Do you ever wish brands would say what you are already thinking?

Last week the shoe company Puma announced that they have re-thunk the traditional shoe box and will begin to sell their shoes in what they are calling "The Clever Little Bag". Now my love of all things Nike is well known but equaled is my passion for Marketing and Innovation so my ears perked up and I needed to know more.

Puma estimates that this switch will result in a reduction of water, energy and diesel consumption on the manufacturing level by more than 60% per year. Specifically speaking, 8,500 tons less paper will be consumed, 20 million Megajoules of electricity saved, 1 million liters less of fuel oil used and 1 million liters of water saved.

This is amazing, important, and Puma should be congratulated on the initiative because they are taking an important first step in changing their industry.

I just wish they also mentioned that they also hoped that after you took out the shoes you would use the bag as a lunch bag or small tote and continue to spread the Puma message because that was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw the design.

"Dont pump fake me now"

Can you put a price on the Element of Surprise?

I have met some pretty amazing people because of this here blog and one of the folks I am very lucky to have met and consider a friend is Andy Nulman. For those not familiar with Andy, he writes a brilliant blog on Surprise Marketing and is one of the most interesting folks I know.

I met Andy for lunch a while back and we were talking about the concept of "free" and he said something interesting...and I am paraphrasing here so notice there are no quotes....no matter what product or service you market you should consider finding your best customer and give them your product for free because that person will bring in the equivalent or more new business by telling everyone about the experience.

This conversation stuck and was rolling around in my head a handful of weeks ago when I experienced this first hand....and just like Andy said, I am now telling all of you about it.

So I have this friend in NYC who is always doing nice things for me and I wanted to show my appreciation by doing something cool and very "Saulish" in return, so I took this friend to the Nike Town store to design a custom pair of shoes because I love custom shoes and part of my role on this earth is to infect my likes and dislikes on as many people as I can....and because this is a super cool "thank you" present.

This was my first time in the NikeID studio and the process of the whole thing was pretty amazing but the real SURPRISE came when it was time to pay for the shoes. Ya see I had no real idea how much it was going to cost for the customization and just assumed it would be twice the price of the shoe or something close to that but in reality my fully customized shoe (I got a pair as well) was only $10 more than buying a the same pair of shoes in standard colors and materials. I asked the guy there why they don't charge more since people would definitely pay top dollar for custom shoes and he said that they don't advertise the price and let people find out on their own because that is all part of the experience...and he went on to say that the NikeID studio is supposed to be for everyone and not just people who really love sneakers and by keeping the price in check it will never be exclusionary.

I gush quite a bit about Nike on this blog and sometimes I am shameless about it but this experience was a surprise and something worth sharing....and while this doesn't fit 100% into Andy's theory of free, I think for $10 it is close enough.

...and if you were wondering, here are my shoes

My newest pair of Custom Nike AF1's

Caifornia Bound

Happy Sunday Everyone,

If I seen a little timgly today it is because yesterday I made a trip I have wanted to take since I was 13 yeas old.

Yes that is the Nike World HQ in Beaverton, Oregon!

So in honor of my trip I now present you a video of somone as fanatical about Nike as I



...anyway I will be in California for the rest of the week but have a few good blog posts cooking in my brain, I just am waiting for someone to let me know it is OK for me to talk about them.

So please come back and check it out!

This delicious beverage is brought to you by [Fill in your favorite company here]

I haven't been blogging much in the last month because I have been spending more time in airplanes and airports then in my (I want to say "Wife" because I think it is funny but she will be mad) own bed.

Because of all this travel I have been doing I was particularly interested in a news report that I heard today saying that airlines are doing all sorts of things to combat the high cost of fuel and one of the cutbacks are that a few of the airlines are going to stop giving out snacks and beverages on flights.

Air Travel has for a long time morphed into the "Greyhound in the sky" and is no longer the special experience it once was but to strip away the very last creature comfort is in my opinion a bad idea...especially when there are ways to make this a profit center.

Now I admit this is not a revolutionary idea but why don't the Airlines give better snacks or return to the glory days of full meals and just sell this "experience" to an advertiser.

I can only speak for myself but I wouldn't mind if I was treated to a nice sandwich and a cookie and all I had to do was hear the flight attendant say "This meal is brought to you by Nike" or you could even step it up a bit and give the meals out in a paper box similar to a Happy Meal with some branding on it for a blockbuster film or a show on HBO.

Removing value is easy, lazy and unnecessary. By following this simple step the Airline industry can take a small step into making flying an adventure again.

A little something for a Friday.....

http://view.break.com/486126 - Watch more free videos

BTW do I need to tell you to not to try this in real life?

Well I guess I just did!

Another installment of "What is up with Saul"

If you are wondering why I haven't been posting much.....you are not alone. I got a call from my Mom today asking what is up!

SO to answer my Mom and fill you guys in I am here with another installment of "what is up with Saul"

It is not that I am running out of things to say or that I don't love you guys anymore because, I love all my readers so much I would make out with each one of you....so that brings me to what has been keeping me busy.

Well work mostly....but this is a good thing since I very happy and getting to do some pretty cool and different stuff.

What stuff you ask?

Well for one I am leaving in two weeks for a couple weeks on the road in an RV to spread the love of FreshBooks. I will be driving from Miami, FL to Austin, TX (with stops in West Palm Beach, Orlando, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Pensacola, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houston, San Antonio and Finally Austin.

Oh ya....I should clear up that I have been blogging...just not here so much.....I have however been posting a bunch of stuff over on the RoadBurn (RV trip) Microsite and want more then anything to post this video of an RV salesman curse for 4 straight minutes. It is only funny for a minute or two but I laughed the first few times I watched it.



The video may go up on Monday/Tuesday but go to Roadburn.Freshbooks.com now and read about trip and while you are there why not bookmark it so you can follow my adventure along the way....I have a feeling there may be more then one picture of me crying :)

Two other cool work things I have been working on combine two of my greatest loves. Podcasts and Shoes!

We are sponsoring a contest with Yahoo and PodCamp Toronto to take some folks to see a Hockey Game. If you are into Podcasting and are considering or are attending Podcamp Toronto you should check this contest out!

and finally

I am super Jazzed because I soon will be sporting custom FreshBooks Nike Air Force Ones! I will be premiering these kicks on the RoadTrip but you can see them first here!




Thanks for indulging me in my gushing about work projects and I promise I have some original content coming tonight or tomorrow!

-saul

Huge companies who think small...are companies who think smart!

There is a good chance this post will go completely un noticed.

Between SuperBowl chatter and Sarah Silverman getting it on with Matt Damon I know people are distracted but this has been on my mind for a few days and figured I would get it down on paper.....er computer screen.

With all the news going on about Microsoft and Yahoo....and Google and Yahoo....and well Yahoo just not preforming as well as they should/could I found it interesting to read an article a few days ago about a HUGE company that has been successful by thinking small.

The Company....much to my surprise was Nike.

Yes I know I shill for them all the time and I don't do it because I want them to acknowledge me with free stuff (but truth be told I would love some free stuff ) but I do connect with the company and is one of the few brands I am absolutely (blindly) loyal too.

Anyway the article spoke about how when Nike CEO Mark G. Parker took over Nike in 2005, the first thing he did was shuffle departments by the sport and not the product. So basically there would no longer be a huge "catch all" department for shoes and instead there would be a bunch of shoe departments focusing on each sport ie:Basketball shoes, Baseball shoes, Jogging shoes etc etc.

Each department became small business and were expected to laser focused on their specialty.

This strategy is fascinating since it will and has allowed Nike to put faces to the departments. I tell anyone who will listen that companies need personality and personalities. With smaller, approachable departments you can hire/steal away people who are authentic in their fields...something Nike did with their Skateboard division. Skateboarders (for the most part) are not going to hop on the bandwagon of some faceless corporation...but they did because Nike filled up their boardroom with people from the Skateboard industry and raked in over $200mm in sales from the Nike Skate division.

I love small companies that choose to be great instead of getting big and faceless but if you have to get big (and sometimes it just happens) I think it is great to see people keeping the "stay small" approach...because it works!

-Saul

p.s. If you are looking for an example of Nike injecting some personality into their work you need to look no further then these shoes. In case you can't tell these are Evil Knievel tribute shoes...That my friends is cool!

I am a Nike AF1 guy and would never wear Reebok but .......

These shoes rock HARDCORE.



I may have to pick up a pair for my kids. Normally they only wear Nike Baby Force Ones or rubber boots but they could wear these without losing the street cred I have worked so hard to develop :)


Check out Highsobiety for more deets (that is "street" for details...see I am always building the cred)

-saul

I know you are busy so I am reading the internet for you!

Greetings and Salutations,

Usually I post about things that caught my eye or something I dreamed up but tonight/today I wanted to remind you all that I like to read.

I read everything.

In fact I scour the entire internets daily to find any morsel of interesting information so you don't have to commit the time or energy.

You see any time I find something interesting I share it on my Google Reader I know this probably sounds like a commercial for them but I assure you I am doing this for you and not them.

So any time you need to know what is going on in the world (or at least the parts of the world I find interesting) head over to my Google Share Reader.

Why as we speak there are articles about:
Apple MacBook Air
Penn Jillette
Using Social Media to Meet People
Nike Air Force One New Release Pictures
Marketing Advice and Stories
Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise
Stuff about Saul Colt
and comic book and writers strike info

Go Check em out!

-saul

p.s. and while you are at it...why not bookmark this RSS feed...and this one too!

What I would have done with the money!

....and to follow up my last post about turning away business.........this is what I would've bought with the money.



Cause this is an awesome winter jacket!

saul

...an arts and crafts project for you to try

Hi Everyone,

Been tied up with work stuff (something I will be blogging about soon....perhaps later today) so I have not been posting as much as I usually do.

I am busier then ever today so instead of posting about something that isn't going to move you and captivate your imagination (I was going to write about a rumor that DC Comics is going to kill Bruce Wayne and make Robin become Batman) I have decided to wait till tomorrow to fascinate you with my brain power!

BUT WAIT

Just because I have nothing interesting to write about today doesn't mean I am not leaving you with homework.......as you may know I have an unnatural connection with custom sneakers....so much so that I considered starting a small business designing custom AF1's. People always ask me to make them shoes and/or how I do it so I am going to spill the beans.

Here is a step by step guide how to create some cool kicks!

Have fun!

saul

Who do I have to sleep with to get one of these?

One of biggest products of the year will definitely be the iPhone. With all the lines to get them and all the hysteria about it being a locked phone ect this could be the most talked about item for holiday gifts and just general demand. Well this post is not about the iPhone but rather another product that is about as hard to get......for me at least.

The Nike Hybrid Commuter Messenger Bag



Yes I know I shill for Nike too much but here is a critical post and not one of blind love so keep reading (please).

I need a new work bag and started looking around on the net one night and came across (by accident) the Nike Hybrid Commuter Messenger Bag.

I am far from a bag aficionado but this is a cool bag with lots of pockets (including one for my iPod) and a padded sleeve for my laptop. I just like it and figured I would pick it up..........except Nike wont sell me one.

When I called the Nike.com to purchase the bag I was told I couldn't get this.....I thought it was because I was such an evangelist for them that I was maybe getting a freebie (stranger things have happened) but instead it is because I was born 71 miles in the wrong direction.

Yes it seems the retail division of Nike doesn't like Canadians (I say this jokingly but in fact it is kinda true) because Nike.com will not ship any product in to Canada.

The next call I made was to a Nike Town store. While all the people were nice and respectful they still would not take my money and mail me a bag........so I called back Nike.com to see if I could send the bag to a friend in the US and I would make arrangements to get it from him. They told me that they couldn't take a Canadian credit card for a US purchase.

Anyone look at the value of the Canadian Dollar lately? We are a fraction of one penny from being at par with the US dollar. There is a very real chance that the Canadian Dollar will be superior to the US dollar in the coming weeks and months. If/once this happens Canadians will be looking to spend more money with US retailers as they will be able to enjoy the benefit of the exchange rate.........This is what I was looking to do with this purchase.

Why would a global brand and ginormous retailer not accept a credit card from Canada? I understand that not all products are not available everywhere but I have owned online stores and I always got excited when I got a payment from Japan or Australia. I still consider the people working at Nike to be smart folks and I can't imagine this is just an over site in some way so I would love to know the "official explanation" for not wanting my money.....because if I don't hear otherwise I am going to spread the rumour that Nike discriminates against good beaver tail eating, maple syrup making, hockey watching, snow shovelling, CBC listening, Potine lovin' folk.....and I think that is wrong!

Wrong I tell you!

....and as far as this bag.......I still want one so if anyone in the reading audience wants to by me one I will reward you with something way more valuable then when Joseph Jaffe asked for an iPhone.....I will send you a money order for the full price of the bag as well as a signed (and personalized) picture of me (clothed or topless - you choose) as well as an autographed collection of books I have written!

-saul

p.s. and if anyone at Nike want to sell me this please contact me as I would be happy buy one directly :)


UPDATE!

I got an email from someone asking what was so great about Canada and surprisingly he wasn't joking about it.

I shouldn't have to defend myself but I will. Canada has made MANY contributions to the North America way of life:

Blackberry (the smartphone not the fruit)
Basketball (invented by a Canadian)
Pam Anderson
William Shatner
Jim Carrey
SCTV
SNL (created by a Canadian)
Seth Rogan (What? I like him)
and I can go on and on!

Your Personal Brand.......My Red Shoes

There is a guy who works across from my office and I see him most mornings on my way in. The man is in his late fifties or perhaps early sixties and every morning I see him I think “That is one of the coolest guys around”. I have never spoken to him and for all I know he could be a real bad dude but I have formed my opinion based on his glasses.

Pretty reasonable huh?

Ya see this man, who going forward I will call “Cool Glasses Guy”, wears a uniform. Not a real uniform but a personal uniform. He always wears black pants, a brightly colored shirt (Pinks, Purples, Blues...you get the point) and while all this stuff is nice the thing that always gets me are his glasses. No matter what color shirt “Cool Glasses Guy” is wearing he has the exact colored glass frames and that is cooler then I can explain in a few quick words.

So seeing “Cool Glasses Guy” this morning it got me thinking of my personal brand and personal brands in general. I think the thing people discount most about their own personal brand is that just like a corporate brand like Coke or Pepsi, Nike or Adidas etc...........it is never about what you think of your own brand but what others think of it. You could go into any company and ask them about their brand and they will tell you how wonderful and exciting they are and you will get for the most part all positive messaging but how others perceived those same companies will almost always not reflect what the company thinks of itself.

Companies like Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Home Depot, Nike, Department Stores....and just about any other major brand all have supporters and detractors. Some people think Wal-Mart is evil and others (like myself) think it is a great place to get prescriptions filled and buy diapers. Some people think Nike is evil and that they under-employ people in third world counties while I feel they are one of the greatest brands in the world and the only shoes I wear.

The same can be all said for personal brands.

So since you can't really control your personal brand completely does that mean you shouldn't try?

No! You should work even harder on your personal brand and develop something unique that makes you remarkable......and when I say “work hard” what I mean is to think about your Brand but do not make it “work” (confusing huh?) because once it is work it becomes less authentic. Stay true to yourself and let people see “you” because that way it is easy to be the same person in all situations.

Just like companies, brand development isn't the easiest thing....look at Paris Hilton...some people see smart PR machine...others see spoiled rich kid and a whole other group of folks can’t see anything but amateur porn actress.....so if you fancy yourself as someone worth remembering you have to do some work on making your brand.....your personal brand is being formed with or without you...so you might as well contribute.

BTW....In honor of my Cool Glasses wearing friend I am wearing black pants, a red sweater, black and red glasses (my only pair) and a pair or red patent leather Nike AF1’s.

So I guess the only thing left to ask you is......what are you wearing? (said in the creepiest way possible)

-saul

P.s. Personal brands don’t only involve clothes but they do say something about your personality. I have more thoughts about online persona’s and how to convey your personality over the interweb (and places like Facebook) that I will chime in with soon!

Missed opportunity........or........is Nike smarter then me?

Hi Everyone,

I am "broadcasting" today in a weakened state....kinda feeling physically bleh with some medical stuff that I won't bore you with. I spent most of yesterday early evening in bed unable to sit up and today (while at work cause I am a trooper and have a super important meeting) I am feeling better (kinda/sorta/not really) and can at least I can sit and try not to think of my sore kidneys.

Now that I have that out of the way I want to say this may not be my most insightful post ever but there is still some merit....or at least I think there is merit but I can't really tell.

So I am in bed flipping around the TV channels and the only thing I could find worth watching was the US OPEN tennis tourney. Serena Williams was playing last night and while I was watching the match I was very distracted....distracted from the pain in my body but also from Serena William's outfit. She was wearing a very nice black tennis dress with a pink bow across the bust. Now since I mentioned her bust I assume you are thinking that this is what was the distracting part but it wasn't..............it was her shoes.

Why her shoes you ask? (did you ask?)

Well her shoes were white.

This may seem silly or even ridiculous or even a waste of your time but I was distracted by her white shoes and wondered why she didn't have black shoes with a pink Nike swoosh to match the whole outfit and showcase an entire clothing line so regular folks could run to their local shop and "Be Like Serena"

I am not sure if it is just my brain or the narcotics working their way through my bloodstream but I kept wondering if Nike did this on purpose to get people like me to wonder why she wasn't wearing matching shoes but then I came to the conclusion that no one thinks like me so I ruled that possibility out........then the drugs really kicked in and I passed out..........and in my sleep I dreamt I could turn myself invisible :)

See I wasn't kidding when I said this wasn't going to be a very strong post! Once my head clears from my pharmaceutical haze I will be back with more thoughtful output.

Hope everyone is well!

-saul

I simsonized myself and an update on my shoes.....

So like a gagillion other folks I finally ended up Simsonizing myself. I would've done it way sooner but the site kept getting all glitchy on me and this was the first time in a dozen tries that I was able to actually get it to work.

I don't think it captures my essence but it is still very cool and a great tie in to the movie

QUICK UPDATE ON MY SHOES

A while back I wrote about how I received a secret code/invitation to participate in an exclusive "by invitation only" NikeID AF1 event granting me the opportunity to design my own custom pair of Nike Air Force Ones. I would link to the original post but it is late and I am tired.

Anyway after posting 9 designs for all to see I settled on my favorite design....the ones I originally called O' Canada edition.

Well to update you all...The shoes are in production and should have my pair soon!

Enjoy your day/night as I am now off to bed!

I have been invited to design a pair of custom Nike Air Force Ones!

All my screaming and blogging about my love for Nike AF1's (Air Force Ones) has paid off. I received a secret password to design my own custom AF1's This is pretty close to winning the lottery for me since I have been playing around with designs ever since I heard that these invitations were going out.



I have whipped up nine designs and would like your opinions. I can only get one pair made and I love them all. I may just have to go with whatever you guys suggest!

(click on the picture to make it bigger)

Let me know what you think.........more later

saul

more "buncha unrelated things"

Happy weekend everyone,

I am operating on just a few hours sleep so if this is more incoherent then usual you will have to excuse me but I was up all night trying to figure out what exact 23 flavors are used to make Dr. Pepper

It is a long weekend here in Canada and I have a big weekend planned. Lots of hanging out with my Son and lots of reading planned. I am determined to finish Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole by Benjamin Barber(my smart book), and depending on how much time I am left with I will start a fun book like either Def Jam, Inc. : Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin, and the Extraordinary Story of the World's Most Influential Hip-Hop Label by Stacy Gueraseva or Ron Jeremy: The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz. I don't think I will be able to read them all but should get through at least two of them.

Tonight is Date Night and I am going to the movies.

I secured all the url's I need for my new business idea so I am now really close to announcing it.....and I can't wait.

Anyone who likes turntablism, mash ups, scratching etc etc should click here and down load "Lessons" (you will have to use the mirror sites) by double Dee and Steinski.........Truly great stuff

The Nike Pop Up Store on top of Goodfoot in Toronto closed down yesterday. Since it was just a pop up store I knew this day would come but I was still sad to see it go.

Really dug the finale of the Office but thought the one hour episode of Scrubs dragged a bit.

I think that is all I got for now

Enjoy the weather everyone!

saul

I swear I don't get paid for my shilling Nike.

Found this video and figured I would throw it up on the site.


SPIZIKE TRAILER

I was never really an Air Jordan shoe lover but these are pretty cool and I dig the bag!

saul