Friends of Dave #267: a better pancake is possible
This week's word: bombogenesis
Major winter storm is currently targeting my local -- if you are a regular weekend FoD reader and you believe meteorologists, there is a good chance that my local area will be buried under up to 30 inches of snow as you read this.
For most of the time that humans have walked the earth, this type of phenomenon was simply known as a "snow storm."
At some point, likely around 1978, this type of weather system became widely known as a "blizzard." In and around the area of the US where I live, this is also referred to as a "nor'easter."
But it's a new millennium, Friends. In a world of 24 hour news cycles, social media, and constant hype, these descriptions of major amounts of cold, frozen precipitation is enough to get people's attention any longer.
Meteorologists (and the local supermarkets that are their sponsors) needed a hashtag, a hook, to scare the sh*t out of people, get them to stop what they were doing and immediately head to the grocery store to fight over bread, milk and water.
I can see it now....the Monday staff meeting at the Weather Channel last week....
Producer: Okay everyone. Global warming is kicking our a**....everything is melting and winter is just not as bad as it used to be...
Reporter: Yeah, kids are wearing shorts year 'round for pete's sake.....they are laughing at us out there....
Producer: So we have to do something about it......there is a snow storm about to hit the eastern seaboard of the United States. What can we do to get people to stop talking to their Alexas and tune in to what we are saying? Come on people.....this is our Apollo 13 moment here.
Assistant: What if we sent Tom Brady back to the Boston area to report on the storm, but use a Boston accent?
Producer: Nope. Tried that back in 2006. Ruined his Uggs, said he would never do it again.
Sales: How about we work a COVID angle? A new variant, being blown in the air from this storm, is making people think they smell S'Barro calzones....we could pitch this to Walmart as a sponsor.
Producer: Good thought, but people are tired of COVID.....and S'Barro? Really?
Marketing: There is this current Wordle thing....Maybe we could do something to name the storm in a cute Wordle like matrix?
Producer: Interesting....it needs to be five letters per word.....
Sales: How about "T-H-E...B-I-G...D-U-M-P"?.....we could do that. I'm calling someone at Mylanta...
Marketing: Who invited them? It has to be five letters per word, idiot....you know like yesterday's answer "M-A-M-B-O"
Producer: MAMBO...interesting....instead of naming the storms we could just number them......ugh, but then we would get "MAMBO #5" at some point....no one needs to hear that again....Plus, it needs to be something that sounds really scary and would get people agitated....with 5 letters that rhymes with MAMBO.
Sales: How about R-A-M-B-O? I can call Philadelphia Cream Cheese....
Producer: Dude...
Marketing: How about BOMBO? That crosses demographics and personas and scares everyone.
Producer: Interesting....not a word, but I like the ideas of bombs....
Reporter: We could say "Ladies and gentlemen, there is a winter BOMBO storm....in the area tonight....."
Sales: In the area tonight....wait, wasn't that a song by Genesis? I could call Hyundai to sponsor.....
Marketing: Uh, that was Phil Collins you moron.
Producer: That's it! BOMBOGENESIS......scary, with a biblical feel and an ironic 80s throwback vibe....crosses demographics and people can Tweet and do TikToks about it.....let's run that that!
And just like that, Friends, our major snow storm was upgraded to "bombogenesis" status.
Whatever you call it, I see snow shoveling in my future....you may as well....in the meantime I hope you can hunker down, stay safe, maybe make yourself a calzone, complete today's wordle and stream a few Stallone movies.
And if not, maybe you could just read the links below while listening to a medley of Phil Collins songs......you can't say I don't aim to please.
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
Be bad, better – from anger to laziness, how to put your worst habits to good use
Forget new year resolutions and stop striving to be someone you’re not. It’s time to embrace your messy, imperfect, soft-bellied self.
For Your Day Job...
The new book "Confidence Culture" by sociologists Shani Orgad and Rosalind Gill aims to show why directives to "just be more confident!" are so harmful.
Your customers are overwhelmed with information. Help them figure out what they need to know. This is a great approach to sales and marketing -- highly recommend.
The new key to automotive success: Put customer experience in the driver’s seat Customer experience has replaced hardware engineering prowess as carmakers’ critical battleground. Here’s how incumbent brands can effect a bold, fast transformation.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
A Better Pancake Is Possible — tastecooking.com
If this is true, then Friends, let's agree that anything is possible....
6 Ways to Delete Yourself From the Internet You’ll never be able to get a clean slate—but you can significantly downsize your digital footprint.
It’s Not Easy to Map the 100 Largest Islands in the World Things quickly get contentious.
Save your old shoes from the landfill—and recycle them for free
It’s no secret that gear waste is a massive problem in our industry. Many thanks to longtime FoD Jimmy Suppelsa for sharing!
And The Last Word....
WATCH: Beastie Boys | Sabotage | Sesame Street Mashup — www.youtube.com
For many of you of a certain age, this may be hard to believe but "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys was released 28 years ago this week........in honor of this milestone and it's clever accompanying music video, I thought I would share the song here with a twist. Gen-Xers enjoy.
Hey! Did you learn something this week? Did you laugh? If you are enjoying this newsletter, help me spread the word!
Please forward it, share bits on social media, and encourage others to join the growing community of Friends of Dave!