I received a shipment this week that consisted of 4 packages and discovered something that fascinated me. There was a sticker on one of the packages. I immediately went to my wife and asked her, “If you were sending 4 boxes to someone and wanted to make absolutely sure that one box was opened first, what would you do?” Her answer was to label the box, “Open First.”

I don’t know. Her idea might work.

Three of my boxes were unlabeled. The fourth had a bright orange sticker with bold letters that said, “Open Me Last.” Sure enough, the curiosity was too great. It was the first box I opened.

So let this be a lesson to you. Sometimes your instructions may have unintended effects on the recipients and sometimes resistance may be a simple matter of curiosity.

I was watching TV and a commercial came on that had me totally engrossed. In fact, I can’t remember the last time that a TV commercial so shocked me into paying attention. You might wonder what in this age of used car salesmen could rise so far above the din to cause me to take notice.

The answer?

Silence.

The black screen had a single sentence that read, “The following 30 seconds of peace and quiet have been brought to you by Karako Suits.”

I was so surprised by the lack of noise I found myself staring at the screen, marveling at the fact that nothing was happening. I didn’t quite know what to make of the complete lack of change in the picture. My hand involuntarily reached for the remote in hopes of unpausing the screen. But of course, it wasn’t paused.

After about 25 seconds the black background faded to a picture of a suit. Then, after 5 more blissful seconds of silence, life returned to normal. (I.e., loud, flashing, abrasive and annoying.)

I think there is a lesson in here for marketers, but I’d probably have to out-shout the used car salesmen to get their attention.

No one in my house growing up was allowed to get away with grammar mistakes. My mom was even known for correcting the grammar of my school teachers. (Incidentally, it didn’t go over very well when I copied that behavior.)

Despite my wonderfully grammatically correct upbringing, there is one grammar challenge that always stumps me - the question of who vs. whom. Fortunately, I came across this blog that very effectively clarifies the point.

I hope it’s helpful to you. It was for me.

Now, for a sign-off that is a quote from Winston Churchill.

“That is a rule up with which I will not put.”