Dust off your old Van Halen I CD. Put on Eruption. Crank up the volume.
What you’ll hear is an innovative band, hungry to take over the world. When I listen to this album I’m always reminded of the first time I put it on. I had never heard or seen a band like this. And, to tell the truth, I never have since. While the bands today have become expert at recycling the sounds of yesterday - none have ever replicated Van Halen’s sound or explosive early live performances.
When they arrived on the scene in the late 70’s they delivered the unexpected. Their heavy metal predecessors played brooding under menacing dark clouds. Van Halen however, literally came smiling out of the sunny state of California with an acrobatic front man. Metal bands never smile. Actually, wait, they weren’t a metal band - they were too peppy. Their early arrangements were too complex to be defined as rock - and too simple to be described as progressive rock.
Really, there is no clean category that they fit into. They were just Van Halen.
With cruises being the low-cost vacation alternative, Carnival Cruises is among those not dialing back their marketing spend. This street-side interactive digital aquarium campaign caught my attention. The execution seems a bit rudimentary—but points are given on the concept. My gut reaction was that this tech-focused campaign didn’t speak to their core demographic. I always envisioned the cruise-goers to be my 60 year old accountant. But I was surprised to find out that 25-39 year olds represent a significant group for them - and one that I’d expect holds some growth opportunities in this economy.
I’m going to try to run out and check out the one here in New York.
My brother-in-law, an aspiring chef, recently gave us A Day at eBulli as a gift. The book is photo journal day in the life of this famous restaurant. To be honest it took me a while to pick it up. It quite literally weighs a ton, and the cover wrap that proclaimed “Best chef in the world” and “Best restaurant in the world” had me put off a bit.
What I expected to see what narcissistic food porn, but was surprised to find a story of authenticity, innovation and creativity disguised as a coffee table book.
EBulli is a restaurant nestled in the hills just outside Barcelona. They received about two million reservation requests per year for only eight thousand available places. For such an exclusive list the price is relatively affordable: €250 per guest including drinks.
In these challenging economic times the best companies stay their course with their commitment to innovate. I never thought that I’d count Kmart among them. This past holiday season Kmart re-introduced a concept that many thought past its time: Layaway. The move proved to be hugely successful for them.
When asked about the 25th anniversary of the Apple Macintosh, Steve Jobs replied “If you look backward in this business, you’ll be crushed. You have to look forward.”
My brother-in-law, an aspiring chef, recently gave us