Listening

Just returned from Nashville and a trip to one of the coolest toy stores I've ever seen, Phillips Toy Mart. The relationship people have with this place was evident to me before I'd even set foot inside. I was on the TV show Tennessee Mornings before my promotion at the store and the co-host, Kelly Sutton, chatted with me off the air. "I see you're going to be at Phillips Toy Mart later today," she said. "I love that place. You know they have live bunnies there every Easter?" Later that morning I heard words like "institution," "tradition" and "destination" used to describe the place. This was going to be fun.

I arrived to promote the 15th Anniversary of Blurt, but first I got the "nickel tour" from owner, Cynthia Phillips, whose family opened the store in 1946. Full games are displayed in shadow box style... glued to the ceiling! Halloween costumes were to be expected this time of year, but a walk-in Haunted House?! A huge 20' x 40' Lionel train mural marks the hobby section. And on, and on. Needless to say... cool store.

I stood just inside the door and greeted people as they walked in and offered to show them how to BLURT! It was such a beautiful day that I went outside a chatted up people as well. Now I've been in the toy business for 20 years and have logged more than my share of time in stores. Phillips (as the locals call it) is that rare store that people want to talk about. Time and time again the kids would rush past me to get inside, and the parents would stop and talk with me about Blurt and games and eventually... the store.

"I've been coming here my whole life." "My parents brought me here and now I bring my grand kids here." "Isn't this place great?!" Just across the street a real train blows its whistle as it roars past. A dad picks up his little one so he can get a better look. "IT'S PART OF THE CHARM OF COMING HERE!" he yells over the noise, before taking the tot to see the miniature trains inside.

A group of girls spilled into the store and by the time their chauffeur Mom arrived from the parking lot, the girls and I were already playing Blurt. I slowly read a dozen or so clues while the girls blurted out the answers and laughed. We played a few rounds before the lure of finding the perfect Halloween costume sent the girls swirling off in another direction. The Mom had been quiet as I read and the kids blurted, but when the girls scurried off she said, "Good game." She started to walk away, but then turned back and added, "That game teaches kids to listen. Think about how important that is today."

I was blown away. After 15 years of playing and promoting Blurt, I thought I'd heard all there was to hear in terms of compliments, comments and critiques on the game. Does Blurt build vocabulary? Absolutely. Does it elicit the blurting of silly things and thus, some fun? Sure. But l-i-s-t-e-n-i-n-g. Never heard that, but in retrospect, it's obvious. You can bet that in my marketing of the game, I'll be adding that benefit to the reasons to buy Blurt.


Listening to customers is every smart marketers job. Phillips Toy Mart has a legion of loyal fans who can't stop talking about their store. How could they leverage that into great word-of-mouth marketing?

Oscar Wilde once said, "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." I hope Phillips Toy Mart is listening.