Drew McLellan, Author at McLellan Marketing Group

Lessons in Extreme Leadership — up close and personal

October 6, 2009

A couple weeks ago, I had the amazing good fortune of getting to spend a few days with Steve Farber, author of Radical Leap, Radical Edge and Greater than Yourself.

I won’t blather like a school girl about how cool it was to hang out with a guy whose work I have identified with, woven into my company’s culture and believe with my whole heart and soul.

But I gotta say, it was way beyond cool.

(The photo to the right is Tim Johnson, Steve and myself. Mike Sansone was the 4th in the party, snapping photos.)

Anyway…as you might imagine, spending all that time with Steve, observing him interact with others, watching him give several presentations and listening to his stories, I had some takeaways I wanted to share with you:

Extreme leadership is risky business. You have to be willing to be the first one to admit you’re scared, be willing to put a spotlight on your own failings and mistakes, to have those terrifying moments as you stand at the edge of a cliff and decide to leap and not only love your people…but show & tell them.

You’re never done: No matter how good of a leader you think you are…there’s plenty of room for better. Probably way more than you think, by the way.

Extreme leadership is an action verb, not a label. It’s about doing, not talking. Lots of posers out there, wearing the leadership label. The real leaders are just getting it done.

You can’t lead if you can’t be audacious enough to think you can change the world. It’s not about your ego, it’s about having a passion and commitment deep enough that you just can’t stop trying. No matter how big the obstacles.

There’s nothing magical about leadership. It’s all in the heart. Anyone can do it, if they care enough. It has to start with heart. You can’t fake it. You can’t buy it. All you can do it be willing to

The legacy of a leader is more leaders. The ultimate of leading is to identify those people who you can help and actually lift up so they can be greater than you.

Whew…that’s a lot to aspire to, isn’t it? I’m up for the challenge — how about you?

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Age of Conversation III — call for authors

October 5, 2009

The authors of Age of Conversation I and II have been calling Gavin Heaton and me names for a week. I think the most frequent word they used was insane!

I prefer to think of us as fools for love. The first two books are a testament to all the buzzwords people so casually toss around when it comes to social media.

Community, Sharing, Conversation, Experimentation, Engagement, Collaboration.

Well if you want to see all that and more in action — join us. Become one of the 300 authors of Age of Conversation III.

We invited the past authors a week ago and 137 of the 300 slots are already full. So this isn’t something to ponder for days. If you want in…get in now.

Here’s the drill. All authors, by signing up, agree to sign away all right to their 400 word chapter (which won’t be self-promotional), to let us donate all proceeds to charity and to promote the book on their blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. presence.

Chapters will be due in early November. Each author will choose a “theme” for their chapter among the ten we’ve designed. They’ll serve as sections in the book. We’ll allow 30 authors per section, so the longer you wait, the less choice you’ll have.

If you’d like to join us, please visit this link to sign up and choose your theme. We’d love to have you!

UPDATE: In less than 14 hours, we had 306 authors sign up and have closed the call for authors. Thanks to everyone who has opted to come on board!

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Interview with Drew McLellan: What’s new in social media (podcast)

October 3, 2009

Zane Safrit writes a great blog about being an entrepreneur and he also has a very popular podcast series.

I was fortunate enough to be a guest about a year ago and he recently asked me to come back again. So on Friday (Oct 2, 2009), we spent an hour or so talking about social media, community, and how businesses are viewing and succeeding in social media.

Zane’s always fun to chat with…so if you are so inclined, take a listen.

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What I’m reading (10/3/09)

October 3, 2009

I've always loved to read…and thank God, I'm fast. So many books….so little free time. I thought I might try a new feature on the blog and every week or so, give you the skinny on the books that have caught my fancy. Most will be new ones (I am trying to whittle down the pile) but every once in awhile it will include a classic too.

Here's what I've been reading this week and my take on each.

The Brand Called You by Peter Montoya & Tim Vandehey (buy it here)

Personal branding is certainly all abuzz. I'm not going to spend much time reminding you that A) everyone has a personal brand, whether you want one or not and B) you should purposefully manage your brand, as opposed to having it thrust upon you.

This book breaks down the discussion into four sections:

The DNA of a personal brand – what is it, how does it work and what can it do?
The brand with three brains – Key strategies that make personal branding work
Anatomy of a personal brand – Tactical tools you can implement
Bringing your brand to life – Making it happen

This book is light on theory, heavy on real life examples and ideas you can implement quickly.

Bottom line: Some very intriguing ideas. It's not rocket science but even if you're an old pro, you'll close the book with some new ideas to try.

The New Language of Marketing 2.0 by Sandy Carter (buy it here)

Wow. Sandy Carter has gathered up over 50 case studies and examples that demonstrate how marketers can use web 2.0 tools to really connect with their customers. Most of the case studies include Lessons Learned call outs or tips culled from the study. Very helpful format.

If I have a complaint it would be that the mass majority of examples are from very large companies like IBM and Coke. If you're a mom and pop business, it may be tougher to apply some of these lessons.

Bottom line: Superb case studies and learning. You may have to work a little bit to apply to your world.

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A practical, tools you can use conference

October 2, 2009

You all know I am an unabashed fan of the site Marketing Profs and their blog Daily Fix. Ann Handley and her crew are just some of the smartest, most generous marketing pros out there.

So you can trust me when I say…their Digital Marketing Mixer is going to be a "your hand hurts from scrambling to write down all the ideas and must do's for when you get back to work" sort of an event.

Here are the details:

Chicago, October 21 and 22. (If I wasn't speaking at the Iowa Tourism conference, I'd be there in a nanosecond!)

The speakers' list is a who's who of internet marketing & social media. You'll meet and learn from the likes of Andy Sernovitz, Peter Shankman, Mack Collier, Amber Naslund, Paul Chaney, Mari Smith, Leigh Duncan-Durst, Ann Handley, Beth Harte, Jason Baer and many others.

It is sick and wrong that all of these people are going to be in one place and I have to miss hearing them teach and learn from one another.

They're going to be talking practical, real content. How to develop leads from webinars. How to monitor and measure social media activity, e-mail newsletter campaigns, how to get creative with SEO, how to impact Google…all for the taking.

What are you waiting for? Click on this link to save $200 on the registration and get to Chicago! You owe it to yourself to at least take a look at the incredible content and try to figure out a way to get there.

If you're a regular reader, you know I don't gush about too many of the conferences out there. But this one's different. This is not for the social media super stars. This is for you — the marketing pro who is looking for some new ideas, some new contacts and a new playing field.

Have a great time and come back and tell us about it!

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A nickname does not make you more cool

September 30, 2009

I remember a Disney (made for TV) film that my daughter used to enjoy. It was about this nerdy kid named Charlie. He lamented his lack of coolness, so he decided to re-invent himself. Cooler clothes, a new, cool haircut but the lynch pin to his plan was the nickname. Chaz.

All of a sudden, Charlie (as Chaz) exuded cool.

Of course, you can guess how it ended. Chaz became the darling of the school but when he was exposed as a fraud, he learned two valuable lessons. You can't fake cool and in the end…you are who and what you are.

I wish I had a DVD of this movie. You know who I'd send it to? The CMOs of Radio Shack and Walgreens.

Radio Shack, a very uncool brand, has decided to slap on some cool by asking us to call them "The Shack." So many problems with this, it's staggering.

When you hear "The Shack" who or what do you think of? (either the basketball player or the book)
Even if you bought into nickname, the stores are still the same — packed to the gills with wires, switches, and gizmos. The Apple Store is cool. Radio Shack…not so much.
Radio Shack already has a very entrenched brand…and it isn't about being cool!

In the same vein, Walgreens has recently re-branded their private label products. You used to be able to buy Walgreens shampoo but now…it's W shampoo. Yes…that does make me forget that it's generic.

Again…nothing they do is going to make Walgreens cool. We don't really need or want Walgreens to be cool.

We want them to be open 24 hours/day.

We want them to stock most prescriptions so we can call and then pick it up an hour later.

We even want them to keep a good supply of Haagen Dazs ice cream so we can rush up there at 11 pm and pay an exorbitant price…because we need it now!

We don't need Radio Shack or Walgreen's to be cool. And in fact, we won't let them be cool. No matter how cool their nickname might be.

The lesson here for us marketing types? A brand is not something you manufacture. It doesn't come from your name or your logo. It comes from within. It is born out of who you actually are. No matter how cool your nickname might be.

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What I’m reading this week (9/26/09)

September 26, 2009

I've always loved to read…and thank God, I'm fast. So many books….so little free time. I thought I might try a new feature on the blog and every week or so, give you the skinny on the books that have caught my fancy. Most will be new ones (I am trying to whittle down the pile) but every once in awhile it will include a classic too.

Here's what I've been reading this week and my take on each.

Maverick Marketing by Tom Hayes: (buy it here)

As you might guess by the title, the book's "theme" is a trailride into the wild west of new marketing. Hayes keeps the theme tall in the saddle throughout the entire book, which feels a bit forced in places. But, if you can tolerate the cute "little dogie" references….this is quite a good read.

Hayes basic point is this: You aren't going to win if you play the game the same way as everyone else. You've got to be a maverick. That might be in who you target as a key audience, how you reach that audience or your message. (or a combo!)

The best part of this book are all the examples. Hayes goes to the usual suspects like Virgin Airlines and Wal-Mart, but also brings in some fresh stories like Johnsonville Brats and Clif Bars.

Bottom line: I started to skim but the real life examples drew me in. Worth your time.

Brand Immortality by Hamish Pringle & Peter Field (buy it here)

This book is a scholarly study of branding, Drawing conclusions and culling data from 880+ case studies submitted to the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) dataBANK and detailing numerous case studies from winners of the IPA Effectiveness Awards, the authors have compellingly made the case as to why the eventual death of any given brand is not an inevitable fact of life. The authors point out the pitfalls and dangers in much current thinking in the field of marketing.

The type is small, the graphs are plentiful and the language is academic. I have no doubt this is a fascinating study, but I must admit, I had a hard time staying with it.

Bottom line: Good information that academics will love. It could have been packaged in a more digestible fashion.

Putting the Public back in Public Relations by Brian Solis & Deirdre Breakenridge (buy it here)

As you might guess by the title, this book is about bridging the gap between the old PR methods and the new. While much of the emphasis is on social media, the underlying message doesn't depend on the media. You could apply much of what the authors write about, whether you're reaching out via Twitter or the old fashioned telephone.

Lots of good stories and references that you can steal from throughout the book but what I think makes this book most different from other PR/Social media books is the 4th section on measurement. Some very helpful thinking.

Bottom line: Accessible, memorable and some stealable ideas. You'll dog ear some pages.

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Another American Girl blunder?

September 24, 2009

You might remember the American Girl PR nightmare from spring of '07 when a mommy blogger wrote a scorching letter to AG because they refused to do her daughter's non-AG doll's hair — teaching her a have and have not life lesson of epic proportions. This story ended up on many major news shows and creating a huge hullabaloo all over the internet.

Interestingly, AG chose not to respond to the situation. (I do believe the individual store reached out to make amends.) Now, I suspect they are about to end up back in the spotlight…and we'll see how the public reacts.

American Girl released some new dolls (as they do on a regular basis) and one of them is Gwen Thompson. Like all of the AG dolls, Gwen comes complete with a book about her life. But here's the twist. This doll, which retails for $95, is homeless.

In a stereotypical fashion, Gwen's story is that her father abandoned the family and Gwen's mom subsequently lost her job. They now live in a car.

Her clothes are not tattered or dirty. She's not tattered or dirty. She goes to school and is friends with another AG doll, Chrissa. I am sure there are some homeless kids who can maintain personal hygiene and school, but really — how many?

Somehow to me, it seems a bit obscene to sell homeless dolls for a C-note. Especially, if we're not really telling the truth about what being homeless is all about. I'm guessing the mommy bloggers are going to have a field day with this.

But (of course) I think there's also a branding issue here. American Girl is making a lot of money on these dolls. More power to them, I say. There's nothing wrong with creating a product that people are willing to pay a premium for. That's one of the reasons branding matters. And many of their dolls face challenges (the depression, bullying — you name it) but somehow this feels different. It feels a little dirty.

In a blog announcing this batch of new dolls, notice how all the other dolls come with plenty of accessories. Furniture, craft tables, changes of clothes, etc. Chrissa even has a pet llama. But, Gwen comes has no add-ons.

It will be interesting to see if AG decides to jump into the fray on this one. It would be so simple to fix…donate a portion of Gwen's sales to homeless shelters or a children's charity. Or use their position to teach their young patrons about compassion and community action by organizing them to make a difference and fight homelessness together.

But somehow, I have a feeling that's just not going to happen. I wonder why many believe their brand is about entitlement?

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Leave your brand alone!

September 21, 2009

Picture this. You have created a relevant brand-centric tagline that your customers parrot, the marketplace recognizes and your competitors covet. You have reached the holy grail of marketing — you have embedded your marketing message into the minds of the consumer.

Your research shows that believability and recall for your product and the associated tagline are incredibly high. This tagline and the fact that you keep the tagline's promise catapults you to a leadership position in your product category.

What should you do now?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Why is it so hard for companies to leave a good thing alone? Well, typically when an organization walks away from a rock solid, consumer celebrated tagline one of a few things has happened:

The organization recently hired a new head of marketing.
The organization recently hired a new agency.
Internally, they're bored with the current tagline.

Several years ago, watchmaker Timex dropped its famous "Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking" tagline for the incredibly bland "Timex. Life is Ticking." They made this decision despite the fact that "Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking" was ranked #40 on Ad Age's list of the top 100 ad campaign of the 20th century.

Why would they do something so dumb? They hired a new Chief Marketing Officer of course. He has since left that position. And their current tagline? "Timex. Be there now."

How sad is that?

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How long will it take to get marketing results?

September 16, 2009

We get asked this question all the time. Prospects and clients alike want to know when they can expect to see results from their marketing efforts. Ah, if only it were that cut and dried.

There are many factors that influence reaction time to a marketing tactic. Let’s take a look at a few of them and you’ll begin to see that this is not an exact science but there are things you can do to impact your effectiveness.

How often do people need/want it? If you run a restaurant or sell ice cream – you’re in luck. Mail a coupon on Tuesday and you might see the family, coupon in hand, by Saturday. But on average, someone buys a car every 3-5 years. Own a car dealership and you might wait 18+ months after your first ad or tweet to see that person in your door.

Who the heck are you? Does the consumer recognize your brand? Do they know what you are all about? Do they know what makes you different from your competitors?

Who else is talking? Just like at a party, if you are the only voice talking, it’s a lot easier to be heard. But, if you are one of many and others are talking louder and faster – you can easily get lost in the din.

Where are you talking? What would happen if you stood up right in the middle of a church service and started talking? You’d get noticed, wouldn’t you? That’s because you are doing something unexpected in an unexpected place.

What are you saying? The most important factor of all. Are you talking about what the consumer cares about or are you talking about you?

How are you poised to influence any or all of these factors?

(If you want to read a really smart book on the topic of consumers and their own sense of timing, check out Stopwatch Marketing by John Rosen.)

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