When brand advocates turn into haters and naysayers

As soon as the public caught wind that Ben Affleck had been cast as the next Batman in the Warner Bros. Man of Steel sequel, loyal fans were quick to cry foul and turned into crowds of haters and naysayers. Some petitions have even popped up requesting that Mr. Affleck be barred from portraying one of DC's most popular superheroes.

The way I see it, what's really at stake here (for Batman brand advocates) is the possible deterioration of the brand. Fans simply won't stand for it. After having seen Christian Bale play the quintessential Caped Crusader in likely the best superhero trilogy in movie history, can you really blame 'em? Moreover, it's taken years for the Batman franchise to build its brand to what it is today, only to see it take a turn for the worse.

There likely will never be another Bruce Wayne like Christian Bale, and anyone you stack up against him will pale (likely) in comparison. But Mr. Bale already passed on the role of Batman, so let's not go there. Like it or not, it appears that Ben Affleck will be the next Batman.

You can be certain that Mr. Affleck is well aware of the shoes (and big they will be) he'll need to fill. His last lackluster portrayal of a superhero (Daredevil) in red tights is all in the past (thank goodness). Mr. Affleck has since directed and co-starred in some fairly solid movies, Gone Baby Gone and The Town. He's even become an Oscar-winning director with Argo.

Suffice it to say, Ben Affleck has grown up and even sharpened his acting skills. I read that he's now hitting the gym two hours a day so he can transform his physique. As my wife says, Mr. Affleck will make up in physique what he lacks in mojo.

I say let's cut the dude some slack. Who knows? He may just pull off the role. 

What's your take in all of this hullabaloo? Who's your Batman of choice and why?

Never mind yesterday. Start "crushing it" today!

In Gary Vaynerchuk's book, Crush It!  he writes about how to use the power of the web to turn your passions and interests into viable businesses. Gary spent many years transforming his family's wine business from a local mom-and-pop shop into a national industry leader. And he did this by leveraging a number of social media tools. I've seen a few of his YouTube videos and it's classic Gary Vaynerchuk every time...no holds barred, energetic, passionate and authentic.

When I set out to "blog," I opened my Blogger account back in February 2009. It literally took me four years to publish my first post! I vividly recall catastrophizing as I sat (flabbergasted and in disbelief) in front of my laptop, figuring out what to write about. That's four years of lost time...four years of my life I can never have back...I despise the number four!

Thankfully, I'm a glass-half-full guy. So I stepped back, took a few deep breaths and shook it off.

You obviously can't change what was, but you have absolute control and can impact what will be.

I suppose since writing keeps me up at night (as I try to sleep, come up with new topics to write about or sit there in the wee hours of the morning typing away), that it's a passion of mine. Despite life's many twists, turns and distractions, I crave and need to do it.

In retrospect, I am making a living out of my passion. My ultimate goal as a marketer is to deliver more relevant, meaningful experiences that engage and inspire people to take action. And that usually involves lots of writing and developing content, which I've done (now I just need to figure out a way to make millions).

Gary writes that the time is now (certainly not the first time anybody's said this) to cash in on your passion. Never mind yesterday. If you have a passion, don't dwell on what you haven't done thus far. Instead, march ahead toward the future. Start "crushing it" today.

What's your passion? If there are any writers out there, have you figured out a way to make millions from writing? Do tell.

How Amazon pegged me as a Popchips popper

I occasionally get customer emails from Amazon. Today's Deal of the Day for 35% off Popchips caught my attention. For starters, I love Popchips! More important, how did Amazon profile me as somebody who'd be interested in Popchips? I've never purchased 'em, nor anything remotely close to a crunchy snack, for that matter. The only grocery item I've purchased from Amazon is chicken bouillon (don't laugh...I ordered it for my wife). Go figure. But I do like my Popchips (barbecue flavor). I'm curious to know how Amazon slices and dices data--their sources, how they append and overlay; how they make sense of all that data!

Coincidentally, I was at Target a few days ago and noticed two Google Shopping Express (GSE) employees perusing aisles--with carts on hand--filling them with stuff. On my way out at the parking lot, I noticed one of the Google guys loading up his GSE company car (a Toyota Prius) with his loot. I've seen the GSE cars driving around town and one can argue the name "Google Shopping Express" is suggestive; but I figured I'd engage the guy in a bit of conversation to satiate my curiosity about the GSE service.

It appears that GSE is being piloted in the San Francisco Bay Area. Essentially, the service caters to those who don't have a lot of time to trek around town to buy their own stuff. They use the service to save time and get their stuff delivered to them--the same day in most cases. Not a revolutionary idea (think Webvan, now a part of the Amazon family), but if there's one thing we know, Google is super smart and will do their darndest to do the GSE service right.

Sidebar: Google will pay you 38 cents per mile to drive your own car, but the guy I was talking to preferred to use the company car. He didn't seem too excited about driving a Prius (no cool factor, I suppose?), but he was proud of the car's sound system. I wonder if he's allowed to listen to his own music or if the car comes equipped with company-issued tunes (which makes me wonder about the type(s) of genre Google-issued music would be comprised of).

But, I digress.

Getting back to Amazon...

I'm still wondering about how I was pegged as a Popchips popper. And doesn't Amazon have a leg up on Google with this Webvan-ish service? AmazonFresh has been piloted in Seattle for several years, and now it's made its way to Los Angeles.

Have you used AmazonFresh and/or Google Shopping Express? What's your verdict and why? Please feel free to comment below.