May I Have Your Attention, Please phần 8 pdf

brands. Remember, it’s not about you and your needs, it’s about them and their needs. Your ego will get in the way of building the best brand. Not the ego that is indispensable to negotiating your true brand. The ego that gets in the way is the self-obsessed “me” that isolates us and strips us of connection to others. Don’t let your pride cancel out your gut intu- ition and proven research. Now, what is the most important message that the world can’t live without and that only you have the unique experience to give? That’s real power. This will be the defining moment of your brand. We’ve now come to the part of the brand construction where you must have a kind of blueprint or outline for your strategy. You have learned your stories and realized how unique they make you. You now know that you have the ultimate brand advantage in that no one can copy what you’ve discovered about yourself. You’ve begun to see how your true essence takes shape and form. What does the true you sound like and look like on paper, on the phone, or in a promise? Elizabeth Dole has a biography filled with experiences that illus- trate her sincere gift for person-to-person contact. Today we see her as being approachable and connecting with her audience. Her personal brand based on these unique characteristics extended to her profes- sional brand. She was a natural choice to lead the American Red Cross, an organization defined by caring for people. All of her life’s stories prepared her to personify everything this organization stands for. There was consistency between who she is and what she does. And who can forget the incredible speech she gave to Americans when her husband, Bob Dole, ran for president against Bill Clinton? As his partner, she spoke in a format that no one had ever seen. She spoke to the studio audience not from behind a lectern but while she walked up and down among them, touching shoulders and making close, personal eye contact. It was exactly what we expected from her. When Hillary Clinton tried a similar speaking approach, it didn’t con- nect with us. Hillary’s personal brand is less approachable and more distant. She feels right when she speaks from behind a lectern or sit- ting still in a chair. This is what I’m talking about when I ask, what do your unique character traits look like in action? Barbara Walters is a personal hero of mine. Forced to compete in professional broadcasting when woman were dismissed as incon- sequential, she never pretended to be something she wasn’t. She Planning for Your Brand 151 ccc_hilicki_ch07_146-159.qxd 11/22/04 11:17 AM Page 151 competed in a man’s world, but she didn’t act like a man or look like a man. That may sound silly, but many a woman has adopted false man- nerisms, from cigar smoking to suit wearing, in order to fit in. Barbara Walters stood out because she stayed true to her values of professional- ism based on the job, not the gender. She is one of the classiest busi- nesswomen I’ve seen. Her experiences with financial struggles while she supported her family at a very young age gave her a determination that you could see and hear and feel in her personal and professional life. Her brand is authentic and she is an icon because of how her unique life has been woven into her valuable brand. There is consis- tency between who she truly is and how she looks, sounds, and makes us feel. I believe she is so successful at getting the people she interviews to open up about their true experiences because she is in touch with her own true identity. She knows exactly what to ask because she has gone there before them and asked herself the same hard questions. New stories are being written every day in your life, about your life. Your brand has to be able to stretch beyond the plan to meet everyone where they are. If your brand lives only by today’s plan, it will eventually die by this plan. A plan needs room for ex- pansion. A plan needs room to grow, like a great house that can be seamlessly added on to. You’re not changing the foundation but adding a new room. We truly do not know at the beginning of our brand what the end of it will hold for us. A true brand will mirror the changes in our own true stories. And as long as we know our true essence and incorporate the growth and changes bravely, we will strengthen our own brand. Sometimes when we struggle over the particulars of the brand, it is to avoid discussing the real issues of the meaning behind the brand. When we discuss and dispute the specifics about the brand’s logo, color, how it is used, and where it is placed, we might be sidestepping the essentials of the brand itself. It is much easier to debate where the brand logo should be placed on each product and insist that it be moved from the front to the back than it is to question, “What is the meaning and purpose behind this logo and has it changed over time?” It causes less trouble to question the color of the logo or the choice of one word in the ad copy than to probe the real meaning of the company motto to see if you still believe in it. Such questions and answers might require painful action. Or, worse yet, they may result 152 MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE? ccc_hilicki_ch07_146-159.qxd 11/22/04 11:17 AM Page 152 in the choice between getting on board and supporting the true story or leaving the company in order to be true to yourself. Of course, the worst choice would be to fake it and pretend you can represent the brand as an extension of your true story. When Dalmatian Press expanded its product line from coloring books and activity books into storybooks, there was a lot of discus- sion between me, as the founder, and every other department man- ager. The conversations and debates centered on where to put the logo of the Dalmatian Press puppy dog. We had always put it on the front top left corner of each book. It was easily seen and “spotted.” Some employees and associates felt that it was too noticeable and that it made the books look less sophisticated. Imagine my distress, when confronted by my own employees about the worthiness of my brand logo for the front cover of our books. In essence I was being told that our logo was not sophisticated enough. If these books were to be cherished and kept as treasures, passed down through the genera- tions, then the emphasis should be on the content and the beautiful cover illustration. As they showed me example after example of other precious books in the industry, they pointed out that they rarely had the pub- lisher’s logo or brand imprint on the cover. These employees had not been with our company from the start. They didn’t understand that the original story of Dalmatian Press was to bring attention to the publisher and create loyalty to the publisher as opposed to the book’s character and story. They didn’t understand that I wanted to be asso- ciated with precious stories as much as I wanted our brand to have in- trinsic value. The discussions focused on the size of the logo, the position of it, and how to combine it with the company name. But we never faced the real question: Should we change our “story” and begin to separate the book’s cover and content from the publisher? The employees and I had three choices: 1. Adopt the original Dalmatian Press mission and stay true to its essence, which sought brand loyalty to the publisher as much as the author or cover art. 2. Join a different company that held publishing views consistent with their beliefs. 3. Reexamine our past experiences and question how our new ones have expanded our story and therefore our brand. Then define Planning for Your Brand 153 ccc_hilicki_ch07_146-159.qxd 11/22/04 11:17 AM Page 153 how to share this evolved brand so that it continues to represent our present identity while not abandoning our past ideals, having already achieved brand equity. Bingo—this was our choice. Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall The best brands mirror the changes in your life. At the inception of Dalmatian Press I didn’t foresee this stage of its life. A brand has to keep in mind its audience’s changing wants and needs, and stretch to accommodate them. This doesn’t mean that it becomes what it isn’t. Our solution at Dalmatian Press was to create a revised logo and trade dress for a more expensive line of books while continuing to build loyalty. The new trade dress incorporated a pawprint so there is an obvious connection to our Dalmation logo. But it now made the cus- tomer feel different and more sophisticated, with a more sophisti- cated art treatment. But first, we had to stop hiding behind conversations about the logo position and get to the difficult heart of the matter. I don’t blame the employees for sidestepping this issue, because I had pounded it into their heads for seven years that only through consistency could we build a brand. I blame myself for not doing the work of constant self-examination. Who the company is today is not who it was in 1995. It has grown, and the brand needs to reflect that growth. It needs to examine the new stories of the company and re- flect them with the brand strategy. The best brands must constantly examine themselves and see if they continue to reflect the true story, past and present. Kentucky Fried Chicken uses its acronym KFC. Its story is the same, but it appeals to the changing wants and needs of its audi- ence. Supposedly, Americans want to eat healthier. Deemphasizing the word fried and replacing it with an acronym lets customers feel better about choosing to eat its chicken. Same food, but differ- ent feeling. Today, the Colonel’s spirit and heritage are reflected in KFC’s brand identity—the logo features Colonel Harland Sanders, one of the most recognized icons in the world. Every day, nearly eight million customers are served in terms of their wants and their needs. Madonna is brilliant at brand alteration. One could argue that her brand is constantly changing. But it’s not at all. Her brand is 154 MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE? ccc_hilicki_ch07_146-159.qxd 11/22/04 11:17 AM Page 154 change. If she didn’t change her look and sound, she would not be true to herself or her audience. Midwest Airlines, one of my favorite airlines in the country, changed its name in 2004 from Midwest Express to Midwest Airlines. They correctly expected that their new name would increase bookings as potential passengers came to realize that they are a full-service na- tional airline, not a regional carrier like the old name seemed to con- vey. Their slogan is “The best care in the air,” and it makes a promise to their customers that you’ll feel more cared for when you fly with them. Like many in their industry they have endured financial diffi- culties and they will have to decide which corners to cut and which services they must keep to fulfill their promise. A great brand eventu- ally fails if its products and features don’t deliver. Midwest is now us- ing smaller planes that do not have their signature big leather seats. They don’t always serve their famous warm gooey chocolate chip cookies. They also do not allow disabled passengers needing oxygen to fly with them whereas most other airlines do. So, although their brand name is expanding its reach, their pledge to give the best care in the air has room to grow. If your brand evolves, it must be based on true experiences and not on goals yet to be reached. I interviewed the president of the Milwaukee Metropolitan As- sociation of Commerce, Tim Sheehy, to discuss one of Milwaukee’s most important jewels—Midwest Airlines. Headquartered in Mil- waukee, it employs over 2,800 people. In addition to Midwest hav- ing a strong brand, Tim knows its alliance with Milwaukee can strengthen the Milwaukee brand. Tim Sheehy is one of Milwaukee’s most important spokespeople as an advocate for encouraging busi- nesses that build Milwaukee’s brand as a great place to live. Tim gets branding. He summed up his discussion about Midwest Air- lines by saying, “Everything from the chocolate chip cookies to the best service makes you feel special. There couldn’t be a better way to welcome people into Milwaukee than via a Midwest Airlines flight. Their brand tells a great story.” 2 Go ahead. Live your best brand! Here’s what a dog can teach us about building brands: • Never pretend to be something you’re not. • If it itches, scratch it. • Be loyal. Jump up and down. Beg if you have to. Planning for Your Brand 155 ccc_hilicki_ch07_146-159.qxd 11/22/04 11:17 AM Page 155 • If what you want is buried, keep digging until you find it. • No matter how often you’re criticized, don’t buy into the guilt. Run right back and make friends. Envision Your Best Brand Moments Each time you imagine the future, put it into the context of the fol- lowing questions. How does my brand make me feel connected to an earlier time in my life? Most often people will develop personal or professional brands that unknowingly are rooted in their meaningful life experiences. We tend to create two kinds of scenarios. Either we try to repair difficult situa- tions or we recreate wonderful situations. Perhaps we have lived through times when we didn’t get sufficient attention or recognition. Building a conspicuous brand may be a way that we unknowingly deal with that experience! Or perhaps we had a memorable adoles- cence during which we were recognized for the way we looked or acted. Building a brand may be a subconscious attempt to recreate that situation. If you ask yourself what memories your brand stirs up from your earlier personal life, you’ll probably be surprised by your an- swer. Keep asking this question, because acknowledging that connec- tion is absolutely essential to your brand building success. Then, as you envision the future, ask what feelings your brand will stir up in others. Is that what you had hoped for? It is your audience’s feelings that count. If they don’t connect with you and feel like they can re- late to your brand, then you are meaningless to them. Is that what you want? What does your brand development help you to believe about yourself and your future? Brands are what we feel about the product or the service, but they are more than that. They are what they can make us feel about ourselves. The really potent part of a brand is that it allows you to carry 156 MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE? ccc_hilicki_ch07_146-159.qxd 11/22/04 11:17 AM Page 156 around beliefs about yourself that make you feel special, precious, valuable, worth your weight in gold. But the truth is that your brand does not give you these attributes. The fact that your brand now puts you on people’s radar screens and therefore makes you feel valuable from the resulting recognition doesn’t mean that the brand is responsible for you being valuable. You were always valuable, and your brand gave your value a forum to be seen. Said more simply, you define your brand. Your brand does not define who you are or how you feel. Phil Vischer has been called one of the twenty-first century’s most influential men. He is the creator of the Christian phenome- non VeggieTales, to which millions of children give their love and attention. We spoke for hours one hot summer day about the heat he was taking for his brand protection. Even though Phil grew up in the church with his dad the Sunday school superintendent and his mom the choir director, he went through the same problems and is- sues that any kid does. When his parents divorced, he moved into the basement of his house and, metaphorically, of his life. Deep in introspection, he realized that God had filled his head with stories and the ability to make people laugh. Yet he was also filled with moral outrage, even as a teen, that the world was in trouble when it came to values. Phil is one incredibly hard worker, but he said, “I’m driven by need. If people took better care of their kids I could slow down. I’m not a type A.” Did he feel like he wasn’t taken care of growing up? He admitted that the VeggieTales brand is “me.” He also confessed, “I have no desire to run a company.” What an admission! He was run- ning a multimillion-dollar company when corporate management wasn’t his true story. His constant self-examination helped him re- main true to his brand protection. He knows who he is and what his brand means to people. Because of his childhood experiences, he wanted to help parents raise their kids with the message of God. Therefore he kept his brand from expanding into product lines that could carry the logo but not actually spread God’s word. For example, he expanded into books but not bicycles. He protected what his brand promised at the expense of new revenues. One can see how his true experiences are reflected in his business, including a succession of three unsuccessful presidents. Was he looking for a father figure, perhaps? Phil says, “Maybe.” 3 Planning for Your Brand 157 ccc_hilicki_ch07_146-159.qxd 11/22/04 11:17 AM Page 157 In 2004 Big Idea, parent company of VeggieTales, was sold to Classic Media. But Phil’s brand story is a great and successful example of building a brand to connect to earlier times in your life in such a way that it perpetuates your beliefs and plans for your successful fu- ture—no matter how you define success. If you were to make a list of all the things your brand makes you believe, you might find words like powerful, important, and fas- cinating on your list. If you believe in these qualities associated with your brand, would they disappear if your brand dissolved? No. These are the qualities that you give to your brand. Your brand does not give them to you. However, when envisioning your fu- ture, you must ask what your brand helps your audience to believe about themselves. • Does it make them feel good? • Does it make promises that they need to hear? • Do they feel more important and worthy? • Does your brand make them feel better or worse? If you can’t answer “better” to the last question, your brand is in trou- ble. Write the most exciting conclusion you can imagine for your brand. And learn to rewrite it and rewrite it and rewrite it. The im- provement of your brand reflects the improvements in your life and its telling. It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: It would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn how to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you can not go on indefinitely being just an ordinary decent egg. We must hatch or go bad. —C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) 4 158 MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE? Brand Building Belief VII I will think of my brand in terms of the results it can bring to- day, and as a vehicle to mirror change, while connecting me to past ideals. ccc_hilicki_ch07_146-159.qxd 11/22/04 11:17 AM Page 158 Planning for Your Brand 159 Brand Builders 1. What is a “Rudolph” characteristic in your life? 2. If you had 24 hours left, what would you want your brand to communicate to those important to you? 3. How will your brand mirror the changes in your life? If your brand is the reflection of your true experiences, what images do you see? 4. What does your brand help you believe about yourself? ccc_hilicki_ch07_146-159.qxd 11/22/04 11:17 AM Page 159 Chapter EIGHT Getting Results from Your Brand Singleness of purpose is one of the chief essentials for success in life, no matter what may be one’s aim. —John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874–1960) 1 The Map We’re all trying to deal with different kinds of maps in life. Personally I hate maps. I can follow directions so long as they include land- marks. “Turn left at the Holiday Inn, go straight until the road be- comes a one-way street, and immediately turn right into Wal-Mart.” But give me directions that start with the word southeasterly and I am lost. It’s not that I won’t ask for directions. I love directions. I just don’t want to read them off of a map. In fact, when my husband hollered to me that Toronto was nowhere near Niagara Falls on our way there from Buffalo, New York, I snapped. I wadded the paper map in my lap into a ball and threw it out the window while we were speeding down the highway. That would show him. Well, back to maps. Not only do I want to be able to read maps but I want to be on the map. You’ve heard the expression “She put him on the map,” or, “She’s his due north,” or, “He’s on the map now!” Remember the free-standing map in shopping malls or theme parks where we search for the “You Are Here” icon? Think about the Internet sites that assist you with direction, reservations, and travel plans. They all begin with the word Start. Go to the map. Get on the map. Figure out where you are starting from and who you really are. Then and only then can you get to where you want to go. 160 ccc_hilicki_ch08_160-181.qxd 11/22/04 11:20 AM Page 160 [...]... Imagine this in terms of your own personal 174 MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE? brand identity, your corporate brand, or some combination of the two But think about what you could do, or would do, if you had a magic wand to zap your real and your perceived image into anything you wished If I had been given the proverbial three wishes in the past, I might have mistakenly wished to have the following: 1... characteristics you have as tools 164 MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE? to use for the journey to greater brand success It’s not enough to know the road; you have to know what kind of a driver you are I have a science background, and I build analytically and with organization I must be able to accurately and systematically trace my results back to their definitive origination I felt like I lived my early life... Family and some familyowned businesses 6 The entrepreneurial company is characterized by energy, individuality, and a never-give-up attitude Such a company emphasizes the 1 68 MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE? vision of its founder Usually privately owned, it has a brand that makes people feel both invigorated by possibilities and frustrated by constant change Sometimes corporate organizations want to be... brand Record sales plummeted Radio stations refused to play the group’s singles Other music stars criticized the Dixie Chicks and distanced themselves from them 162 MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE? No one likes to be told that they have made the wrong choice And when the Chicks criticized the president it was as if they were saying, “Bush is no good so America is no good, either.” We don’t just choose... filled with historic memorabilia from the likes of Minnie Pearl and Johnny Cash His message was delivered softly, smoothly He’s a smart man with a meaningful past of his own I have to love what I do or I don’t do it well,” he said I asked him what the word brand meant to him, and he explained, “It is dialing up the thoughts and feelings of the true essence of something.” I asked him how he was managing... Sometimes this is just dodging the work, and sometimes it is a genuine concern But we need to talk about the word can’t If you want to find those qualities to better yourself and your company, you need to make it a priority Get serious about searching out your diverse self, as it contains the essence of your uniqueness Do this not only because it is good for you but because it is a smart business decision... our efforts We have to fall 172 MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE? back on our core abilities, our core products, and our core services And these are precisely related to our core identity, which I call our essence or unique fingerprint Focus single-mindedly on this Maneuver Charles Darwin is remembered for teaching, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the... managing this brand that was in a time of transition It’s cool to be country now How does one stay 170 MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE? true to one’s essence and also stay in touch with today’s audience? “It means knowing the right ingredients and staying true to them.” Pete smiled, I m not trying to make the Opry something it’s not We are telling the same message of Americana and family, only we... The genuine excitement that pours out of the performers night after night is unmistakable To quote Pete, it is the feeling of Americana, patriotism, heritage, and legacy translated into music and lyrics that make every listener validate who they are meant to be The Grand Ole Opry has 83 percent unaided awareness Pete’s vision is to increase that awareness to 100 percent I interviewed him in his cozy... soldiers, he developed a team that visited Army units along the Russian-American checkpoint during the notoriously hated Saturday morning information and education training sessions After announcing that the fourteam members were card-carrying Communists (during the tag end of the McCarthy Communism hearings), the four extolled the supposed virtues of Communism as their audiences sat quietly in disbelief . Lewis ( 189 8–1963) 4 1 58 MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE? Brand Building Belief VII I will think of my brand in terms of the results it can bring to- day, and as a vehicle to mirror change, while. fas- cinating on your list. If you believe in these qualities associated with your brand, would they disappear if your brand dissolved? No. These are the qualities that you give to your brand. Your. danger of creating a false rela- tionship with your business associates, your friends, and yourself. 164 MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE? ccc_hilicki_ch 08_ 160- 181 .qxd 11/22/04 11:20 AM Page 164 Labels