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What’s that literary term for when human emotions are attributed to aspects of nature, like the weather?

Pathetic fallacy. Right. I can thank my English Lit degree (and Google) for that.

Perhaps the dubious winter weather many in North America have been facing recently is reflecting the mood in tech right now. For some, there is so much up in the air right now, but no matter what’s happening around us, we always have a choice, don’t we?

Give this classic song by Rush a listen as we see what the experts are saying this week.

If you choose not to decide…

…you still have made a choice. At least that’s what Geddy Lee sings in this week’s song.

Salesforce’s earnings announcement seems to have quieted some of the negativity surrounding them recently. Sometimes blame is better to give than receive – right?

This reminded me of a post by Seth Godin:

As we face difficult choices and work to make things better, it’s quite likely that alternatives being presented aren’t ideal or even appealing.

Many organizations and communities are stuck because ‘none of the above’ is the majority’s opinion… but unless you’re willing to acknowledge that you’re simply being difficult, ‘none of the above’ comes with the responsibility to describe a path that’s better.

Because forward is the best option. Let’s go with one that makes the most sense – and if you don’t have a better plan, you should be responsible enough to back the one that’s most likely to work, even if you don’t like it.

Whatever your feelings about Marc Benioff, we can all agree that Salesforce has been a tremendously successful organization and benefited shareholders over the years. If you want to support them, it’s up to you, right? You can choose the path that’s clear… just make sure it’s a path forward.

How about a beer, eh?

Rush recently released their own beer (and their own mustard). Sure – beer goes hand-in-hand with Canadiana, so maybe it makes sense for this legendary Canadian act to be ‘moving pitchers’. It made me think – how many other bands have their own beer?

We’ve all seen wines and other alcohol promoted by celebrities (remember I talked about Dave Grohl’s Crown Royal endorsement at the Super Bowl!). But what about beer?

Here’s a list of 12 well-known bands that have produced their own brews. Some of these surprised me. But with COVID, I think many bands were on a fortune hunt, looking for ways to supplement their income without touring revenue. My favourite name: Iron Maiden’s ‘666 Strong Bitter’. But every time you open the fridge and see that band logo it reinforces your love of their brand! Cool stuff.

What about B2B? Imagine you had a brand that made people clamour to ‘consume’ in all aspects of their life! How many line extensions would you have for your brand? You may not produce a branded beer for your customers – but what else do your customers consume? Leave nothing to chance and stay front and centre in their minds…

And as always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello!

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat