I pondered that question yesterday when I read about the multi-year partnership LeBron James signed with McDonald's. Since McDonald's tends to try and appeal to kids and their parents, on the surface it makes sense that LeBron James would be a good fit. He is a likable young man and has been successful pitching brands like Nike and Coke.
The problem I have with this situation and others like it is the fact that LeBron James, like athletes in other sports, was not required to have a degree before being hired into his profession. In fact, LeBron never attended college. Yes, I know people like Bill Gates never graduated from college either. Maybe it is because I do most of my work in the academic world, that I am always advocating education, but I have a problem when brands don't seem to care about education.
The LeBron James' of the world are the exception to the rule. Most people are more likely to succeed with a degree. We should be delivering that message to parents and kids as often as we can. So why shouldn't McDonald's require their spokespersons to have a degree? That would be a real brand champion!
Did you see that Amazon.com Inc. reported a 71 percent increase in profits for its fourth quarter earnings? Compared to last year at the same, Amazon increased revenue 42 percent. Those are some heafty numbers, especially in tough economic times. But, should we measure brand success only by quantitative assessments like sales?
We are in a tangible, numbers-oriented world, and that is how most people and most organizations think. While I do not argue with either of those important aspects of brand assessment, my experience as an organizational brand consultant indicates that it is often the intangibles and the qualitative aspects of brand that are the most critical indicators of brand success.
Getting stakeholders involved in the brand development process provides the opportunity to create a rallying cry within your organization. Helping employees understand and embrace your mission and core values allows them to be more effective in their jobs, and helps ensure that your organization is able to recruit and retain your external customer brand champions.
Then we are able to measure success in terms of employee retention, customer retention, employee awareness, customer awareness, revenues and other quantifiable outcomes. I anticipate that Amazon's success is not based on sales alone. I am sure there is a strong internal branding program. How do you measure brand success?
As many of you know I have been working with La Salle University for the past year and one-half. During that time my organization has helped the University with its brand development efforts. Together, we have assessed operations, communications and other institution infrastructure to determine how closely aligned the internal culture is with its external reputation. We even measure success in the context of facilities. One of the crown jewels at La Salle is the new science and technology building, Holroyd Hall.
Associate Professor Bill Weaver from the Department of Integrated Science, Business and Technology at La Salle University shares his views on why he believes Holroyd Hall is a brand champion for the University, and today's Brand Champion of the Day.
"An early 2003 vision document for the building's
design illustrates how this new facility embodies the La Salle University
Brand:
"The new
science and technology facility will enable the students to study new
disciplines and technologies in stimulating learning environments. The facility
will be flexible to support different classroom and learning styles. The design
of the facility will also make science visible and understandable to all who
visit. Through shared research projects and common gathering areas, a sense of
community will form. Additionally, the local community will be welcomed to
special lectures and demonstrations. The facility will even support new
programs that will enhance the quality of life in the future.'
"Working collaboratively with faculty, students,
administration and project architects, a planning document in 2007 contained
the following list of important building features:
Science is visible: walls with windows,
kiosks
La Sallian themes and outreach are
evident
Community spaces are inviting;
"commons"
Green, an experiment itself
Display student and faculty work
visibly, digitally, live feeds
Offices for retired faculty encourage
additional knowledge sharing
Conference rooms, seminar rooms, some
with videoconferencing
"Classes started in the renovated Holroyd Hall on
August 31, 2009 which now contains the Hugh and NancyDevlinCenter for Science and
Technology. Holroyd Hall now houses the departments and programs of biology,
chemistry/biochemistry, geology/physics/environmental science, integrated
science, business and technology (ISBT), math/computer science, and digital
arts and multimedia design (DArt), as well as the Dean of the School of Arts
and Sciences suite of offices.
"In keeping with two of the brand platform's reasons
to believe of Personal Attention and of a strong Sense of Community, classroom
and laboratory doorways range from 25 to 66% glass to serve as standing
invitations to explore the learning taking place in the room. Several
laboratories were constructed with interior windows along the hallways to share
activities with passersby. The chemistry faculty specifically designed their
offices to be placed interior of student research spaces such that their office
windows provide them a view of the laboratory and offer students a view of
working research professionals.
"The building's design has catalyzed a renewed sense
of community among the faculty and has enhanced the additional reasons to
believe of Excellence in Teaching & Learning and of fostering a Global Perspective.
Interdepartmental projects have sprung up to offer our students real-world
experiences while the building's atrium now hosts weekly Explorer Café sessions
that discuss the university's Essential Question concerning economic justice,
the Philadelphia Center/City & Region Initiative and the Celebration of
Science, a year-long series celebrating connections and creativity among the
arts and sciences."
Bill, thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule today and helping us understand how a building can bring a brand platform to life.
Yesterday I read that Verizon Corp. laid off 13,000 workers in 2008 and 17,000 in 2009. An announcement was made recently to expect more cuts in 2010. Currently Verizon employs 223,000 people. No matter the economic challenges or the specific concerns within the organization, a large number of cuts like this has to start diluting the value of the brand. Think about how many conversations current and former employees are having on a daily basis about the brand they work for or used to work for.
Let us say that amongst the 223,000 employees there are at least 5 in-person conversations each day about the brand. That is nearly 1 million conversations per day, not including online dialogue like this one. Multiply that by 365 days a year and you have a lot of conversations, most of which are probably not so good. How long can a company survive that type of word of mouth marketing? I do not know the internal situation at Verizon and I am not here to critique their situation. I am here to remind us all of the value of our employees. They play the most critical role in recruiting and retaining our brand champions.
This situation is a good reminder of the importance of an internal branding program. Can you hear me now?
For the past two days I have had the pleasure of facilitating a series of engagement sessions with senior administration, faculty, staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders as part of a national education brand initiative that will connect six colleges and universities, and over 40 secondary schools in the United States. The meetings provided the opportunity for a range of constituents to dialogue about the value of the project and the respective schools that will benefit from the project.
This experience and others recently confirm my earlier beliefs that developing an education brand strategy, just like organizations do in other industries creates value for the organization and for the industry. Whether it be at the local school level, district, region or nation, we create value for our brands by focusing on mission, core values and stakeholder engagement. I witnessed that first hand in Philadelphia this week as I have in numerous other education branding experiences.
Why are states and even nations not engaged in a brand initiative to create value for education? Now wouldn't that be an effective way to recruit and retain brand champions?
For the past few years I have been singing the praises of blogging as an effective way to enhance your brand. Blogs provide an opportunity to deliver messages that align with your brand promise and are a great way to recruit and retain brand champions. I have had lots of people email me, introduce themselves in meetings and connect through other social media channels because they like my blog.
Apparently, I am not alone in my thinking. Recently Pope Benedict XVI encouraged priests to blog. The Holy Father is recommending that his brand champions make use of 21st century communications resources to recruit and retain more brand champions. As you might know, last year the Vatican created a YouTube channel dedicated to the Pope. The Vatican now has a dedicated person, Monsignor Claudio Maria Celli, managing social media.
We have all witnessed the value of social media with the tragic situation in Haiti. Now the Vatican has fully embraced social media as 21st century communications channels. Shouldn't your organization get on board?
On Mondays and Fridays I feature someone or some organization that understands what it means to be a brand champion. Often times the personal brand story is from a person who is an employee of a strong brand who shares their perspectives. Today, Dan Kobler, a customer discusses a favorite brand, and shares his experience with Discount Tire Co.
Last week I took my car in to Discount Tire to shop for some
new tires. The first time I bought my tires there, I went because I wanted some
cheap tires. The subsequent times I have been there are directly attributed to
my experience each time I visit. Every time I go back, I am less likely to shop
anywhere else.
I had a slow leak in one of my tires about a year ago and just
dropped in at a Discount Tire store that I had never been to before. They
pulled up my records and within minutes had my car up on a lift to look at the
problem. They found a screw in my tire, removed it, patched the tire and within
about 20 minutes I was back on the road for no charge and no questions asked.
Now that is service.
No matter which location I go to, the service is always the
same. I talk with knowledgable people that actual care about why I am there. I
have never had to deal with a hard sell salesman and after every visit, I walk
away knowing that I am leaving with the best tires for me. I also get timely
email communication that is never pushy and always includes some value, whether
in the form of a coupon or a reminder for a free alignment or pressure check.
I have found that the employees of Discount Tire really do
live up to their "Vision and Values." So many times the words are there, but
the action isn't. Not in this case. Well done Discount Tire, well
done.
Last week the US Supreme Court voted to lift many restrictions on political campaign contributions by corporations and unions. Most people in the executive and legislative branches voiced concerns about the decision, charging the judicial branch of setting the political landscape in the US backwards. My instincts tell me the advertising agency Mad Men are doing cartwheels.
I would argue that most people do not like paid advertising on television and radio. I would argue stronger that most people despise paid political advertising on television and radio. After the Supreme Court's decision, I anticipate most people will hate political advertising because we are going to see and hear a whole lot more of it.
The American people are growing more and more skeptical and annoyed with both major political parties, and are increasingly expecting political brands to be authentic. Despite the recent Supreme Court decision, political candidates need to be careful that they do not become Mad Men (or Women) and go crazy with political ads.
If politicians, especially those in the two major parties are too tactical and spend tons of money on ads, they run the risk of not being able to recruit and retain brand champions. They also will ensure that more and more voters will become independent and a third party candidate may be elected President of the United States in 2012.
A few days ago I posted a few thoughts about brand promise. Last Monday that was the topic for a lively discussion at the Brand Cafe in Denver. During that dialogue participants agreed that few too brands and their hoped for brand champions really don't understand what a brand promise is, and most don't even have one.
A brand that clearly understands the word promise and one that made several during the US Presidential campaign is brand Obama. The two central promises included hope and change. Now that we approach the State of Union address from Obama next week it is appropriate for his brand champions or those who are not, to ask is he delivering on his promise of hope and change?
It will be interesting to hear President Obama's perspective on how he measures himself during his speech. All too often a State of the Union address is simply a presentation about delivering on brand promises, whether that actually happens or not. My instincts tell me that President Obama will be very candid. He will inform us of those areas where he thinks he is deliveringg and will talk about those areas that still need work.
I think he has done a great job of getting the US back into the world community and has been very committed to disaster relief, most recently in Haiti. I think the jury is still out on other big issues like health care and the economy. The most recent Senate election in Massachusetts must have been a brand wake up call.
What do you think? Is Obama delivering on his promise of hope and change?
I am always amazed at the power of the Internet, especially in the context of social media. I have met some incredible people on this blog, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Such is the case with the Brand Champion of the Day, Cori Padgett from Big Girl Branding. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of connecting with Cori on Twitter. She and I exchanged a few messages and realized that we have much in common in the world of brand. Today Cori provides us with her an example as she shared her perspective on what it means to be a brand champion.
Personal Branding and YOU
"What does
it mean exactly to “brand” yourself?It’s almost a sort of new buzz word that is sweeping along the web right
next to “social media”.But it’s an
important buzz word if you’re trying to run even a moderately successful
business or gain recognition online for the things that you do.
"If you
look at big corporations, they understand why branding is important.They understand that branding will help them
to solidify their position within their market, become widely known and
recognized by their market, and as a result become leaders within their market.
"The same
principles apply to you.Whether you are
running a business of your own, or being the face of a business you work for,
what makes you stand out from everyone else clamoring for attention on the
Internet?Your personal brand will be
the answer.
"It’s kind
of like taking one of those old labeling guns, and slapping a sticker across
your forehead stating “This is me”!Your
brand is your signature.And in the
working world, you are judged by that signature and measured up as either
“Eh…not such a big deal” or “Hmmn…someone to reckon with”.Personally, I know which one I’d prefer, how
about you?
"And don’t
make the mistake of thinking you aren’t being evaluated by every person you
meet.Whether it’s in a professional
capacity or not, you are making an impression, and that impression will stick.
"The same
goes for meeting contacts online.Your
website should reflect and brand you.Your social networks should reflect and brand you.Your email signatures and forum signatures
should reflect and brand you.You are You
Inc., Head-Honcho, The Big Cheese.Your
brand needs to reflect that and frame You Inc. in the best possible
light.
"In today’s
world more and more professionals are becoming free agents.They are striking out on their own into the
world of freelance or the world of small business start-ups.More than ever the Internet is becoming the
medium by which word about these freelancers and start-up businesses are being
spread.
"Branding
is the way businesses and professionals assure consumers and clients of the
value they’ll receive from them.When
you think of Tiffany’s, you think of top of the line diamond jewelry.When you think of Wal-Mart you think of deals
and low prices. It’s what tells people visiting your store or hiring your
services will be worthwhile each and every time.Your brand=trust… something people can count
on to deliver on what is promised.
"Smart
professionals understand these concepts and understand exactly why branding is
so important.It doesn’t matter if
you’re representing a company or yourself, if you’re smart you are always going
to be looking for ways to brand yourself and stand out from all the other Joe
Schmoes who may be in the same line of work as you.
"You’ll be
constantly looking for ways to add value to the people lives you touch, and to
experience growth both in your personal and professional life.Your brand is as important as you are.So how about it… ready to launch You
Inc.?"
