I finally made it to the World of Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, and wasn’t disappointed. As seems to be the case with the brand of Coke, they did a great job. You can learn about the history and origins of the brand, see a 4-D movie, watch how the brand has had such a huge influence on our world over the years and even taste Coke products from all around the world. (Not to mention you get a free old school glass bottle coke on the way out.

But the part that really stuck with me (even though it’s tucked away in the “Pop Culture Gallery”) was the huge FAIL that was New Coke. On April 23, 1985, after 99 years of what everyone come to know as Coke, the company changed the formula. Sure, they based the change on over 200,000 taste tests and sure, they were trying to do something about their market share slipping away to Pepsi. So they took a big risk. And had a big fail.

It only took 79 days for Coca-Cola to admit it screwed up and brought back “Coke Classic.” New Coke became Coke II and then just faded on into the sunset.

What’s my point? That not many people even remember Coke’s monumental mistake. That you don’t want to screw with what makes you “you” when you’ve got a great thing going. That the path of every great company is littered with mistakes, big and small - because it’s the only way we learn.

Here’s to the 79 days we can all look forward to or look back on that makes us better for it.

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.

Title:
How PR Practitioners Can Build a Sustainable Word of Mouth Movement

Location:
Atlanta, GA

Check out the conference here.

Is there a doctor in the house?

Yup.

Dr. Justine Foo is joining Brains on Fire as lead strategist for our insight team this week.

Justine is whip smart and will be a remarkable addition to Brains on Fire. She’s also going to add to the conversation around here. She’ll join our blog in the next week or so. So keep an eye out for her point of view in the coming weeks. Here is a small bit of Justine’s bio:

Dr. Justine Foo brings a unique combination of psychology, neuroscience, marketing and organizational consulting experience. After receiving her Ph.D. in Complex Systems and the Brain Sciences, Justine went on to join BrightHouse, an ideation company in Atlanta, where she conducted some of the first brain imaging studies to investigate how individual preferences are represented in the brain in collaboration with scientists at Emory University. Though labeled ‘the world’s first neuromarketer’ by the NY Times in 2001, Justine’s focus has not been on using neuroimaging to test specific ads or products. Rather she believes the bigger value lies in helping companies to gain a deeper knowledge of human behavior and motivation and to leverage this knowledge to strengthen both internal and external relationships. As a consultant, Justine has provided scientific insight and strategic thought for clients like Georgia-Pacific, Delta Airlines and Turner Entertainment Networks.

P.S. The muli-talented Jenn is following her passion for writing and will step into a new role here as lead of all things written (exact titles will work themselves out in our usual way). She, of course, will still remain a vital part of the insight team.

Yesterday, I returned from spending my Christmas in Denver with my lovely parents, darling little brother, and assorted aunts, uncles and cousins. So I’m sure you can guess what this post is going to be about.

That’s right! How much I hate the airlines. Caution: This one’s a doozy.

Okay, on my way to Denver, I was substantially delayed, but it was a weather thing and the plane was coming from somewhere that was fogged in, and I got there fine… so no problem. Of course, when I got to DIA (which is a sizable airport), I discovered that crack crew at DIA Delta had decided to put six flights on one luggage carousel… despite the fact that there were three empty carousels right next to it. This carousel was loaded down with luggage packed so tightly that new luggage couldn’t find a place on the belt. The belt would start, run for five minutes, and stop. People were shoulder to shoulder around the belt. Passengers were actually rearranging the luggage to make room for more. The Delta baggage guys were standing in their office, leaning against the counter and passively surveying the madness. Finally, I elbowed my way to the front, reached out to grab my bag… and went with it. The man next to me hoisted me back to my feet, and someone further down pulled my bag and handed it down to me. An excruciatingly stupid (and avoidable) situation that ended up creating a very “we’re in this together” mentality. So I guess everything came out okay.

Cut to December 26th when it was time to fly home. Forget that I was already in a bad mood because these visits home are always so short (being a “grown-up” sucks). I got out of Denver with no problem and arrived in Atlanta for my 2 hour layover. I grabbed a slice of super greasy pizza (yum) and waited for my quick little hop (usually about a 30 minute flight) back home. Of course, it was the last flight of the night. So… they canceled it. “Maintenance.” And thus begins my love letter to Delta.

1. We all rushed to customer service and stood in line. The woman at the front of the line kept yelling that we should scan our tickets to find out when we’ve been rebooked instead of just getting in line. So we did. Only they hadn’t rebooked us yet, so it just kept saying that our flight still existed. Awesome.
2. One of the first people to make it to the front of the line came back to report that she had been informed that no flight vouchers would be awarded. It’s one thing to not offer them. It’s another thing to be asked for a voucher by an inconvenienced customer and refuse them. Great.
3. There was another woman at the counter who kept yelling out to the line, “you know, they should just get on the phone instead of waiting in line or they’re not going to get a seat,” in this sing-songy, angry tone that really just made me want to kick her in the shins.
4. This is a plane of people whose destination is a 2 1/2 hour drive from this layover. So you’d think a logical solution would be rental car vouchers. Nope. “We don’t do that.”
5. Okay… fine. No rental car. So they gave us hotel vouchers and two seven dollar food vouchers for dinner and breakfast (I’d already eaten dinner) and rebooked us for the next morning. They also handed out little overnight kits (I got the last one… so I’m not sure how the people after me fared). Fine.
6. I’m not sure if they told the hotel the scope of the people coming, because we went out to the bank of hotel shuttles… and waited… and waited… and waited… a rather sizable crowd of people all waiting for a teeny shuttle. I finally snapped and payed for a taxi. Of course, they hadn’t told me the address of the hotel, only the name… and there were two Comfort Inns near the airport. But my friendly neighborhood taxi driver asked around and figured it out… and I’m pretty sure I got there before anyone else.
7. I checked in and went to my room where I finally examined my overnight kit. Emblazoned on the side, in all its silk-screened irony, was the Skyteam logo and the words “Caring more about you.” Fantastic. Inside were some basic toiletries and - oh yes - a Delta Skyteam t-shirt. I’m sorry… I know that they’re just trying to give me something else to sleep in, but at this point… I want any t-shirt but a Delta t-shirt. Seriously… Dave’s Neo-Fascist Garage might have evoked less of a sneer from me.
8. The hotel itself was… well… it was pretty crappy. The faucet on the sink was VERY loose. The stopper had been removed from the bathtub - leaving only the rusty metal spike on which it used to perch. And I had to go down to the front desk to retrieve the world’s shortest ethernet cable in order to plug in and email my good friends at Brains on Fire to let them know why I would not be there in the morning as I had planned - and why I would be using an extra half day of valuable vacation time. Now, I’m not expecting five-star accommodations or anything, but a place where my shower is not a tetanus risk might be nice.
9. The next morning, I awoke from my oh-so-satisfying night’s sleep in that room between the vending machines and the elevator and headed off to the airport… where my flight was, of course, delayed for an hour.
10. I FINALLY arrived in Greenville (12 hours after my original scheduled arrival time)… with no little gray wheely bag in sight. The ONE man working the Delta baggage counter allowed a line of about a baker’s dozen to form while he unloaded an inordinate amount of unclaimed luggage (we all looked at it longingly… searching vainly for a familiar bag) from the carousel. He then meandered over to his thankless position behind the counter where he informed me that my luggage is “probably” still in Atlanta and “might” come in on the next flight around 1:30. Again… no flight voucher. Northwest gives you a $25 voucher when they lose your bag. Sure, it’s rife with blackout and expiration dates, but it’s a gesture. No such gesture from our friends at Delta.
11. I tracked my luggage claim online… which is really pretty cool, if you’re going to need it. First my luggage was located and trying to be scheduled for a flight. Then it was in Greenville. Then it would be delivered sometime between 4:30pm and 4:30am. Swell.
12. Around 5:30 (pm), my luggage was delivered by a friendly courier… a company independent from Delta… and the ordeal had drawn to a close.

Okay… that is a whole big long rant to say this: Airline prices continue to go up, while the term “No-Frills Airline” becomes increasingly redundant. Not only do these companies not feel they owe us, I dunno, more than a couple crackers. They don’t feel that they owe us basic human treatment. The service is poor, the employees are rude, the apology for inevitable issues is non-existent… and we have no recourse, because we still have to get where we’re going. I guess I can’t help but wonder when the turning point comes. When will we say “enough already” and demand an airline that treats its passengers as if they are paying hundreds of dollars to engage their services? And will they ever deliver? So many things have gotten so much better in the last decade. The internet, TVs, cars, phones… it all keeps getting “better.” But air travel gets increasingly awful. We (and everyone) post continually about the power of the consumer in today’s society. So when do we band together as consumers and say, “HEY! I want my lukewarm quiche and free mini-pillow, and I want it NOW!”