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Describe Kohl’s in one phrase

January 3, 2007

Paul over at Hee-Haw Marketing took some pretty damning photos at his local Kohl’s. He raises some great issues about advertising and saying one thing and living another.

Then, Mack Collier picked up the ball and posted this very interesting question: If the CMO of Kohl’s saw Paul’s post…what should he/she do?

I started to add my comment to Mack’s post and then I could hear Mike Sansone whispering in my ear “long comments should be posts on your own site.” So here we have it.

So….Kohl’s has a significant problem. There were lots of good comments on Mack’s site, suggesting what the CMO should do. I didn’t disagree with any of them.

But they all started at stage two — at the store level.

I believe the CMO needs to start at the beginning. The Kohl’s brand. That’s why I asked you how you’d describe the store. Most of us would use words like “cheap, knock offs, second runs, last year’s styles, shoddy production, disinterested employees.”

Every choice the store makes — the stock, the short-handed staff, the under trained staff, the crowded junked up retail ads…tells us that the employees who allowed that Dallas store to look like that were simply behaving as they have been taught to behave. They don’t show the store or the customers any respect because no one has taught them to respect the brand.

Punishing a store manager or answering a blog post isn’t going to fix that. That’s treating the symptom, not the cause. If an organization’s leaders are not willing to explore and uncover what their brand is all about — why they exist (and I do not believe any store exists to offer crap in a shoddy store staffed by disgruntled, short-handed staffers) then really, there is little hope. They will go down the path of K-Mart and others who thought “low prices” was enough.

If Kohl’s management could change the way they look at the chain by seeing it through a brand lens, they would change the way the employees see it. When the employees see if differently, they begin to take pride in their work and their environment. No matter how inexpensive the merchandise is. And when that happens — they change our perception.

Until then…let me recommend Target. By the way….Kohl’s tagline on their website…”expect great things.”

Yikes. They even bolded great.

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Go brush your teeth!

December 31, 2006

I have a daughter. She’s 13. From the time she was a toddler as bedtime approached, I have said "go upstairs and get ready for bed. Please wash and brush." Every time. I still do.

You’d think after a year or even two, I would not have to add the washing and brushing details. But I do. Why? Because I want her to do them. So I repeat myself. Because it matters.

Wondering why I am telling you this? We’ve been having a great discussion in the comments section of my recent post Is your little red wagon stuck? and I want to expand on it a bit. But here’s the set up.

If you are smart enough to make a brand promise that matters to your clients — your employees will either keep or break that promise.
The success rate of their keeping the promise is directly proportional to if they know, get, believe and own the promise.
The success rate of that is up to you.

So why does this so rarely happen? Lots of reasons. But a huge one is because companies think talking to their employees about their marketing and branding is optional. Or reserved for an annual rah rah speech. Wrong.

"Go upstairs and get ready for bed. Please wash and brush."

You may be intimately familiar with your brand promise because you created it. Or write from it. Or it is your inspiration for getting up and going to work every day. But that does not mean every employee has that same experience. We have to make it part of our daily conversation.

"Go upstairs and get ready for bed. Please wash and brush."

For most employees, keeping their company’s promise is pretty low on the list. Because no one has demonstrated to them why it matters. It’s not that they don’t care. They just don’t get it yet. You haven’t talked to them about it enough. Every day you talk to them about being on time. Or filling out the form correctly so they get paid. But you don’t talk about the customer. Or the promise.

"Go upstairs and get ready for bed. Please wash and brush."

Just because you know (if you do) how vital this is for your organization, don’t assume that they do. Even if you’ve told them. Once. Or twice. I can see you waving your hands at me. "We get it, Drew. We get it. So when have we done it enough? When do we stop talking about it with them?"

Simple. When it isn’t important any more.

"Go upstairs and get ready for bed. Please wash and brush."

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Give Walt a marketing tip

December 29, 2006

Picture this.

You have saved for a couple years. You have disappointed family by saying you’re traveling over the holidays. You have revved the kids up to a frenzied pitch of excitement because they are going to meet Mickey Mouse.

This is going to be the Christmas to remember for all times. This is "Parent Hall of Fame" Christmas. Disney World.

You get everyone to Florida. You get everyone on the monorail. You walk up to the Magic Kingdom’s entrance gates, tickets in hand and the kids are so excited you think they might actually go into some sort of shock. Then, you hear the cast member say "I’m so sorry, but we’re closed due to over crowding."

It happened Wednesday and yesterday to thousands of people. And not just the Magic Kingdom but two of the other three parks as well (MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom) From Disney’s perspective, there are codes and rules they have to comply with. But, from a customer service point of view, it can’t get too much worse.

Most of the people outside your gate live a plane ride away, have sacrificed plenty to get there and may never be able to get back.

If you were the head of Disney’s guest relations — what would you do to mitigate this disaster?

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Is your little red wagon stuck?

December 27, 2006

Your organization is like a little red wagon. You ask all your employees to give 110% to help you propel the wagon forward.

But you have not made your company’s brand (not logo or tagline…but point of difference and the promise behind that difference) something that every employee knows, breathes, believes and lives.

But, they are good people and want to give you that 110%. So each of them attaches their rope (talents and skills) to the wagon. Where THEY think it should be. Guess what?

Bob thinks it should be "give the customer whatever they ask for. Even if it’s wrong because you don’t tell the customer they’re wrong."
But Betty knows it’s "squeeze costs of goods, even if that means slow shipping" because price is king at your company.
Now John is convinced that it’s the people that make your company special, so he’s going to put his 110% of tugging behind better benefit packages so your retention rises.

See the problem? They are all pulling with all their might. But they are not pulling in the same direction. So your wagon goes nowhere. Your people get frustrated. You get frustrated.

All because you either don’t know what your brand really is or, you know but haven’t made sharing it with your employees a priority.

How long are you going to leave it stuck?

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How high is your water level?

December 23, 2006

People rise to expectations. Or sink to them. How high do you set the bar for your employees, peers and customers?

So often marketers create copy thinking that they have to live by the 3rd grade reading level rule. I say that’s ridiculous. Unless your product is for 3rd graders.

It’s okay to expect them to get clever. It’s okay to treat them with respect. It’s okay to expect them to make good choices.

I just learned of a company that has “employees cannot sleep while working” in their employee manual. Come on. If you have to say that in writing, you need to revise your hiring policies.

Go ahead, expect a little more and watch your boat rise with the tide.

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The perfect combo gift

December 16, 2006

I was shopping tonight and came across this aisle sign.

Do you think the employees were making a commentary on holiday shopping or perhaps they didn’t bother to look at their work from the customer’s point of view?

It made me laugh. But it also made me appreciate the team at MMG who take pride in every thing they do for our clients.

Drew’s helpful holiday shopping hint: Just because they’re in the same aisle, does not mean they make a great combo gift!

Drew’s helpful employee training hint: If your employees don’t understand that they deliver your brand…you’ve got serious trouble.

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Surprise (Marketing lessons from Walt)

November 25, 2006

This is the first in my eight-day series – Marketing Lessons from Walt. As my family and I enjoy Walt Disney World, I’m going to capture some of the marketing genius that I believe began with Walt’s passion and has now grown into one of the world’s most powerful brands.

We’re all familiar with the golden oldie – the giveaway. Typically, we ask customers to sign up to win or create some sort of contest. And then they wait to see if they won. And in most cases, probably forgot they even signed up.

To tie in with their yearlong theme, "The Year of a Million Dreams," Disney has added a brilliant twist to the age-old favorite.
They’ve added surprise.

Here’s their twist. "Imagine walking through one of the Walt Disney World Theme Parks when a Cast Member taps you on the shoulder to offer you a dream come true. Right now, over a million extra-special dreams, some thought impossible, are being randomly awarded to people just like you."

It goes on to list prizes that range from not having to stand in a single line all day (more valuable than you can imagine) to traveling around the world, touring all of the Disney parks.

No little pieces of paper for your name and phone number. No essay contest. You just win because you’re there. At that very moment.

Wow.

Surprise is a story-inspiring emotion. It demands to be shared.

How could you add one of Walt’s favorite elements — surprise — to your marketing mix?

Marketing Lessons from Walt – The Series:

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Do more than throw them a bone

November 24, 2006

It is one of the most powerful and most overlooked marketing truths out there. Employees that feel appreciated will do the same for your clients. Lisa Cieslica, from JobPoint makes the point that sometimes a sincere “thank you” can be the best incentive around. But if you want to go beyond that…here are some other ideas.

Let them decide: The CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK asks his employees for 101 life goals. When someone exceeds his expectations and he wants to reward them, he looks for ways to help them get closer to one of those life goals.

Don’t forget their families: When one of your team has been putting in a lot of extra hours and effort, or been on the road for a while, why not send a thank you note or gift to their family?

It doesn’t have to be big: Employees love creative coupons that can be redeemed for a long lunch, or a half day Friday.

No matter what you do, make sure you couple it with Cieslica’s suggestion – a genuine thank you. That’s sweet music to anyone’s ears.

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Listen up! (How all companies should use blogs)

November 11, 2006

Despite a bazillion new blogs being started every day, business blogging still seems to be in its infancy. Many companies are still wondering why they would need a blog. And maybe they don’t. Creating and maintaining a blog is not for everyone or every organization. But that doesn’t mean blogging isn’t an important business tool.

You should use blogs to listen to your customers. You’ll be amazed at what they’re saying. Here are a couple links that say it better than I can. Mike’s post tells you how to do it. Tom’s two-parter will give you a remarkable example of how a company turned a rant into a rave…all by listening to blogs.

Mike Sansone’s How To Listen In post.

Tom Vander Well’s Real Life Example posts. Part one. And…part two.

Read…and learn. And start to listen.

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Is wacky marketing a good idea?

November 7, 2006

Now there’s a loaded question, eh?

The answer, of course, is…maybe. Maybe not. How’s that for decisive marketing counsel? Wacky for wacky’s sake is fun but its for you, not for your customer. Wacky for the right reasons, in the right place…for the right business? Now that’s worth looking at, from your customer’s POV.

It all wraps around the bigger issue of branding. Does your brand fit with wacky? If so, you can probably come up with an attention-getting marketing tactic that celebrates something unique about your brand. But if you’re a law firm, it probably doesn’t make much sense.

An article in an old Entrepreneur Magazine caught my eye. The author lists 10 "crazy marketing stunts." Frankly, I think most of them are bad ideas. Which doesn’t make the concept a bad one — but it does point out that being silly for silly’s sake also speaks volumes about your brand. So be wacky mindfully.

The Travelocity Gnome…great idea. It fits their brand. The lizard with the accent and the funny commercials — Geico has done a great job of making themselves different from all the other insurance guys — much like their AFLAC competitors have done with the duck.

So don’t discount wacky. But do it for the right reason. Because it fits your brand.

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