I have no idea how old you are, but I am this old… Do you remember TV Magic Cards?

Marshall Brodine was a famous magician (and he was the clown Wizzo on the Bozo Circus Show) who lived in Geneva, Illinois (close to where we lived in Aurora). I was enamored with those cards and remembered the commercials on TV. I eventually convinced my parents to drop $2 and buy me a set.

It has been said (by a very wise marketer) that, “98.67% of statistics are made up to benefit the statistician, and 63.2% are made up on the spot.”

I have seen fads come and go. QR Codes were going to replace print marketing. Apps were going to replace websites. CDs were going to replace Vinyl. In 2021, vinyl sales topped CDs in the US for the first time in 30 years. In 2022 that gap has grown with vinyl sales growing and CDs in a rapid decline.

In business (as in magic), always keep your eyes on the hands of the performer and not what they want you to focus on (that’s the distraction). That way, their sleight of hand will not end up with your pocket getting picked!

In this episode, we will explore how marketers and platforms are using tricks to get you to redefine success to their definition.