In business, the common reaction to any of your detractors is to combat them or disengage with them. Many see them as the “enemy”. When trying to build credibility within your brand, you must resist these urges and embrace them. The same people who are critical of you can become your greatest source of honest insights. A brand can not please everyone, but they can stay engaged with everyone. Here are a few benefits of this approach:

• Shows respect – Almost everyone is looking for respect and to be heard. By being combative or ignoring your detractors, shows a great lack of respect. The danger is, often they are your customers and by treating your customers like this, is a sure way of damaging your brand. Respect is not about always agreeing, but about honest listening and seeing the valid points that are brought up. Instead of reacting in a defensive posture, be open and show respect for their viewpoints. A very wise person who is head of a global company keeps a piece of paper in his pocket at all times. It reads, “What if they’re right?”. This reminds him that in any given situation, he could be wrong and to be humble enough to learn from them.

• Shows candor – By allowing the opposition to voice their opinion, you in turn, are free to state your case. With today’s social media, it’s dangerous to ignore a trend or a group that is critical of your brand. “Silence means consent” is more true now than ever. This doesn’t mean you go on the attack. Remember, these are either your customers or they are listening in on the conversation and are judging you accordingly. No one likes a bully in person or in business. This doesn’t mean you are a doormat either. Instead of telling them why they are wrong, your approach should be one of clarifying what you are trying to do and it may not have been executed or communicated perfectly. Dialog is encouraged instead of arguing. You are able to learn as well as stand for what you believe in and find common ground.

• Shows heart – What I mean by this is, your heart is in the right place. By embracing your detractors, your brand proves that it is all about the customer and trying to fulfill a mission to serve them better. It doesn’t mean perfect or that you’ll agree on everything, but even your harshest critics will have to admit that your intentions and efforts are genuine and you’re not out just to exploit them to make money. People and customers want to know that your brand is more than just money. Today’s brand needs to have their core purpose be soul deep and to be about making life better.

One of the hidden blessings of customers and critics pointing out something they dislike is at least they care enough to say something. This means they care enough about your brand to point out an area of improvement. If they didn’t care about your brand or industry, they would just quietly walk away and buy somewhere else and you would not even know they left or why. With enough of these “silent” detractors leaving your brand, eventually, you’re out of business or become irrelevant. So my recommendation is to reach out, hug your critics and engage in dialog with them. They will become your best R&D and marketing department you’ve ever had.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

Here is a formula to consider when thinking about gaining loyal customers: Communication + Relationship = Brand. Here’s how I define each part.

Communication: Nothing can happen, whether personal or business, without effective communication. This goes way beyond “corporate communications” and PR. This is about deep sharing of who you are and what your purpose in the world is. It’s also about empathy and a genuine desire to learn about what life issues are important to your customers as it relates to your brand and how you can help. Great communication is not just press releases and product saturated ads. It’s about promoting higher ideals and an ethos of how your brand can contribute to the well being of your customer. Everything from the copy on the packaging to marketing and advertising, to your online presence, all need to be in sync about communicating higher ideals, not just “buy my stuff”. How would you feel if your friend or loved one only communicated to you if they wanted something from you? Your customers feel the same way.

Relationship: Business is not about selling. It’s about genuine caring. If a brand is just selling, then you’re reduced to commodity and will be fighting over nickels and dimes. By communicating a clear value system and higher ideals, a you can show the human side of your brand and create an intimate relationship that is way beyond selling. This benefits all involved. The customer wins by knowing a company truly cares about making their life better and that they are there for a higher purpose than just “selling” them something. The brand wins by developing passionate and loyal customers. This will even go as deep as them not only forgiving any missteps, but to be a willing participant in the fix and be happy to do so. As in a personal relationship, both are emotionally involved and committed through thick and thin.

Brand: Creating meaningful relationships is what brand is all about. A brand should mean something that is emotion based. For example, people love Zappos even though they can buy the same products somewhere else. Zappos has been able to communicate their higher ideal and create the human relationship through stellar telecommunications that doesn’t feel like a phone bank, but more like two friends talking. Method is loved by millions, not because they are one of the first green products that actually cleans, but because they have communicated effectively they wanted to create a company that works for their customer and the planet. And they back it up through their actions. They don’t believe in one having to sacrifice for the other. Brand is the result of how well you have communicated (internally and externally) in everything from copy on the package to the advertising and how genuine is your relationship (it should be centered more around a higher ideal and ethos than “selling”.)

The interesting thing about brand is you get one whether you manage your communications and relationships well or not. Do these things well, you have a brand that customers love. Do it poorly or not at all, you have a brand that people either hate or ignore. As Mena Suvari said in American Beauty, “I don’t know anything worse than being ordinary.”

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

Today, the world has lost a visionary and probably one of the most important figures of the Twentieth Century, Steve P. Jobs. I believe the world is greatly sadden and grieving along side his family, close friends, and business associates. Steve proved that great design and aesthetics is just as important, and even more important, than sheer technology alone. Making things beautiful was one of his genius qualities.

From my personal viewpoint, he has allowed me to make a very good living by providing wonderful technology that is so intuitive, that I didn’t need to go to MIT to know how to operate a Mac. I’ve been a Mac user and Apple customer since the late 80′s. His products have enriched my life both, from a professional and a personal aspect. I still remember my first iPod. In fact, I still have it along side the very first iPhone and the other array of i-products. My family has been a beneficiary of Steve’s genius as they experience the world of Mac and Apple throughout their lives. I must say, we are a family and a business that is proud to be counted as a Mac and Apple follower. Through good and not-so-good, Steve has been able to stay focused on his vision and goals to change the world for the better. I believe he has accomplished his goal of “make a dent in the world”.

As a designer by trade, it is because of Apple that I’m able to create and provide our clients with effective, entertaining, and visually stunning marketing campaigns that has helped our clients be successful. And for that, I am very grateful and thankful that Steve Jobs and Apple has opened the way for me to participate in the technology revolution and evolution. I hope the next generation of leadership at Apple continues the progress and vision that Steven Jobs has always followed throughout his life. It’s not about being safe or predictable or ordinary. It’s about creating a new world that makes life better and more fulfilled for “the rest of us.”

This video sums up what Steven Jobs is about and what I hope his successors continue.

I send my sympathy to his family and friends. Rest in peace, Steven P. Jobs. Thank you for your impact on my life.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

Here’s an interesting question: Do consumers really care about how old your company is or if it’s your 50th anniversary? Many businesses, especially small business, tend to lead with this fact when pitching to prospects or communicating to new customers proudly saying, “We’ve been around for X number of years.” The accepted notion is that longevity matters when customers buy brands. I disagree. Yes, there are exceptions, but overall, customers don’t really take how long you’ve been in business as a sign of a great brand. Here are a few common “myths” about emphasizing the age of your business:

• It communicates trust – Many believe, both large and small companies, that a business who has been around for a long time is more trust-worthy. This is not necessarily true. Yes, some industries such as banking, longevity means something, but for the most part, just because you’ve been in business 20, 50, or even 100 years, doesn’t really mean much when it comes to trusting a brand. It’s not what you did 50 years ago, it’s what you do now and will do in the future. Apple started April 1, 1976 (incorporated January 3, 1977). Rarely do you ever hear from them in their marketing or brand communication that “we are over 35 years old”. What makes you love them is what they stand for now and how they keep innovating and bringing you cool gadgets and reinventing how you view technology. On the other side, Facebook is only 7 years old, but you never hear people saying they don’t want to be on their site because they are so new. The number of years doesn’t mean you are more or less trustworthy. It’s your actions that count, not your age.

• It communicates tradition – Some believe that the older the company, the deeper the “tradition of excellence”. It may be true in a narrow way, but that can be just as deceiving. At first glance, customers may be impressed that you have been doing your thing for over 30 years, but once you get into the heart of their needs, you may have the wrong type of experience they are looking for. This shows how skin-deep the number of years truly is. A great brand continually seeks out to reinvent itself and progress as their customers change, while still remaining true to the core essence of your brand position. It is often the companies who look at a staid industry and say, why do we have to do things the way it has been done the past 50 years? Why not do it differently? This is what customers really want, true innovation and to be surprised. They will take innovation over tradition most of the time.

• It communicates stability – The recent events from 2008 to present definitely teaches a first-hand lesson that just because you’ve been in business for over decades doesn’t mean your business is stable. Lehman Brothers – 158 years old, gone. BlockBusters – 26 years old, gone. GMC – 101 years old, needed bail out to avoid being gone. Stability has nothing to do with age, it has everything to do with how strong and meaningful your brand is to today’s world. As long as you stay relevant, you stay stable. Companies such as Apple, Nike, and P&G have been able to keep their brands relevant to their customers.

Saying you’ve been around a while is a plus. I agree. I often use that myself. The point is, it’s not a lead key message. It’s a sidebar note. You’re key messages should be all about what’s in it for your customer. How old you are or that it’s your 40th anniversary is all about you and is more for your employees and shareholders. So, go ahead and celebrate and be proud, but don’t think your customers care about it as much as you do.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

I know many will be busy with holiday activities and family, so this blog is just to wish everyone a wonderful holiday and safe travels, where ever you may be going. It is in this spirit, I would like to share with you about a foundation we are deeply involved with one of our clients. The band, Blessid Union of Souls, is going back on tour. They’ve done the rock star thing (platinum album, 7 top 40 hits), so this tour is for something more meaningful. They’ve started a foundation called Hire Calling. It is to help people with disabilities to find employment. We are helping with our marketing expertise. At the end of this blog, I’ve attached the brand document we’ve created to give focus and explain core benefits of the foundation.

Hire Calling will work with business around the country in employing people with disabilities. It will be a local execution even though the foundation will be national in scope. The idea is the foundation will pay for their salaries and remove the risk of employment. The business will give them an honest chance to earn a place on their team for long-term employment. It will be a three-year program. Year one: Hire Calling will pay their full salary. Year two: Hire Calling will pay 50% of their salary. Year three: Hire Calling will pay 25% of their salary. We will be asking for donations, individual investors, and sponsorships to help fund the foundation. We are not asking for charity. Our clients want to work and contribute. This gives them back their self-worth and self-respect.

Blessid Union of Souls wanted their tour to be more substance and not just about a rock band. This concept was inspired by a loyal fan of theirs named Ann. She attends every show that she can. She does have a disability and lost her job at Chick-fil-A after working there for 10 years. The band saw the same thing happen to Ann’s other friend who are in the same situation as she. So, this is also personal to Blessid Union of Souls.

We are in the middle of development and will be launching the foundation in February. If you would like more information, please feel free to comment on this blog and I will answer any questions you may have. I’ll announce the launch on this blog.

www.bebranded
317-797-7226

Brand Doc

About Hire Calling

Retailers have taken a beating over the last 12-18  months and this holiday season didn’t look much better. Many people just don’t have the money to spend. To compound the problem, those who do, feel guilty and don’t want to be seen as over indulging on conspicuous consumption, so they just hold on to their money or spend less. What to do? Retailers have found a way to do good while selling more.

Instead of asking you to donate a $1 for a particular charity, many retailers have attached a charity to your purchase. If you buy a Wii at Target, you also are donating to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. If you buy a tie for dear ol’ dad you are contributing to a child’s joy though the Make A Wish Foundation via Macy’s. Cause marketing is allowing consumers to spend money AND feel good about themselves. Consumers are responding by buying. This gives them a logical reason on why to go ahead and buy the new Jay-Z headphones because they’ll be helping the Toys for Tots Foundation. Consumers also like the fact they are not asked to “donate a $1 or $5″ for a charity and feel guilty for not adding that extra money to their already large tab. They are giving just by buying.

Cause marketing is not new, but it has become a tactic that is working this holiday season. The key is that it must make sense to your brand and it must be genuine. We all know when a company is just “using” a charity for selfish reasons. The goodwill gesture must be in line with your brand position. It must support the core reason of why you exist as a business. The critical factor is to find alignment with your brand and the brand of the charity.

Marketers also need to create a win-win-win situation. The customer must win by feeling good about their purchase. The charity must win by gaining financially and awareness. The marketer must win by extending their core brand. This happens when the cause is a natural extension of the brand promise. (ToysRUs = Toys for Tots).

A note to charities and not-for-profits: don’t be too self-righteous about working with marketers and believing consumerism is bad. It is the success of business that allows for corporate funds to flow your way. It is the rise in profits that raises the level of all boats in the harbor, so to speak. Embrace business. In fact, I know of several national and global charities who have brought in former CEOs of business to help them run their organizations like a business. The end result is more financial gain to help those they serve. The more the profits, the more people that are affected.

As long as you keep your brand consistent, cause marketing can be a great tactic to extend your brand and to show your customers a new way of seeing that brand come to life in a meaningful way. Just because you’re trying to do good, doesn’t mean you abandon sound marketing principles.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

This entry leans more toward business philosophy than branding or marketing, but it is related. In my experiences with Fortune 500 companies and small businesses, there’s one quality that I notice that seems to be missing in a number of them. That’s quality of being great. Ultimately, people want to be a part of something great. Great causes, great bands, great brands. Now, there are many companies who are building something great. Wal-Mart – their mission is to helping people live better lives by saving them money on quality brands they could otherwise not afford. Southwest Airlines – their mission is to democratize the skies giving people freedom to fly by providing low-cost travel that almost anyone can afford. Bello Romance Photography – a small entrepreneur whose mission is to capture the romance that every woman wants to see when she looks at photos of her special events. These are just a few examples from large to small of companies who are striving to achieve greatness.

Now, what I mean by great is not a mushy, sentimental idea. Greatness takes a huge amount of effort, commitment, and focus, all grounded in reality of the marketplace and an honest view of competitors. To be great takes courage over the long haul and that’s why so many companies fail to achieve it. This courage takes place when, at times, you will be standing alone, going against the trends, and staying true to the core mission of why your company is in business in the first place. Greatness also requires you to lead, not follow. That’s why when I conduct brand sessions, I require companies to think why they do what they do beyond  making money. If it’s just making money, I don’t think you can achieve greatness in it’s truest form. You may get rich, but I know many rich who aren’t great.

By striving to be great, here are a few concepts that seem to be consistent in that pursuit. One is you attract the right employees. You get people who believe in your company’s mission and cause. By getting the right people, management is made easier. You don’t have to motivate. No silly corporate, motivational games. People work and contribute as if they owned the company. In a sense, they do, they own the cause your company is set out to do. Whole Foods have largely been able to attract passionate people to work there all because of their mission – to nourish the body, the community and the planet. As I’ve heard before, “If you have to manage someone, you made a wrong hire.” Another benefit is you no longer become a commodity, but a cause. Customers begin to become emotionally loyal to your brand, not because your product is better. It may or may not. The real move from commodity to uniqueness is what your brand stands for something beyond making money. Apple has been able to harness this quality because consumers see them unleash the power of creativity into their hands. Because of Apple, they too can create and show the world what they can do. One other thing about being great, it takes just about the same amount of effort to be great than to be just good. This may seem counter-intuitive, but to be good takes a large amount of effort and commitment. To be great doesn’t take much more. The difference is in the mindset of being willing to lead and not follow, to not get lazy and settle on the small details while pursuing the big picture, and to always remember why you’re in business in the first place.

Being great isn’t just about being altruistic. A cup of coffee can be great. An online music service can be great. A brand can be great. It just takes a mission that is beyond making money and making a difference in your customer’s lives. Greatness leads, it never follows. To me, that is one standard you can hold your company up to while striving to be great.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

I was in a discussion with a client a few days ago. The topic that came up was does brand and corporate culture really affect bottom line revenue? Some of the executive committee believed it does. The other half thought the ideas were too “soft” to make any real difference. Of course, mission, core values, and purpose came into play as well (see: Mission, core values, and brand). Again, half thought it was very necessary and the other half thought it didn’t affect how the company performed in the market place. Here are my thoughts about the subject.

First off, to me, culture is really internal brand. It’s what a company stands for to their employees, stakeholders, and vendors. It’s no different than the brand a company exudes externally. I do believe that internal brand/culture plays a big part in driving revenue. Because our customers are human, they operate on emotion. Granted, men tend to go more on logic, but in today’s world, women drive an overwhelming percentage of purchase decisions both B2C and B2B (see: Women in control of your marketing dollars) The business landscape has changed as well. Women are achieving greater power in upper management and the executive suite. Men do use subjective measures to figure out who to buy from (golf anyone?), but they use a different set of emotional criteria.

Internal brand/culture is more than just a feel-good type of thing. It’s not about people getting along, being a “family”. True culture is a way of living. It’s an esprit de corps. Some of the best cultures are hard and extremely demanding because they expect only the best performance, everyday. To those who are attracted to this, that’s what makes it great. The feeling of belonging to an elite group who’s on top of their game, ready to prove their worth under fire. Look at the Navy Seals, Apple, and WalMart. Other cultures can be centered around softer issues like Google and Starbucks. Either way, they still carry the same demands and expectations of adhering to what makes that company unique. So how does internal brand/culture affect the revenue?

• It attracts the right talent – Not everyone is built to work at every company. Just because they are a disaster at Company A, doesn’t mean they’re a loser. That’s why you see some average employees move to a different company and become superstars. If your internal brand/culture is clear and the expectations are defined, you’ll attract the type of talent that will align with the company’s goals, mission, values, etc. It’s been said, you don’t get people to “buy in” on the company values and mission. They must believe that way to begin with. You don’t have to manage the right talent. As a result, most people will agree, talent wins in the market place. The company with the right talent will dominate their sector and in the end, produce financial results. What would you rather have, a group of superstars or a group that just gets along?

• It creates unity – I’m not talking a “kum-by-yah” moment. It’s about unity of purpose. A well defined internal brand/culture unifies individuals into a cohesive team. Everyone pouring their energies and talent into a singular direction. When talent is aligned with the company mission and purpose, mountains can be moved. This is where Tom Peters states that “soft is hard, and hard is soft.” He’s talking about the soft issues like brand and culture have the ability to move mountains because of the infinite resources humans possess. The hard are things like technology or the newest product extension. They can be easily overtaken by someone else who creates an 8-speed over your 7-speed gadget.

• It creates how a company is perceived – In today’s environment, doing good is as important as what your company does for money. This is especially true amongst the up and coming 15 – 30 year olds. People know when you’re being a fake and in the end, you’ll be punished by the market place both financially and in PR. Your culture must be perceived as real and authentic. If you are genuine, the general public, your customers, and prospects will gain more respect for your company and will be glad to spend their money with you. This authenticity only comes when everyone in your organization believes in what it does and their purpose.

For those who want some stats to make this soft issue more concrete, I offer these:

• 46% of business financial performance results from corporate culture. Great companies have defined and known cultures.

• Companies with a clear internal brand outperform their competitors by 33% in customer retention.

• Culture driven companies outpace their sector in sales growth by and annual of 51%.

• These companies are 38% more profitable than those without a defined culture.

(from The Future of Human Resource Management by Meisinger and Ulrich)

To me, the biggest benefit of all is a company can invest their resources into activities that further their mission and purpose and spend less in trying to “manage” people. The right culture brings the right talent, keeps that talent, and leverages that talent to it’s fullest. And, as a result, the company become financially successful, not because it chased money, but instead, it built a company where high performance is respected.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

This entry is a little different than my normal thoughts about branding, marketing, and advertising. I felt the need to address the idea of big business and philanthropy. The idea came about through a conversation with a few business colleagues. One owned a business and the conversation came up to why should he try to grow a large business when all he wanted was to make a decent living and spend time with his family and doing charity work (which he loved to do and believed in)? One was as recent graduate who had ambitions to make a big difference in the world. The others worked at large corporations who had charitable programs that supported many organizations who were doing good. Most of the group saw philanthropy and growing a business as separate issues. I see it differently.

I see growing a business to it’s maximum potential, or growing your division as profitable as possible, as a means to an end. To those who are passionate about  philanthropy and making a “dent” in the world (as Steven Jobs would say), it takes capital and financial resources. As today’s economy has blatantly shown, without corporate profits, there is no major philanthropy. Both from a corporate side or the investor side. I know many see big business as evil. That’s very narrow sighted and wrong. Big business is not inherently evil or good. It’s just a fact. What you do with the resources is what can be termed evil or good. Being a pastor’s son, I have been raised with a certain set of core values. I want to make a dent in the world for the better, but I see my way of doing so is by making my integrated marketing agency as big and profitable as possible. This will give me the resources to pour into the causes and organizations that will do the world the most good. I also see our role in helping our clients become as large as possible in order for them to fund the charitable programs they support. I see our role as much more than our own selves.

Why do I believe this? I hold this concept as true because I’ve seen what the power of financial backing can do when placed behind a great cause. My father’s church is on the front lines. Instead of building a $1mil wing to the church or adding amenities and luxuries for the congregation, they pour their financial resources into buying groceries for families in need and paying utility bills for those who would otherwise go without. The more money they had available, the more families they could help, the bigger the difference they can make in their community.

I believe that growing a business or division to it’s fullest potential is a key driver in making a difference in the world. I know that human capital – the many volunteers – are very important. They are on the front lines doing the hard work. But as in any battle, soldiers without weapons and resources will not be able to do their jobs and are totally ineffective. That’s the key role big business plays. I know that I’m not alone. Jack Welch has often said that building winning businesses is extremely beneficial for society. Winning businesses contribute to the overall attitude of their employees. It contributes financial support to worthy charitable organizations. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are prime examples of taking big business and making a huge dent in the world. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet represent the two groups I mentioned earlier (corporations and investors). The recent grad in our group asked the question of why should she spend her time with trying to become expert in her field instead of going straight to a not-for-profit group? Knowing her well, I knew she wanted to make a big difference and wouldn’t be satisfied just donating her Saturdays helping out at public functions. My reply was who is going to effect more people quicker: the big business that has a philanthropy program that contributes $2mil a year or an individual who donates their Saturdays? In this she saw the point, which is beyond giving of your time, building a great business IS a means to an end. In addition to financial support, great businesses can give of their expertise and knowledge. I know that our agency markets for causes we believe in. We leverage our expertise in integrated marketing to get their message out and be as effective as our “real” clients. As we know, awareness is half the battle. The other half is to reach them emotionally of why they should even care.

So to those who only want to grow their business to just a corner store or two, or to those who just want to be comfortable, think about how much good you can do by building great businesses that reach their full potential. Our role is to help our clients build those great businesses so they, in turn, will have the resources to change the world for the better. As I’ve heard before, humans are the only things in nature that CHOOSES to not reach their full potential.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

One of the core questions facing every CEO or small business owner is: How do you grow your business? There are many ways to get this accomplished. How do you know what is the right path to take? How much investment will it cost? Should I grow my current base or search out new markets? Because every business has limited money, limited personnel, and limited expertise, it can be difficult to know how to invest and where to invest your resources, both human and financial.

I would like to present a tool that helps clarify and simplify the initial process of knowing where and how to grow your business or market(s). It’s called a “Growth Matrix”. It looks like this:

Growth Matrix

Here’s how it works. The Growth Matrix helps you visually see where are the possibilities lie to grow your business. It helps you create a plan that provides direction and discipline. Your business is currently in the lower left box. You can grow by finding related or new markets or offering related or new products/services. Each time you move into another box, you need to acquire new knowledge and expertise within the organization. This is how you decide where to invest. If you move from your current product serving your current customers to offering your current product to a related market, you need to acquire new knowledge about that market space. If you decide to offer your current market a different, but related service, your company needs to acquire additional skills and expertise. Here is an example:

In taking a look at this matrix, you can see the possibilities in generating growth alternatives. By mapping the alternatives out, you can decide where would be the best bet to invest your resources. Keep in mind, as you move diagonally to the upper right corner, it will take more knowledge in learning new markets AND more expertise to offer new products/services. This will prepare you to allocate enough resources to accomplish your next stage of growth.

This tool is beneficial in several ways:
• It keeps your company disciplined in focusing on a single area
• It keeps your company from “shot-gunning” and not waste dollars and effort
• It allows you to strategize and focus your marketing and advertising dollars
• It provides a systematic, long-term plan to increase growth from one year to the next

All growth efforts have risk, but in using the Growth Matrix, you can lower the risk by seeing what it could take to grow with various alternatives. I would be interested in hearing how your growth plan works for your company.

Note: I was introduced to this concept by a wonderful business researcher, Don Sexton. He has developed marketing programs for many businesses across the U.S.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226