Need a shot of motivation? Â How about seeing yourself on the cover of Fast Company as Small Business Owner of the Year?
Yes, that’s me in the image.  And no, I’m not really on the cover of Fast Company. I only look like I made the cover, because I used the Hiscox Reactor.
Hiscox, an insurance company that focuses on small business coverage, has launched an interactive “experience.†It gives you a multimedia presentation and at the end, presents you with an image of yourself on the cover of Fast Company.
Hiscox says, “Every action has a reaction. Launch the Reactor and see how every decision you make in life and business are all connected, and the amazing places they can take you.† Kevin Kerridge, Head of Small Business for Hiscox USA calls it a “visual voyage through each individual’s past experience.â€
Using the Reactor makes you feel like you are a ball moving through a Rube Goldberg machine â€" or, as some might call it, a 3D pinball sculpture or gravitram. The online experience lasts about a minute and a half.
You log in in using your LinkedIn profile. It pulls some of your data from LinkedIn to personalize it. For instance, at one point it shows profile pictures of some of your LinkedIn connections.  Here are two of my connections:  Andy Birol on the left peeking out from under Shashi Bellamkonda.
The entire thing reinforces the Hiscox brand. Â For instance, it almost exclusively uses the Hiscox corporate colors of black, red and white.
There’s even a built-in advertisement for Hiscox â€" although it is understated.  As your pinball is moving through life, it comes to a part where you run into a problem. You start going down, down, down and almost fall into a “major setback†black hole (see screenshot below).  And then you see a mobile phone that says incoming call from Hiscox â€" and at the last minute you are saved from an irrecoverable fate â€" presumably by having Hiscox insurance coverage.
After you get back on the track of success, you roll the down the red carpet. You end up under the spotlight as “Business Owner of the Year.â€
You can choose different versions of the presentation â€" for entrepreneurs, consultants, creative people, architect/engineers, real estate or technology professionals.  And at the end you can be directed to a page with selected informational resources, depending on the industry you selected.
It’s a short diversion from your workday, and may give you a shot in the arm.  After all, who doesn’t want to see his or her name and face on the cover of a magazine?
To see for yourself how it works, you go to Reactor.Hiscox.com.