There your team is...4th quarter, 4th and goal. The opposing team is leading with a score of 21 to your team's 20. Instead of using a bit of insurance by electing to punt for extra point to, at least, tie ballgame and buy some "overtime," some bright idea is circulated throughout your team to, instead, run ball into end zone.

"No! Don't do it!" you yell.

However, your yells and screams at television go largely unheeded. You have an instant premonition of Murphy's Law coming into full effect. In fact, Murphy's Law is now upon you.

The quarterback cries, "33! 46! 33! 27! Hut! Hut! Hu-..."

Crash! Boom! Knock!

"Ouch! Oomph! Ugh! Get off my finger!"

This sudden interruption in quarterback's final "Hut!" was largely result of several very LARGE men, with even larger uniforms, piling atop him.

"Well, on final 30 seconds, a brick wall was awaiting quarterback," television announcer comments.

Oops! Ye olde Quarterback Sneak just ain't what it used to be...the linemen are much smarter today.

When America's team, Dallas Cowboys, would lose in this ostentatious manner, in my house, you had better be long gone from room, and out front door, lest an unexpected trip to Emergency room awaited you.

For my brother, who was a wee bit more than simply an avid fan, would literally cry, curse, slobber, break furniture, hurt innocent bystanders and, subsequently, seek a small caliber handgun for full effect (it is truly awful to witness a grown man react in this manner).

Several minutes later, about a mile down street, and from behind a tree, I would yell back, "Mickey! They're getting millions of dollars to lose game! All YOU'RE getting is acute hypertension! Can I come home now?"

While this article isn't about football per se, it is about a game...the serious game of "Business." The goals on each end of field are called "online" and "offline." The main player is you. Your opponent is "publicity."

One of widely held misconceptions about Internet, is that it is an alternative, a replacement, a "savior," from traditional processes of business industry.

Because our VCs would never believe dog story, we decided to spend our marketing dollars on other, less glamorous, measures. I'd like to tell story of one particular campaign, because it yielded a 36% click-through, added tons of people to our permission database, and exposed a qualified group of people to our brand.

1000 pounds of chocolate It all started with bare essentials of an e-mail campaign: a targeted opt-in e-mail list, an intriguing subject line, a personalized message, and 1000 pounds of chocolate. Okay, let me explain chocolate. We knew we had to come up with a compelling offer that would elicit response and enhance our brand, so we co-marketed with a well-known chocolatier to give away wrapped boxes of truffles.

We blasted mass e-mail out with subject line, "mmmm…c h o c o l a t e !" When users opened e-mail, they were told they could give chocolates to a special someone simply by registering on our site. In Pavlovian reaction, respondents flooded site and over 20% of those who visited converted into opt-in registrants. Though it took only a minute, registration process involved answering several demographic questions; giving us your gift recipient's name and e-mail; and filling in five e-mails of people you think would be interested in giving chocolate to a friend.