Lessons from a tollbooth that wasn't really there 👻

Here's the story, Grasshopper.

Picture it: a tiny town in Iowa, around 1983. My mom had an obsession with garage sales, and we were stopped at yet another one. My sisters left the car to look around, but not me. I had planted a secret weapon in the car: a book.

I'd picked it up at the school library. Light blue cover. Hand drawn illustration. Apparently it was about a lonely kid named Milo.

Hey, I was up for anything not involving a haggle about priceless garage sale artifacts. I cracked that bad boy open.

I didn't know it at the time, but it was to become my favorite book for years to come. There was one moment when the book made me laugh out loud. Milo was on an adventure in a strange land. He got into a vehicle with some people, and they all fell silent. Milo started to ask why, and was interrupted by a person who said, "Shhh, please. It goes without saying." As they all fell silent again, the car started moving.

"I think I see what they did there..."

Ten-year-old me loved that book. It was like entering a world of pure imagination. The best part was the unexpected twists and turns and discovering puns around random corners.

Where other books where predictable, this one was giving pattern interruption like no other. That was so compelling to ten-year-old me that I went back to it again and again, always seeing something new.

This experience ties directly into something I want to share with you today: Epic Engagement Maneuver #7 - Pattern interruption is the secret to getting attention. (If you haven't read the Manifesto, feast your eyes right here.)

Your audience craves the unexpected. They want to be surprised, engaged, and most importantly, they want to feel a connection. This isn't about throwing out everything you've learned—it's about weaving in that unexpected element that makes your people sit up and take notice.

Mark my words: Cookie cutter marketing just doesn't cut it. (I need that on a T shirt, STAT!!)

That's our new baker, Paul. Likes to break cookie cutters and gives great hugs.

It's time to make like Paul and bust the cookie cutters. In the spirit of "The Phantom Tollbooth," let's infuse our marketing with a dash of the unexpected. Your clients will thank you, and you'll find that engagement skyrockets when you break free from the snoringly predictable.