Disruption Tour --- Run To Survive

Your Talent is a Social Object

http://theengagingbrand.typepad.com/the_engaging_brand_/2008/04/talent-can-be-a.html

Hugh Macleod talks about social objects and I couldn't agree more...I think you can take this concept into the world of attraction and retention of talent. Do you give people good things to share about your talent, do you create a social object around your personal brand?

• Do you find ways of giving value to all the people you meet?
• Do you ask how you can provide value to the people you meet?
• Do you achieve your goals on time, on budget...on promise?
• Do you try and go beyond what is asked of you...do you add an extra piece of value free of charge?
• What is your unique selling point....something that people will talk about? Do you try and fit into the crowd or stand out from the crowd?

Personal brands are social objects in nature. We talk about people that we meet, talk about people that touch our lives in both good and bad ways. What I feel is important is that each interaction with you, is a good experience for the other person..if it is then you will get free word of mouth advertising.
Do you see yourself as your "own brand" which will deliver the basics but not the experience...or a premium brand that will leave the consumer wanting to talk positively about you?

Hugh Macleod talks about social objects and I couldn't agree more...I think you can take this concept into the world of attraction and retention of talent. Do you give people good things to share about your talent, do you create a social object around your personal brand?

• Do you find ways of giving value to all the people you meet?
• Do you ask how you can provide value to the people you meet?
• Do you achieve your goals on time, on budget...on promise?
• Do you try and go beyond what is asked of you...do you add an extra piece of value free of charge?
• What is your unique selling point....something that people will talk about? Do you try and fit into the crowd or stand out from the crowd?

Personal brands are social objects in nature. We talk about people that we meet, talk about people that touch our lives in both good and bad ways. What I feel is important is that each interaction with you, is a good experience for the other person..if it is then you will get free word of mouth advertising.
Do you see yourself as your "own brand" which will deliver the basics but not the experience...or a premium brand that will leave the consumer wanting to talk positively about you?

Starbucks remembers they make coffee, step back from being music label

http://www.prefixmag.com/news/starbucks-remembers-they-make-coffee-step-back-fro/18340/

by Patrick Hipp

In a press release on their website, Starbucks has announced that they're handing over control of their Hear Me music label to Concord Music Group. Quoth the CEO, Howard Schultz: “As part of our ongoing transformation, we are committed to examining all aspects of our business that are not directly related to our core.” For those keeping score, Starbucks' "transformation" involves the company transforming back into a coffee shop, although this time without the burnt coffee. Following this move, Ken Lombard--the now former head of Starbucks Entertainment--has "has left the company to pursue other business interests." As Brooklyn Vegan points out, this announcement comes admist news that Starbucks stock is starting to stagnate with the rest of the economy, so he probably wasn't given much choice. 

Making Your Brand the Right Shade of Green

by Graham Hales
 Brandchannel.com click here for more...

Let’s start with a fact.

Whichever terms you choose to characterize it—Going Green, Environmental Stewardship, Sustainable Development—the eco-agenda is not a fad. It’s here to stay.

Whilst some brands are actively engaged in the movement, other brands ignore it, and still others sit on the sidelines. Like any "new" aspect to a market, the eco-agenda started with a degree of hesitancy and uncertainty.

When we were only just beginning to understand the mess that we have created of our world, consumers would support the differentiation of environmentally conscious solutions in focus groups, but ignore these offerings at the point of purchase if they cost more or risked being less effective. That was when it was an option rather than an imperative.

Be the Pilot of Your Brand

The Engaging Brand Blog... Click here for more...

Flying home from the USA, I was thinking about the connection between flying and building a brand.

A plane starts on the ground = A brand has to be grounded on core values before it can fly

the dynamics of "easy"

 

John Burg futurevisions.com

•  Easy access facilitates mass interactivity.

• Earned access facilitates pride and personal value generated by the investment placed in gaining access.

Professional athletes take pride in their stats and status, as these are direct results of their labor.

American Express Platinum members take pride in their membership as it represents their status.

Modells shoppers rarely take pride in their status. 

Do barriers to entry drive marketing friendly envy? 

Can an item with "easy access" generate pride among it's users?

Consider: How is it that Walmart shoppers will often personally identify themselves as Walmart shoppers, even though anyone can "get in"?

Could it be that "membership" is not about access but the personal attribution of membership towards a common goal or a shared pursuit?

Making Your Brand the Right Shade of Green

Brandchannel.com click here for more of the article...
by Graham Hales
 
Let’s start with a fact.

Whichever terms you choose to characterize it—Going Green, Environmental Stewardship, Sustainable Development—the eco-agenda is not a fad. It’s here to stay.

Whilst some brands are actively engaged in the movement, other brands ignore it, and still others sit on the sidelines. Like any "new" aspect to a market, the eco-agenda started with a degree of hesitancy and uncertainty.

When we were only just beginning to understand the mess that we have created of our world, consumers would support the differentiation of environmentally conscious solutions in focus groups, but ignore these offerings at the point of purchase if they cost more or risked being less effective. That was when it was an option rather than an imperative.

Status Stories

Trendwatching.com

Ah, storytelling, yet another holy grail in the wonderful world of marketing. What's new in this field? How about companies no longer inundating consumers with their 'brand stories', but instead helping customers tell a story to other consumers. Not to promote that particular brand, but to make those customers more interesting to others. Curious?

The Economics of Brands

click here for more from Debra Schultz...

I absolutely love the conversation that Umair has started over at his new HBS blog on the Economics of Brands.  Umair and I have had numerous discussions on this topic as we are both pretty passionate about the subject and working on the challenges and issues from related spaces.  He even mentions P&G in the discussion - [perhaps a veiled allusion to the Social Media Lab I am developing with P&G...;) ]

What I love about this discussion is that it puts the topic in logical economic terms.  At the core of why brands do not control the message is the fact that they no longer control the medium - as the world flattens and the cost of communication disintegrates it is indeed the customer who can increasingly compare notes and attitudes and create the value.

As Umair points out:

In fact, when interaction is cheap, the very economic rationale for orthodox brands actually begins to implode: information about expected costs and benefits doesn’t have to be compressed into logos, slogans, ad-spots or column-inches – instead, consumers can debate and discuss expected costs and benefits in incredibly rich detail.

I love to quote Scott Cook on this one:

“A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is - it is what consumers tell each other it is.”

I would even argue that was to a certain degree - always the case - it is just that today we are all connected - you can't snow me anymore.  This is SO much bigger than mere branding - it lies at the core of your business model.

So what are the new brand building models? I think many of them have yet to be worked out  but I know it is NOT traditional advertising.  I also know that what it DOES involve is empowering your customers, listening to them and putting the aggregated feedback into action. 

The larger questions of scale and financial models that work are the tough nuts to crack,the large advertising industry with its vested interests and deeply entrenched silos is gonna need some prying apart. 

What is  the culture of your company? [copy paste wrong window]

I absolutely love the conversation that Umair has started over at his new HBS blog on the Economics of Brands.  Umair and I have had numerous discussions on this topic as we are both pretty passionate about the subject and working on the challenges and issues from related spaces.  He even mentions P&G in the discussion - [perhaps a veiled allusion to the Social Media Lab I am developing with P&G...;) ]

What I love about this discussion is that it puts the topic in logical economic terms.  At the core of why brands do not control the message is the fact that they no longer control the medium - as the world flattens and the cost of communication disintegrates it is indeed the customer who can increasingly compare notes and attitudes and create the value.

As Umair points out:

In fact, when interaction is cheap, the very economic rationale for orthodox brands actually begins to implode: information about expected costs and benefits doesn’t have to be compressed into logos, slogans, ad-spots or column-inches – instead, consumers can debate and discuss expected costs and benefits in incredibly rich detail.

I love to quote Scott Cook on this one:

“A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is - it is what consumers tell each other it is.”

I would even argue that was to a certain degree - always the case - it is just that today we are all connected - you can't snow me anymore.  This is SO much bigger than mere branding - it lies at the core of your business model.

So what are the new brand building models? I think many of them have yet to be worked out  but I know it is NOT traditional advertising.  I also know that what it DOES involve is empowering your customers, listening to them and putting the aggregated feedback into action. 

The larger questions of scale and financial models that work are the tough nuts to crack,the large advertising industry with its vested interests and deeply entrenched silos is gonna need some prying apart. 

What is  the culture of your company? [copy paste wrong window]

standing out in the crowd - a lesson in differentiation

 

 

I recently heard a great story from my friend's dad.  Thought I would share.

50 years ago, it was unheard of for a good Jewish mother to order in take-out for the holidays. 

About 10 years later, as mothers began to go to work, they began to "outsource" many of the side dishes for large holiday gatherings.  Being the savvy businessmen that they were, the local kosher caterers and delicatessens soon realized that no matter how high they drove up their prices before the holidays, mothers would still purchase their food for their families.

At the time, my friend's father was managing a take out place.  In a Godin-esque move, he decided not to raise his prices, and to hang a sign in the window stating that "We do not raise our prices for the holidays".  While his boss fumed at his audacity, business boomed.

Key Takeaway: In a crowded market, this teenager realized that the key to marketing in a uniform market is not product innovation, but offering differentiation. 

Think about the home computer market.  There are a billion and one companies offering affordable home PCs.  I myself am perpetually in the market. I've noticed a few trends.  Most notably, everyone other than Apple, is remarkably similar to everyone else (other than Apple).  It's a murky market, with a fat middle and little else to talk about (for most users).

• Dell tries to be everyman's computer.  While they were once the cost leader, they are now positioned as the brand-name in hom computers, leveraging ease of use and customer service as their key differentiators.  At the same time, Dell's attempts at going cutting edge with their XPS lineup are muddying their brand waters. 
  
  • Competitive Stance: Dell's multiplicitous and confused brand messaging have left them with a single differentiation point: customer service.
• HP and Compaq are recognizable brands offering best-of-the-middle products at a competitive price point.  However, their anything other than robust customer service experience may well position them as an also-ran in an increasingly competitive home PC market.
  • Competitive Stance: HP/Compaq is leading the bland middle of a thick, undifferentiated and confusing market.
• Sony is all about the flash and style of computing.  Their units look great, are generally over priced as compared to the competition, run well, and most importantly look great.
  
  • Competitive Stance: Sony's products look great, perform well and are priced for a very fashion conscious consumer.  Sony is about style.
• Acer is the semi-recognizable brand with fantastic components and leading specs at ridiculously low prices.  Never mind that their customer support is horrible or that their PCs are poorly made (plastic casing overheats just as much as HP units).
  • Competitive Stance: One word, price.  Solid specs, amazing prices, and little else to say.
• Toshiba is a puzzle to many.  This is a name consumers know from other electronics, but not one they necessarily associate with PCs.
  • Competitive Stance: They make computer's too?  It would be nice to see Toshiba step-it-up with some eye popping designs.

Needless to say, the home PC market is a murky mess.

This is a market begging for a differentiator.  This is why the press loves Apple.  They are the anti-PC. 

So what would you do if you were working at any other PC company? 
How would you differentiate your offering? 
How would you make your brand sustainably unique?

The Makings of a Strong Brand Posted: 02 Feb 2008 05:49 AM CST Brand-building is an exercise we businesspeople get excited about. I’m very much devoted to helping businesses build their brand. But in doing so, I focus less on implementing "Branding Strategies" for businesses and instead, focus more on amplifying Being Strategies of businesses. I truly believe that you cannot create a brand before you create a business—the process is simultaneous. As you build your business, you create your brand. Your brand never makes your business possible. It’s your business that makes your brand possible. When I talk with businesses wanting to improve their branding, I ask them three questions: a | How do you make a profit? b | How do you make employees happy? c | How do you make customers happy? I ask these questions because a funny thing happens when a company (a) makes money, (b) makes employees happy, and (c) makes customers happy … it makes a strong brand. Being Strategies for a company find avenues to making a profit, enchanting employees, and pleasing customers. The result being, a strong brand. Is it simple? Yeah, I think so. Name a company that (a) fails to make money, (b) fails to make employees happy, and (c) fails to make customers happy … yet, is recognized as an endearing and enduring brand