I had a chance to chat with Daniel Burstein at MarketingSherpa about LEARFIELD’s rebrand. It was a chance to dig into the details and share insights for other marketers who might be considering a change to their enterprise brand or identity.
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brand building
I was recently reintroduced to a great definition of branding (thanks, Lisa). The best-selling author Seth Godin wrote “a brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a customer or client’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” This provides a bit of a framework that one can use to evaluate the strength of your brand, how you think about your brand building activities, and how you track and measure success of your business.
Expectations: the standard to which your brand is measured
Expectations can take many forms and can come from multiple directions. They can be set when a customer or potential customers sees your advertisements, hears a warranty claim, or is told about a product or service by a trusted colleague or friend. Sometimes expectations are set by competitors or by those performing services in other industries that raise customer requirements. Managing expectations is a key contributor to all successes. The dynamics of expectations exist in personal relationships and shows in company stock prices. The same holds true for companies wishing to build a brand. Understanding the expectations and requirements of the customer is critical. As Clayton Christensen said in his “theory of jobs to be done”:
When we buy a product, we essentially "hire" it to help us do a job. If it does the job well, the next time we're confronted with the same problem, we hire the product again. If it does a crummy job, we "fire" it and we look for an alternative.
The evaluation of the product as being well-suited for the job or “crummy” can be expressed as the ratio of how well the product actually performed as compared to how well it was expected to perform.
When I helped grow the desktop monitor business back in the early days of flat panels, we offered an industry-leading 3-year warranty with 2-day advanced replacement. Something we eventually named the “Customer First” warranty. Unheard of in the industry, but it immediately built trust for an unknown brand in a new category of product that few had purchased yet. It contributed to a fast growing and sustainable business. Sometimes, as the authors Eddie Yoon and Christopher Lochhead propose, “first mover advantage” goes not to the original innovator or even the company first to market, but to the one who understands their customer best and creates the category.
So, ask yourself how well do you know the expectations of your customers? What is the problem they are trying to solve? How well do you solve it (in their evaluation, not yours)? Who in your industry “owns” the standard for expectations for your product or service? Who is setting the standard for quality, delivery, and performance that are now table stakes in your industry? What can you do to set customer expectations higher in a place where you are better suited to deliver than others? How can you fashion a warranty or service pledge that sets the bar? How do you measure customer satisfaction and is it truly capturing the expectations of your customers? Are there some unfulfilled expectations in your category, or in other industries, that you could uniquely address for your customers?
Memories: the impressions your brand leaves behind
Memories of your brand are centered in the customer experience. User experience (UX), often manifested in user interfaces (UI), or the larger field of customer experience (CX) has been of growing interest to companies and is seen as a key differentiator to those who do it well. But memories are experiences reflected upon. The American philosopher and educational reformer, John Dewey, once said, “we do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.” Experiences must be harvested for insights for true learning or change to occur. Memories of brand interactions is what builds your brand and shared memories build your reputation.
Because memories are not facts, you can frame how people remember. When online retailing start, the idea of returning a product through the mail was a hassle. Companies thought of returns as a necessary evil of doing business. Then came disrupters. Nordstrom is said to have allowed a return of tires (even though they don’t sell tires). Zappos, the online footwear retailer bought by Amazon, likes to say they were a “customer service company that happened to sell shoes” and offered free returns from the start. This was deemed genius. They created a customer by making it possible to comfortably buying a personal product like shoes over the internet. Even though some people would buy two sizes to send back one, most still viewed returns as something to avoid. Returns were still reverse logistics. Today, there are companies like StitchFix (personalized styling) and Warby Parker (prescription eyewear) that rely on returns as an expected part of their business model. This reframing, enabled by data, is where business model innovation lies.
What do you do to measure the experience that people have with your product or services? Is there anything negative in their perception that might be reframed to solve a customer pain point? What is their experience with you before they use your product or service in the sales or marketing processes of your company? What is their experience after they use the product as they seek out service, support, or higher utilization? How do your customers describe their interactions with your brand after the fact, when they are recommending you to a friend, or warning a friend never to use your product? Where did they experience frustration or a feeling of success? What emotions are associated with your product or service? How to you measure the weight of a memory?
Stories: how your brand lives forever
Stories are powerful. The stories brands tell about themselves, or more importantly about their customers, can have a meaningful impact. Brands build trust by talking about their history of innovation or featuring case studies from other respected brands. But even more powerful is the role that your brand plays in the stories of your customer. A customer holding a Starbucks cup is not telling the a story about a coffee grower or roaster. It might be part of a larger narrative where a person is hard-working, prosperous, and deserving of a personalized reward like a tall, double, non-fat, caramel latte. Wearing Nike shoes might not just support their arches on the track, but reflect their belief in personal achievement or social justice. The old adage “no one gets fired for buying an IBM,” spoke to the trust that the brand built among corporations. It was the story individuals would tell about themselves when they, too, bought an IBM and were part of the club of insiders who knew best.
You might think you are in the business of synthesizing chemicals, renting hotel rooms, or decorating cupcakes, but to your customers, your brand might very well be a prop or a setting of their own unfolding story. Your product might compete with other categories in fulfilling the emotional needs of your customers. Does expertly navigating through the city with Waze have the same emotional payback as getting unique access to a concert because you hold a premium Mastercard account? Is your service contract helping your customer qualify for a promotion? Your product could not just be something they use or something they do, but it reflects on who they are. This is where contextual insights are so important.
What do customers do immediately before and after using your product or service? How does their choice of brand affect their self-worth or the perceptions of others? What other products or offering might fulfill the same emotional job as your product, but in another category and what can you learn from them? What emotions arise when customers tell others about your brand? Where else do these emotions show up? What else can your customer do because they are using your product or service? Do you need to add new kinds of research, like ethnographic studies, to your toolbox to contextualize your customer’s buying journey for new insights?
Relationships: how your brand becomes personal
Relationships are important in all industries and business categories. Sometimes the relationship is with a person: the account manager whom they consult with and trust, the executive who they admire, or with the counter clerk who knows that they like extra cream cheese on their bagel. Some leaders, of companies big and small, are the manifestation of their brand (or perhaps their companies are the manifestations of their personalities). These human relationships are influenced by corporate culture, the language and customs of your social environment, and the mechanisms of conversations and human interaction. And for the purposes of branding, relationships can be defined broadly at all the critical touchpoints.
A family favorite movie from my childhood was “The Music Man.” In it, the little town of Gary, Indiana waits with bated breath as the Wells Fargo wagon approaches. It carries important necessities. And, more perhaps more importantly, it contains the mystery and delight of wonders of far-off lands. Raisins from Fresno, grapefruit from Tampa, and salmon from Seattle. Even a canon for the courtyard square. As was moistly sung by a young Ron Howard, in that wagon “could be somethin’ special just for me.” I don’t remember them mentioning the name of the Wells Fargo wagon driver. The relationship was with the promise of the wagon (the same wagon, you will note, is still featured prominently in the Wells Fargo bank logo). The relationships that business-to-business sellers have with their customers can be so valuable that in mergers or acquisitions the key sales relationships are measured and secured with special stay-on incentives. In other industries, the relationships are more fungible and often scaled to objects or interfaces. The relationship with the brown uniform of a UPS driver or the highly-trained manners of a Chick-fil-A employee.
So, ask how would your customers describe the relationship they have with your employees? What other aspects of your business or touchpoints do customers think about in relational terms? Where, how, and with “whom” do they have conversations, make requests, or receive services? Who or what do they trust with their credit card number or identity? How do they invest in the relationship with your physical product or software tool? How do you measure engagement and loyalty? How do they engage with your brand communications, events, or other points of contact? How would you value or prioritize these relationships as they contribute to loyalty or customer lifetime value?
Customer Decision: the ultimate test
These dimensions of a brand are not mutually exclusive, of course. The relationship someone has with a software app is informed by the user experience, what they have come to expect, and makes memories that can be shared. In the combination is brand preference and loyalty.
For the famed musical, Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda penned the following lyrics:
Let me tell you what I wish I’d known
When I was young and dreamed of glory
You have no control
Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.
The same is true of your brand. You can decide which research and development projects you fund, what metrics you measure, and how you lead your organization, but you don’t get decide if your product or service achieves the glory you wished for it. You don’t get to decide how customers adopt or engage with your brand. Although you try, you don’t even control how people talk about you where it matters most. All those decisions are squarely in the hands of your customers. They are the ones making memories and telling stories. All you can do is to make it easier for them to craft good ones.
This article originally appeared on LinkedIn.
Photo by Vitalis Hirschmann on Unsplash @hirschmann_photography.
Teresa Caro, the senior vice president of marketing at Atlanticus, a financial services company marketing under the Fortiva family of brands, has spent her career helping brands connect with their customers, often in new ways. She worked for social media agencies in the early days of those platforms and helped brands like Chick-Fil-A, UPS, Wells Fargo, and Coca-Cola with their marketing strategies. We had a chance to talk recently about the need to unpack assumptions and her insights provide guidance to marketers and business leaders seeking to align marketing and sales and to put the customer in the center of their business.
Assumptions Can Hide Misalignment and Breakthroughs
“My biggest learning throughout my career is to never assume,” said Caro. Even fundamental things like the company’s financial goals might not be obvious. “Every company seeks to be profitable, yet, depending on the company goal, profitability may not need to happen until a later date.” She recommends digging deeper into the business goals to understand how marketing affects future results. “Will the company be sold in five years and so scale is the priority and profitability is less important (at least right now)? Is the company a public company and so profitable growth are the priorities? Are we operating in a highly commoditized space so more focus needs to placed on brand awareness, perception or differentiation?” The answers to these questions lead to very different plans. “I have even worked with brand manager clients who want to be perceived as more ‘innovative’ compared to their other brand managers, so we did less around the ‘tried and true’ and pushed more into sparkly objects,” Caro recalls from her agency days. In any case, understanding the underlying motivations can lead to real breakthroughs and uncover areas of misalignment. “Once that long term goal has been identified and translated into short term plans, next it is important to layer in the target audience.” Caro said it is important to consider all the stakeholders, “not just customer or consumer target audiences, but also internal, external, investor, board-type audiences.” Consider how your business plans, product positioning, or even messaging will resonate with all the stakeholders.
Measurement Requires Management
“Regardless of industry, the biggest assumptions are typically around measurement,” Caro observed. “What needs to be measured, is it being measured, is it being measured the right way, is it being reported on correctly, is it being analyzed appropriately, and is it being tested and optimized” are the questions that she advised asking. “Furthermore, do the right people have access to this data and do they understand how they can make an impact on these numbers.” If data isn’t understood or actionable, it isn’t useful. “In other words, people who are really good at creating reports, may not be good at analyzing them. People who are good at analyzing them, may not have the domain knowledge needed to make recommendations to different departments,” she said. “The most fascinating discovery I have made is the number of marketing organizations that don’t have an analytics person on their team or that they have to share them with finance and accounting,” she noted. This is likely to change in the coming years with a growing emphasis on data and analytics, but it is a gap in many small and mid-size marketing groups today and impacts the ability to make smart, data-driven decisions.
How organizations make decisions and use data to drive marketing plans can vary widely. “Many brands assume TV commercials always work, largely because it is the tradition in the company to always include TV commercials in their brand plans,” she said. “Content marketing has become another ‘you-just-have-to-do-it’ tactic in marketing plans.” Whether or not it is the right choice for the business, product, or sales approach. “For the record, there are ways to prove TV commercials work, as well as content marketing,” Caro summarized. “It goes back to the assumptions around measuring the right way, with the right tools.” And making sure those measurements tie back to the business strategy overall.
She warned against acting on data without first validating. For instance, Caro warned that a company shouldn’t use lookalike modeling, in which new prospects are pursued that match attributes from current customers, without validating that those current customers are the most valuable or profitable. They risk filling the pipeline with prospects that will not drive the business goals. Similarly, “rolling out social media and other forms of communication without validating other departments, such as customer service, can support the ramifications” is a recipe for brand damage. Metrics are exceptional tools, but they are only tools to be used by management to make smart decisions, even if that means rethinking traditional approaches or revisiting what has worked in the past. “Debunking of assumptions requires a business case and a leadership team willing to take a risk,” she added.
Brands Are Themselves Assumptions
It has been said that your brand is what your customers think and say about you without your involvement. In a sense, they are themselves a set of assumptions. Assumptions about how the product might perform, how the price compares to the competition, where the product can be purchased, and what the customer experience will entail. “When someone asks me to ‘brand position’ a company, I have found a lot of work goes into helping them understand all that goes into a brand,” recalled Caro. This includes not only “advertising, but PR to customer experience and everything in between.” It extends beyond marketing functions to sales. It extends beyond customer-facing roles to those who support the experience in factories, development teams, or billing departments. Good marketers “help their executive leadership or clients understand that what he or she decides to do as it relates to brand, impacts all aspects of the organization,” Caro said. “And, with a limited budget, not everything can be done.” Before your customers can make the right assumptions about you as a brand and a company, the organization has an opportunity to decide “what they want to be known for and how they want to reinforce this message.” And to give that priority across their entire business strategy.
This article was originally posted on Forbes.com.
To be clear, it is not hard to build a brand. Well, it’s not complicated, at least. It is infuriatingly simple. You only have to let people know why they should care about what you do. It’s as simple as that. Yet, building a brand, and maintaining it, in a noisy world is increasingly difficult and requires some of the best-run companies in the world to invest billions of dollars to ensure that people know what they stand for. Standing is no longer enough. You have to stand out in a sea of others standing.
You don’t want your brand to be a wallflower, the company who no one notices at the dance until it slips away into obscurity. Your brand doesn’t need to be irreverent or brash, but it can’t be shy. It needs self-confidence. It needs to know why it is unique and why it deserves attention. If your brand lacks the courage to be itself, then you might need to mature it. For companies small and large, and even for individuals, this comes down to two things: Clarity and Conviction
Clarity: If you want people to know about your company, products, services, and people, you need to know your brand well enough to introduce it at a cocktail party. What is the one thing that makes it special among the “next best alternatives” in your category? What is it’s value and why are customers willing to pay? Why does it deserve the market share you aspire to? If you have more than one answer about this question, you have more work to do. I love the timeless introduction to Steve Jobs’ speech to introduce the “Think Different” campaign as it speaks to the link between values and brand. To find your “one thing” might be obvious, but for most it requires some research and some soul searching. To find out what customers are buying from you (which may very well be different than what you think you are selling) and what you aspire to become.
Conviction: This is where most brands get into trouble. Companies simply lack the conviction to be clear and talk about their “one thing.” They simply don’t believe enough in their brand position or in their strategy as a company enough to focus on it. They are sustainable, AND fashion-forward AND have the best features. They are value-priced, AND celebrity endorsed AND available for immediate delivery. They are the most established AND the most current AND the safest choice. And because their “but wait, there’s more” approach to brand marketing, leaves customers confused (at best) or creates so much noise, that the signal of their true purpose can never reach their potential customers. And standing, proud enough and long enough to be noticed, requires stamina and perseverance, so can be sure your conviction will be put to the test.
I am as guilty as anyone of taking the “yes, and” approach to branding from time to time. It is human nature to want to please and make our brand relevant to more segments, more customers, and have more value (propositions) than is necessary. Branding is one area where “yes, and” - this communication tool, borrowed from improv - doesn’t apply. You can succeed in negotiations, conflicts, or even creative collaborations using “yes, and” responses, but brand conversations need a lot more “no” and “this, NOT that” clarity. What you say “no” to is the test of strategy and what where you choose not to stand is the test of your brand strategy. It is difficult because you have to fight human nature, sustain under pressure, and have courage. All so that you can stand, with confidence, clarity, and conviction until people think about your “one thing” when they think about your brand.
This article originally appeared on LinkedIn Pulse.
I recently ordered some bedding online and the package came with a printed insert that began “Dear valued customer.” At first, I scoffed at the amateur writing (clearly written by a non-native English speaker), but upon further reflection I am convinced this is the best marketing copy I have read all year. Or at least the most effective.
It successfully introduced their unique brand, it engendered empathy with their employees, it made me feel better about myself, encouraged me to read closely and completely, and was something that I joyfully shared with a few friends (and all of you). I can’t say any advertising or marketing literature I encountered in 2017 was as effective as this.
Here are a few excepts that you might enjoy and the principles they illustrate.
Authenticity: The first paragraph thanked me for my business and ended with this sentence “It is really a great luck for us to be able to encounter you on Amazon. Thank you for choosing our products, without your support, maybe I will get unemployed.” It might be hyperbole or brutally honest, but it certainly isn't boring or too "corporate" sounding.
Relational: The second paragraph talks about the product features. They end this idea by saying “Welcome to contact us and give us some advices that will be helpful to improve our products quality and services, we will continue to optimize the service and strive to do better.” You can just picture the eager employees awaiting the advices of customers. The third part of the letter encouraged customers to write positive reviews and if they couldn’t to contact them first for support. They sum up their approach like this “We convince that communication is the bridge to solve problems, we will certainly let your concerns get a good solution.”
Customer-Focused: The letter ends with a final greeting: “Finally, hope you could be nice every day ! Happiness every moment ! Have a healthier body and a sunny mood !” (spaces before the exclamation points are as printed). I couldn’t help, but smile when I read this.
Now, perhaps it is my deep familiarly with English-as-a-second-language communication for all my years working with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean suppliers that makes this letter endearing, but I think you can agree that it stands out in a sea of well-crafted correspondence. Although the experienced marketer in me shutters when I read the run-on sentences, improper vocabulary, and the like, this copy was effective in it’s purpose and isn’t boring! Not every brand or company could pull this off (nor would they want to), but perhaps it inspires us all to be a little more real in our communications in the coming year.
And, I hope it gives you a “sunny mood” as well!
Forgive the poor quality scan of the flyer. The actual was readable (mostly) and looked better than this.
I am humbled to work with the great editorial team at American Business Journals to share some insights on digital signage marketing.
In today’s hyper-competitive world, it’s not enough to offer up the right products and services in the hope that people will seek them out.
As the business consultant and blogger Peter Evans-Greenwood has pointed out, you must make your business a community hub or a religion. Otherwise, you resign yourself to being a commodity.
Companies like Apple and Harley Davidson get this, and they’ve worked hard to create a cult following for their brands. How? They don’t just sell a product, but a lifestyle. And it’s a lifestyle that their customers deeply identify with and are eager to adopt.
Today’s digital signage can help your company move beyond product features by turning your brand into a lifestyle that has broad appeal. Digital signage is fresh, it’s immersive, and it’s a way to clearly distinguish yourself from your competitors. From eye-catching digital window displays to interactive brand activations, digital experiences in the built environment can extend your brand messaging.
Here are four ways digital signage can help create a cult following for your brand:
It enables you to stand out from the crowd. A key way to move your brand from commodity to religion is to set yourself apart from the competition. Digital signage, with its ability to scale to enormous dimensions, has a huge “wow” factor that helps you do just that. It captures people’s attention from a distance and draws them in, giving your brand a powerful way to create lasting impact.
It can help you tell your story. Successful brands don’t just sell products and services. They tell stories that capture the imagination of their customers. Digital signage provides an influential medium for telling stories that resonate. With its ability to engage, digital signage enables marketers not just educate their customers, but to inspire them. In fact, it’s the ideal medium for offering up stimulating content that captivates the customers you want to reach.
It engages your customers. Brands that develop a cult following are extremely adept at engaging their customers, which is the opportunity that digital signage offers. With advanced touchscreen technology, for example, digital signage allows multiple users to interact with your brand, obtaining the information that interests them without affecting other users. In addition, facial recognition software can be built into digital signage to detect the presence of a person, collect demographic data, and then serve up highly targeted content that captures their interest.
It has the ability to go viral. People want to belong, and they love to share the experiences that excite them. Digital signage offers the opportunity to develop highly unique content that draws customers in, and motivates them to share with others. By creating stimulating visual content, you’ll soon have people telling their friends, and your installation will become a “must see” experience that turns prospective customers into loyal brand enthusiasts.
Digital signage can be a powerful ally as you work to transform your brand from a commodity into a cult following.
In his book, Art’s Principles, the founder of Gensler, Art Gensler recounts how important it is for employees to wash their own dirty dishes in the company cafeteria.
“It sends four key messages,” he wrote.
- “You respect each other as teammates.”
- “You check your ego at the door when you come to work.” No one is above doing the dishes.
- It reinforces the start-to-finish mindset required for great service (important in all enterprises, especially service businesses).
- “Every experience comes together to create what a potential or current clients thanks about your brand. Your office is one big brand environment.”
These same principles apply to other things you might do at work. If you volunteer for a committee to benefit employees (even though you aren’t in HR). If you help straighten up a conference room at the end of the meeting (even if you are not whomever might do this if you didn’t and if you don’t know, find out) If you take the time to write up some company success to share with employees so that they can learn about it and feel proud (even though you aren’t in marketing). Taking the time to get to know everyone in the office and being interested in their careers (even though you aren’t the manager). Introducing people you meet to your company and what makes you all great (even though you are not in sales).
If everyone does things that aren't their job for the good of the group, then the group is good.
Why don’t the makers of hybrid vehicles take a playbook from the wearables and fitness apps space and gamify their cars so that you can compare your mileage to others and compete with your friends to be the most green driver? Would that create a network effect that might drive more brand loyalty in the space, as the options for hybrids and electric cars continue to grow.
Read more about companies can take inspiration from other industries to grow their businesses. Download the free eBook “The Payoff of Paying Attention”.
In today’s ultra-competitive business landscape, a strong brand is essential—and digital signage can be a powerful ally in that effort. Not only does digital signage attract customer attention, but it can also build business and customer loyalty. Indeed, one survey found that four out of five product brands that use digital signage increase sales by up to 33 percent. Another found that moving from static posters to digital signage when advertising outdoors can boost monthly revenue by as much as 800 percent. And we have seen similar results in indoor implementations as well.
The reasons for this are simple. Digital signage creates eye-catching and often interactive experiences that engage consumers and help them remember your brand, your product, how it made them feel, and what compelled them to share their experience. And most people enjoy digital signage, viewing it as “a cool way to advertise” and a “good way to learn about sales and events.” As Nancy Fletcher, president and CEO of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, puts it: “Consumers are paying attention to the information presented to them and acting on it, whether they are drawn to a location featured on an ad, discussing the ad with friends and family, or attending an advertised event.”
The good news is that digital signage keeps getting better. Thanks to the latest innovative technology, digital signage is becoming ever more impactful, immersive, and versatile. Consider the following three trends that can be applied to the next generation of digital signage:
Video installations are getting bigger. Whereas just a few years ago, businesses used 55- to 65-inch displays as the basis for digital signage, today organizations are creating digital signage from displays as large as 98 inches. In addition, an increasing number of companies are taking advantage of seamless video wall technology and affordable prices to combine multiple displays into large video walls that make a huge impact — especially in public venues and places where crowds gather. The result is that what was once a medium for individuals has evolved into an ever-more powerful tool that can attract entire groups at the same time.
Digital signage is becoming interactive. From vibrant touch screen solutions to real-time body and face tracking, digital signage has becoming increasingly interactive, allowing companies to create highly immersive and customizable experiences that build brand loyalty. For example, retailers are installing interactive kiosks that offer coupons and rewards to repeat customers. Airports are implementing interactive way-finding stations that help travelers quickly find the services they need. Public venue installations can enable crowd-sourced, curated content submissions and social engagement. And advertisers are building digital signage that can sense who’s viewing it, offering up customized ads based on factors such as the viewer’s age and gender. Ultimately, interactive digital signage can give consumers the information they need, right when they need it—improving brand loyalty.
The opportunity for creative applications is growing. While many organizations are installing video walls, in today’s world, there’s no reason to limit oneself to the four walls of a building. From ceiling and floor installations to counter tops, digital signage can enhance almost any surface. Companies can design see-through installations on glass surfaces, overlaying text, images, and video onto physical objects that sit behind the glass. They can build captivating 3D installations that people can view in virtual reality using lightweight glasses. And they can tile displays into non-traditional shapes to create a mood or atmosphere that complements their brand. Taking this a step further, NBC Olympics, a division of NBC Sports Group, built a series of huge video walls featuring finish carpentry, which masked the walls into organic shapes, in their coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Similar approaches were also used at the Woody Gutherie museum. Likewise By tapping into these technologies and creative installation design, businesses can generate highly memorable experiences that elevate their brands above the competition.
These are just a few of the ways organizations can use digital signage to attract customers and build brand loyalty. And with today’s advanced technology, the sky’s the limit for creating unique, highly inspiring installations. To learn more about how digital signage can strengthen your brand, please attend my keynote, “What leading brands are teaching us about interactive digital signage,” at Digital Signage Expo 2017. I hope to see you there!
Jennifer Davis will present Seminar 13 entitled, “What Leading Brands are Teaching us About Digital Signage,” on Wednesday, March 29 at 4pm at DSE 2017 to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For more information on this or any educational program offered at DSE 2017 or to learn more about digital signage go to www.dse2017.com
This article was originally published on AVNetwork.
Read about Edward Teach and tell me that he wasn’t the world’s first master brand manager.
He had the look, with his thick black beard and how he’d light his hat on fire to frighten his enemies. He flew the skull and crossbones symbol over his ship (an early example of a logo?). He had the catchy name. He had the reputation that would cause ships to surrender without a fight (useful for a pirate who wants to preserve his crew and his ammunition). He literally got paid more because of his strong brand. And, thanks to creative work of his biographers over the years he has the legacy, having inspired popular lore, books, films, and even amusement park rides.
In Alice Rawsthorn’s TED talk, she talks about “pirates, nurses, and other rebel designers,” and what we can learn from them today. Check it out.
I read recently that we should not ask kids, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Instead, we should ask, “What problems do you want to solve?” This line of questioning promotes thinking about the content of the work and the impact you can have on society.
In the same way that this is a good method to frame things for children, it can also work for executives. I recently reflected on the kind of problems that I strive to solve in my work. Identifying the problems is harder than it would seem.
I could easily identify the activities of my days and even my over-arching objectives, but framing them as problems was a good exercise. Especially because I, like you, consider myself and my company a solution provider, and those who provide solutions must deeply understand the problems they are solving.
These are the problems that I spend my days solving as a marketing executive and product strategist:
Prioritization and Allocation
The challenges of prioritization and allocation of time, energy, and resources to the most important things required for us to grow our business profitably.
Brand and Product
Cracking the code to bring our brand and product offerings to the forefront in the minds of potential buyers and to create identity for our products and harness demand in the market for our products that we can deliver to our sellers globally.
Employees
The problems related to recruiting, retaining, coaching, and celebrating our employees. Talent is at the heart of everything and creating a happy and inspired work environment is key to keeping talented employees a part of your team.
Balance
Solving the balance between my responsibilities in the office (and to our customers, partners, and employees) with my family and with the communities of which we are a part (i.e., the AV community, the business community in all the cities where we have offices, the marketing professional community, our neighborhood, and a group of students and mentors that is served by a local non-profit with which I serve).
What problems are you solving in your role at work? What problems are you solving at home? When you take the time to look at your roles from a different perspective, you might just get your next big idea or at least discover a way to improve your productivity and make your day-to-day more meaningful. We should all be problem solvers first and foremost.
This blog was featured in Women On Business blog.
The world said “good bye” to an innovator. Born Prince Rogers Nelson, the singer, songwriter, and style icon made a mark on the world of music and fashion.
In 1993, Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, something Prince called a “love symbol.” At the time he was reportedly fed up with his record label, was trying to get out of his contract, and wanted to make a break from the past (according to an interview with Larry King in 1999). So, he reached out to graphic designer Mitch Monson, with Trollback and Company in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis, to design a symbol that represented the artist – androgynous, edgy, and whimsical.
So, as we reflect on the man and his career, what can Prince teach us about branding:
1. The brand does not belong to the company.
It belongs to those with a relationship to the brand.
To reproduce the love symbol in print required a special font (which the label had to send out on floppy discs to editors and journalists). And in the end, most didn’t even try. The media started referring to him as “the artist formerly known as Prince,” a moniker that stuck. This became his brand, even after he started using his name again for stage performances and albums. Even fans, who might have been puzzled by the change, found ways to refer to him. This is a lesson for marketers who think they can control their brand. The brand is truly owned by those who interact with the company, it’s employees, it’s products, and in the end, build both a logical and emotional connection. The best we can do as leaders and brand managers is to influence how people perceive the brand by putting ourselves in their shoes and advocating for what they need.
2. There is power in color
The artist solidified his relationship with the iconic purple shade with his very popular “Purple Rain” album and movie. In memorials all over the world this week, the color purple has been featured prominently. It reminds me that in the world of marketing, which is now dominated by data analysis and ROI discussions, that there are some basics that can’t be ignored and one is the power of color. McDonald’s red and orange, Coca-Cola’s red, IKEA’s blue and yellow, Facebook blue, Amazon’s orange smile (smirk?), John Deere green, Crown Royal’s velvet purple, and many other brand color associations are very strong and help propel the brand’s expansion into new markets and offerings. Most people don’t have a signature color, but when we think of branding, having a distinctive color way is part of what the leading brands and artists rely on to communicate what they want their brand to stand for. Purple was perfect for Prince’s brand, as it speaks to royalty, creativity, and the spiritual. A few years ago, Fast Company published an exceptional article about the impact of color on brand that is worth reading.
3. Brand building involves risk
It is said that his record sales after the name change fell precipitously, but he secured his place as an eccentric and passionate artist who was forging his own path. Other leading brands have reinvented themselves over the years, to emerge stronger and more engaged with their users, but that isn’t without pain in the process. I think of what Netflix did with their DVD customers when they moved the brand to streaming and rebranded it’s DVD service as “Qwikster” (a brand they have since shuttered. We can all think of other rebranding, packaging design, or logo design blunders. But those who live through the transition (and don’t change for change sake), can reap rewards.
And perhaps the most important thing that Prince taught us about branding this week, is that brands are a legacy. They have value. They spark emotion. They are celebrated and mourned. And, no matter what tragedy strikes, they live on.
This article was posted on LinkedIn Pulse.
Many companies devalue marketing, considering it the department that makes pretty pictures or the administrative support for the sales team. Others strongly value the strategic involvement of marketing in product strategy, branding, strategic planning, and industry leadership. I am blessed to work for an organization that models the latter, but I certainly am familiar with the former.
This topic is a big one (worthy of more than one post). To get the conversation started, here are four key questions that you can ask yourself to help you answer the question of how to market marketing in your organization.
1. Can you express your motivation for wanting to market marketing in terms of overall business results?
Do you think that investing in a marketing automation system and nurturing campaigns will generate 20 percent more revenue next year? Do you believe that improving the brand consistency across the organization will lead to higher customer perception of quality and improve gross margins by 2 percent for the next product launch? Do you believe that developing a new interactive platform for sharing product benefits with your sales channel will reduce the sales cycle by two months resulting in a 13 percent increase in revenue with the same effort? These are the types of questions you should be asking, when you are thinking of advocating for anything in a business environment.
If you don’t know how to answer these questions, it could be an indication that you are not yet ready to advocate for a larger and more impactful role for marketing in your company … and that you should get ready. That in itself should be a call to action to learn more about your business, your drivers of value in the market, your customer problems, your solutions, and overall business strategy … and how score is kept financially.
2. What is the perception of your brand and that of “marketing” in your organization? What should it be? What is the gap?
Before you would embark on a brand-building campaign, you would always begin with data to identify the “as is” state and to quantify the “to be” state. And to identify the gap between these states. Often this is accomplished with surveys, voice of the customer, share of voice analysis, or other tools. Why not do the same thing within your organization to gauge how far away the organization is from what you envision as the ideal?
It is also important to know whether your brand is strong enough in the organization to lead that charge. What are you known for in the organization? Why do people come to you? Does that align with what you need it to be to advocate the change you are advocating? What can you do to change the perception and reputation?
3. What “marketing” does your customer really need?
This should probably be the first question, as anything (besides that which is required for regulatory, legal, or financial compliance) that isn’t seen and appreciated by customers, probably isn’t worth doing. It is the definition of waste and the hallmark of bureaucracy. But coming back to my point, what value does the customer perceive in the marketing you do?
Are they able to make better and faster decisions because of their access to technical information? Are your resellers able to sell more because of the sales tools you provide? Are they able to reduce their costs with more accurate quoting resources? Are they able to achieve business results because of the value proposition of the products you provide?
Some service firms have found that dedicated sales and marketing staff is not nearly as effective as sending their consultants right out to their clients to share expertise directly and wet their appetite for more (a topic covered extensively in Patrick Lencioni’s book Getting Naked). Some technical engineering firms, website developers, or agencies find that their engineering teams are best equipped to sell and market to their technical buyers and that all that is needed from marketing is some communication tools to help facilitate these conversations. Each business will be different.
4. What is the winning formula that is worth repeating?
Like any system, it is important to look at inputs and outputs. If you want to answer questions 1-3, a good place to start is your wins. What are some situations that have gone well that you think are worthy of replication? Go back and analyze a big order, a design win, or project award and ask everyone involved how it came to be, the touch points with the organization, what sales tools or marketing resources were used, and what made the difference. There is no sense automating or “improving the efficiency” of things that are not effective.
Photo Credit: DRivers@WorldLaw via Compfight cc
This article was published on the TalentCulture blog.
