getFreshMinds.com | Ideas so fresh--they should be slapped!

Ear Candy: An idea that is music to my ears!

A long time ago, in a place far, far away, I played the French Horn.  It's a tough instrument, and I wasn't very good at it for the first couple years.  In fact, I believe my loving mother said my playing sounded a lot like a "moose in mating season" during one of the many times she tried to convince me that I really didn't have to be in band if I didn't want to.

(If you want to hear how I sounded: )

Unfortunately for her and our neighbors, I was dead set on playing the French Horn and I continued blasting away all the way from sixth grade until I graduated high school.

After high school though, I realized a very important thing: musical instruments (and French Horns in particular) are REALLY expensive!

At my high school, we were able to participate in a fantastic music rental program.  For $50 per year, we could take home one of the school's instruments.  The students who played larger instruments even got to keep one instrument at home, and another at school so they didn't have to cart their tuba on the bus everyday.

Now, my high school didn't have a lot of money and the band program was continuously in danger of being cut.  We were lucky though that we had more than enough instruments for every student who wanted to play. If we didn't have those instruments, however, I can tell you with absolute certainty that our band program would not have survived!

That's why I'm really impressed with Ear Candy, a nonprofit in Arizona I learned about last week.

This nonprofit is cool because it collects unused and forgotten instruments and gives them to struggling school music programs. 

What I really like about Ear Candy is how they made a connection between two common music problems:

Problem 1: Many music students purchase their own instruments, and then abandon playing when they go to college or enter the workforce.  Most of the time, they have no idea what to do with their instrument, and hope one of their relatives will take up playing the trumpet (or whatever) so they can pass it along. Meanwhile, it just sits there with an accusing look - reminding them that they stopped playing.  

Problem 2: Many schools are cutting music programs because they do not have enough money to run them. One of their biggest expenses... take a wild guess... musical instruments!  Needing to buy new or used instruments can often be the straw that breaks the camel's back and dooms the band.

So Ear Candy collects these abandoned instruments and gives them to programs who would not otherwise have them. Over 85% of the instruments given to Ear Candy were in someone’s closet collecting dust! That's a lot of instruments that were given a second life.

To make it even better, Ear Candy even tracks where the instruments go - so donors know exactly who they're helping.  Pretty cool, huh?

Here's the innovation lesson from this: Sometimes, a fantastic solution to your problem could just be sitting in someone's basement.

A lot of people think they need to fix a problem from scratch. Many times though, a good solution to a problem is already out there - it just needs to be found.

So, if you're facing an innovative challenge, stop trying to reinvent the wheel and start looking around you. 

If you're lacking something... think about who might have a surplus.  If you need to get rid of something, think about who might benefit from it.  Figure out a way to create a symbiotic relationship with someone who has the opposite problem from you.

And, if you're looking to get rid of that trumpet you bought years ago when you were still convinced you were going to be the next Louis Armstrong... Ear Candy could be a great solution for you!

How one author is getting people talking, before his book is even available!

Just heard about a really great idea that I absolutely have to share.  Why?  Because of what's in it for me!  (And anyone else who wants to jump in on this deal too. Hint. Hint...)

Andy Nulman is giving away 200 free copies of his book, Pow! Right Between the Eyes: Profiting from the Power of Surprise to any legitimate blogger who wants one and who writes that request on their blog.  No strings attached.

So Andy, I'd like a copy of your book, please!

I'm excited to read what he writes about surprising people... he's already doing a good job with this promotion!

This is a great example of doing something unusual to get people talking.  Not many authors give away 200 books, and especially not to just ANYONE!

Congrats to Andy for his original idea.

A new way of looking at dessert

I used to work in a restaurant where we were always pressured to sell desserts to guests.

Problem was... after a big meal, not many people had room for dessert.  Especially not the huge desserts that my restaurant carried - that were too way rich for just one person to eat.

Don't get me wrong; the desserts were amazing and I highly recommended them. 

But it's hard to convince someone to spend $4-5 on an extra treat when they're already full.

So, I really love the new desserts at Applebee's.  They're small, shot-glass sized versions of their regular desserts.

Here's why it's brilliant:

The small size makes it seem like a treat, not an indulgence.
Dessert is not a waistline-ruining decision, it's a fun way to end the meal.

They're only $1.99 instead of $4. 
That's much easier to justify.  Plus, it's an easy way to sample desserts without the risk of getting one you don't like.

No more arguing over which dessert to buy.
If he wants death by chocolate and she wants the strawberry cheesecake... not a problem!

The mini desserts are just cute! 
Look at them!  Don't you want one?  I do.

I bet Applebee's sells a lot more desserts this way than they did before.  Definitely a good idea!

Lush's fresh way of engaging their newsletter subscribers.

A lot of big retail companies struggle to engage their communities.  They collect emails, and then usually find themselves at a loss about what to do next. 

Most do it wrong.  They either completely forget about sending timely emails or they turn into prolific, horribly annoying spammers that don't allow people to unsubscribe.  <cough> <American Airlines> <cough>

Lush, however, does it right.

I've written about Lush before as a company that takes a very bold approach to coming up with new products.  (They come up with over 100 new soaps every year!) 

Now they're taking a fresh approach to introducing their community to their new website.

Right now, Lush is running an online scavenger hunt for a $1000 gift certificate to their store. 

Every day, a new riddle is posted on the Lush website, and Lush fans are invited to find the website page that the riddle is referring to. 

Then all they have to do is paste the page's url into the entry form and submit.  For extra entries, they can refer friends to the scavenger hunt.

It takes about 30 seconds to enter and the page is usually really easy to find. 

(Enter here, if you're interested. And, if you're nice, put katiekonrath@gmail.com as your referrer.)

This contest is a great idea from Lush.

It gets people to come to their website everyday, it challenges them to explore the website beyond the front page, and it gently pushes them to send their friends there as well.

Plus, it's written in a fun, friendly tone that completely supports their brand.

There's a lot business and innovators can learn from Lush's fresh approach. Instead of viewing email lists as an advertising medium, it's time to start thinking about ways to engage people and get them to dive deeper into our websites/material/etc.

I'm already thinking about how I can build off this idea for getFreshMinds.com!

Anyone interested in doing a scavenger hunt for creativity books?

Innovating Against Poverty (Blog Action Day '08)

Today is Blog Action Day where thousands of bloggers around the world are blogging about Poverty to get attention for it.  If you like this post, I urge you to check out their website and read some more.

The innovations that make the news are usually the flashy ones.  People can't get enough of the latest cell phones, or computers, or any other type of gadgets.  The biggest advocates even wait in line for hours outside stores to be the first ones to own the newest thing.

Yet, even though some fanatical Apple fans might disagree, the iPhone has not truly made the world a better place.  Nor have any other of the latest and greatest "gotta have 'em" objects.

None of the "hot" tech innovations have changed the fact that:

• At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day. ^Source

• More than 80 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where income differentials are widening. ^Source

• 26,500-30,000 children die each day due to poverty. ^Source

• There are 2.2. billion children in the world, and 1 billion live in poverty.

• Approximately half the world’s population now live in cities and towns. In 2005, one out of three urban dwellers (approximately 1 billion people) was living in slum conditions. ^Source

• The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest people combined. ^Source

• The poorer the country, the more likely it is that debt repayments are being extracted directly from people who neither contracted the loans nor received any of the money. ^Source

• “Approximately 790 million people in the developing world are still chronically undernourished. ^Source

• A mere 12 percent of the world’s population uses 85 percent of its water, and these 12 percent do not live in the Third World.^Source

But luckily, innovation isn't just limited to making things for people who have money to burn.

Social innovations, as they're called, are new ideas, strategies and products that create a better world. As the world becomes more and more connected, new social innovations are being created all the time.  The fact is that people want to help others, and they're looking for new ways to do that. 

So, since today is Blog Action Day, I want to shine a spotlight on some really neat social innovations that are improving the lives of people living in poverty.

	Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world. It stands out because it uses the internet to connect people who want to give with others in need.
	Cheerful Givers brightens the lives of families in need by providing toy-filled birthday gift bags for children who are homeless or living in poverty. This local MN organization stands out because it helps children feel special (and like normal children) on their birthdays.
	The Aquaduct (created by design firm Ideo) filters water as it's pedaled.  People simply fill up the back of the tank and bike home, creating safe, drinkable water as they go. While still just a concept, this could help many people in the developing world get access to clean water.
	The Hunger Site gives visitors the ability to provide food to those in need by simply click on their donate button once a day. Food is paid for by sponsors and distributed to food banks in the US. This site has been around for years, but it's a great way to get people thinking about hunger and poverty on a daily basis.
	One Laptop Per Child gives school-aged children in the developing world a laptop they can use to learn and connect with others.  People can donate this specially-designed laptop to a child for only $200. I love that this initiative is trying to give children tools to join the developed world and create their future.

Those are only a couple, but they show the many different directions social innovation is taking.

Seeing innovations like the ones above give me hope - hope that we not only live in a world where "stuff isn't everything", but also that we live in a world where people care about others.

Creating something that truly makes the world a better place is the best kind of innovation.

Don't buy this if you don't want attention.

I'm in Germany right now for a 2 week visit, and spent the last two days traveling.  (Actually, I traveled all Wednesday, arrived Thursday morning, and then slept away half the day.)

Flying internationally is never fun, especially when the trip involves 2 lay-overs (9 hours in airports) and 757 jets without seat-back videos.

But recently, my trips have started getting a little longer because I keep getting delayed during my security checks.

I've traveled a lot, so I know how to get through as fast as possible normally.  I wear slip-off shoes, pack my bags so I can easily pull out my electronics, and forget about belts, jewelry and hair clips.

But lately, I've added a troublesome accessory that always gets me pulled aside for questioning.

It's... the protective screen on my laptop!

Couple months ago, I discovered Schtickers - a company that makes colorful "skins" for laptop computers.  They have pre-loaded designs, or you can upload your own.  The skin can be made to size, and is easy to remove.

I ordered the Starry Night print for my laptop and I love it because it makes my laptop a lot more fun.  (Let's face it, matte steel grey is "so not creative"!)

But it has been the worst traveling decision I've made!  Every time I go through security, at least one of the scanners pulls me aside and questions me:

"Where did you get that laptop cover?"
"Did you make it yourself?" 
"Where did you buy it?" 
"Can I get it in Europe?" 
"Do they have other pictures?" 
"Does it come off?" 
"How much did it cost?"

And my favorite question:
"Do you get a lot of attention with that cover?" (Asked by one of three extremely-interested security officers who were peering at my laptop instead of screening passengers.) 

I've been pulled aside in Minneapolis, in Chicago, in Connecticut, in Amsterdam and in Hamburg.  Always with the same questions. 

It now takes me longer to get through security than the time I accidentally brought an apple into the US (don't do that!), or the time security searched my laptop for dynamite  (yes, dynamite!)

It's hilarious - because everyone is completely enthralled by my laptop.

Schtickers are not the kind of ideas that change the world.  Instead, they are the kind of solution that most people don't even know they want... until they see them! 

That's what makes them brilliant - the fact that they tap into customers' deep desires for individuality in a way that most people would never even think of on their own.

Quick and Simple Creativity

At its most basic, creativity is about solving problems. That's why this lamp from 5.5 Designers is such a good idea.

Anyone who has ever lived in a small space, or needed to unplug one thing to plug in another, or had to crawl beneath a desk to plug something into a power strip will see the practicality in this lamp's design. 

Of course, it's not the most beautiful desktop accessory.  It wouldn't take much, however, for a good designer to spruce it up.

It's just a simple idea that has value because it takes into account how people live.