TAKEAWAY: When CNN’s Guillermo Arduino comes on to tell us what the weather picture is going to be like tonight and tomorrow, I usually perk up and pay attention. Here is a weatherman who knows about storytelling and makes it fun, even when the weather story of the day is not.
Outside today: tons of snow
CNN’s Guillermo Arduino: the weatherman as great storyteller
My run thru Tiergarten this Friday morning: one pair of gloves was not enough to keep my hands warm in -8C
Not even the friendly ducks came out to play in the Tiergarten this morning: that’s a frozen river here.
That’s a parked car behind me, under that mountain of snow in a Berlin street yesterday. Guillermo had prepared me!
I don’t need a weather report this morning to tell me that it is all white outside, that the sun here in Berlin will not make an entrance, and that I should put on at least four layers of shirts on me to start my morning run thru the peaceful Tiergarten.
But I sat there last night and paid close attention to the weather report on CNN, because it was Guillermo Arduino telling me all about the snow covering most of Europe, the cold snap in China, and smiling mischievously as he exchanged weather notes with his colleague in London, Richard Quest.
I am a fan of Guillermo, even when I don’t like the weather he has in store for me these days.
What sets the Argentinean-born weatherman apart?
He is a storyteller, not just a weatherman.
His enthusiasm and passion for what he is doing come across in the first 10 seconds of his presentation.
He comes so well prepared that he makes that storm forming near the Philippines interesting, and he will manage to get actual images of how the weather is affecting the people in whatever region of the world the flood or the winds are creating havoc.
In other words, Guillermo takes the mundane, the type of segment which many viewers probably use to get up and go to the bathroom, check emails or catch up on a phone call, and makes it so personal, interesting and didactic, that we all become weather report fans. I often wonder if Guillermo trained as a teacher before embarking into his broadcasting career.
At the end, there is no secret to the success of Guillermo Arduino’s approach to his craft: he is passionate about doing the weather, he prepares well and does not leave a detail to chance, but, it is all so spontaneous and unscripted that you think someone with great powers (think God) has simply whispered weather somethings in Guillermo’s ear. He, in turn, listens, adds a smile, and tells me that, if in Berlin this weekend, I can expect more of the same: cold (-6C), snow and darkness.
Bad news was never more entertaining.
Travels with the Wall Street Journal
In our continued Show Me the Money series, today we bring you the latest from The Wall Street Journal, which already sells more than financial news in its unique style (you can buy wines from WSJ as well) and now, starting January 28, the WSJ Travel service.
In an email to its readers, the newspaper advertises its new WSJtrave where “you will find a collection of vacations that enrich your knowledge of places both new and familiar by immersing you into the heritage, culture and life of a destination. Plus, our Signature trips include unique experiences that are exclusive to WSJtravel…….Just as you have come to rely on The Wall Street Journal’s perspective of global events, many WSJtravel vacations will let you experience a destination from a completely new viewpoint.”
In addition to destination-based trips users of the service will also find a number of thematic trips, such as wine and food in Napa, a trip to Tuscany for bibliophiles and a culinary journey through Vietnam.
I believe that we will see more newspapers extending their brand into the areas of luxury living, tapping into rich data banks of information about their loyal readers to try to tap into their wallets as well.
When Mario Garcia Jr. takes a weekend trip to Florida’s Disney World with his family, he realizes how user friendly the whole Disney experience is, and thinks that web designers could turn to Mickey for some lessons.
Go to Garcia Interactive for Mario Jr.‘s blog:
http://garciainteractive.com/blog/view/52/
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