• Strategy + business, Wednesday, September 15, 2010 11 AM

When Dick Richards noticed a link buried in a list on the home page of Zappos that advised, "Don't ever click here," he did, of course, and opened a YouTube video of the Muppet rock band performing, as lead singer Beaker lip-syncs, "Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down." It is a not-so-subtle message to Zappos' customers and perhaps to its employees as well, he writes.

Another link opened a company-produced video in which employees talk about their favorite Zappos values -- there are 10 values in total -- with the same conviction and enthusiasm that the Muppet band brings to its musical antics. A clear winner: "Create fun and a little weirdness."

Weirdness may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of shoe retailing, but then again neither are things like innovation, massive growth, or a large payoff from a huge acquisition. All of those apply to Zappos, however, where a little weirdness -- combined with faith that putting extraordinary effort into building a desirable company culture -- has provided a sure path to business success.

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