Here are some thoughts and quotes from Chasing Cool.  This was a great book and well-worth the read.

• “Before he came up with the iPod, did Steve Jobs walk around telling people that he wanted to be the Sony Walkman of his industry.”  Stop stealing your vision from other organizations.  Vision can’t be imported and exported.
• “Frank gave away Grey Goose to any charity or social event that wanted vodka poured – a shrewd way to reach the exact target audience he was pursuing.”
• On US Weekly: “It was a mercenary undertaking, motivated by the worst reason to go into a business:  a sense that they could make a quick buck on the wishy-washiness of the customer.  And the marketplace could tell.”   When Bonnie Fuller took over, she set out to create a magazine that SHE wanted to read.
• “Don’t complain when they copy; complain when they don’t.”
• “The money a company focuses too heavily on what’s going on around it is when its products become Me-Too.  That’s why great design, for instance, can’t have anything to do with trend.”
• “You have to have one central vision.  You need to get your team to buy into the vision – and THEN contribute and collaborate.  I don’t believe in creation by committee.  I think it’s impossible.  You can’t get anything done with committees.” – Bonnie Fuller.
• If you interviewed twelve hundred people and asked them what the American car should look like, you would sell one car.  It takes an artist first to develop a car and then it becomes a hit.”
• Good advertising makes a bad product fail faster.
• People use hype when their product is fake (fake long lines to get into clubs)
• “Anything that doesn’t lead to that end is a distraction for both yourself and your customer.”  If it doesn’t get us to where we want to go, then don’t do it. Barneys (New York) felt like they could sell more merchandise by displaying less.  They wanted to romance the product, which meant that they would present each piece as it was an island unto itself.  The less is more philosophy, revolutionary at the time, still holds true in their stores.  Their tailors (Old World tailors) provided tremendous personal attention to their customers.
• All vodka basically tastes the same, but there is a perceived value.  What is the perceived value of your organization?  Do we call ourselves relevant, or do other people call us relevant…that’s a world of difference.
• It’s more noticeable to be quiet when everyone is loud.  Nobody noticed John Mayer until we saw his acoustic solo performance at the dancing, acrobatic, pyrotechnic, neon MTV Music Awards.People want to go to the next level.  The minute you offer something that’s out of their reach, and unacceptable, they want it.
• Always give people something they can’t quite grasp – but make sure it has an allure and mystique that is in some way attainable.” – Mariah Carey
• “If you’re talented enough, and it doesn’t appear to people that you’re borrowing, mimicking, stealing or corrupting the music, then eventually you’ll get accepted.”
• “If your business isn’t based on a personal understanding of who you’re talking to, there’s going to be a certain honesty missing.” Don’t forget that viral marketing works in reverse, too.