Peggy Jo Studio Newsletter Blog

Subj: If you are from Detroit…..

Here’s another of those memory lists you might enjoy. Feel free to add any
of your own memories and send it along or back to me. — Tom

> If you’re from or grew up near Detroit. . . how many of these did you
> experience?
>
> You used a pillowcase to go ‘begging’ on Halloween, and you yelled, ‘Help
> the Poor!’ at every door. (‘Help the poor, my pants are tore, I need some
> money to buy some more.’)
> ******
> You remember what Devil’s Night used to be.
> ******
> You remember the huge elm trees forming lush green tunnels over many
> Detroit streets in the summertime. Or when they’d come around to spray and
> tell you to stay in the house. And, the autumn smell of burning leaves,
> after you’d rake huge piles to the curb for burning.
> ******
> You remember honking your horn as you went through the tunnel to Belle
> Isle at the end of East Grand Blvd. where it went under Jefferson Avenue,
> even though the sign at the entrance read ‘Don’t Sound Horn.’
> ******
> You remember the larger-than-life Ambassador Bridge. And you remember the
> submarine that was tied up at the Brodhead Naval Armory alongside the
> Belle Isle Bridge.
> ******
> You took a class trip or a moonlight cruise on the Bob-Lo boat with
> Captain Bob-Lo.
> ******
> You remember running home from school so you could have lunch with Soupy
> Sales. Or eat some meal with Howdy-Doody in the early days of TV. Also
> the roller derby, harness racing and Uncle Miltie.
> *******
> You rode a bus to Edgewater Amusement Park to ride the huge wooden roller
> coaster (again and again) or the Salt & Pepper Shaker or the Wild Mouse
> (before it went off the track injuring the riders).
> *******
> You remember ‘A fantabulous day for the family, at fantabulous Edgewater
> Park.’ P.O.P. meant pay-one-price.
> *******
> Mom packed the car with kids, swimsuits, towels, and peanut butter and
> jelly sandwiches to spend the day at Metropolitan Beach or Walled Lake.
> Later you danced at the “New Walled Lake Pavilion” to the music of the
> 1940s and 50s Big Bands, which later was to burn to the ground.
> *******
> You played in the ‘Big Ditch’ as I-94 was being built.
> *******
> You played tennis on Belle Isle’s or Palmer Park’s courts, or golfed at
> their Par 3 course, both lit after dark. Or went ice-skating, or for a
> horseback or canoe ride, rode in a pony-drawn carriage, hand-fed the
> animals at the zoo, visited the aquarium (remember the teepee), or
> attended an event at the Casino. Or remember when they’d close the Isle on
> Cap & Gown Night because the kids used to go there and throw things in the
> fountain.
> *******
> You rode the big white roller coaster or found your way out of the Fun
> House at Jefferson Beach Amusement Park.
> *******
> You took a day trip and drove way out to Walled Lake Amusement Park where
> they had lots of rides, a roller coaster, or swimming – and to the Walled
> Lake Casino for dancing.
> *******
> When ice-skating was outdoors and Palmer Park or Belle Isle was the place
> to do it. You also remember its tennis courts, wading pool, golf,
> ice-skating, casting pond and horse and buggy rides. Hitting a long drive
> on the first hole at Palmer Park’s course might mean having some kid sneak
> out of the woods, grab it and take off.
> *******
> Or how about the Detroit Firefighters working the crowds at the fireworks,
> selling tickets to their Field Day, and giving out firecrackers to the
> kids. Or the US Army contingent lodged near Wyoming and Curtis peeforming
> mock battles during their exercises at U of D Stadium in the early 1940s.
> And the noon air raid siren practices, that were deafening if you lived
> near a firestation.
> *******
> You rode a streetcar that ran on tracks down the center of Gratiot,
> Woodward, Jefferson or Michigan Avenue. Or the electric buses on Warren
> and Grand River. The Woodward street car took you to the Zoo in Royal Oak,
> where a visit was often preceded by a meal at Hedge’s Wigwam across the
> street. The popular joke at the time was: “Know the Indians in front of
> the Wigwam?” “Sure.” “Well, they don’t know you!”
> *******
> You remember how all of the lights from the auto dealerships lit up
> Gratiot and Livernois, e.g., Funston Chevrolet. And the slogan at Pappy’s
> on Livernois, where car buyers received a free bunny from his displayed
> rabbit cages : “Meat on your table and a car in your stable.”
> *******
> You remember when Eastland, Wonderland and Northland Malls were initially
> opened and WERE open, not enclosed. And when Wonderland had animals in
> circular cages. (Heck, I remember when Northland was first built in about
> 1953 and there was no Eastland, etc.)
> You remember driving out 8-Mile to Crystal Pool, at Greenfield, sneaking
> tons of bubbies in your trunk at the West Side Drive-In, the anti-aircraft
> guns at the Armory and the race riots that spread from the Belle Isle
> Bridge to the 8-Mile and Wyoming ghettos.
> ********
> You know how to pronounce Gratiot, Schoenherr and Cadieux.
> *******
> If someone told you it’s on Outer Drive, you knew to consult a map first.
> ********
> You thought driving to Southfield was going ‘out to the country. And the
> billboard sign on Northwestern “If you lived in Magnolia, you’d be home
> now!”
> ********
> You checked out books for two weeks from the Bookmobile that came to your
> elementary school once a week.
> *******
> You vividly recall the mineral bath smell of rotten eggs when you drove
> through Mt. Clemens.
> *********
> You bought candy and nuts from window-lined, walk-around counters and
> squeaky wooden floors at S. S. Kresges, Neisners and Woolworth’s, the
> so-called ‘dime’ stores.
> *********
> You went to Sock Hops at Notre Dame high school on a Friday night where
> you heard Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger and the Last Herd, or the Rationals.
> *********
> You drank Faygo, Towne Club (they had their own store and you’d walk in
> and see rows and rows of different flavors in cases on the floor — no
> shelves here), Vernor’s, Grilli’s, Oso, or Atlas pop (we never heard it
> called ‘soda’).A trip to the Vernorss’ factory near the foot of Woodward
> was always a downtown treat. And later, a real treat was sneaking into the
> Avenue, Gayetie or Empress Burlesque Theatres where Scurvy Miller would
> try to sell you his overpriced popcorn while theover-the-hill ladies were
> changing their scanty costumes. *******
> Your mom saved Top Value, Holden Red, S&H Green or the yellow Gold Bell
> stamps.
> ********
> Cunningham Drug Stores’ soda fountain (where when you heard “Mom ran into
> Cunninghams” you couldn’t believe she ran into it with her car) and their
> raspberry phosphate.(I always got the Cherry Cokes.) During and just after
> WWII, when neighborhood kids would shout, “Cunninghams has Hershey bars!”
> everyone would speed there on their bikes before they all disappeared.
> ********
> Your school took a bus trip to the cider mill (with donuts and cider after
> the tour), or to Kellogg’s in Battle Creek or to a radio station.
> ********
> Silverstein’s (or was it “Saperstein’s” was the candy store of Army and
> Navy surplus stuff.
> *******
> You had a subscription to the three Detroit newspapers, including The
> Detroit Times.
> *********
> You remember news anchor Jac LeGoff who eventually worked at every TV
> station around Detroit.
> **********
> You visited the Wonder Bread Bakery and got to take home a mini-loaf of
> bread (but you weren’t cool unless you ate Silvercup bread).
> **********
> You had a Shaffer’s or Awrey’s breadman and a Brickley’s milkman. Or a
> Twin Pines milkman, a Sealtest milkman, a Jewel Coffee man, a fruit and
> vegetable truck, and a Fuller Brush man (and they were always men).
> Sometimes a gassed and wheezing WW I vet woukld try to sell you something,
> which you’d buy even if you didn’t need it.
> ***********
> You remember Pure, Penzoil, Speedway 79, Texaco, Monkey, Dance, Purple
> Martin, Sinclair, Danny’s Dino, Kayo and Gulf gas stations, and when ‘gas
> wars’ meant 17-cents a gallon.
> *********
> You remember Primo’s Pizza, Carbone’s Pizza, Red Barn, Powers, Henry’s,
> Herc’s Beef Buffet, Cupid’s, Tom’s Tavern, Ted’s 5×5, Totem Pole, Red
> Devil, Marcus or Richard’s Drive-In (car-feteria).
> *********
> You attended a wedding reception or a banquet at Roma Hall.
> *********
> You attended ‘Wendy Ward’s CharmSchool’ at Montgomery Ward’s.. OMG FOR
> SURE!
> *********
> You might remember when Ben’s Hi-Chaperelle and Watt’s Club Mozambique
> were the places to go to catch Motown acts.
> *********
> Every year when the Blue Angels came to Willow Run Airport.
> **********
> You had friends or relatives who could get you into Camp Dearborn for the
> canteen dances in the summer and to go swimming. Or the pond at Belle Isle
> near the Conservatory where the sign warned you not to touch the water.
> ***********
> You had a reverb unit installed in your car at Mickey Shorr’s or Crazy
> Jack’s (aka Michigan Mobile Radio or MMR) on Livernois.
> *********
> You remember the Detroit riots of 1967.
> **********
> When the bleacher seats at Briggs Stadium were only $2 to watch the
> Detroit Lions play.
> ******
> And when they won the National Football Championship (before there were
> Super Bowls) in 1957 against the Cleveland Browns, 59-14.
> **********
> And when the Red Wings won all those Stanley Cups in the 1950s, and
> balcony seats at Olympia Stadium were only $1.25! Sitting in the balcony
> (Standard Beef Co tickets) behind the “girls” with their hair in
> curlers — where were they going after the game?
> **********
> You remember Detroit wrestlers Dick the Bruiser, Bobo Brazil, Leaping
> Larry Chene, Wild Bull Curry, Ernie ‘The Cat’ Ladd, Lord Athol Layton,
> Edward ‘The Sheik’ Farhat, Fritz Von Erich, George ‘The Animal’ Steele and
> Johnny Valentine.
> **********
> You remember bowling for a quarter a game at Chandler Park Lanes, Falcon
> Lanes (next to The Ginos/Falcon Showbar), Parkside, Woods, Ritter’s or
> Ritz bowling alleys.
> **********
> You worked at Detroit Bank & Trust, Manufacturers National Bank, Bank of
> the Commonwealth, City National Bank or National Bank of Detroit.
> **********
> You ‘parked’ at Belle Isle, either to watch the color-changing fountain or
> the submarine races — depending on how old you were and who you were
> with! You were in awe of the Big Stove on East Jefferson at the entrance
> to Belle Isle (before it was moved to the State Fairgrounds entrance).
> **********
> You remember your Mom taking your burned-out light bulbs to Detroit Edison
> to exchange for new ones or broken toaster for repair free.
> **********
> You remember the J. L. Hudson Co. (known to us as just ‘Hudson ‘s’)
> building on Woodward Ave that occupied an entire city block, and
> especially its 12th Floor toyland.
> And you remember the white-gloved elevator attendants operating the
> expandable gate and lever-locked door, and just before letting you out,
> she would call out the names of the various departments on that floor.
> ***********
> You ate a Maurice Salad at a J. L. Hudson’s cafeteria. You also ate a hot
> corned beef sandwich and dill pickle at the Deli behind downtown Hudson’s.
> ***********
> You went shopping during Downtown Detroit Days.
> ***********
> You remember Women’s Hospital before it became Hutzel Hospital. You may
> even have been born there, as was I.
> **********
> You remember that Hudson’s hung a HUGE American flag on the front of their
> building every 4th of July. (It was the biggest one in the country at
> that time.)
> *********
> You would ride the bus downtown at Christmas and stand in line at Hudson’s
> amid a fabulous winding animated Toyland, just to see Santa and the
> trains.
> **********
> Or you remember going to see Santa Claus at the Northland Mall igloos
> because it was televised and you hoped your friends would see you.
> **********
> Thanksgiving was not complete unless first you went to the Hudson’s
> Parade, then to watch the Detroit Lions play the Green Bay Packers (always
> the Packers back then) at Briggs (later Tiger) Stadium.
> ***********
> You know guys who put up big antennas so they could pull in the Lions
> home games on Channel 6 out of Lansing.
> ***********
> You watched the ‘old guys’ play bocce ball at Buddy’s Rendezvous Pizza or
> sang the Schnitzelbank song at the Dakota Inn with Boris the Organ Player.
> You may have even hung out there yourself, where some people (including
> me) met and eventually married the “Girl of their dreams.”
> ************
> You remember when Mayor Cavanaugh would give Santa and Christmas Carole
> (who always looked like she should be freezing in her short red velvet
> outfit trimmed with white fur) the keys to the city at the end of every
> parade.
> ***********
> You remember the Detroit Tigers pitchers Hal Newhouser, Dizzy Trout,
> Virgil “Fire” Trucks and later Mark ‘The Bird’ Fidrych.
> ***********
> You remember the Detroit Pistons and the WHA Michigan Stags hockey games
> at Cobo Arena and if you are old enough, the Pistons at the Olympia in
> 1956!
> ***********
> How about Al Ackerman ringing Big Al’s bell for the Sports Hero of the
> Day.
> ******
> And watching Cadillacs being made on Clark Street.
> ***********
> Or the giant, three-dimensional ‘Elsie’ the Borden Cow (head) located on
> the side of the Ira Wilson Dairy off the
> I-94 service drive. (Now it only says ‘ILSON’ — much of the stack has
> been taken down or fallen.).
> *********
> Going to the Better Made potato chip factory and getting small bags of
> brown chips or shoe strings before going to the Jewel Movie Theater.
> **********
> You remember Big Bear and Wrigley Super Markets. Oldsters even remember
> “Packer’s Outlet,” Detroit’s earliest super market, at Livernois and Six
> Mile.
> **********
> You remember the RAF bomber flying from England in 1962 that exploded over
> the Detroit River near Grosse Pointe Park. And the regular B24s flying
> from Ford’s Willow Run Plant to Selfridge Airfield, where they were
> prepped for the flight to England.
> ********
> Or the guy who came through your neighborhood on a bike to sharpen your
> scissors, etc. Or the ‘sheeny man’ who came down
> the alley on a horse drawn wagon picking up scrap metal and sharpening
> knifes and scissors.
> *****
> You remember the milkman delivering milk and cream in glass bottles!
> ******
> You remember going to the drive-in and getting blasted by mosquito spray
> from the back of a pickup truck that drove up and down the lanes.
> ******
> You ordered Cold Duck at the Ponchartrain Wine Cellars (the restaurant/bar
> where it was invented) and enjoyed a frog leg dinner.
> ******
> You remember going to White Castle and getting 12 for $1 and they stayed
> with you for 3-days.
> ******
> Going sledding at Warsaw Park, Balduc Park, or Derby Hll.
> ******
> The chocolate malts at Cunningham’s… They always tasted better there!
>
>

Posted by Nikki Stephan on Linkedin

Recap of SMCD Event in partnership with 313Digital & Tweetea – June 28, 2011

Presenter: Simon Mainwaring (@simonmainwaring), http://simonmainwaring.com/

Location: The Reserve, Birmingham

Presentation topic: The concept of We First (Simon’s new book)

Presentation overview:

• Simon’s company, We First, specializes in brand triage – need creative last minute solution, someone a company might pull in as a solution.

• Book resulted from him having to work out who the heck he was. We go through life feeling like we’re an extension of our work or our awards. That robs us of the opportunity to sit back and ask “Who am I, what’s my purpose?”

• Simon received five phone messages, fifth message saying his dad passed away. Hadn’t seen him in five years, and he lived in Australia. He had been sick since Simon was 14 and lived life sick for several years. Simon decided he wasn’t going to waste his life. Stop ticking the boxes on the prescription of success.

• Technology is teaching us to be human again. Less human, more being. Technology reweaves the social fabric.

• Technology is forcing us to define what we care about. It’s allowing us to experience the suffering of others in real time. It reawakens our empathy for others. The bliss of ignorance is being replaced by the responsibility of awareness.

• Consumers don’t just want a better widget; they want a better world.

• “We First” is opposite of the “me first” mentality that has driven our worlds and lives for so long. Pointing at businesses and consumers. All guilty of this mentality. We need to expand our definition of self-interest – include the 7 billion other people on the planet. Move to mutual versus exclusive self-interest.

• The future of profit is purpose.

• Consumers now co-author the stories that brands tell. Brands need to shift from being celeb of community to being chief celebrant. Connected tissue between brands and consumers is shared values.

• People support what they help to build. If they feel they are in it with you, they’ll talk about it all day long and become an army of ambassadors. Those companies invest in long-term relationships with customers.

Keys to brand/agency success

• Define your purpose in core values. They will be your compass.

• Distill those core values into emotional terms to resonate with people.

• Craft a manifesto. Need to know what the company stands for. Employees need to know.

• Write a vision statement.

• Commit to purpose.

• Align internally. Commit first to internal blog. Define what company stands for before going external with social media.

New metrics of success: Defined, consistent, authentic, transparent, accountable, social

• Tangible results (ROI): employee retention, intellectual property, research and development, PR, social capital, relevant/shareable

• Practice business that is relevant to the marketplace we actually live in now.

Ad agencies of the future

• Reverse everything you know about advertising. Go from push to pull strategy.

• Become an architect of community. Be a day trader in social emotion.

• Referee the shared stewardship of brands.

• Educate clients to social independence.

• Commit equally to technology and ideas.

• Move from global/local, online/offline seamlessly.