I had an old blue pleather briefcase I found and made into a fire starter kit, filled with matches, kindling, newspapers, and cheap lighters I found on the streets of southwest Philly. I stored it in a neighbor’s garage and used the kit to start the fire. It spread fast through the dry leaves. Eventually, the smoke grew, and someone called the fire department. I watched them put it out from my front window.
When I was about 12, I put a wasp in a small plastic container, then microwaved it. It didn’t die, but there were lots of sparks. I think it was from the paint used on the container.
One day, while walking around with a buddy, I tossed a small rock off an overpass, and it hit someone’s windshield. I heard the sound and ran for my life. But my buddy didn’t run, and the driver pulled up on him, and he screamed and cried all the way to my front door. My parents had to pay for the repair. We were ten.
As a little kid, I used to mix bathroom chemicals in Dixie cups and hid them in our bathroom to see what would happen.
In my late teens and early twenties, I made up a ridiculous story that I told everyone. I said I was 20 pounds at birth.
While I was in college, sitting around smoking pot at parties, I used to tell the other people I was transferring from La Salle University to Harvard. I wanted to see their reaction to obvious BS.
You are probably thinking I’m insane or deranged. While that may be true, this was all done in the name of curiosity. In other words, science! Back then, I wasn’t making that connection. Today I am.
Curiosity and imagination can be a dangerous combo. But it can also make incredible stories. And what do people want from brands? They want relatable and interesting stories. Your content must be engaging. Brands want this too because it’s how they make connections and build relationships with their customers.
Some of us are wired this way already—sorry, Mom. But you can work on experimenting, dreaming, and envisioning amazing experiences and stories for your marketing and brand.
Think about the problem you are solving for them, and how you can express that in an honest and relatable way. Then get creative and experiment. Digital ads and social media are excellent methods to get a lot of instant feedback and the reps you need to improve.
Just don’t burn down a park or mix Clorox with Mr. Clean.
(Obviously, I never did the latter.)
