Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1353IR // #c1353Synthesis

"Well, each show was assigned to a different college. So Monday was Barstool Blackout BC, Tuesday was Barstool Blackout BU, Wednesday was Suffolk, Thursday was Northeastern, etc." "Pretty clever marketing on our part because each school wanted to brag that they had the best party."

— In our words · Source: Cancel Me If You Can (Dave Portnoy)

[Use when]

You're selling the same event or product to several groups that compete with each other.

[Why it matters]

One generic Boston show would have competed with itself. Branding each night to a rival school turned school pride into demand, and the House of Blues sold out five straight nights.

Filed under situations:When you need a yes and they’re not there yetWhen a rival’s move changes your game

More from Cancel Me If You Can

#c1344"At this point the business model was pretty simple: if I could sell $3,400 worth of ads in the newspaper, I would break even."You're running a new venture on thin cash and the finances feel vague. #c1345"How do you sell ads for a newspaper that doesn’t exist? On promises."You need paying customers before you have a finished product. #c1346"I’d sift through all my competitors’ publications in Boston and call every single one of their advertisers every single week to poach them…You're looking for your first customers and your competitors publish who theirs are.

Same situation, different book

#c1278Choose the face the judges will chooseYou're right on the merits and need to predict how a crowd, market or committee will actually decide.From Trade Outside the Box #c1249The four years decide the last weekYou're saving effort for the final push of a sale, a vote or a launch.From This Is the Plan #c1235Every cheap new channel burns outYour team is excited about a new cheap outreach channel because early numbers look great.From This Is the Plan #c1549The Cathartic Purge and the Shadow of TranquillityUse when a strategy session or research team is prematurely locked into a dogmatic narrative and needs a…From Lives of Eminent Philosophers