Brand Champions

Brand Champion of the Day-Denver Broncos

No I am not being a homer. I am being a brand strategist. Ever since the glory days of the 1990s the Denver Broncos have been trying to find an identity. They have tried to replicate the period of time when John Elway was quarterback and throwing touch down passes at will. Ironically, with Elway as the vice president in charge of personnel, the Broncos have gone old school with a running and sometimes gunning quarterback, Tim Tebow.

Yes is is often painful to watch the Broncos these days, but that is because it is a different brand of American football than what we are used to watching. Now it is not throw it down the field and hope someone catches it. It is about grinding it out. It is about branding. When organizations understand their strengths and are able to leverage those against the competition, they are usually successful. When they try to be like everyone else, that is a recipe for disaster.

The National Football League has for years embraced the notion that it is a copy-cat league. That is not what brand building is meant to be. Brand building is about embracing our differences. Now that a team is doing so and going against the grain, most people cannot handle it. I say, go for it. Be different, you might just have others trying to be like you. Being different allows you to recruit and retain brand champions. Denver has probably not had this much recognition in the history of the team.

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

Don't Forget LinkedIn as Part of Your Brand Strategy

On the one hand I am probably stating the obvious for many of you, but a number of people still do not appear on LinkedIn when I search them out in hopes of connecting. For some they are not sure what the value of LinkedIn is or do not think it is cool enough. I know I am often guilty of not including LinkedIn during my social media and brand conversations because I assume everyone is already there.

But low and behold I will meet someone and then try to connect with them on LinkedIn so we can stay connected, and boom, no one home. Even though Facebook, Twitter and YouTube seem to get all the props, and rightfully so. LinkedIn is arguably the most business-friendly social media site. If you are a professional and do not appear on LinkedIn, there is a good chance you are diluting the brand that you work for. Especially if you are in a leadership position.

Become a brand champion, get on LinkedIn. Demonstrate how your personal brand aligns with your organization's brand, and how others can do the same. If someone wants to be your brand champion, let them. There are advantages of that site and they are making improvements all the time.

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

At Starbucks Managing a Brand is a Lifetime of Work

I am periodically reminded of this famous quote from Howard Schultz, Chairman, Starbucks. I often remind others of this quote. I anticipate I will use the quote this morning during a webinar with over 70 PK-12 school educators when we talk about best practices in brand + social media. Why? Because it captures what branding is all about. Branding is not a campaign. It is not a logo. Branding is not an event. Those are solutions and channels to communicate the essence of your organization. Your brand.

Branding is the process of aligning our internal culture with our external reputation. That seems reasonable. Why is it so hard? Because most people and most organizations do not want to think in lifetime terms, they relegate branding to a campaign. Even a one-year process is too much for some to digest, even marketers. Sometimes mostly marketers. But for those who commit to the idea of a process and that process being forever, the chances of a brand being around forever is much more realistic.

Sometimes people do not want to think beyond the time frame that they anticipate being with the organization. Sometimes organizations do not want to think long-term because they want to make money today. Unfortunately strategic plans then go out the window. But, when organizations like Starbucks develop a brand strategy that engages their employees first, customers second and investors third, they are able to effectively recruit and retain brand champions. When this happens they just might be around during our lifetime, and beyond.

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

Events Like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday Do Not Make a Brand

Saturday, November 26 had been designated as Small Business Saturday. A tip of the hat to small businesses in the United States. A time when we remember that there are more small businesses and more people working for small businesses than larger ones. As a small business owner I take pride in what I do and respect others who have started from scratch. It is a challenging, but rewarding process. Anything good should be.

But having a Saturday or any other day to pay homage does not make or break a brand. A sustainable brand is based on your mission (purpose), core values (guiding principles) and stakeholder engagement (working with our brand champions). One reason that many large and small businesses do not survive is because they begin and end with the bottom line. Of course that is a part of the process, but never forgetting who you are, what you stand for and getting your employees and customers involved helps ensure success.

Despite our down economy and the fears that it brings, this is a great time for everyone to go through an introspective process and understand what is important. If that means starting a small business great. If that means staying with a large business bravo. It is all about aligning your internal culture with your external reputation. That is branding. An event the day after Black Friday, two days after Thanksgiving and two days before Cyber Monday is not. 

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day-Amy Kule, Macy's

On Mondays and Fridays I make the effort to recognize someone or some organization who understands what it means to be a brand champion. Today, I do both. Yesterday marked the official day that Amy Kule became executive producer and grand marshall of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She is the seventh person to be in charge since 1924.

Just about every American can say that they are familiar with the annual event. Not too many brands can boast that type of association. Many Americans are shopping at Macy's as we speak as a part of their annual Black Friday ritual. I am looking out of my window right now watching people scurry in and out of a Macy's store right down the street from me.

Macy's has a ton of brand champions. Many like me doing a great deal of shopping there. Think about the savvy decision to make a parade a part of their brand strategy. Amy Kule oversees an operation that includes over 50 mid-size and large balloons and winds down a 2.65 mile long parade route. She, along with nearly 800 other employees wear clown costumes in an interesting way of keeping order. Now that is a brand champion!

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

Thanks Brand Champions!

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of my family, friends, colleagues and clients who have made this a special year. I enjoy being your brand champion, and hopefully the feeling is mutual. I would especially like to thank those of you who have helped out and been patient with me over the last month as I recover from my knee injury. I really appreciate that. Enjoy your time on Thanksgiving and have a wonderful day with those who are special in your life.

 

Do Reality Shows Enhance or Dilute Brands?

This week I read that Southwest Airlines is in the process of developing a new reality show. You might recall that several years ago SWA provided viewers with an insiders view on Airline. Now comes word that they are going to give it another go. If memory serves me the show met with mixed results. Perhaps SWA was ahead of its time back then. I never saw Airline as I had not yet become a brand champion of SWA. I do not believe SWA had yet started flying into and out of my city at that time. Now that I am a convert I anticipate I could be a regular viewer. My gut tells me this show will enhance the SWA brand.

Another reality show that comes to mind for me is Hard Knocks on HBO. The latest series got inside the New York Jets training camp. One could argue that show enhanced the Rex Ryan brand and created celebrity status. I think many new Jets fans resulted. Another HBO series 24/7 takes an interesting approach leading up to a boxing match or hockey game. I think these types of shows help brands recruit new champions and retain existing ones. Although I am not a regular viewer shows like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars do the same. Other interesting shows are The Biggest Loser and The Amazing Race.

Like anything else, taste and professionalism often take time. It is called brand building. That is the case with reality shows. Many early entries were simply dumb. Some still are. Many now have a brand strategy and understand how to create value. Could a reality show enahnce your brand?

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

Super Committee Fails to Deliver on Brand Promise

As soon as I heard that the committee charged with fixing financial woes in the United States was branded Super, I knew we were in trouble. That is a lot to live up to. Usually when we see or hear the word super, we think of associations like fantastic, undeterred, one-of-a-kind, winner and others too numerous to mention. When that terms is rested right next to the word committee, it does not feel right. Almost oxymoronic in tone.

That said, like many, I was optimistic that the twelve member committee would reach across the aisle and get the job done that they were asked to do, and that they accepted. Now, most of us are not surprised that the people on the committee were not super man or woman after all. They are politicians in Washington, DC who do not understand their brand and do not seem to know how to effectively recruit and retain the brand champions we all wanted to be.

Let us remember that the overarching brand is the United States of America and that the sub-brands whether they be Democrat, Republican, Independent or others, should serve to deliver the brand promise of what the USA stands for, not what self interests or lobbyists stand for. We should all be champions of the USA brand and work towards delivering on that brand promise.The problem is that most political parties do not have a brand strategy to support the USA.

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day-Fareed Zakaria

I have a new favorite Sunday morning program, GPS, hosted by Fareed Zakaria. I had been a fan from watching his reporting and stories on CNN, but just recently did I began viewing Global Public Square on Sunday mornings. Now I am a brand champion. Having limited mobility the past few weeks has expanded by television viewing. Normally that might not be a good thing, but I would not have discovered this gem otherwise.

Each program is hard-hitting without feeling like you are getting punched in the face. The line up of international guests is very impressive. I am a champion of the Zakaria brand attributes. He is personable, professional, insightful, engaging and human. These are some of the reasons to believe in his brand. I like feeling informed on Sunday mornings. It helps get my week off on the right track.

I think Zakaria is the best aspect of CNN. In fact this sub-brand has enhanced a teetering overarching brand. You help restore our confidence in the intellectual components of the United States. His credibility ensures he has brand champions around the world. For your contributions to our world, Fareed Zakaria is the Brand Champion of the Day.

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group

Don't Forget the Value of Your Brand's Verbal Identity

The story that we tell and the story that we rely on others to tell about us is more important than our logo. Many people will nod their heads in agreement but very few organizations put that way of thinking into practice. Because a visual identity is more tangible than a verbal identity and most organizations have invested in a brand standards manual, the visual identity often gets the most attention.

With the growing importance of word of mouth marketing and the increasing embracement of social media, story telling is taking center stage. If we do not have a narrative to help guide our conversation and ensure that others can effectively tell people in their network our story, how can we expect to recruit and retain brand champions? Without a narrative, how can our brand be sustainable?

Yes a logo is important. Yes my organization helps others develop visual identities. But, even when it has a high cool factor, a visual identity is not as important as a verbal identity. One other point, a logo is not a brand.

Rex Whisman

Chief Strategist

BrandED Consultants Group