Sometimes, you don’t have absolute control over coverage. But when you manage to get the right type, it can really help your business. Have you ever seen Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network? Host Guy Fieri goes around visiting various establishments that locals consider good places to eat. The places that get featured there get some terrific coverage, and their crowds reflect it.
There’s a local diner in San Diego – Studio Diner – that was highlighted on the show. Since we’d never been there (nor even knew it existed), we decided to check it out. And so did …read more

Many companies sell average products to average people. It’s easy to be in the middle. Neither greatly loved nor hated, they just want to get by with enough sales to generate a good profit. They prefer to avoid controversy or the cutting edge of their industry. They don’t generally stand out too much, but instead try to keep the status quo. Comfort is good for them.
But what if you do want to stand out? What if you do want to garner attention and distinguish yourself from among your competition? Then you need to be remarkable. You need to have something …read more

Have you thought recently about sliced bread and how the idea spread? As I was watching a TEDtalk with Seth Godin, he kept saying that “Ideas that spread win” and he explained what happened after the bread slicer was first invented – and how the idea didn’t take off until Wonder Bread, well, spread it. I was reminded of Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point. Gladwell also talked about how ideas spread – and who spreads them. You just can’t predict which ideas will gain popularity. You can hope, but you can’t really tell what will catch on fire. Who …read more