Friends of Dave #139: A Random Walk
As we wind down summer, a few random thoughts and links for you...
-- Almost finished with the book Deep and Simple by Bo Lozoff. You may recall I originally wrote about this last May after I heard about it in documentary about Mister Rogers. I finally got around to the book and it is a quick read. Worth checking out for those of you taking a dip into the mindfulness pool...though those of you not sold on it might find it a little out there...But honestly, with an endorsement from Mister Rogers, how bad could it be?
-- I had perhaps the oddest, but most fun, sports experience of my life this week (there is also a business angle to sharing this, trust me). The Boston Red Sox played a night game against the KC Royals in baseball on August 7, with the contest being suspended unfinished in the 10th inning (around 11pm) due to inclement weather. It was decided that the game would resume on August 22 (this past Thursday) which was originally an off day for both teams. As a result, they had a dilemma -- how do you fill historic Fenway Park for a game that could end possibly end after just 4 pitches (3 to the Royals and, if the leadoff hitter for the Red Sox hit a home run, 1 pitch in the bottom half of the inning)?
As I learned on Thursday AM, the game was set to resume at 1:05pm and it was announced that children could attend for FREE, with adults paying just $5 (ticket proceeds were donated to a local charity). All seats were general admission (not assigned), so you could sit in any seats in the park you wanted, as long as they were not occupied by returning ticket holders from the Aug 7 game. Hot dogs were $1 each, with other food prices sold at reduced rates. And the best part: after the game, families would be allowed onto the field, with kids being able to run around the bases.
With a sports obsessed 8 year old in my house who had never been to Fenway Park, this was hard to pass up. So we cleared the afternoon schedule, threw on our Red Sox gear, and headed to the stadium to check it out.
It was a blast. Over 16,000 people (mostly kids under the age of 10 from what I could see) packed the lower decks (and shaded areas, because it was hot) and watched what ended up being just a 12 minute, 1 inning game (mind you, most games are 3+ hours long). The players loved it, the kids loved it (that included my son), and, from what I could tell, the majority of the parents loved it (that included me) -- and the price was right! We saw some baseball, had a foul ball fall just a few seats away (no chance at it, and a kid got it), had standard ballpark food, drinks (alas, beer was not discounted.....) and ice cream, got to go onto the field and basically take pictures anywhere in baseball's oldest park that we wanted.
So why mention it here? Gotta hand it to the Red Sox for engineering a solution that ticked all of the boxes for customer experience and satisfaction. They could have easily phoned this one in and no one would have criticized them -- instead, they created a positive PR event that drew the next generation of their customers (who under normal circumstances probably could not last 3 innings, let alone 9) into the building on what was going to be a non-revenue day and left them wanting to come back for more. It was essentially a free trial, and they made sure the execution was flawless.
Look at your own business -- are you finding creative ways to engineer non-revenue days into huge wins for you and, most importantly, your customers? Are you creating a customer experience that proactively makes them want to stay members of your community?
-- Finally, make a note on your calendars: Boston FinTech Week is coming up September 9-12. Coordinated by the folks at FinTech Sandbox (many of whom are also Friends of Dave), this is an awesome week of discussion, networking and insights around not just the financial technology community, but also trends in innovation and investing in data, analytics and other related emerging technologies (i.e. cybersecurity, wealthtech, insurtech, real estate tech). With a such a robust agenda, it is absolutely worth finding a reason to be in Boston at some point during this week if you can. And if you are coming, definitely let me know -- we can grab some coffee or drinks!
All random links this week -- and every one worth a click...check them out and have a great weekend!
XOXO
Dave
An Randomly Soulful Collection This Week...
When to Take Initiative at Work, and When Not To
It's simple -- some problems just aren’t yours to solve.
Research Confirms: It's Time to Let Employees Work From Anywhere
Much to WeWork's dismay, we are now getting confirmation that it is time to take the out-of-office move mainstream.
Why American medicine still runs on fax machines
While patients might want one hospital to exchange information with another hospital, those institutions have little incentive to do so. A shared medical record, after all, makes it easier to see a different doctor. A walled garden — where records only get traded within one hospital system — can encourage patients to stick with those providers.
FACT: 75% of US medical communication happens by fax machine. If you are a data person, this must blow your mind...
The Overplayed, Turbohyped, and Underwhelming World of Artificial Intelligence Everyone claims they’re “doing” it, but here’s what to ask to find the truth.
Big Mouth Bass: How a Robotic Singing Fish Made $100m in One Year
In a world of few hits and constant misses, how did Big Mouth Bass, a singing robotic fish, become one of the most iconic gag gifts in history? Entertaining.
The Not-So-Chill History of Hawai‘i’s Breeziest Shirt The aloha shirt has many possible inventors and a long, fraught cultural history.
There’s a Thriving Market for Human Body Parts on Instagram Users quietly buy and sell human skulls, decorated and sold by macabre enthusiasts. Is the underground marketplace just a microcosm of our colonial past?
And The Last Word....
The Professional Triumph of the Firstborns — www.theatlantic.com
Oldest and only children have better odds of running a company....sorry middle kids....