This week’s Weird Wednesday post is about a guy who created a brand and a movement by changing his life. But he didn’t just make a big change, he also made a feature length documentary about it. And he shared his story in a way that inspired other people to do the same.

The fellow’s name is Joe Cross. In the picture below, at over 300 pounds, he was on a huge medication regimen in the attempt to keep disease at bay. It wasn’t working.

You can watch a movie trailer of Joe’s documentary that tells a little about his story – how he discovered the wonders of juicing fresh vegetables and fruits, lost over 100 pounds and regained his health. The movie also talks about why there is so much obesity in our society.

The problem is that the available literature, systems and programs are failing to get these people off the couch and improving their diet. Until they heard Joe’s story, many of them had simply given up.

His story made waves. People struggling with obesity, illness and diabetes started listening. Some of them tried Joe’s juicing method and began creating their own success stories.

Which brings me to the reason I’m covering this story for Weird Wednesday. Joe didn’t take the standard path of showing up in spandex and trying to motivate people who simply could not relate to his story.

Instead he traveled the U.S. He talked to people on curbsides and wherever he could get someone to talk to him. He stopped people in grocery stores and asked if they could fathom how something that came from the earth turned into processed mac and cheese.

He talked to people about fresh foods and micronutrients, and he got people to taste his green juice that combines freshly juiced kale, cucumber, apples, celery and ginger.

And best of all, he chose a truly catchy and imaginative slogan for his whole endeavor. He didn’t choose a name that was reminiscent of all the other weight loss campaigns in existence today – all about being a lean, mean machine. The trouble is that people don’t believe they can get there when they are 100 pounds overweight and don’ t know how to begin.

Instead, he called the initiative:

Can we agree that that’s weird?

But it’s eye catching. It arouses curiosity. And before you know it, you’re captivated. You’re watching this guy’s videos, listening to his interviews and hearing how people have dropped weight, gotten off medications, jettisoned their migraines and gotten their lives back.

So that’s the story today. It’s weird but it worked. In a society where weight loss advertisements are everywhere and obesity is worse than ever before, someone needed to come up with something original that made people wake up and think.

To get an idea of the impact Joe Cross has had, check out the Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead Facebook page. This community page is a place where people can share their stories, compare notes on juicers and techniques and get support from one another while getting through the first few tough weeks of juicing.

Over 100,000 fans can’t be wrong. His weird approach worked. What innovative strategy might you come up with for your own business? Maybe it’s time to shake things up and do something a little outrageous!

To your health and your success,

Jayna

p.s. Have you used a highly innovative marketing approach to great effect? Or do you know a company that has? Share the story in this survey so we can cover it in a future Weird Wednesdays blog post!