Do you occasionally suffer from road rage? Are you a Colorado driver that doesn't know how to merge using the full 1/2-mile merge lane? Do you speed every day or do you stop for a full and legal 3-seconds at stop signs? Drivers rarely fully adhere to the traffic laws that stop signs try to enforce. But why? Here are some thoughts on how poorly traffic signs grab our attention and some marketing tactics you can use to avoid these mistakes.

1. Look for one, find two
• What do stop signs and Coca-cola have in common? They both have white writing on a red background and whether they successfully grab your attention depends little with marketing abilities and more to do with the environment. Is there a cop watching the intersection? What did the car in front of me do? Is it convenient to stop by the vending machine or the drive-thru on your way out? Whether you order a Coke over Pepsi depends more upon what the restaurant has to offer and whether your friends are drinking soda or water or beer. Tactic: Choose and control your placement around your competition. 
2. Associated impressions
• No one likes capital letters. STOP is like using all caps in an internet argument to tell other how IMPORTANT this sentence is! Symbols are more effective: European signs, the Apple computer symbol, etc. Do you recognize an octagon shape immediately and image it colored red? Tactic: Use colors and symbols for quick recognition.
3. Surprising alternatives
• Paper or plastic? Twitter or Facebook? Sometimes having an option makes users do a double take. If you are given options or meet abnormal substitutions, it makes you stop and think. Instead of stop signs, traffic controls use roundabout or yield signs because they can be more effective in reducing accidents in certain locations. Can you offer alternatives that keep your audience on their toes causing them to willing consider your product? Tactic: Be your own challenger and have options.

Last week I published a review of Made to Stick. I think this book is read not only by marketing professionals but really anyone that wants to add a little creative spice to their work. What I've found though when talking to people is that not many people (except explicit artists), consider themselves to be "creative". Well, throw all that thinking away because I am here to say YOU ARE.

"If you're a great spotter, you'll always trump a great creator. Why? Because the world will always produce more great ideas than any single individual, even the most creative one." -Made to Stick

1. Borrow it
• Honestly, borrowing someone else's genius idea is genius too. You recognize it is something awesome that can be repeated. Remember being kids in paint class yelling "No copying!" Well copying is a form of flattery... and really, did your fish's blue stripes ever look the same as the original? It is creative to borrow great ideas because you make them great again!
2. Recycle it
• You can easily recycle a old idea and reuse it in a new situation. There are tons of ideas of Pinterest that come up with unique ways to use old jeans, binder clips, and wine bottle corks. Just clear out a closet, find something you bought and never used, and actually use it! That is being creative because you are using it for a purpose you didn't originally intend it for!
3. Combine it
• Creative doesn't mean you have to come up with a brand new idea that no one has ever thought of before. Creativity is also combining any number of "regular" ideas and making them into something new. Facebook is a hit because it combines technology and the little black book. Even a poster slogan or website design can be a combination of ordinary already used ideas that turn into another singular creative masterpiece.

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Other Die
by: Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Did you know that “Nice guys finish last” was a misquote from a baseball manager? A “sticky” idea, no matter if it was intended or not, can help you be SUCCESsful – as long as it still communicates your core values and message. The book gives 5 ways that, combined, can give you the best chance of creating an idea that is made to stick.

• Simple – How can you tell if something is simple enough to stick? “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Define and describe your core message in as few words as possible, maybe with alliteration or something catchy, to find its essence. The authors gave the example: Alien is Jaws on a spaceship. Genius!
• Unexpected – A great way to surprise your audience is to do a twist on an already sticky and popular quip like “The only constant is change…” (Isaac Asimov). Knowing the knowledge base of your audience is key to surprising them. Humans know what the color blue is and what bubblegum tastes like so when a girl in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory turns blue from roast beef flavored gum, we remember it!
• Concrete – To be concrete you need to keep to the facts. A goal of being the “best” or “most efficient” can mean different things to different people. Using words like “bigger than Google” or “99 cents cheap” however creates common ground. Many times putting yourself in someone else’s shoes helps you understand what concrete data means the most to your customers or your manager.
• Credible – Being specific with statistics is not always enough. To get people to believe that your story applies to them and their situation, you need to break down the facts into something that can be grasped. The authors recommend the Sinatra Test of “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” So give one plausible example, whether negative or positive, that makes the audience believe your credentials are true for any situation.
• Emotional – We are all too familiar with the “What’s in it for me?” question so make it a habit to get them to care before they ask for it. This was an interesting chapter because it rejected Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Money is not always a motivator and neither is self-interest so evoking a memorable feeling may be more difficult than you think!
• Stories – Everyone knows the Jared and Subway story and knows how a powerful story is worth repeating. The authors provide 3 types of plots that work well: challenge (near impossible “David and Goliath”), connection (building an unusual “Romeo and Juliet” relationship), and creativity (involve the listener in solving an “Indiana Jones” puzzle).

Not only is this a great book with decent recommendations of how to make something stick, but the book itself is a great example of something sticky. The book is filled with a simple “sticky” concept, capable applications, well-known brand examples, heartfelt questions, and stories in every chapter. I’d recommend this book to anyone seeking something to spruce up a presentation, document, or task.

I enjoyed reading this article by Brad Hoover this week about the most dangerous word being "try" because it "simply shows a lack of belief, passion, commitment, and confidence". It is hard to disagree with this claim, but I'm going to argue that "tomorrow" is the most dangerous word to use. Such as in the statement "I'll do it tomorrow", tomorrow is not a three-letter-word but I think it one of the worst words you can use.

1. Procrastinating
• Maybe "later" or "never" is more accurate? The "I'll do it tomorrow" just rolls off the tongue and is so easy to discard and forget until a later date. You don't really mean tomorrow, you just mean "not today".
2. Not admitting fear
• Usually when we use the word tomorrow we are referring to starting something or finishing something. You may want to take a harder look at how often you hear this and if there is a trend. Is the assignment itself what you are avoiding? Or is it simply a bad habit you have formed that stands between you and success?
3. Avoiding action
• It can be even more serious if it is when you are waiting for someone else to do it entirely. It is like blaming your bad day on luck or hoping to win the lottery to relieve your credit card debt. You don't believe you have any control and simply wait around for someone to come change it for you or that the problem will just disappear on its own. Bad idea! Take charge!

Brocade got a new CEO this week! A big welcome to Lloyd Carney and the coming growth of Brocade, SDN technology, and the networking industry. One of the best things in my opinion that Lloyd said about joining is his first order of business is to listen and learn. I completely respect that - how can you change for the better if you don't know what you are changing? It might be something that was better before you touched it! How can you prevent "bad change" from happening in your life?

1. Ask
• Listen and learn can be done through silent observation or a fully engaged rampage of questions. Asking questions is a better way to showing others respect and that you are open-minded. Oh, and smile! :-)
2. Share
• In most instances, our first impressions and gut-feelings have some serious control our ultimate final decisions. (Recommended read: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell) If you ever want to be convinced otherwise by real evidence, you need to talk aloud about your thoughts and ideas. Then you can learn if it's already been done before, if it has unforeseen road blocks, or there are modifications to your intended actions that can make the change even better than initially!
3. Be accountable
• Say what you mean and do what you say. Trust and respect is earned not given and even a stunning track record, a seasoned expert, or you, need to start on the right foot on Day 1 like it is Day 1. Otherwise, no matter what change you wish to implement it won't be accepted or executed.

I made some changes! The title and description is now more about the INK part of an ink blot rather than the BLOT part. I feel like it better represents what topics the blog covers. Inspiration comes from the source rather than the result. I hope you continue to enjoy my blog and that it starts conversations rather than finishes them. What do you think?!