Brand Champions

Telling Your Brand Story

In the past couple of months I have presented at several conferences, and have met with many current and potential clients. A topic that seems to resonate with all audiences, and encourages them to reflect on their brand, is when I talk about verbal identity. It appears that more and more organizations understand the importance of telling their story in an authentic and compelling way.

However, I still find that most organizations have not spent enough time thinking about the impact that a verbal identity has on their brand and word of mouth marketing. However, when I ask them to think about the ROI word of mouth marketing has on their organization, that gets their attention. As many of you know, I a firm believer that a story told in an accurate, concise and consistent manner can achieve the sustainable results we want, much more than spending huge amounts on advertising.

I recently had a conversation with a PR professional who works for a large public school system. She indicated that there are approximately 85,000 students in her district, 9,000 employees and several million living alumni. Now, think about the impact that a strong verbal identity could have for that organization. Does your organization have a strong verbal identity, or do you just concentrate on your visual identity?

Female Athlete Brands- Danica and Ashley

In the past I have written about the challenges and opportunities female athletes have in developing their personal and team brands. We have seen race car drivers, snowboarders, golfers and other female athletes at times put in the difficult position of having to pose for provocative photos and other tactics in order to create awareness for their brand. Some athletes have not always wanted to do so.

Today, I want to devote this space to congratulating two athletes on their recent accomplishments. Last weekend, Ashley Force became the first female driver to win a national funny car event. The weekend before, Danica Patrick became the first female driver to win an Indy Racing League event. I commend both on these historic accomplishments.

The world of auto racing is such a fascinating industry. In many respects, auto racing is the ultimate world of brands. There are team brands, driver brands and sponsor brands. How does one keep track (no pun intended) of how to manage all of these brands and remember who, and at what time, to be the champion of each brand?

Brand Champions of the Day- Mary Jo Hatch and Majken Schultz, Authors, Taking Brand Initiative

It is my pleasure to announce that today's Brand Champions of the Day are Mary Jo Hatch and Majken Schultz. I was first introduced to these people when I read their recently published book, Taking Brand Initiative. As I wrote a few weeks ago, I would rank this book in the top five of brand development books that are on the market now. I was particularly drawn to the book because I believe it has value for all types of organizations, and the authors are from higher education.

Mary Jo Hatch is Professor Emerita for the University of Virginia and an Adjunct and Visiting Professor at Copenhagen Business School. Majken Schultz is a Professor at the Copenhagen Business School. After finishing the book, I contacted both authors to commend them on their achievement. As a result, they are today's Brand Champions of the Day. The following are the insights that they want to share with us today.

"When Majken got involved as a Dean in our Full Time MBA program at Copenhagen Business School (CBS) it was not a small thing. The program thrust CBS onto the world stage. With the launch of this program in 2004 we started competing head-to-head with leading educational institutions all over the world- some with such strong reputations that they expect to set standards for the rest of us. Although, with 16,000 students, CBS is one of the largest business schools in the world, its brand power does not come close to dominating the marketplace, as do those of some of our fiercest competitors: Harvard, INSEAD and the London Business School.

But maybe this makes us lucky! Being from a small country forces us to be responsive to our customers and other stakeholders because without our attention to their needs, we could easily be ignored. Our stakeholders tell us that the democratic values and culture of involvement that characterize Scandinavian leadership are of great interest throughout the world- whether in India or Iceland. And we have learned that, where branding is concerned, putting stakeholders' interests front and center is as important to a business school as it is to a corporation.

But giving customers practical insight into the corporate use of democratic values is not enough, your culture has to walk the talk. CBS has a long tradition of cross-disciplinary work, where students learn that no single perspective- or individual!- has the whole answer. So having a strong culture standing behind your corporate brand does not mean that all within the organization agree-but rather that they appreciate and make use of diverse thinking and strive to maintain mutual respect. The beauty and a deep sense of aesthetics that permeate the teaching environment at CBS don't harm our brand either. Some of the best architects in Denmark have designed our buildings and it is amazing to see how a great physical environment inspires dedication to a brand. Corporate brands appeal to all of our senses, and good design with reference to a coherency of style in programs as well as buildings is one of the keys we have found to successful brand building.

As you know, seeing the organizational culture that stands behind your brand can be difficlut. Culture is deeply embedded and does not make itself available to full description. That is why we at CBS still have a hard time stating what the Scandinavian values of leadership are. It is so much easier when Mary Jo comes for one of her many visits. She is always able to provoke CBS students by reminding them that, to the rest of world, Scandinavian culture is distinctive and that teaching in Copenhagen is different from teaching anywhere else in the world. The students love it. Having a mirror to reflect their uniqueness makes them feel proud and special. And this is what branding in university requires. Each time we enter a classroom we have another opportunity to be brand champions for CBS, for Denmark and for Scandinavia. And we also regard ourselves to be brand champions for corporate branding!"

Wow, thank you Mary Jo and Majken, you are the epitomy of what it means to be brand champions. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to share these inspiring words. Best of luck on your book tour!

Personal Brand Champions at the University of Denver

Yesterday morning I facilitated a personal branding workshop for University of Denver adult education students. The group consisted of adult learners who are in the process of changing careers or enhancing their current status by completing master's degree or certificate programs as part of the University of Denver's University College. The branding workshop is intended to help the students develop a positioning platform which will provide the focus and direction necessary to find the right job fit.

During the workshop we discussed the process organizations undertake to develop brands, and we looked at case studies like Starbucks and Southwest Airlines. We then divided into groups and each group was asked to develop a brand positioning platform for a well-known person. The session wrapped up with a discussion on individual missions, visions, values and goals.

Between now and next Saturday, each student will draft a personal brand positioning platform and present to the class. We will respond to each platform and make recommendations for implementation and implementation.

Public School Brand Champions

Yesterday I had the pleasure of presenting at the 2008 Colorado School Public Relations Association conference. My session focused on how an effective brand strategy can help public school districts sustain themselves.

I was very fortunate to have an engaging group of attendees, most of whom have begun or will soon begin a branding initiative. I want to thank all of you who attended and wish you the best of luck in your identity building efforts. Don't hesitate to let me know if I can be of assistance in supporting your efforts.

It is evident from the response of those in attendance that COSPRA is filled with many brand champions!

Brand Champion of the Day- George Engdahl, Vice President for University Advancement, University of Dallas

Today, it is my pleasure to announce the Brand Champion of the Day is George Engdahl. George is the Vice President for University Advancement at the University of Dallas. I first met George a few years ago when he and I worked on a branding initiative at the University of Denver. Last year, I had the opportunity to again work with George when I conducted a brand communications audit for UD. Here is what George wanted to share with us today about the UD brand initiative and what it means to be a UD brand champion.

"When I came to the University of Dallas in the summer of 2006, it was readily apparent that the University had done very little to brand itself. It is an outstandingly Catholic liberal arts university with a Graduate School of Management, a School of Ministry and a Graduate School of Liberal Arts offering PhD. and Master's degrees, but very few people know much about it. Further, it is often confused with the University of Texas at Dallas, a very different university.

The Board of Trustees was committed to developing an Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) plan that would provide the University consistency in its message, look and feel and establish a niche in the competitive marketplace of north Texas as well as nationally. Our first step was to carry out some significant research internally and externally. We hired BrandED to conduct a print and Web site audit that would help us recognize all the mixed messages we were sending as well as point out the inconsistency in our look and feel. We used two other firms to conduct internal and external research to better determine how we felt about our strengths and weaknesses, and what the external community and constituencies knew about us.

Once we gathered and evaluated the research we developed a positioning statement that identified our target market, our competitive set and our "reasons to believe" elements. We have now engaged a firm that will provide us a step by step plan to develop our new look and collateral materials. We established three priorities: the Web site development and enhancement, publications, and our general image and recognition efforts. We believe it will take a full year to implement these steps beginning with the Web site. Once the steps are fully executed we will measure the results. As a part of the plan we developed a benchmarking system to see if we have changed our image and recognition over a three-year period. In order to better compete in the marketplace, colleges and universities must do a better job of branding and being able to stand by their brand promise."

George, thanks for sharing your school's brand development story. From my experience, George understands higher education branding as well as anyone. What do you think about what George has to say, and about UD's branding efforts?

Does Food Enhance Your Reputation?

A few weeks ago I was engaged in a rather interesting conversation with a faculty member from a college. He was asking for my opinion about whether or not I thought food in classrooms, computer labs, libraries and other campus buildings was a good idea.  Apparently his school is considering the option of fining students who eat food in computer labs.

I informed my friend that today we probably need to loosen up our old school ways. Starbucks, Border's and others have taught us that food, studies, books and computers can all co-exist. Plus, there no longer appears to be set rules on when to eat. We eat when we can squeeze in the time. Especially on a college or university campus.

Ironically, last week I read a refreshing article in The Chronicle of Higher Education about how Morningside College and other institutions are allowing food in their libraries. Now , which situation do you think food is enhancing the school's reputation, and which situation is food diluting the school's reputation?

Brand Strategy Helps During Crisis

Last week marked anniversaries for two tragic events in US and education history. The shootings at Columbine High School and Virginia Tech University are crises that we will probably never forget. Because of its one year anniversary, the Virginia Tech situation received more media coverage.

Reading about those two events also allowed me to reflect on other crisis situations, and how the organization's handled the events, such as the Exxon Valdez and Tylenol occurrences. Most graduate communications courses compare and contrast these two cases studies.

When we think of these two events, as well as the educational situations, even though it is difficult to do sometimes, we must not only think about how they were handled, but did the organization have a brand strategy in place that helped guide crisis communication, security, policies and procedures and other brand architecture aspects. An organization's name and what it stands for should help guide it before, during and after a crisis. Otherwise the crisis could determine the long range reputation of the brand.

I think in the case of Virginia Tech, Hokie pride and what that means not only helped the school through its most difficult period, but will define the school in the future. On the other side of the coin, think Exxon Valdez. Does your organization have a brand strategy that guides your crisis planning, if so, how?

Brand Champion of the Day- Tom Walsh, Vocational Faculty, Siseton Wahpeton College & Harley-Davidson Owner, South Dakota

I am pleased to announce that today's Brand Champion of the Day is Tom Walsh. Tom is a vocational faculty member of the Sisseton Wahpeton College in Sisseton, South Dakota. I had the opportunity to meet Tom when he participated in a Brand Champion Workshop that I was facilitating last winter. As is often the case during my workshops, I brought up Harley-Davidson enthusiasts as examples of brand champions. In that dialogue, Tom mentioned that he is a owner of two bikes, and demonstrated his knowledge of the company and what it means to be a brand champion. These are the thoughts Tom wants to share with us today.

"I grew up in a small mid-western town, and remember there were very few bikes on the road. The bikes however, in my recollection were primarily Harley-Davidson, the old ones that would spark a young kid’s imagination. I knew that someday, I would be a part of this. I hung around wherever knowledge of anything mechanical was apparent, and began to learn at an early age to work on things. These skills proved to be very useful, as my first Harley-Davidson was a 1970 XLCH Sportster. I learned very quickly that to ride, I needed to wrench, which sometimes was not a labor of Love. In time I purchased a 1977 FLHS Electra-glide from my brother, this bike also had a bad attitude from time to time, but these setbacks never took my Love for the machines.

In 1984, the company was near bankrupt, and was ready to “pull the plug”, but true believers bought the company which was in ruins. The new owners of the company designed and built a new motor, which was a hit. Now, people who couldn’t turn a wrench to save their life, or get them home, were able to buy the new “reliable” Harley-Davidson.

I now have two bikes, “Louise” my 1977 Electra-glide, and “Veronica” my 2004 Electra-glide. You won’t be hard pressed, to know which one I take when touring, but Louise will always be my favorite. She is kick-start only, and when a younger kid sees me kicking her to life, I see the look in their eyes, it brings back memories of “days gone by” that I will never forget.

So to my big brother Jimmy: Thanks for getting it into the blood."

Tom, thanks so much for sharing your passionate thoughts with us today. The last statement speaks volumes for me. When your organization is in someone's blood, then you know you have a brand champion. Is your organization in the blood of your employees and customers?

Caterpillar Brand

I just saw on CNN that Caterpillar reported first quarter earnings in double digits. That is a far cry from the recent news that we have heard from Citigroup, General Electric, Harley-Davidson and others. The CNN report made me realize that I have not written much about Caterpillar lately. I should have.

I recall back in the last century when I first started learning about branding. One of the first articles I read was a case study about Caterpillar brand champions. In the past I have used Caterpillar as a case study in many of my presentations around the world. They truly are a global company that most people are familiar with, and a fantastic example of a complex organization understanding their identity.

For any of you who are engaged in your organization's brand development process, I encourage you to check out CAT. What can you learn from Caterpillar that you can apply to your organization?