Dr Copa

Years ago I realized that people have different ways of learning information and developing skills. One of my younger brothers was having a lot of trouble in school because his reading was not considered to be at grade level and he was getting bad grades. But he was a really smart kid and actually knew a lot more of the subjects being taught than his classmates.

The difference was that my brother learned by watching videos, not by reading. You could ask him anything and he would recited in great detail all the facts and figures you ever wanted. But if you asked him to read a book and then take a written test on that subject, he would not get a passing grade.

I think that is one of the problems with schools today. They do not accommodate children with different learning abilities. Not everyone will learn best by reading books and not everyone should be expected to proof their knowledge of a subject by forcing them to take a written test. Children can and do learn in other ways, and their grades should not be based strictly on written test score results.

One of the measures of an executive’s career success is by his job title. Another more subtle demonstration of his ranking within the company is by the office he occupies and whether he has a nameplate on the door. This is opposed to having a cubicle or other nominal workstation. An office with windows is highly desirable, and a corner office is almost the highest honor you can bestow on management.

As a practical joke on a good friend, years ago I got the idea to switch the nameplate on his door and make him believe, even if only for a brief moment, that he had forfeited his private office by traveling extensively. He was sent to Europe on an extended business trip, and right before he returned to the States I decided to check with a company that makes and sells Custom Labels about having them make a door sign that says, “Storage.” The point was to affix the “Storage” sign over my friend’s actual name on his door.

It turned out to be a good business contact, as we eventually needed to install a Custom Label on every piece of electronics and furniture in the building as part of our inventory control and loss prevention policies. We ordered metallic labels with a permanent glue to put on the bottom or side of every computer, desk, telephone, laptop and file cabinet throughout the company.

And for my friend who returned from his month long trip abroad to find his office filled with stacked cardboard boxes and a “Storage” sign on his door, it was a wildly successful practical joke still unmatched to this day!

I stopped at Target yesterday afternoon and bought a couple of household goods. On the way out I noticed that the in-store Starbucks had absolutely no one in line. Usually there are 4-5 people lined up at the register, so this was unusual and a great opportunity for me to try a Starbucks coffee unless they were closed. I walked by slowly and saw two clerks behind the counter just chatting, so I decided to stop and take a look at the menu.

I had no idea what to order, so I told the clerk to just fix me something and surprise me, I was tired and needed a pick me up. So she fixed a caramel machiatto and added an extra shot of espresso. Turns out that it was triple shot of espresso in that drink and although it tasted pretty good, I was wide eyed and unable to fall asleep until 3:00 am.

From now on I will limit my Starbucks to an early morning drink and stick with decaf in the afternoons.

So many people watch the Super Bowl just to see the new batch of high dollar commercials that I believe this is the number one opportunity in the United States for major advertisers to be seen or get their message out. I know that a good Advertising Agency that has created a Super Bowl quality commercial not only makes a lot of money from that project, but also adds a diamond to their portfolio.

Can you imagine working for a company with a product that you need to get out in front of millions of people? The potential profit for selling that product or providing that service must be huge if you are going to hire an Advertising Agency and spend the money needed to produce a commercial of high enough quality to be viewed on the Super Bowl next year. But often, it is not about the money spent, it is the talent that you bought that brings you the results.

I would love to be involved with the production of a network quality TV commercial some day. I imagine that working with an Advertising Agency would be a great experience. I would like to be involved in the entire process, from the concept, to the cost estimation to design, production, editing and final release. I can imagine the pride one feels after working through that entire process and having a finished product that is stellar, viewed by millions of people and resulting in a big uptick in sales. That would be such great satisfaction.

Several years ago I was flipping through the cable channels and discovered the “American Chopper” series. The original shows were based on a custom motorcycle fabrication shop in New Jersey that made unique bikes for large companies. The designs were oriented toward the sponsoring company’s logo of brand, including colors and symbols. For example, a veteran’s group would want a motorcycle in red and white blue.

Over the years the show has a changed a little. The two original stars, Paul Sr and Paul Jr were always feuding in the first couple of seasons. Eventually Paul Jr decided to leave and open his own shop. But the feud evidently continues.