AHHHH .... What's your brand i-code?

For years I looked for the perfect model that could help take brands into the future. Most of them purely focused on the telling you where you had been... then I thought why not create one.

Working closely with Thomas Gad I took the best of his 4D model and added my own elements to it to create the i-code... the code to becoming iconic!!

It is a simple process that can have amazing outcomes - ones that everyone in the organisation uses - it isn't a tome that sits on a shelf gathering dust - it is an everyday practice.

Consider this ... you are working for an organisation and everyone seems to have their own plan, their own way of doing things and nothing seems to gel. On the other hand, if you had a brand i-code it woud help everyone know the action they should be taking... and it all revolves around two words.

Working with an award winning cheese maker we developed their i-code and their two words - "special" and "different". This then measures everything they do... from hiring and new products to shop layout and website... before they do anything they ask "Is this special, is this different?"

With this is mind... now reflect on this - Virgin's words are revolutionary and entertaining...imagine them doing anything that didn't reflect these words...and Starbucks is just one ...exhale...ahhhh!!!

So...what is your code to becoming iconic??? Would love to help find it!!!

I do Marketing, why do I need a Brand?

This is a question I get from clients a lot and my response is always the same. "Of course you do marketing - we all do ... and you do have a brand, whether you want one or not".

The reaction I get to this is... "but I haven't decided on what my brand is".... my response... "Your customers have decided your brand while you were trying to work it out ... and it may not be the one you want"!

It always amazes me that businesses put some much effort into their marketing, advertising, research, etc and yet spend no time determining what the brand will be. The message may not be consistent, the interaction may not be consistent and the relationship may not be consistent ... getting the picture? Branding is about being consistent so your customers know exactly what to expect and then get the brand experience you want them to get... not the one they decide for you.

Moral to this blog - brand yourself or it will happen anyway. You can then decide your brand and reinforce it with all you do. (BTW - we are not just talking logos and images here... but that will be a future blog)

Friday afternoon ... push through or have drinks!!

It is the enternal argument - should Friday afternoons be a serious, continue work, get things done until 5pm... or enjoy some relaxing time, catching up with workmates.

Obviously there are times when work must be done but there are others when the relax rule could be more beneficial ... again it depends on your brand, type of business and your location. If you are a bank teller it probably isn't a wise move to have a drink in your hand... but there could be innovative ways around this!

It is obviously up to each business but why force your staff to keep working just because it isn't 5pm yet! They are probably not being productive anyway ... Facebook viewing spikes on Friday afternoons, standing by the coffee machine is probably the same so maybe you could look at some ways to reward your staff for a good weeks work, a way that reinforces your brand with your staff!

Imagine a place that promotes a fun and entertaining brand and then treats their staff with a clock watching, no fun workplace!!! The customer will work it out pretty quick!! Is your brand being lived by your staff as well as your customer?

Just a thought as I head off for a drink!!!

When brand me is bigger than brand us!

As usual I was reading through our state daily newspaper and was shocked to read about the allegations made against some of our favourite Olympic swimmers ... http://www.smh.com.au/sport/swimming/pranks-plague-mens-swim-team-as-bully-claims-emerge-20120912-25r7o.html

This is a clear issue with behaviour and how some people have such a strong personal brand that they forget about the team brand (or the companies). While in most cases this is a positive thing and can generally enhance the success of the team, this is not one of these cases.

If these swimmers used their personal brands in a positive way to lift the team, mentor the younger swimmers and generally behaved in a way that befitted their role - then we would be congratulating them ... but instead they thought themselves bigger and more important than the team brand! (although we must remember that these are only allegations and not proven fact).

Let's look to the past for a comparison - the brands of Thorpe and Hackett were very strong and yet their personal brands only enhanced the Australian Swimming brand. I would hesitate to say that our current swimmers' personal brands aren't as strong and yet can have a greater detrimental effect!

I personally experienced this through another sport - AFL - one of the top players had such a strong personal brand people could hardly remember what team he played for. At first he was really good about it and used it to help charities and junior clubs... but then he started to believe his own publicity and it all went downhill very fast!!

I think it is very important for everyone to develop their own personal brand but this will at times come at a cost to the person ... they may take a little while to find a company that matches them, people may have a go at them but if their brand is built on their values then it should withstand anything ... wonder how strong these swimmers' brands are??

In summary, these guys are only young and maybe haven't had the guidance required to help them make wise decisions... and in the end they could be completely innocent of these allegations... just thought it was interesting to reflect on the power of brands, both personal and company!

When your brand is tied to a man (or woman)!

I was reading this article today about Gerry Harvey and the call for him to sack himself and I thought it was interesting.... while he is a great 'brand' himself maybe there are times when the brand he represents suffers.

Imagine "Harvey Norman" without Gerry Harvey  ... now think back... we thought the same with Dick Smith.... it has been a long time since Dick Smith (the man) was involved with Dick Smith (the stores) and yet both brands have survived. The man and the brand have become separated but not to the detriment of anyone.

Maybe that is something that needs to be done to ensure the brand survives ... and maybe it is time for Gerry the brand to step away from Harvey Norman the brand to ensure it's survival.... or is it. The important thing here is to decide what the Harvey Norman brand wants to be .... new and online or like it is today.

Interestingly though... would it be the same argument if we were talking about Sir Richard Branson ... probably not!

The key to this debate is simple - Gerry has not evolved - he has not let others take the lead - he has not shown that he is of this new online digital age... instead he has constantly bemoaned online stores, the increasing competition, etc... and this is reflected in the Harvey Norman brand. They are hardly 'up-to-date'... you don't see techies hanging around them ... or attractive, high quality furniture in the latest styles ... but if the desire is to keep Harvey Norman brand to be exactly the same as it is... then keep Gerry there!!!

The only danger is... does the consumer still relate to the Harvey Norman / Gerry Harvey brand? As they are losing market share and profit - maybe not. At the end of the day the customer decides what brand they want to support and what brand they identify with... and maybe this is who Gerry should be listening to!

Why staff should decide how good they want to be!

Over the past 10 years I have worked with many companies through my "5 Star Standards" training package. It is always a fantastic outcome when the staff of the company says - 'you know what, we want to be better'.

It has always been apparent to me that the staff should decide what standard they want to strive for... rather than management telling them the level they must perform at. It is the huge difference between want and must. When someone chooses their own level then they are more likely to achieve it rather than resent those telling them.

I have also regularly found that when we start the workshops some of the core issues are addressed... and many of them are based around the fact that the expectations from management are simply impossible because of the way things were being done. For example, recently management of a delivery company told their drivers they must shake hands with the client - nice idea but WH&S insists on the driver wearing gloves so the time it takes to remove and replace them made this action difficult and caused greater issues and resentment.

The "5 Star Standards" programme overcomes all this because all parties decide on how good they want to be... not just be told. The drivers' resentment could have been overcome if management has taken them through the "Standards".

In many of the companies that have used the "5 Star Standards", when I return for a follow-up session they are still using the practice. It may have changed as they alter their standards but the policy remains the same and the staff are all a lot happier.

In an aside one day, the GM of a major company also made me aware of another reason why the staff should determine how good they want to be and their own standards. He said, "I saw something happen in the office that was not good but before I had to take action and step in, another staff member pulled the person aside and told them that their action was not their standard. This immediately changed the behaviour as it was peer to peer rather than me using my positional power".

So... do your staff want to decide how good they want to be... try the "5 Star Standards" programme!!

When HR meets brand...

Last night a friend of mine sent me a job that he was interested in via LinkedIn. I asked him why he wanted to change his job and he said the usual... I have had enough... not getting anywhere ... feel I have more to offer .... not feeling appreciated... you get the message!!

When I had a good look at the job I realised that he was actually taking a step backwards - he would take a drop (not big) in salary and his title was slightly less... so not a huge downward move but enough for me to question him about it.

His reply floored me. This is essentially what he said (obviously not word for word)...
"well, the new company has really nice offices, they understand that you also have a life and family, they give you 6 weeks holidays, they have regular social functions that include the family, they fully support any training and education you want to do, they also don't encourage you to sit at your desk all day and make a point of you getting out, walking around, having coffee with other employees... so it sounds like what I need"

Sounds ideal so I looked into it. Obviously I won't mention the company (everyone would line up and work there...  which is the point). The surprising thing is that such a company does exist and their structure, support and style is completely in line with their brand ... making it a desirable place to work....so much so that people are prepared to take a step backward to work there!

My friend is still hoping to get the job but looking at the advert I can imagine how many applicants they would have received - far more than most of their competitors I bet. And their HR costs would be a lot lower as they are not constantly looking to replace people.

So... is your company a desirable place to work? What are your rentention rates? (This company only looses people through retirement or family issues). Imagine working at a place that promises all that it looks... not just a pretty cover but the content is just as brilliant.... and your staff are part of your brand!

Branding is not just for the 'big' guys

Brand is not just for the 'big' guys

It doesn't matter whether you are big or small... you still need a brand... and it doesn't need to cost you a lot of money!

Over the years I have worked with many large and small companies to help them determine their brand... one that will take them into the future. Most of the time it is the smaller companies that I have enjoyed working with. They really listen and then breathe the brand, not just pay lip service to it.

An example of the two styles that really worked ... Neverfail Springwater and Small Cow Farm - one a large multi-national corporate, the other a family owned and run small business. Both had very different scales of needs but in the end it was all about creating, building and reinforcing their brand.... no matter what size.

When I was corporate coach for Neverfail we had to decide how good we wanted to be and how this would impact the overall brand. This was the starting point of my "5 Star Standards" training package (more to come about this in a later blog). The whole company was trained through these standards, many things were changed... and the important thing was that everyone felt involved and the brand was reinforced by all staff. The most exciting part of this was the enthusiasm the process was met with and the amazing feedback that improved the brand out of site. It was great to see a young delivery driver come up with an idea that solved one of the issues that was effecting the brand - the spark in his eyes when he felt listened to and then had a say in the implementation. Too often the brand is 'owned' by management and they then give directives as to how the staff must behave - they forget that the brand is owned by the customer - internally as much as externally.

The second experience was with Small Cow Farm - a family owned dairy that decided they wanted to start producing their own cheese. This was seven years ago now and they have won so many gold, silver and bronze medals we have lost count. The family gathered around their dining table to listened to our suggestions for their brand using our "Brand Code' process. At first we weren't sure if we had gone OTT for them but the next meeting we had with them they were so excited that we ended up almost staying the night. To this day their brand has not changed - they have stayed true to their brand words of 'special' and 'different' and are constantly introducing new products and innovations, always with these words in mind.

So - what is your brand? It doesn't matter about your size, number of customers, budget or at what stage of development you are at. The ONLY thing that matters is to decide your brand - before it is decided for you... and this will be done whether you like it or not.

Have you noticed the new Telstra uniforms?

Have you noticed the new Telstra uniforms?

Well... staff at a store I visited recently had them and while the staff look great in their bright colours that reflected the advertisements we have been seeing for a while (I'll get to why this wasn't launched together later)... it is hard to ignore the plain coloured walls, the posters bluetacked to the wall and the worn carpet... not to mention the empty brackets where phones should be.

Naturally uniforms can be very useful for branding purposes... but you have to get the WHOLE package right and ensure EVERYTHING is on brand ... not just the uniforms.

I have a friend who works for a organisation who have just introduced uniforms... but that was all they did. The culture, the brand and the staff were exactly the same ... so... same brand, just dressed differently.

A uniform, like a logo change, will not make the brand different. All facets need to reflect the brand and work in unison ... including the service provided. It's no use having well dressed staff or a lovely store if the service is not on brand and vice versa.

The Telstra staff during my visit were the same as any other staff - no brighter and happier because of the colour of their uniforms ... but then maybe they weren't aware of why they are wearing them or that they are in important part of the bigger picture.

Why businesses should try harder

Recently I saw an article which was based on a tweet from @trevoryoung about some problems he was having getting @Avis Car Rental to respond to his problem. The article was based around the change of the "We try harder" brand... now "It's your space" and, it would seem, that includes solving problems.

It always amazes me when a company who has a strong promise to the customer and has built their brand around it only to ditch it for some lame idea their new agency has thought up to prove they are worth the dollars they are paid.

Your brand promise is critical to your success - but it must be lived throughout the company - from the cleaners right through to the CEO. There is no point 'trying harder' if even one of the touchpoints for the customer isn't on brand ... and remember there are internal and external customers.

Too many times companies (and agencies) get tired of their brand and their promise... including their jingle. Often this is before the customer has even had time to recall the brand and it's associated collaterol... let alone forming a relationship with it!

Let's compare "We try harder" to "It's your space". The original was a direct promise and tapped into what the customer wanted... especially when they may have experienced something less with a competitor. Wouldn't you want to do business with someone who tries harder for you.

The new tagline - what does that mean... I can trash the car because I feel more comfortable in 'my space'. When you hire a car you just want to know it won't breakdown, you hope not to have an accident and a pleasant surprise would be nice (always wondered why minties weren't in the car, or a bottle of water!)

If only Avis explored their business model and found where they weren't 'trying harder' instead of ditching it all together. Yes, every business is tough and the climate has changed... even with hire cars ... but imagine if Avis really did 'try harder' ... they would once again be market leaders!