Let them fly on Yonge Street

Yonge Street
Originally uploaded by neuroticjose

I try and walk home, or partly home a few times a week...or whenever the sun is in the sky.

My walk home yesterday, was just like every other day...full of people, weaving through crowds and traffic and me saying a polite 'leave me the damn alone' to people handing out flyers. A few of the flyers caught my eye - most were irrelevant. Here's the rundown.

NOTE: I am walking North on Yonge starting at King Street.

Adelaide
Sick Kids - There are usually 2 workers, 2 on each side of the street. They hold binders with the Sick Kids logo on them. IRRELEVANT - they are there 4 of the 5 days of the week. There is nothing compelling about giving to them via this mean verses just donating online.

College
Psychic Reading - POSSIBLY RELEVANT - With days going as they are...it would be nice to see a happy ending in sight.

Isabella
Scientology Kills - I have to admit, having about 8 anti-Scientology protestors outside of the Church of Scientology, all wearing masks (many very scary) shouting at the top of their lungs 'Scientology Kills' caught my attention. RELEVENT - only because I saw parts of the Tom Cruise/Oprah interview a few days ago.

Isabella (a few more steps north)
Yonge Street Fitness Club has someone standing at the corner giving out their flyers almost everyday. They have a $15 offer going on right now...but doesn't every fitness club on Yonge? IRRELEVENT - only because I don't do the gym thing.

...and then I jumped on the subway at Rosedale.

Let them fly on Yonge

I try and walk home, or partly home a few times a week...or whenever the sun is in the sky.

My walk home yesterday, was just like every other day...full of people, weaving through crowds and traffic and me saying a polite 'leave me the damn alone' to people handing out flyers. A few of the flyers caught my eye - most were irrelevant. Here's the rundown.

NOTE: I am walking North on Yonge starting at King Street.

Adelaide
Sick Kids - There are usually 2 workers, 2 on each side of the street. They hold binders with the Sick Kids logo on them. IRRELEVANT - they are there 4 of the 5 days of the week. There is nothing compelling about giving to them via this mean verses just donating online.

College
Psychic Reading - POSSIBLY RELEVANT - With days going as they are...it would be nice to see a happy ending in sight.

Isabella
Scientology Kills - I have to admit, having about 8 anti-Scientology protestors outside of the Church of Scientology, all wearing masks (many very scary) shouting at the top of their lungs 'Scientology Kills' caught my attention. RELEVENT - only because I saw parts of the Tom Cruise/Oprah interview a few days ago.

Isabella (a few more steps north)
Yonge Street Fitness Club has someone standing at the corner giving out their flyers almost everyday. They have a $15 offer going on right now...but doesn't every fitness club on Yonge? IRRELEVENT - only because I don't do the gym thing.

...and then I jumped on the subway at Rosedale.

Is Execution defining your Strategy?

Crumpled Frustration
Originally uploaded by Aaron Jacobs

I have seen this far too often.

A launch date is set in stone so everyone works backwards from there. A quick and dirty strategy is developed with hard-to-reach deadlines and misunderstanding of deliverables. Tactics are taken off the list and the strategy weakens...communication breaks...

So what do you do in this circumstance? Do you continue and launch what you got?

Here are some quick tips that can help (or have helped me).

1. Take a step back and reassess your priorities
2. Regroup and layout a plan to reach your goals for launch
3. Have a second, post, phase 2 launch
4. Workback schedules
5. Connect with all partners and determine new roles
6. Always reassess your customer value proposition and make sure it is still relevant
7. Reassess your measurement goals
8. Set lists of To Do's
9. Strengthen communications amongst all partners
10. Breathe

What do you do?

Branded Cities

My girlfriends and I just got back from Vegas on Monday (was supposed to be Sunday, but that is a later post). We went to celebrate my best pal's dirty thirty.

The funny thing about Vegas is, it's NOT for girls. Not for women...and definitely NOT for ladies. Truly. I mean that.

We had tonnes of fun (mind you, you can put us in the middle of nowhere and we will find our way into some shenanigans)...but there was something not quite fitting about the city for us...(NOTE: I am not saying this is necessarily a bad thing)

How Las Vegas has branded itself as the playground for the testosterone pumped male:

1. The "Your Vegas is Showing" campaign clearly focuses on the infamous and tiresome "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" mentality - a hook for most men.
2. The Mayor is proud of the 'Sin City' image and has opened up the debate on legalized prostitution
3. The workers - Las Vegas is about the risk taker, the dreamer, the thrill seeker. That is heard, seen, felt by those that work the tables, serve your drinks and entertain you.

Other branded cities at the top of my mind:
Paris - for lovers
Rome - also for lovers
NYC - the city that never sleeps