Author: Adam

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF). The NRF 2007 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, found that consumers are expected to spend $5.07 billion this Halloween, up from $4.96 billion last year and only $3.29 billion two years ago.

Everything is marketing whether you realize or not. Your costume is a reflection of how creative you are. Maybe you don’t care that much. Well, that’s marketing too.

It only makes sense that consumer spending for Halloween is only increasing. We have the ability to express ourselves more so than ever. Why not really go for it on Halloween?

Everything you do or wear is marketing (your dog, too!). Clearly, Fido doesn’t have a preference if he is a frank or a burger.

Marketing isn’t just about figuring out ways to acquire new customers.

Marketing is how your secretary answers the phone. Marketing is how quickly you reply back to emails. Marketing is how clean your office is. Marketing is your voice mail. Marketing is your website. Marketing is your business card. Marketing is the utensils at your restaurant. Marketing is how you made good on a bad transaction. Marketing is doing what you say you will do. Marketing is your money back guarantee (or lack there of).

Marketing is everything.

And everything you do sends a signal. How do you want the world to see you?

If it looks like a duck, acts like a duck and quacks like a duck, guess what? It’s a duck!

“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I watch what they do.” – Andrew Carnegie

I can say I want to be the most customer serving company in the world but until I demonstrate that I am, it’s all talk.

Some people believe that there is no relationship between what a person is and what a person does. This is bull secretion. Unless you are schizophrenic, you become your actions!

And as I like to think of my company as extremely customer serving sometimes a thank you goes a long way.

So, franks a lot for reading my blog! I do appreciate it.

What’s the deal with grape nuts? I mean, there are no grapes and there are no nuts? We all know Jerry Seinfeld as an observational comedic genius and, of course, for his show. I was fortunate enough to see him last Thursday at the Hammerstein Ballroom for the Stand Up For A Cure event.

It was great to get to see one of my favorite comedians knowing that the ticket price was going to something very important like cancer research.

It’s amazing how quickly the tickets sold out. This guy has become a millionaire several hundred times over for inventing a niche and becoming the best in the world at it. He is the one that brought observational comedy to the masses.

I’m not sure if Jerry studied other comedians but I’m going to guess he knew (whether it was intuitive or not) that if he wanted to stand out he would have to put a new twist on comedy. He didn’t want to just be another comedian.

What’s the deal with New Mexico?

I mean, it’s not new and it’s not Mexico???

You have a big product (service) launch and you want to spread the word. Your product is absolutely phenomenal and most importantly, it does what you promise. You just need to get people to listen to your message. Ideally, you’d like a captive audience because you know that if people listen to your ‘pitch’ you’ll move product as fast as Kanye.

You just need help getting people to listen to your message.

New York City is the marketing capital of the world. There are billboards and all sorts of creative advertising all over the place. The problem is that there are too many advertisements and no one really pays attention to them.

So how do you get people to listen to your message? Here is an in idea for those with deep pockets.

As a New Yorker, I’m always walking briskly. I won’t stop for anyone. Not even cabs. No one does.

But, the one thing that always makes me stop (and everyone else around me) is a big movie trailer truck. I always become insanely curious and always wonder who and what are they filming and so does everyone else.

I think next time Proctor & Gamble or any major company wants to get the word out about a new product they ought to get a big movie truck and they’ll have a large crowd of people that WANT to be there and WILL listen to anything.

Then, I’d shoot a commercial. But, I’d make sure the actors were talking on some sort of megaphone. I’d also ask crowd members if they wanted to be in the commercial. “Wait a second, I can be on a nationally televised commercial?”

And the people that don’t jump all over that opportunity? Well, give them a free sample or a business card or whatever you want. 1000% they will go home and at least check out your website because they have an emotional connection to your product now.

This small cost compared to a large scale television commercial would generate incredible buzz. And don’t forget your taxpayer dollars will be hard at work to pay the NYPD to make it even more chaotic; only making people more curious to know what is going on!

Do this in areas like Times Square or Penn Station or Union Square or Grand Central and it’s a winner. You won’t reach as many people as a TV commercial would but I guarantee that the tens of thousands of people that hear your message will tell their friends and also be a lot more likely to buy the product.

It’s amazing what a camera guy and a guy with a microphone can do. Last Tuesday, I was shooting my first ever fitness video in Battery Park for Conde’ Nast and people couldn’t stop staring. “Who the hell is that?”

I won’t lie though. Most of the people gawking were probably staring at the co-host who was wearing a very flattering workout getup.

If you try the movie truck bit let me know.

It’s as certain to work as, well…

Action!

Unless you live under a large rock you’ve heard about (or seen) Britney Spears’ atrocious performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. Britney blew her chance to make a comeback.

One of the problems with Britney is she keeps doing stoopid things and is making it very difficult for people to pull for her. She did this to herself, but luckily for her, as quickly as she dug her grave she can dig herself out.

So here’s what I’d do if I were Britney.

First off, she needs to go into hiding. The one thing she has going is that people can’t stop talking about her. The more mystique she creates and the more mystery the better.

Everyone thinks she’s a complete mess right now and the more she is seen doing dumb things the more she is going to solidify that belief in people’s minds. And one of the hardest things to do is change a person’s mind.

While in complete seclusion she needs to seriously get her ass back into shape. Some might argue that she looks great for having had two kids. Agreed. But she is Britney Spears! An international superstar who has sold more albums than anyone can dream of.

Part of being an international icon is looking like one. She can’t look like an average person. She’s got to have that “I’m a slave for you” or “Oops I did it again” body, it’s a huge part of her gig.

I think once she does she’ll get back the confidence she was totally lacking at the VMA’s. She needs to believe in herself again.

Once she believes in herself again, like really believes in herself, she’ll have the chutzpah to look some producer in the eye and beg for another chance.

As far as comeback songs, her new song “Give me more” is actually pretty catchy and I’m not too proud to admit I dig it. It’s an upbeat, feel good song. If you like any of her old songs, you’ll definitely like this one.

Once she has another opportunity she has to come out of the gate like the old Britney with snakes, smoke, and of course, her amazing body. If she does that she’ll be right back on the same pedestal she dragged herself off of.

And as much fun as it’s to bring someone down, it’s a lot more fun to root for the underdog (which she is) and see her pick up where she fell off.

Not that I’m losing sleep over this but this is a simple case of marketing. Create the demand by being completely out of the public eye. Restore the product by getting back her amazing body and confidence all while in stealth mode.

And after a little while, start showing tidbits of herself to the public to get people talking again by looking absolutely phenomenal and getting people curious as to what her next move is going to be.

Come out with the new and improved Britney and absolutely kill her next big appearance and Boom! She is back.

That’s what I’d do if I were her. Bitch.

Some of my clients are absolutely hilarious. Jason Stuken and Co. happen to be a few of my hilarious clients.

Jason also happens to be one of my biggest promoters (and great at what he does for a living). He has referred me to countless people.

He is the awesome executive recruiter I told you about that joined my program. He is hooked. And has lost 18 pounds and 3 inches with my program so far.

I wanted to share with you an email (abrreviated) that was going back and forth between Jason, his father, his brother in law – Neal (who happens to be a client), Neal’s wife and me.

Jason has been telling me how badly he wants his father to do my program.

Oh and Jason calls me Guru.

From my original client, Jason, to his father, Paul:

Okay. Enjoy the weekend. I’m going to have the Guru, Adam Gilbert, call you Sunday night to discuss the game plan, and you go full force on Monday – ok????

Father’s reply back to Jason:

I’m ready. Sure you don’t want a clean cutoff on 9/1?

From Jason back to his father, Paul:

NO WAY – I even told him to start Monday, and to be all over you during the Labor Day weekend so you don’t go nuts at the BBQ.

I just spoke to the guru, he has your cell and your home phone…he is also cc’d to this email. He will call you between 7-9ish or so on Sunday night…or whatever is best for you…it will be about a 45 minute convo, If you’re not around he will leave you a message, and you can call him back….but it starts Monday full force, no more excuses…

Guru — take care of my old man. He needs to drop 30lbs (minimum)…..thanks for your help.

Paul to me:

We’re usually out [eating] evenings so the back end of the time frame is probably best.

Jason to me:

So I just spoke to my dad who said, “So does this guy sort of follow the Atkins thing?”

“Not at all…I don’t think you’re going to be eating bacon and cheese everyday…”

“But that diet does work…”

Good luck guru.

Neal, to all of us:

Tell him its modified Atkins… lots of lean protein, and low carb / complex carbs; and only difference between this and Atkins is he can’t eat a plate of bacon for breakfast every day, and he has to stop pouring blue cheese sauce onto his steak!

Jason to all of us:

Oh yeah that’s another thing. My father dunks everything in sauce…and I’m talking like Michael Jordan circa 1987…

Good luck!

[Update: Paul has already lost 10 pounds. The man is in the zone!]

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This seriously might be the easiest $500 you could ever make. Read on…

In the book Freakonomics there is an interesting chapter about real estate agents.

Real estate agents are in business to sell as many houses/condos as possible. They earn their pay by getting commission based on the property value of the house they sell. But they have a lot of deals going on at once and they much rather quickly and easily lock up the sale as opposed to holding out for say an extra $10,000.

An interesting study found that an agent keeps her own house on the market an average ten extra days waiting for a better offer, and sells it for over 3 percent more than your house or $10,000 on the sale of a $300,000 house. That’s $10,000 going into her pocket that doesn’t go into yours. The problem is that the agent only stands to gain an additional $150 by selling your house for $10,000 more which isn’t much reward for a lot of extra work.

So here I am. I have a car that has been sitting in my mom’s garage for over two years now. It’s my baby and everyone tells me I should sell it since I don’t need to drive anymore being that I live in NYC. I keep thinking that I may need it to travel, etc,. etc.

The bottom line is that it’s still sitting there doing nothing but depreciating and in 5 years time it’ll still be sitting there.

I have a buyer for my car who is willing to pay $11,000. But this isn’t any old Toyota Celica. It’s mine. It has a custom body kit on it and I can guarantee that you will never see this exact car on the road.

Since I have a buyer for $11,000 and if I’m going to pay out $500 we have to at least sell it for $12,000 for it to make $ense.

If you know anyone that is looking for a great little sports car (fully loaded) and they buy my car, I’ll give you $500 cash. And if you want my car, we’ll work something out!

NOTE: Blue book value is $13,000 and of course that doesn’t include the body kit.

Now go make yourself some money and have a great weekend!