In a market where we are constantly trying to reinvent ourselves, sometimes we need to simply go back to the basics. Whether looking for likes and smiles from people we may not know, looking for ways to brand our businesses, attract more customers, and spending thousands of dollars trying to do it, there is no doubt we are in a different era.

10-12 years ago, my wife had taken the kids to Chick-fil-A for lunch, in her words, as an escape for the boys to ramble the jungle gym and a break for her. Juggling three kids that day and struggling to open a drink for the baby, Mr. Watson, who was having lunch with Ed Forman at the time, came over and gave Lorraine Walsh-Rowan one of these, with a smile.

To this day, it gets pulled out whenever a jar cannot be opened, just like the BBQ jar yesterday! Some will smile, as many talk about Mr. Watson and his jar openers, but this one has stood the test of time, is at least 10 years old I believe, and still has a place in our kitchen drawer! Maybe the number of offices is not right today, but a testament to Mr. Watsons success I hear you say.

How many real likes does this contraption get behind the scenes for this simple marketing effort? For the record, my wife is NOT a hoarder and sheds everything to my dismay that does not have a use or has not moved in some time! Maybe going back to basics sometimes is not a bad thing, focusing on real likes and smiles that we can relate to still has a special place for us all in today’s world.