HomeI was watching some TV Saturday morning, and caught bits of a new “dance” flick on MTV. The basic premise (this will come into play in a minute) is that a gorgeous dancer obsessed with Disco meets a guy looking for a theme for a new nightclub. One thing leads to another and they decide to open a disco themed nightclub. The problem is that really except for the music (which they remix) and a bit of a choreo’d dance number there is nothing that looks like DISCO in the club. (Oh! except the name: INFERNO. get it? disco inferno. ha! ugh.) If you are working on any project, brand, product, et cetera and you are going to pick a theme, especially one like DISCO, you must commit 120% to that theme. It’s like a wedding, if you tell everyone you’re doing a vintage hollywood theme, and the only nod to that theme is a picture of a Cary Grant in the bathroom, everyone is gonna ask: “Where’s the Hollywood theme?” Now if the groomsmen had fedoras, there is choreo’d dance to “singing in the rain”, a red carpet, etc. Now you’re getting there. A Theme like any element of a brand is a promise to the customer. They look and want that theme, that is why they chose your event, your product, et cetera. ESPECIALLY in a nightclub! The simple head nod to a theme, makes one feel that you just don’t care. You call you club Mardi Gras, I want to see beads, Hurricanes, doubloons, masks, costumes, jazz, and so much purple, green, and gold that it makes me want to puke! When working on your theme, do not exist in a bubble, ask friends, associates, family, and everyone else, what they see in the decorations, and in the font of the adverts. Try not to ask them: “Do you see Disco?” this leads them to a predetermined answer. Instead just ask them: “What comes to mind here?” If their answer isn’t your theme right away, then make some changes and try again. Even in a corporate environment people are less likely to take it as a joke and make lame comments around the water cooler if you fully commit to the theme. The more committed you are to theme, the more committed they become.
Thoughts Category
To start, some people may have noticed that I took the Business out of the subtitle of this blog. This is because I have decided to expand the thoughts that I’m writing about beyond JUST business. There will still be business elements mentioned on this site so please check back for those, but I will also be talking about movies, books, events, games, and other thoughts. I have also started up alteredgames.com which will be focusing more on the ARG industry and how it is evolving and how I am getting involved there.
I thought I’d start off with the movie “Whip It” that I decided to grab from the red box last night (by the way, LOVE the Redbox! Especially the iPhone App for it). It’s the one directed by Drew Barrymore and starring Ellen Page. It was a fun little flick about a teen growing up in a small town in TX with a mom obsessed with pageants and how she discovers roller derby. This movie was fun, nothing amazingly stellar, I didn’t immediately begin to question my own life, future, relationships or any of that. But it did help to reinforce my love of movies (and also books, comics, etc). Because no matter how bad your day was, how the bills are piling up, etc. You can come home open that book, turn on that tv program and forget about it for a bit. These things build even if temporarily a little protected sub universe where we can just enjoy the moment without the stress of everything else. And if we move beyond this we start to look forward to it. Sitting at your office desk, dealing with stressed out coworkers, and whiny clients, there can be a certain reassurance in knowing that there is a new episode of Castle on that night. Which means curling up on the sofa with someone you care about and getting a chance to laugh, cry, or whatever your particular evening poison is. So what am I trying to say? I guess a few things: 1. you creative types, keep on doing what you’re doing. Whether it’s writing, filming, broadcasting, what have you. Keep doing it to give us that escape and that Hope we so desperately want. 2. Take time to smell the roses. As they say: man, does not live by bread alone. If you’re at work and stressed, just remember there is that simple pleasure of a book at home, or a store full of movies waiting for you to lose yourself in their action, drama, relationships, loves, jokes, et cetera.
