The latest winner of the ‘You Don’t Need Us’ award was discovered in a conversation with John Moore, who is quite the beer aficionado. Wisconsin is a place that we actually go to often and a group of us are heading there again in June for some work with a client. Once John heard about this, he told us about the New Glarus Brewing Company. And while I haven’t partaken of the sweet nectar they produce there in New Glarus, WI (which will be remedied next month), they receive the ‘You Don’t Need Us Award’ mostly because of one thing: exclusivity.

You see, a long time ago, New Glarus Brewing Company decided that they would only distribute beer in the state of Wisconsin (hell, their tagline is ‘Drink Indigenous’). They did have a brief stint shipping beer to Chicago, but decided to pull back on that since they could (and still hardly can) keep up with the demand in their home state.

Personally, there is something very alluring and romantic to me about companies that want to increase their quality and not their physical size beyond a certain point (FYI - the Brewing Co. is currently undergoing an expansion). I mean, from a financial standpoint, would you rather be part of a company that has a lot of employees that get paid a little or a SWAT team that gets paid a lot? And by choosing to only distribute in Wisconsin, people (like me) are instantly curious and have to at least try the beer. Why? Because people want what they can’t have. ‘No’ is the most powerful word in the world.

Could they use a new identity? You know, as an identity company we could easily say that they do. But we don’t know them. We don’t know what works for them and what doesn’t. And,obviously nothing is broken. So why mess with a good thing?

Hey, I’m thirsty all of a sudden.

No? Well, Relocate-America.com just named it the #4 best place to live in the nation.

The list was based on ‘an area’s growth, its educational and employment opportunities, crime rates and housing options before granting it a spot in the top 100. Environmental highlights also play a role, with a city gaining points for good air and water quality or the strength of its recycling efforts.’

We are often asked why Brains on Fire is HQed here. And we tell them that we choose to live here. They find out why when they come and see us. We are far removed from the Madison Avenue BS. It is not too big and not too small. We have what I consider to be the best airport in the world (oh so easy to get in and out of). There’s hardly any traffic. Our cost of living is right at the national average. We have one of the largest cycling communities per capita in the nation. We have a mini-Fenway downtown. Downtown is unbelievably cool. BMW’s North American headquarters is here (and the only North American museum). As is Michelin’s. And many others.

I’m not from here. And the same goes for over half the people at Brains on Fire. I actually thought I’d always end up living out West in the Rockies (I did a brief stint in Vail a long, long time ago). But there’s just something about this place that’s 45 minutes from the Blue Ridge mountains and Asheville (#7 on the list), 3 hours from the beach and two hours from either Atlanta or Charlotte (#1 on the list this year).

And if you want to talk about how communities work, then come live in one first.

The list goes on and on. And while it’s great to see Greenville on the list, I’m also kinda sad. Because I think it’s one of the best-kept secrets in the nation.

Home, sweet home.

This month’s Fortune Small Business‘ cover story is all about that one, all-powerful Ultimate Question. You know, the Net Promoter Score. It features a number of small businesses that have embraced the idea and are using the Ultimate Question (’On a scale of one to ten, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend?’) to grow their businesses. One company flashes the number on monitors across their entire company. Another uses it to gain a competitive edge. But the best use of it (at least in this article) comes from LearningRx, which is a company that helps clients improve their memory and concentration. LearningRx hires tutors to work with their clients and each client is asked the Ultimate Question about their tutor. Get this: Tutors who achieve a score of 90 or better get a bonus equal to 20% of their base pay.

The Net Promoter score, used in the right way, can be a powerful tool for improvement. Fred Reichheld (conceiver of the concept), says that the average US company has a NPS of 15. Yikes. And in the marketing agency world, it’s around 20. But apparently you’re doing great with 50 or higher. And then, of course, there are the rock stars, which get up into the 80s.

So are YOU using this simple metric to help gauge what your customers think about you? And remember, it’s not about customer satisfaction. Satisfaction is the price of entry and the lowest rung on the loyalty ladder. Build a company on customer satisfaction and you’re doing the same thing everyone else is doing. But built it on customer evangelism and you’ve already got a leg up on everyone else.

Another page out of the internal culture book here at Brains: Tequila Shots.

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, harder and more complicated. It takes a genius ” and a lot of courage ” to make things simple. A wise man named E.F. Schumaker once said something to that effect.

Not sure who E..F is, but we believe him.

The world is a cluttered place, so we try and make our lives and our client’s lives simple by keeping all of our communications, presentations, invoices and meetings simple, clear and straightforward. We don’t use a 10 dollar words when a 5 cent word will do. We don’t make up fancy names for our work or processes in an effort to make it appear more unique. It’s just that simple.

Join Geno in NYC for the What Teens Want Conference

There are 33.8 million teens in the United States that hold $209 billion in annual spending power. What are the best ways to engage these lucrative consumers? How can you cut through the clutter and make your brand stand out in this marketplace?

WHAT TEENS WANT, hosted by Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek, Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter, is the definitive marketing conference to learn how to target today’s trendsetting teens through social networking, cause branding, mobile/digital technology, fashion, music, movies, sports, video games and much more.

Join over 300 marketing, agency, media and retail executives at this 6th annual event to explore the most effective, creative and authentic ways to tap into the teen market.

Geno’s Panel:

June 26, 12:00 - 12:45 PM
ENGAGING TEEN CONSUMERS THROUGH CAUSE BRANDING STRATEGIES
Almost 90 percent of teenagers said they would switch to a brand affiliated with a good cause, if price and quality were equal. Teens are attuned to natural and social world changing events and they have the knowledge and ability to support the causes they believe in. Learn how to align your brand with a cause that is relevant, authentic, sustainable and engaging, as well as one that is true to the core brand identity.
Karin Buchholz, Vice President Community Relations and Fan Development, New York Knicks
Geno Church, Chief Curiosity Officer, Brains on Fire
Norm Goldstein, CEO and Founder, BKFK
Nancy Lublin, CEO, DoSomething.org
Moderated by: Samantha Skey, Executive Vice President, Strategic Marketing, Alloy Media † Marketing