With the power of traditional marketing rapidly waning, the concept of Word-Of-Mouth marketing is becoming increasingly vital… and effective. But W-O-M is not a self-starter. It needs a catalyst. If word-of-mouth fuels modern marketing, Surprise is the spark that ignites it. Done right, Surprise solidifies the bond between customers and your business. It cements the crucial marketing relationship, makes people want to deal with you versus “the other guy,” and keeps them coming back for more. Coupling innovative real-world examples with easy-to-follow theories and “how-to” steps, Pow! Right Between The Eyes! trains business owners, marketing directors, entrepreneurs and all kinds of organizations how to expand the boundaries of the extreme and create a bigger bang.

Nulman includes several real-life examples of surprise marketing, including methods that he has used himself. In Chapter Four, he details a marketing campaign for Airborne Entertainment that involved printing promotional messages on actual dollar bills (with fade-able vegetable ink, of course). The money was thrown into the audience unexpectedly, revitalizing a bored and jaded crowd.

The book is available here through Amazon
You can also give back to Andy by voting for his manifesto here

About Andy Nulman :

Young in spirit, snappy in dress, Andy was CEO of Just For Laughs, the world’s largest humor event. Later, as the President and CMO of mobile internet pioneer Airbone Mobile, he brought life to staid industry conferences with storms of branded dollar bills, used stealthily-placed wirecutters to attract and intrigue future clients like Disney and HBO, and planted dozens of timebombed golfballs, most still waiting to explode.

An acclaimed and thought-provoking public speaker/showman, motivating and challenging Fortune 500 companies the likes of GM, Eveready/Energizer, 3M and Wal-Mart, Mr. Nulman has also written two best-selling books, “How To Do The Impossible” and “I Almost Killed George Burns.” Other accomplishments include being named one of the “Top 40 Under 40” business leaders by the Financial Post in 1997, being voted one of the Top 100 Montrealers of the 20th Century by the Montreal Gazette in 2000, and being honored as a distinguished recipient of the McGill Management Achievement Award in 2004.

In his spare time, Andy is also an oft-published author, inventive stage director, half-decent snowboarder, hot-and-cold hockey goalie, and prolific blogger on the art of Surprise in marketing (check him out all over this here blog). He sits on the Board of Directors of two companies, Sonomax Hearing Healthcare Inc. (TSX Venture : SHH), and the Groupe Juste Pour Rire, Inc.

He also conducts Social Media Marketing Workshops for public servants (and non-profit workers) across Canada and teaches Small Business Development at Heritage College.

Numerous Canadian government departments have started to tap into the power of social media both internally and externally (i.e. CRA, DND, CATSA, DFAIT and PWGSC to name a few.) Some initiatives are starting to see success, others not so much. What is the common thread that seems to be separating success from failure? What are the main challenges?

Mike Kujawski will talk about the latest best practices and 10 strategic guidelines that you can follow to maximize your objectives and get buy-in for further social media engagement initiatives in your government organization.

Mike’s session is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 15:00.

New to Twitter? Maybe you’ve been on Twitter for a while but don’t quite “get” it? This session will show you how to get the most out of Twitter to build your personal brand. Learn tips and tools to engage others, raise awareness and build a following. Hear about the different ways people use Twitter to communicate and how to monitor the chatter to discover new opportunities. Whether you have a podcast, blog or any other online presence, Twitter’s deceptively simple service is a great way to make an impact.

Adele’s session is scheduled on Saturday afternoon at 15:00.

CakeMail is a true white label that is 100% customizable, while its multilingual interface makes it readily accessible to markets worldwide. CakeMail provides a platform that resellers, such as marketing agencies and Web design firms, can rebrand as their own and offer to their customers in any language using their own domain name. CakeMail’s platform is open and extendable. Its interface code is publicly available, which means it can accommodate third-party skins, translations, and plug-ins that connect to other applications.

Check out CakeMail’s blog and website at http://cakemail.com.