Two Pieces of Bizarre Information
January 30, 2010 – 4:31 pm by Daniel JosephsI was just reading “The Week”, a weekly magazine of world news and I came across two pieces of bizarre information: A Paid Tour of LA’s Gang Turf and An Average Football Game is 11 Minutes of Football. That’s right folks, tourists are paying $65.00 for a guided bus tour of Los Angeles’ violence-filled gang turf. Tour operators require customers to sign a waiver, acknowledging the risk of gunfire, before riding an unmarked bus in hopes of glimpsing real Crips, Bloods, and other gang members.
And, all those hours that I have been glued to my couch on a Sunday afternoon watching Football, has actually been for only 11 minutes of actual football! In the 174 minutes of an average football telecast, viewers see about 60 minutes of commercials, 75 minutes of players huddling or milling about between snaps, 17 minutes of replays – and just 11 minutes of actual football.
After hearing these two ridiculous facts, I asked myself how a company can charge $65 for an entertainment activity that could cause death and how I can be coaxed into watching 3 hours of pathetic programming for 11 minutes of entertainment. And the answer I arrived at was simple: Need. There is a need to want to see what it’s like to be part of a gang, and there is a need to see 3 hours of pathetic programming for 11 minutes of enjoyment.
I then head an epiphany: If people NEED a service, sensation or loss of common sense, then there is always something that can fill that need. So if you have something to offer, find the need. Ask your customers, your clients, your users what they want, what they are challenged with and showcase your service thereby filling their need. Figuring out what you can provide your clients will generate revenue and fill their need.