"We're looking for that black penguin"



When I read the story about a one-in-a-zillion mutant black penguin spotted by Andrew Evans and captured on video for National Geographic, the first thing that I thought of was some idiot at an ad agency or some Wall Street finance shop turning the find in to yet another overused business cliché. 

I can see it now.  A goofball has a good day and says to his buddies:  "It was just a black penguin kind of thing.  Everything came together.  One in a zillion.  I swear."

Goofball's friend is on the phone the next day trying to sell and he says that the opportunity is a "legitimate black penguin. . .This opportunity may never come around again." 

The guy on the other end of the line hangs up and returns to his interviews.  He says to the candidate: "what we're looking for is that black penguin.  Everything is different now and we can't settle for anything less."

The candidate goes home and gets back to the book idea he had.  He renames the book:  Black Penguin - Mutant Business Planning For A New Era.  We end up with The Black Penguin Effect, Black Penguins: How Oddballs Are Essential To Your Success, Black Penguin Marketing, The Black Penguin Generation. . .

All because Andrew Evans saw a black penguin on the subantarctic island of South Georgia.
 

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