Note: This is a refresh of a post I wrote in 2021.
Having late-stage cancer taught me a lot of things that I now apply to my small business. One of which was how to think outside of the box. In marketing, this kind of thinking can manifest itself as micro-weirding.
Micro-weirding, as defined by Stan Phelps and David Rendall, is the practice of doing small things to set your brand apart.
It’s like when you’re eating at an amusement park and someone hands you a “magic tray,” and the waiter gives you some complementary ice cream and sings you a song. It’s a small, inexpensive act, but it’s memorable.
When I look back on my cancer days, I can see how they prepared me for micro-weirding my brand. Allow me to explain.
Thinking out-of-the-box during chemotherapy
At its core, micro-weirding is about thinking of unusual ideas that delight others.
I had one such idea when I was undergoing chemotherapy.
I was sick, and the folks around me were sick. We were all bald and many of us were emaciated. I thought I could use humor to add some fun to an awful situation.
So, I decided to try out an unconventional idea.
I remember sitting in my chemo chair and asking one of my nurses, “Do you have a marker?”
She was a little confused as she brought me a marker.
“Could you please write ‘Hair’ on my head,” I asked.
She laughed before asking me if I was sure.
“Yeah, it’ll be funny.”
So, she began writing on my head. And before long, I had “Hair” written on my bald dome in big blue letters.
This made people laugh, and I enjoy making people laugh.
I remember going home, and as I wiped the ink off, I knew that if I wanted to keep making people laugh, I should ask for more head-writings.
This was a small, seemingly insignificant act, but it was memorable. Today, I would call this an example of micro-weirding (albeit, for my “personal brand” and not my business).
Other bald-headed writings
The next time I went to chemotherapy, I had asked another nurse to write upon the blank canvas that was my head.
Here’s what the hospital staff wrote over the next few weeks:
- “Cancer sucks”
- “Breast cancer sucks” (for breast cancer awareness month)
- “Wonder boy” (I asked the receptionist to write whatever she wanted.)
- “Wig”
- A smiley face (so I could say, “I always have a smile on my face.”)
If all of this sounds strange, it’s because it was. But it also made people laugh, so I met my objective.
I’m confident that out-of-the-box ideas like that have carried over to my professional life.
How I micro-weird my own brand
Micro-weirding often happens in business when I’m communicating with others. For instance, I will:
- End an email or sales call with a usual request followed by an unusual request, such as, “Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or dad jokes for me.”
- Send follow-up emails with interesting titles, such as “Just a good ole-fashioned check-in.”
- Add unconventional titles to networking meetings, such as, “Paul meets with the COMPANY NAME fellas” or “Paul and NAME talk business and stuff.”
I’ve seen others do similar things. My friend Danny Rosin of Brand Fuel (who inspired me to come up with unconventional meeting titles) schedules his meetings for unusual times (like 9:42).
Time is precious. With a little creativity, we can make memorable moments throughout the day. For others and ourselves.