Virgil Winston:Marketing Guru
My wife recently decreed that, in the Winston household, Saturday night is now officially, “date night.” My daughter was thrilled, until she realized date night was for Mom and Dad, and that she’d be required to pull babysitting duty so her parents could reignite the romantic flame that had recently begun to sputter out. Her objections were met with a firm reminder that driving is a privilege, not a right, and besides, she would get paid to watch her two younger brothers play video games. The new decree also mandated that I plan our first date, so I set out to create a romantic evening that my wife would not soon forget. Since my beloved let me know, in no uncertain terms, that the usual dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant wasn’t going to cut it, I locked myself in my office for a serious brainstorming session.
After a couple of hours of wracking my brain and coming up empty (that happens more often than I’d care to admit), I turned to the worldwide web for a little inspiration. Ironically, the best idea turned out to be dinner and a movie—with a twist. Instead of heading to our local Cineplex to catch the latest blockbuster, the Mrs. and I will be taking a trip back in time. I am putting together a romantic picnic dinner, complete with wine, candles and lobster ravioli from our favorite Italian restaurant, packing it up in my New Connections Rolling Collapsible Cooler, loading it into the trunk and heading to the Hollywood Cemetery for a moonlight picnic. Now, before you jump to the conclusion that my wife and I are in to some weird activities, I should tell you that the Hollywood Cemetery plays host to weekly screenings of classic films. It’s a popular activity with local hipsters and even though my wife and I are closer to being broken hipsters, I think it will be a fun evening.
As a bonus, I came up with a brilliant marketing idea for branded headstones so I can write the tickets off as a business expense. Remember, a good idea doesn’t have to be expensive—creativity counts in business, as much as it does in romance. Until next time, I leave you with a quote by my wife’s favorite director, Alfred Hitchcock. “A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it.”