughly fascinated by one of the ads I saw. It’s not that the ad was all that impressive; it was just one of those where the narrator— who sounds too professional for his own good— talks to you about important considerations to make before doing something. Yeah.

But the product did seem pretty awesome.

So say your son plays in his neighbourhood house league for ice hockey, and because he’s a growing boy, you have to buy bigger skates every year. And because you aren’t making the money that Ilya Kovalchuk is now guaranteed with his new contract, you’re not too thrilled about dropping a hundred bucks on skates every year.

Now, you can spend a hundred bucks, but every two years with the Reebok Pump skates. I’ve never owned a pair of these babies but the concept sounds pretty idiot-proof. The size of these skates is adjustable so you can actually customize them to your son’s feet.

How it works is that apparently, they’ve decked them out with inflatable air cushions on the sides, which, when you inflate, make the fit a bit tighter. And the best part is that, despite how his grade 2 teacher is always quick to point out his lack of fine motor skills, your son should be able to easily inflate the cushions. All he has to do is press this button-like pump a few times and voila! It fits!
It’s a miracle. He’s more comfortable, and not to mention a bit safer. But the truly miraculous part is that you can buy the skates a size bigger for him to grow into (saving YOU money!), without hearing his whiny complaints every time you drive him to a game.

The thing is though, I don’t see why this sort of pump technology isn’t on everything these days. Hats, shoes, gloves, knee pads, headphones, etc. etc. can all have this pump to make the size customizable. Instead of having a small, medium, large, and extra large, everything can just be one size fits all.

That would truly make the world a better place to be, especially for the terminally lazy race we’ve become.

How to Make the Emmy Awards Less Boring Next Year

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:22:00 +0000

The Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, aired last night and let me tell you that they sure lived up to expectations. Too bad the expectations went somewhere along the lines of “Oscars wannabe…”

Let me make it clear that the Emmy’s will never be the Oscars. There’s simply a lack of full-fledged TV superstars to replace such huge Oscar regulars as Will Smith and Sandra Bullock. However, the best that television has to offer still constitutes some big time talent— talent that can surely put on a show that millions will tune into, just like they tune into American Idol or Mad Men.

Frankly, many people watch the Oscars simply because it’s one of the biggest gatherings of famous people that they can possibly see in any given year. On the other hand, there won’t be many people who’ll want to watch the Emmy’s, purely because of all the red carpet stars.

Thus, the Emmy Awards must be marketed based on a different attribute.

And I believe that attribute is entertainment value. I think that the Emmy’s should take a page from World Wrestling Entertainment’s book. Now, I don’t mean that TV stars should start performing suplexes and beating each other with chairs; what I mean is that the Emmy’s can mimic the WWE’s entertainment value.

The WWE is known for its ability to formulate intriguing plotlines to keep fans interested. What if the Emmy’s were based on a plotline that was portrayed by the various Emmy nominees? Maybe a big interrogation scene with Kiefer Sutherland, where he demands to know the whereabouts of the Emmy he is about to present. What if he then suddenly collapses, only to be taken into Hugh Laurie’s operating room?

This is the type of entertainment that people would pay to see. Why not attract some more viewers with it?

7 Creative Things to Do During Your Last Week of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:30:00 +0000

It's the last week of summer vacation. BOOOHOOOO!!! School will begin in a week for most of us but here are some things to do during your last few days. These things have nothing to do with packing for school or studying notes. These are things that will keep your mind off of that horrible subject and let you savour your last moments of summer 2010.

7. Pet a bird.

You know those geese/swans/seagulls/pigeons that always waddle around your neighbourhood pond, just waiting to pounce on dropped fries? Yes, I’m sure you’ve noticed those little guys. And I’m sure you’ve also noticed how it’s pretty much impossible to get anywhere near them. Well, I challenge you to try and pet one! It doesn’t matter how long it takes you, you MUST pet one of those birds— I guarantee the sense of accomplishment that you’ll achieve will be absolutely amazing and will stick with you forever.

6. Have a food coloring fight.

Before scheduling your end-of-summer water-gun fight, consider stocking up on some food coloring. Then, mix a few drops in with the water source and you’ll all look like the Gatorade dudes after.

Or conversely, if you don’t want to look like you’re sweating orange stuff, you can clandestinely bring out your secret weapons in the middle of the match, unleashing the devastation upon the other team. Cheating at a water fight is the perfect way to end your summer!

5. Convince someone that they’ve been drafted into the CIA.

This idea was inspired by my favorite movie of all time, Agent Cody Banks 2. You can try this on some gullible little kid at a family gathering (don’t do it on strangers because you don’t want to look like a creeper). It works best if you plan out a story beforehand and supplement it with a few “spy gadgets” and a mission briefing report. And trust me, it’ll be a heck of a ride.

4. Bring $30 to Dairy Queen and spend it all.

The best part of summer is the ice cream. So why not cap off your break with an uber-awesome ice cream marathon? You can bring any denomination of money, depending on how rich you are, but more importantly, on how much Blizzard you’re willing to eat. Then, dig in.

And don’t mind all those people staring at you as you start your tenth Oreo Cheesequake. It’s summer.

3. Go into town with a Santa costume and give presents to random passersby.

This one is for the flamboyantly brave, who don’t mind being the center of attention in a bad way. If you have a Santa costume from last Christmas, whip it out and put it on. After that, you’re all set to go downtown and start giving away your, Batman stickers, half-used erasers, and limited edition Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.

2. Create a treasure hunt for somebody at the library

Meticulously leave a trail of clues for some curious reader who has a lot of time on their hands. Stick Post-Its saying stuff like, “Go to the end of the aisle and look right,” or “Go to the gardening section.” And finally, write a clue leading them straight back to the beginning and see how long they can keep going in circles.

1. Start a food fight at a fruit farm

This is probably the hardest one of these to pull off. It’s a summer must-do though. Pick someone who either looks really moody or really fun-loving, and fling something at them. If you get lucky, they’ll return the favor and then you can watch as the mayhem starts. MUAHAHAHAHA!!

How Marketers are Putting Advertising in Your Next Camera

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:23:00 +0000

Marketing and advertising are growing constantly. Various sources say that the average American is bombarded by anywhere from 254 to 5000 advertisements a day. How is that possible? Well think about the radio ads you heard in the car or the billboards you saw while driving. Think about the ads you saw on the bus that just passed by and the Goodyear blimp in the sky. How about the ads on the elevator's new TV or the site you were just surfing?

No doubt, humanity is awfully good at finding more and more ways to satisfy an addiction to furthering consumerism, for the sake of the economy. In other words, we're finding more and more places to put our ads.

And here is another example of an incredibly innovative idea being developed. Some might call it just more visual pollution, while others would dub it marketing genius.

But like it or not, new cameras are now being fitted with a system software that will create a new million-dollar industry.

Basically, a program will be able to detect the logos or products of a particular brand, in the photos that users take. In turn, the user will be shown an ad to correspond with the brand featured in their beautiful photography. For example, if someone were to snap a picture of a party, where a bottle of Coke happened to be present in the scene, the camera would be able to detect the bottle by its logo and colors. After the photo was taken, it would then proceed to show an ad for Coca-Cola or perhaps even a competitor like Pepsi.

This would mean that millions of dollars could be paid out for the advertising spots, to camera companies that adopt this type of software. And the additional profits could mean lower camera prices to convince users to brave the ads.

***

OK fine, this idea is nowhere close to being in development but I just thought it might be where the camera industry goes next. I believe it would be a very valid business model and a creative way to make profits and sell cameras.

Back-to-School Special: How to Suck Up to Teachers for Good Grades

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Now I’m sure that you’re easily intelligent enough to get A’s the old-fashioned way— with good ol’ determination, work ethic, and discipline. However, being the creative person that you are, I thought that you might be interested in a more efficient method.

The art of sucking up is not a difficult one to practice and if executed properly, it can boost your grades by up to 15%. And the funny thing is, you don’t have to be an A-student to be able to suck up and better yet, you don’t even have to act like a loser. Here is a guide to getting good grades the creative way, come September:

Make a good first impression.

The psychologists don’t lie. If you make a bad first impression, you’re digging a deep hole for yourself, very early in the year. The first few weeks are the time when it’s most crucial that you’re totally on top of your game. You know the deal: Don’t be late for class, hand in homework, work hard, don’t talk too much in class, etc. etc. If you put on those trusty goody-two shoes (see what I did there?) for the first little while, you’ll be able to establish your image as one of being a perfect student in your teacher’s head.

Then, as the months go by, you’ll be able to slowly fade back out to slacker mode, without too many repercussions.

Volunteer.

In the first few weeks, you’ll want to go all out with the volunteering. Be the first to raise your hand when she asks who wants to take the attendance down or who wants to take the recycling out. First of all, your teacher will automatically think of you as an enthusiastic learner and a responsible person. Further, as an added bonus, your peers will likely interpret that you just want to skip class and won’t treat you like a complete egghead.

Compliment them.

OK, this is a given. For amateurs, there’s always the “nice haircut” line but for the especially ambitious, add some “heart” into it. A girl can definitely get away with something like “I love your outfit today. It really matches well!” A guy should stay away from complimenting a female teacher on her fashion sense… However, if you have a male teacher, “Yo, those shoes are sick!” is not a bad line. Remember, every teacher loves to be respected by his or her students.

And speaking of that, complimenting a teacher on his teaching style or content is always a good idea. Everyone loves to be thought of as good at what they do.

Treat teachers like human beings.

This tip is without a doubt, the granddaddy of them all. This is pretty much the principle that all the other tips are based on. Treating teachers like human beings may be tough, but inside, they crave acceptance just as much as we do. Talk to them coolly and casually; crack some jokes and even ask them a bit about their personal life, (pretending to be) interested. And always talk about what they’re interested in, not what you’re interested in— you’ll be rewarded. If they like classical music, you’d better speak like Beethoven’s your idol.

Treating teachers like people will make them feel that you think of them as a friend, and thus, also feel an obligation not to disappoint you in your grades.

Trust me, this stuff is the real deal.

Your Very Own Survival Kit for Getting Through the First Day of School: A Back-to-School Special

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:38:00 +0000

The first day of school is usually quite tame compared to how madly boring the rest of your year will be. But think of it as a diagnostic test for your school survival instincts and a great way to hone these crucial skills. Here is what you’ll need to do in order to get through the the first day:

STEP #1: Understand the Teacher.

You’ve been given a mission— to get past this year of school unscathed— and the only person in your way is, of course, your teacher. The first day is the best time for you to establish a good scouting report on each of your teachers. For your reference, here is a list of some basic types and the characteristics they will exhibit on the first day:

The Pure Meanie (severuso snapey):

-will likely make a show of how strict he is, perhaps handing out a few punishments

-will introduce about 5362345423 rules (may include “Loud flatulence is prohibited. Hold it in or make use of the “SBD.”)

The “Strict but Fair” (dumbledorio):

-will lecture you on his high expectations and standards

-will also likely try to have a little bit of fun with you, albeit academic fun.

The Nice One (hagrida):

-will play cheesy games with you

-will emphasize getting to know you better or having a positive outlook on school

The Fun One (lupine):
-will be funny

-will have some awesomely creative way to introduce herself and entertain you

STEP #2: Have Some Fun!

Each of these types of teachers will have something planned for the first day. They’ll undoubtedly think it’s super-awesome and really interesting, but unless you’re lucky, you probably won’t. Thus, here’s what you should do with each of the types.

The Pure Meanie:

You do not want to be a pure meanie’s scapegoat on the first day of school, so it would be advised for you not to try too much with this sort of a teacher (sad face). No matter how good your intentions, he’ll make you pay.

The prank to pull: Bring him a pet spider and say it’s a gift from your Uncle Earl. Pure meanies are very “ethical”; they think it’s morally wrong to judge people and will likely accept your gift. (happy face!)

The “Strict but Fair”:

“Strict but fair” teachers love the smart people who ask questions but that doesn’t mean that the C-students can’t have some fun too. Challenge all of his viewpoints if you can, citing made-up statistics to back up your arguments. If he says, “No chewing gum,” you go ahead and say, “Well a recent study by the Harvard University has shown that students who chew gum regularly while doing schoolwork have 34% higher grades. What do you have to say to that?”

The prank to pull: Ask her a bunch of extremely personal questions. As I said, they have a soft side for question-askers.

The Nice One:

With these teachers, you can literally get away with anything on the first day. Take advantage of this opportunity. Find loopholes in all of his cheesy games and complain loudly about them, or just mess them up totally. Talk with your friends, open a bag of chips, etc. etc. Today is your lucky day.

The prank to pull: Pretend to be someone else or better yet, act like a foreign exchange student from Zimbabwe. Again, you can do anything.

The Fun One:

Don’t do anything harsh to these teachers. You can probably have fun without screwing with their heads. Here’s the rule: If they’re cool, don’t be a tool. WHAT A TRIPLE RHYME!!!

OK, so you’re pretty much set. Go out and show those teachers what you got!

The Worst Infomercial EVER

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:49:00 +0000

The Hawaii Chair and the Tiddy Bear are legendary in the universe of stupid infomercials. One sells a gyrating chair and the other sells a seatbelt pad. On the other hand, this one sells a wand that turns pickle juice into pickle slices...

The Biggest Pool in the World: The Endless Pool

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:44:00 +0000

I’m not going to lie. The second I saw the ad for Endless Pools, I wanted one. I mean, the fact that this pool was endless seemed so exotically awesome to me. (Hippie voice) Like, whoa… You can swim…forever? Radical… (End of hippie voice)

How it works is that there’s a pump on one edge of the pool that pushes a constant stream of water towards the other side. And so when you swim against this “current”, you don’t move forward or backward, making the pool effectively endless. Think about it. You could swim for miles in your own backyard. Now, think about the pleasant conversations you could now have with your rich friends:

“I could swim 5 miles in my backyard pool without turning.”

“Whoa… Our pool is only 3 miles long. What do you do for a living?”

“I’m with the Men in Black (satisfied smirk).”

And not only are they great to boast, they’re actually really practical too. I mean, for a thoroughly incompetent swimmer like me, no turning is a nice perk. And how about the fact that you don’t need much space for an Endless Pool, since you can swim forever without moving?

All in all, if I had a choice, I’d sure as heck make my pool endless.

Handheld Electric Bug Zappers: Too Much Fun?

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 03:54:00 +0000

Bugs are annoying. That's why they're called bugs. Sometimes they're even frightening and probably somewhat detrimental to our health.

See, bugs are one of the few animals that humans have never really befriended. You'll never see a happy-go-lucky tween going nuts over how adorable a spider is, like they do to dogs, dolphins, and mice (for the really weird ones).

It's pretty natural to kill any bug that really gets on our nerves. As a child, we all stomped on ants for recreation (the especially sadistic burned them with magnifying glasses) and now, we'll go to unbelievable lengths to keep our homes bug-free.

There are thousands of little knick-knacks that help satiate our collective appetite for bug destruction, but this one was definitely one of the most creative ideas I’ve seen.

Bug zappers aren’t uncommon to see in backyards. They’re those lights that feature a few specks of insect remains. But for the especially proactive bug haters, there’s the handheld bug zapper. These babies look sort of like those mini tennis racquets that we used to flail around as kids except for the fact that their strings are electrified, to really dust off those pesky bugs.

In fact, the inventors of handheld bug zappers were even audacious enough to put listings of the number of points you score for each bug you kill, so you can almost make a game out of it. It’s 10 points for flies, 30 points for wasps, and I believe the king kill was a dragonfly. Now, the packaging says that the device is environmentally friendly and I suppose it probably could be better than those toxic insect poisons. However, what if indeed, people began making a game out of killing insects? What if it became a recognized sport: The Bug Zapping Federation of America (BZFA)?

I mean, people might even use the bug zapper as stress relief and entertainment, among other things. Trust me— if over 15 million people enjoy mowing down pedestrians with machetes in Grand Theft Auto IV, there will be some people who enjoy killing bugs.

It’s just simple probability. There’s an idea.

The 10 Most Creative Sports Training Equipment: Must-Have Pieces for Any Athlete

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Zhang) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:38:00 +0000

10. Cushioned whistles

A must-have for any referee who wants to penalize in comfort. The actual whistle is attached to a handle that features a cushioned grip. Now that’s what I call indulgence.

9. Basketball shooting sleeves

These sleeves tighten around your arm to force you to shoot with proper form in basketball. They keep your arm aligned with the basket and emphasize the arc of a shot.

8. Belt tennis ball holders

Tennis, especially for us beginners, usually involves a ton of picking up balls that have landed in the net on unforced errors. Thus, it’s now convention to keep a bunch of balls in your pockets instead of having to run after every fanned shot. And this little invention lets you keep an extra tennis ball clipped onto your waist.

7. Extreme slideboards

If you’re an American, first of all, just know that hockey is Canada’s game. Why? Because here in Canada, we get to freeze our butts off playing hockey year-round. 365-day rinks are everywhere and ponds are frozen for 5 months of they year. But for you Americans, there’s the extreme slideboard, which simulates the ice surface so you can practice your shots, passes, and handles. Now, you’ll never beat Canada at the Olympics but you can have some fun sliding.

6. Parachutes

Parachutes are awesome. Whoever thought of harnessing the power of air resistance as a method of fitness? We can run with parachutes dragging behind us, and we can even swing bats, sticks, and arms with parachutes to provide resistance.

5. Radar balls

The radar ball is great for amateur ballplayers who don’t want to spend 200 bucks on a radar gun when they can get a decent reading from a $20 item. The radar ball detects the impact of the ball on the glove in order to determine the velocity of it. An idea that saves me $180 is a good idea any day.

4. Roller skis

With a pair of roller skis, you can simulate the experience of cross-country skiing in any temperature. Roller skis are just skis with wheels at the bottom. Sure, it’s a dead simple idea but it took someone to come up with it.

3. Curveball trainers

Baseball’s second contribution to this list is the curveball trainer. Basically, these are foam balls that have spiral grooves in them to create the crazy movements of a slider, screwball, and curveball. This happens because the grooves in the ball are able to manipulate the way air travels around it, convincing the molecules to push the ball a certain way, and allowing you to practice hitting them.

2. Golf ball-finding glasses

These babies almost made it to number one on this list. How could you not love ‘em? Your cousin gives you a lucky golf ball but after 3 straight eagles, you lose it in the rough. Time to pop on the golf ball-finding glasses and voila— suddenly a little white speck begins to stand out.

1. Passback footballs

I absolutely adore the people who mass-produce those “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that” ideas. This is definitely one of those. If you’re friends prefer drinking Mountain Dew and playing Call of Duty to playing catch with you, you can now finally train your spiral on your own. Passback footballs are flat on one side so they can bounce back to you after hitting a wall of some sort. Brilliant! It may not bounce back as well as it does off your friend’s belly, but you’ll just have to live with it.