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Not a lick of marketing insight here!

June 7, 2007

In all fairness, I have to beg your forgiveness. You see, this post has absolutely nothing to do with marketing or branding. It is 100% purely personal and you won’t hurt my feelings one bit if you pass on reading it. I promise the next post — we’ll be back on track.

At 44, I can look back on my life so far and smile. I’ve enjoyed some successes that I’m pretty proud of. I’ve written a book, launched and maintained a marketing agency, built a work environment that honors the people who work there, created a successful blog, blah, blah, blah.

All of the noteworthy things listed above pale in comparison to my great accomplishment. My daughter.

If you’ll indulge me…I’d like to brag on her for a moment. She’s a great student, a good kid and quite beautiful. But what gives me the greatest pride and pleasure is her heart. And this week, she was recognized for the remarkable young woman she is growing up to be.

It was the last day of school earlier this week and there was an awards ceremony. Her school has a special award, named after a boy who attended the school and sadly died of a cancerous brain tumor. The award is given to one student who best embodies the traits of this young man. The only other requirement is that they have to be involved in the drama program as he was very active in the program while he was in school. The students vote for who they believe:

Has good ideas
Participates fully
Has an exemplary attitude
Has a love of learning
Personal interest and motivation
Makes classmates smile; sense of humor
Is everybody’s friend
Doesn’t give up

My daughter knew she had been nominated by several classmates but the winner is kept secret until the awards. Here’s a portion of what her teacher said as she announced the award:

…Most of all, though, this year’s recipient symbolizes the spirit of this caring young man.

Peers who nominated her described her this way: "she makes everyone happy; she has no enemies” . . . “She is always happy and ready to go” . . . “Drama is her thing and she always has the right attitude” . . . “She might struggle but she always tries hard and the best that she can” . . . “She is very good at acting and loves drama” . . . “She is a very funny, kind person and she’s always positive and smiling. She’s everyone’s friend”. . . “She is always very nice to everyone and is very involved in Drama and Thespians” . . . “She is so creative and such a great person. She can get anyone to laugh. She loves acting and never gives up.”

And then she said my daughter’s name. (We had been notified in advance, so we were there, waiting in the wings.)

Wow.

And then, that 13 year old confidently took the mic and told her entire school how honored she was to receive the award.

I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes. I know the sky’s the limit. And I know, no matter where she goes from here — she is indeed my greatest gift to this world.

Thanks for indulging my parental pride. Now…back to marketing & branding!

The shirt off my back as a new marketing tactic?

June 7, 2007

Which one of these shirts inspired my latest post at the Marketing Prof’s Daily Fix?

A bagful of ideas: 06/07/07

June 6, 2007

From time to time, I’m going to share a mixed bag of ideas, marketing tips, brilliant writing and sometimes — something that just made me laugh out loud. Here’s today’s offering:

This one had me pumping my fist in the air: Tom Vander Well hit the nail on the head when he said okay does not drive customer loyalty or word of mouth. Right on Tom! Why are so many businesses slow to understand this?

This one had me applauding my peers: Sabina shares some really creative work. Reminds us all to stretch a little.

This one had me taking notes: Get it in Writing shares the top 20 words that when/if you misuse them make you look stupid. Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t need any help in that arena!

Marketing Tips from a Marketing Agency: Be disruptive

June 6, 2007

It would only stand to reason that a marketing & branding agency would be pretty good at branding and marketing itself.

So I thought it might be fun to explore some branding & marketing concepts using our own agency, McLellan Marketing Group, as the guinea pig.

Be disruptive

Marketing isn’t always about the big campaign. Sometimes it is taking something simple or expected and turning it on its ear. Earlier in this series, we talked about how we approach business cards. Being disruptive seems to be an MMG given. It’s certainly what we do with our voice mail. If you call our office, while we’re transferring your call — you’re going to be asked a question.

So, let’s say you hit my extension (17 by the way) and you expect elevator music, silence or a sales pitch. Instead you’re going to hear me asking…"while we transfer your call, ponder this. What tagline best describes your personal brand? Be ready to tell us why…"

Not only do we learn quite a bit about our callers, but the Q&A helps define our brand. We ask a lot of questions, so we might as well set the expectation now.

But the biggest value in our voicemail tactic — it’s disruptive. It surprises people and it’s something they talk about. It says, "these people do things differently."

Now maybe you can’t mess with your company’s voice mail system but come on, you can be disruptive some place, some how.

How can you cause a buzzworthy disruption?

Questions to ask BEFORE you hire a web partner

June 5, 2007

So you need to update your website. Or, build one for the first time. It’s easy to get blinded by some of the cool, visually spectacular things that can be done on the web. But let’s remember that first and foremost — your website is a marketing tool.

Before you hire a web partner, make sure you ask some smart questions and do your homework. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s a good start.

Seeing is believing:

Ask to see samples of their work within the last 6 months. Get references.
Ask to see the user interface so you understand what is required to make changes.

There are many ways to view a website:

Ask which browsers (and versions) they test for compatibility
Ask how your site will appear on hand-held devices like Blackberries and Palm Pilots.

You will keep your content fresh if it’s easy to do:

Do they use a WYSIWYG software to build sites?
If you want to update text, photos, add pages etc. – can you do that yourself without knowing any code?
If the web firm has to make the changes, how much do you charge and what is the turnaround time?

Will you be easy to find?

How does their construction natively help your site’s search engine rankings?

Your audiences:

Will the site be handicap accessible? (If you receive federal funding, you should find out about Section 508 requirements.)
What help, if any, do you give you to attract an audience?

Nuts and bolts:

Who owns the site? Can you move it to a different server if you want?
What kind of support are you given after the site goes live? Is there an additional cost for this?

Keep in mind that you need three different kinds of thinkers to help you design a site:

A strategic thinker who helps create the user experience
A smart designer who understands graphic design, your brand and how to design specifically for the web
A savvy, up-to-speed web developer who can actually construct the site

Don’t get boxed in to thinking that you have to buy all of those services from one firm. For almost 15 years, we’ve fulfilled the first two roles for our clients — but always hire out the final component.

Come on marketing pros — what questions did I miss that you know should be added to the list?

Get your fill at the new branding smorgasbord!

June 4, 2007

Bw_logo_med_2

As you know, I seem to be drawn to group collaborations. I love the greater than the whole concept. And we’ve proven it to be true already. Together, you and I…and some other smart marketers have created the Advice for College Grads PDF, the Age of Conversation, The Blogger Social ’08 and now…

BrandingWire.

BrandingWire is the brainchild of Steve Woodruff. He wanted to create “a collaboration of high-profile branding and marketing pundits, who band together to tackle branding challenges and topics on a regular basis.” I was fortunate enough to be invited to join the merry band.

Here’s how it will work: The team will mutually decide on a branding topic or focus for the month. Then, on a specified day (for June it is a week from today – June 11th. Each blogger will post his/her take on the topic on their own blog. It will be very interesting to compare and learn from everyone’s differing perspective. My guess is that you’ll see some who will dive deep and others who will take a broader view. But there will be something to learn from each. And if you want to view/read all the BrandingWire takes in one fell swoop, you can check out the PageFlakes compilation.

It’s unscripted, it’s unedited…so it’s sure to be worth the read.

Filling out the BrandingWire roster are:

Olivier Blanchard
Becky Carroll
Derrick Daye
Kevin Dugan
Lewis Green
Ann Handley
Gavin Heaton
Martin Jelsema (also the designer of the BW logo above!)
Valeria Maltoni
Drew McLellan
Patrick Schaber
Steve Woodruff

If you’d like to read more about the team, check out the BrandingWire website.

One dinner, five marketing legends and me!

June 3, 2007

Shama Hyder asked the question…if you could share a dinner with five people, who would you choose?

So, I decided to narrow the options and choose people who have had an impact on marketing and branding.

David Ogilvy: I doubt anyone in the business doesn’t respect the work and brilliance of Ogilvy. He was the master of memorable positioning and headlines that became battle cries.

Steve Jobs: Love him or hate him, love Apple or be a fool (sorry couldn’t resist) — Jobs has proven to get branding. I’d love to talk to him about how he was able to stay the course with Apple’s brand when the world was telling him to conform or hang it up.

P.T. Barnum: While he didn’t ever work at an advertising agency, he knew all about selling the steak by emphasizing the sizzle. But he despised dishonesty and exposed those who he felt were being fraudulent.

Leo Burnett: Burnett proved that you didn’t have to be in NYC to build a powerful agency. Burnett built his agency in the heart of the Chicago loop and argued that visuals appealed to the "basic emotions and primitive instincts" of consumers.

Walt Disney: No list of marketers would be complete, in my opinion, without Walt. He has some of the traits that I believe are essential to be a good marketer. He was curious, wanted to create the ultimate customer experience, tenacious, and had a vivid imagination. All of that was wrapped in a passion that could not denied.

There you have it. Can you imagine sitting around a table with these men? Wow…what a conversation that would be.

So how about you — rather than tagging anyone specifically, I invite all of you to play along. Just link back to this post and to Shama’s.

In the meantime…bon appetit!

Marketing Tips from a Marketing Agency: Make a good first impression

June 2, 2007

It would only stand to reason that a marketing & branding agency would be pretty good at branding and marketing itself.

So I thought it might be fun to explore some branding & marketing concepts using our own agency, McLellan Marketing Group, as the guinea pig.

Make a Good First Impression

Retail brands like Apple and Barnes & Noble get this. Just by walking into their space — you are enveloped into an experience. They begin their brand story at the front door. But B2B companies and service providers have been much slower at recognizing the power of maximizing that first impression.

At MMG, we don’t even let them get into the front door before we begin our brand story. I’ve enhanced this night time shot, so you can get a sense of what our building looks like — day or night. The upper panel shows our tagline (where strategy and passion collide) and logo in a can’t be missed size. Then, the display window below is filled with our work. Often times, people show up late to meetings at our place, because they’ve stood and perused our display and lost track of time.

And clients love to see their work in the display case.

Using your exterior or lobby to create a brand impression can really set your company apart. It’s not uncommon for prospects to scout a few companies before they choose a new partner.

John Roberson the president of LobbyMakeover.com, a division of Advent based in Nashville offers these 7 elements to consider for your lobby makeover.

A high-impact logo—Reflect your brand with a tastefully fabricated logo that is appropriate to the space.
A clear key message—Differentiate your company with a positioning statement that lets folks know what you do and how you do it differently.
An effective color palette—Use colors that are evocative of the brand and show contrast, but are not a literal application of your brochure.
An engaging group of images—Choose images that reflect your company and the way you do business.
Success stories and awards—Artistically include customer testimonials and accomplishments.
Mission/value statement—Share where you are going and what you value because it is meaningful to customers, employees and vendors.
A user-friendly information and media center—Offer presentations, information, brochures and business cards to guests in a purposeful and attractive manner.

Be honest — what does your exterior/lobby say to your visitors? What do you suppose that first impression costs or earns you?

Blogtipping — June ’07

June 2, 2007

I am joining with my fellow bloggers in celebrating some new blogs that I enjoyed this past month.

As is the blogtipping tradition, (created by Easton Ellsworth) I’ll offer a few reasons why I like the blog and one suggestion for improvement.

Because it’s graduation month for so many…I’d like to tip my mortar board to these three marketing student bloggers. I only wish I was half as smart as they are when I was their age. Who am I kidding..I’d still like to be as smart as they are.

I hope all three guys pass on the availability of the FREE e-book written by marketing pros about how to break into the business.

This month’s nods go to….

Student PR Blog is Chris Clarke’s way of reaching out to PR and Communications students and graduates with news they need to know.

Things I love:

The depth of information.

That you don’t stop at just giving us the facts, you also give us your insight.

You update your posts to keep them current.

Suggestion:

It would be nice if you broke up some of the long posts with some visuals, when you can.

A Student’s Guide to Connecting is just that. Andy Drish just finished his junior year at Drake University and has already made more connections than I have!

Things I love:

The diversity of your posts.

That you’re so hungry to learn and you share that learning with us.

Your natural, engaging style of writing.

Suggestion:

How about some visuals to illustrate your points?

The trio would not be complete without Ryan Karpeles and his blog Living Light Bulbs. Ryan’s done a remarkable job of reaching out to the marketing bloggers world-wide.

Things I love:

Your insights are refreshing and thought-provoking.

Great, conversational style.

You interject a lot of your personality into your posts.

Suggestion:

It would be very interesting to track your job hunt, once you get started on it.

There you have it discerning readers…until next month’s blogtipping adventure!

The Starbucker Meme — what’s in your glass?

June 2, 2007

My friend Terry Starbucker of Ramblings From a Glass Half Full (now you see the connection?) has started his own meme and tagged me to play along.

You know me…I love to play, so here we go. Terry says…here’s a chance to let your creativity flow…answer the following:

How full is your glass?
What kind of glass is it?
What’s in the glass?
Reasons for #1, #2, and #3

My glass is a respectable two-thirds full.

The glass is a crystal traditional “bucket” glass.

The glass is filled with a very good single malt scotch on the rocks.

Scotch takes a long time to be ready to be consumed. It’s an acquired taste — you learn to take it in slowly and savor the warmth.

I think life is like that. It takes us awhile to figure it out. And when we do, we realize it’s all about sharing and savoring. (the liquid) The glass is only 2/3 full, because my life has been filled with some amazing people and experiences but it isn’t topped off yet. There are more remarkable discoveries ahead. (how full) And along the way, you learn that the best things in life are simple and that traditions are the threads that weave generations and families together. (the glass)

Okay…time for me to tag a few friends to play along. If I didn’t tag you, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t jump in and play along. Be sure to link back to this post and Terry’s post, so he can compile all the answers.

Mike “Blog Father” Sansone

Ryan “Fresh Faced and For Hire” Karpeles

Tim “When’s My National Book Tour Start” Johnson

Robyn “I Think About Thinking” McMasters

Steve “I Gotta Ripple Even When it Stings” Harper

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