Category: startups

Zingara Cucina

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

In Australia there’s a great example of a non technology firm going viral.

Zingara Cucina – Italian for Gypsy Kitchen.

 zingara.jpg 

Here’s a short summary:

  • You can’t make a booking – you must be referred by a previous diner
  • They have only one sitting per week
  • The location is a mystery – from the exotic to the rustic.
  • The menu is also a mystery (location & menu both change weekly)
  • Diners are advised by text message of where to go shortly before the ‘event’

A more detailed report is here.

 

As you guessed, it’s the hottest restaurant in town. The only trick is finding it!

Nestle

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

I got this bacn from someone in my permission database.

 

nestle.jpg

Some messages for startups and employees alike. As well as a little Machiavellian humour.

Thanks for getting in touch!

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

Got this email back from a company that sells custom t-shirts on the web called Neighbourhoodies after I sent in an email query. 

Dear Steve,

We at Neighborhoodies think Curiosity is an underrated virtue, so thank you for writing in. This email is merely to confirm that your question or comment has been successfully received. 

Here is your ticket number:

 http://www.neighborhoodies.com/ticket_view.php?tlid=8L4Q4I 

Ticket Number: 8L4Q4I0s3E8uxyt  

It is a meaningless number and you do not need it. Nevertheless, please print out this number, memorize it, then shred the number into pieces and eat it. Chew first. If at that moment your phone rings, it’s us. Let the phone ring twice then speak the code in Swiss-German, or make guttural sounds to indicate you are choking on the shredded bits.

Thank you. 

Sincerely, Neighborhoodies 

It tells me so much about them, their values, that they’re human and they have a sense of humour. All the things that ‘real people’ have and corporate facades do not.

Cost – zero. Value – infinite.  

Kudos Neighbourhoodies.

Voice overs

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

There is nothing worse than an advertising voice over. (yes advertisers, we recognize it)

Here’s what it says to the audience:

We don’t care who you are

We don’t care where you’re from

We don’t respect your culture

We think we can stooge you

We think you won’t know the difference

We think all our customers are the same

We talk to you, not with you

To me it makes no sense to be stingy on making a TVC worth $500k when you’re spending over $5m on media. It’s a false economy, especially when the media doesn’t work and it turns off the potential audience you’re trying to persuade.