When you think differently, magic happens

Magic is entrancing, entertaining, and delightful. After a magic trick, everyone asks, “How did he do that?” Magician, marketing guru, and sought-after speaker, Andy Cohen demonstrated his sleight-of-hand abilities to help audience members challenge assumptions and perform their own magic.

“We need to look at our assumptions and challenge them,” says Cohen. We often think that our assumptions are truths. However, if we consider that assumptions are only beliefs, we gain new insights that can lead us to more actionable choices. For example, it’s assumed that advertising drives the brand. The challenge: customer experience drives the brand. This, then, provides more opportunities for improvement.

Cohen was an immediate hit with the audience, as he used illusions, plus personal and professional experiences, to illustrate how long-held notions about customers and marketing models may not be what they seem. He even taught a simple trick, the French Drop, where a coin seemed to have disappeared. However, if you watch the other hand, instead of the misdirection, you would see that the coin simply dropped. Of course, it never really disappeared. This is why Cohen suggests we ‘Follow the Other Hand.’ It’s also the title of his most-recent, best-selling business book.

Summing up, Cohen told the audience about the World’s Greatest Secret. And that secret is you! It’s your knowledge and how you use that knowledge. He urged people to incorporate their passions, leverage their strengths and apply their values. This is when the real magic happens.

Special thanks to Syngenta and John Deere for helping bring the marketing magic of Andy Cohen to NAMA members.