Charlie Moore used that line during a recent phone call with the agency. He’s dead on. When times are tough, humor sells. Why? Lot’s of reasons. But some of the big ones are that it projects a sense of confidence, which is always contagious (if you’re confident about what your selling, others will feel confident about buying it), and it creates an upbeat vibe, and that’s contagious too.

That line defnitely comes to mind when we look at Roger Hagadone’s web site. There’s a  guy who gets it. Take a look.

If you missed the New York Times story last week about chain and independent hotels teaming up is worth going back and reading. At its heart, it’s a piece about looking behind long-closed doors to see if there’s something behind them that can lead to business success. It’s the kind of thing that only happens in desperate situations (like when your industry is on the brink of all-out collapse), but maybe it shouldn’t be. There’s something to be said for regularly reexamining what’s possible and what’s palatable for your business.

Uh, just because, that’s why.

OK, this is how you do community relations. Seriously. Using a vacant property to offer free mini golf and batting cages in the summer, and ice skating in the winter. And doing it at a time when other big, wealthy colleges are whining about the hits their massive endowments have taken over the past few years. We don’t want to go too far out on a limb here, but it appears the folks at Harvard are pretty smart.

You know, we always suspected a lot of Subway customers were high, but this is something else. We’re here all week folks. Be sure to tip your bartenders and waitresses.

OK, but really. Neat concept. Very nice way to spot and seize a business opportunity. It’s thinking along the lines of the pop-up retail concept. Demonstrates that there are all kinds of untapped markets out there waiting for creative business owners to figure out how to open them up.

And, you know, it kind of makes this Subway spot seem prescient in an odd way, which is something in and of itself.

Sometimes a product can transcend bad branding. Take the Green Garmento (really, that’s what it’s called), a reusable dry cleaning bag. The bag and the couple behind it were the subjects of a New York Times feature last week. And the bags are taking off. Why? Great idea developed at exactly the right time. Think about how well it might have done if they’d invested some money in a better brand ID.

… and nicknames. As the brass at General Motors (we’re afraid to call them GM) discovered last week, nicknames have a lot of power. We call The cars Chevys because we have a lot of affection for them, and for the brand. In spite of everything that’s happened to GM over the past few years, Americans still believe enough to use an affectionate nickname for Chevrolet. That’s a good thing. It means we find the brand likeable and approachable. That’s something to celebrate, not something to try to distance yourself from. It’s good to see GM’s figured that out.

Watching the NBA finals (go Celtics!), we’ve been trying to figure out whether the guy with the Frank Caliendo cap was developmentally disabled or just some kind of jackass. Turns out Bill Blumenreich’s just a entertainment promoter who’s figured out how to get some cheap (well, maybe not cheap; those seats cost good money) exposure for an upcoming appearance by the comedian/impressionist. Blumenreich may still be a jackass, but you’ve got to give him credit. Lots of corporations are paying through the nose for the kind of visibility he’s getting playing a poor man’s Judah Friedlander.

You know, when you’ve got an office full of Fighting Irish fans and admirers of the Top Pot doughnuts brand, you can’t help but take notice when Seattle Seahawks rookie, and former Notre Dame standout, Golden Tate gets in trouble for an illegal wee hours visit to his local Top Pot shop. But, man, oh, man, if what Tate’s now saying about Top Pot sales is true, this is more than a weird news story; it’s the start of a whole new era in celebrity endorsements. We’ll keep on watching.

We’re in Massachusetts, so we wouldn’t be allowed to have one even if they weren’t sold out, but we still really, really want The Original Tree Swing Old Time Sling Shot, (thanks again, Uncrate). Why? Because it’s summertime. And we’re boys. And we’ve got all these empty cans and nothing to do with them. And it’s fun. (And, ahem, fun sells.)