free popsicle hotline

Darren Ross is the COO of Magic Castle Hotel in Hollywood. Built in 1957, Magic Castle isn't exactly the modern, amenity-filled experience that modern travelers are used to. As Darren says, "We don't have an elevator. We don't have a bar. We don't have a restaurant. We don't have room service. We don't have a gym. We don't have a spa. There are a lot of things we don't have that are part of our story."

There is one thing they do have: Darren. And he knows that even with all these limitations, he can still find ways to entertain his guests. 

To make Magic Castle a one-of-a-kind experience, Darren drew from his own childhood traveling experiences. He couldn't control what they didn't have, but he could create a happy, nostalgic experience full of 1950s charm.

First, they added a free snack bar filled with every kid's dream: potato chips, pretzels, popcorn, granola bars, and full-size candy bars. Then, they added a free DVDs menu, a free laundry service, a free beverage bar, and a free soft-serve ice-cream machine - where visiting kids get to choose the flavor for the day.

For me, thought, the best part of the Magic Castle experience was the free popsicle hotline. 

This ingenious idea started with poolside service on silver trays a few times a day and grew into a red phone mounted on the wall right by the pool that calls directly to the front desk. If someone picks up that phone, they receive an array of delicious popsicles, stat. Guests take their pictures with them. Kids search for the phone on check-in. As Darren says, "It's playful. It's fun. It's inexpensive for us. It's a conversation piece, and people are talking about it."

This is how scripting can help control the context. With fun waiting around every corner, guests don't focus on the facility. They focus on the value and uniqueness of the experience. 

Also, it saves Magic Castle tons in marketing costs. Darren doesn't need to spend a lot to advertise. His guests do it for him through tons of repeat business and referrals. That's how Magic Castle can keep its occupancy rate in the nineties - something unheard of for a small, independent hotel from another era.

If you want that Magic Castle magic, look at what assets you have, and ask how you can use them to entertain your future fans and create a better experience. It doesn't have to be big - just thoughtful.

Jesse Cole

Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience by Jesse Cole. Lioncrest. 2022.

the big idea

When you start telling a story to a friend or colleague, you automatically start thinking about all the different pieces you want to remember to share. Companies often take the same approach in their marketing and fill their story with as many features, benefits, and cool bits of information as possible.

Unfortunately, when you try to tell someone everything, they end up remembering nothing. That’s why the big idea is so important. It’s the heart of your brand strategy: the one concept or idea you want people to remember. It’s even more powerful when that one thing differentiates your business from your competitors.

Ward Andrews

"The Power of Storytelling," Drawbackwards Blog. April 18, 2017

an instinct for stories

 

"Those who tell the stories rule the world." --Hopi American Indian proverb

The power of stories can help you connect, motivate, inspire and persuade. Human beings have been hardwired for stories. We have an instinct, it would seem, for stories. This theory has actually been backed by science. 

Modern scientific research has now concluded that the human mind is a story processor, not a logic processor. Stories were how our early ancestors navigated the dangerous world around them. Through stories, we evolved and thrived. While our species has changed quite a bit over the last several hundred thousand years, one thing hasn’t really changed: our absolute need and desire for stories.

LaQuita Cleare

"Hollywood Storytelling Secrets That Will Make You a More Inspiring Leader," Entrepreneur. December 30, 2020

frame it correctly

Many of the best talks have a narrative structure that loosely follows a detective story. The speaker starts out by presenting a problem and then describes the search for a solution. There’s an “aha” moment, and the audience’s perspective shifts in a meaningful way.

If a talk fails, it’s almost always because the speaker didn’t frame it correctly, misjudged the audience’s level of interest, or neglected to tell a story. Even if the topic is important, random pontification without narrative is always deeply unsatisfying. There’s no progression, and you don’t feel that you’re learning.

Chris Anderson

"How to Give a Killer Presentation: Lessons from TED," Harvard Business Review. June 2013

frame your story

There’s no way you can give a good talk unless you have something worth talking about. Conceptualizing and framing what you want to say is the most vital part of preparation.

We all know that humans are wired to listen to stories, and metaphors abound for the narrative structures that work best to engage people. When I think about compelling presentations, I think about taking an audience on a journey. A successful talk is a little miracle—people see the world differently afterward.

Chris Anderson

"How to Give a Killer Presentation: Lessons from TED," Harvard Business Review. June 2013

make your presentations public

Within two hours of the keynote Apple made the video of the entire two-hour presentation available on its website. It’s not buried on the site, either. It’s on the home page. Presentations are now part of your brand’s story and marketing message. Post the slides on your website and on a sharing site such as Slideshare.net. The slides bring your brand story to life.

Carmine Gallo

“10 Presentation Techniques You Can (And Should) Copy From Apple's WWDC Keynote.” Forbes. 6/11/2013

the tremendous power of particularity

Appreciate the tremendous power of particularity. If your identity is formed by hard boundaries, if you come from a specific place, if you embody a distinct musical tradition, if your concerns are expressed through a specific paracosm, you are going to have more depth and definition than you are if you grew up in the far-flung networks of pluralism and eclecticism, surfing from one spot to the next, sampling one style then the next, your identity formed by soft boundaries, or none at all.

(Maybe this is why younger rock bands can’t fill stadiums year after year, while the more geographically defined older bands like U2, Springsteen and the Beach Boys can.)

The whole experience makes me want to pull aside politicians and business leaders and maybe everyone else and offer some pious advice: Don’t try to be everyman. Don’t pretend you’re a member of every community you visit. Don’t try to be citizens of some artificial globalized community. Go deeper into your own tradition. Call more upon the geography of your own past. Be distinct and credible. People will come.

David Brooks

"The Power of the Particular." New York Times. June 25, 2012.

detailed imaginary worlds

When we are children, we invent these detailed imaginary worlds that the child psychologists call “paracosms.” These landscapes, sometimes complete with imaginary beasts, heroes and laws, help us orient ourselves in reality. They are structured mental communities that help us understand the wider world. 

We carry this need for paracosms into adulthood. It’s a paradox that the artists who have the widest global purchase are also the ones who have created the most local and distinctive story landscapes. Millions of people around the world are ferociously attached to Tupac Shakur’s version of Compton or J.K. Rowling’s version of a British boarding school or Downton Abbey’s or Brideshead Revisited’s version of an Edwardian estate. 

Millions of people know the contours of these remote landscapes, their typical characters, story lines, corruptions and challenges. If you build a passionate and highly localized moral landscape, people will come. 

David Brooks

"The Power of the Particular." New York Times. June 25, 2012.