Forward Thinking and Cement Mixers

September 23, 2008 · Filed Under mo30dc2008 · Comments 

Can you tell me what cement mixers have to do with being forward thinking? If you had been at BlogWorldExpo this past weekend, you’d already know the answer.

Before I get to the real story, did you know that Linkin Park changed the spelling of their band name early on because they wanted to make sure to be able to get the “.com” for their band name? This was a few years before MP3s were even around. Forward Thinking! Did you also know that the most common misconception about where they got their name was from a park in Chicago? Turns out, they are from L.A. and there is park there that spawned the band name.

OK, enough music trivia. Let’s get back to the real topic… cement mixers.

While walking the expo floor, you would need to have been blind to miss what appeared to be the most out of place booth of the entire event. Of course I’m talking about the Cart-Away Concrete Systems booth. At first glance it seemed that they landed in the wrong convention. They would have seemed to be better suited for construction workers convention. But, if you stopped to answer the question they had written on the back of their booth in 3 foot lettering that simply read, “WHY?”, you would have understood in a matter of seconds.

I spoke with the guys, Bruce and Tom, and it turns out they didn’t make a mistake at all. They actually MEANT to show up at a blogging convention. Their idea was to bring a cement mixer in to the middle of a blogging convention where they would stick out like a sore thumb. Then, when everybody came up to ask the burning question, they’d tell their story. Why go to a construction convention when they would be one of a few hundred companies offering similar products. Instead, they came to a place they wouldn’t fit in but would give them access to hundreds of walking/talking media outlets.

I can guarantee that there is no chance they would have received the level of attention they received had they been at a construction convention. And, they certainly wouldn’t have been written about by a few dozen bloggers when it was all said and done.

I can only imagine how the conversation went with their boss the first time they said they wanted to spend money to exhibit at a blogging convention.

I’m happy to blog about them and support their effort. No affiliate links. No paid posts. Just a guy who has to tip his hat at a couple forward thinkers. I wish you guys the best!

As I was walking away from their booth I overheard a guy saying to his friend, “I just don’t get why those guys are here.” You are right, you don’t get it. and you probably never will.

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