Last week I met with a recent college graduate. He and I were engaged in a dialogue about how best to align his personal brand attributes with those of prospective employers. By the way, I encourage all students, whether they are at the bachelor's, master's or doctoral level, to develop a personal brand strategy. Isn't the intended outcome to become a brand champion of the right fit organization and for network to understand how they can champion your brand?
The graduate also asked me for any recommended reading that would help him better understand branding. Like many a marketing graduate, his college marketing department only skimmed the surface of branding. He mentioned something about Mad Men syndrome. As a life-long educator and an education brand consultant I am always happy to help others in an education setting. I suggested that the graduate immediately get a subscription to Fast Company magazine. In my view this publication is one of the forward-thinking on the planet and it is filled each month with brand story after brand story.
To give you a taste the September issue has features on Nike CEO, Mark Parker, the TED brand and many other great features. If you are into brands and how to recruit and retain brand champions, then Fast Company is must reading. The September issue was my travel companion last Sunday.
Today I feature an organization that does relief work for Haiti. Their story is told by one of their brand champions, Sara Amodio.
“I am
humbled and honored to explain why Operation Starfish- Food for the Poor is a
Brand Champion. Operation Starfish is a parish-based organization that is
managed logistically through Food for the Poor, based in Coconut Creek, FL.
Operation Starfish works intimately with small communities in Haiti to provide basic shelter and amenities to
the very poorest of the poor in the poorest country in the Western
Hemisphere. How the organization came about is simply amazing.
“It
all started in 1998 when Fr. Richard Martin, pastor of the Church of the
Nativity in Burke, VA, was taking his dog for a walk. On his
walk, he pondered how he could get his parish more engaged in assisting the
poor. He figured that if his 2,500 families gave up 50 cents a day during Lent
amounting to an extra topping on their pizza or super-sizing their fries their
church could raise over $50,000 for the poor. That small proposal to his parish
ultimately resulted in close to $67,000 within two months due primarily to Fr.
Martins passionate commitment and dynamic pleas for refocusing lives on others
less fortunate. I recall one particular talk Father gave when he asked: What
would it be like if the Church could be known for service and compassion
instead of controversy? What would the world be like if the front page praised
the compassion of men instead of their foibles? Through it all, Fr. Martin was
known for deflecting his charismatic nature toward showcasing how the common person
can make a huge difference in lives of others in Haiti.
“One
such person who was touched by Fr. Martin’s pleas was Jim McDaniel. Jim held a
high-ranking position in the National Parks Service, and by all accounts, was
leading an ideal Washington,
D.C. life. Following a visit to Haiti to see the impact of the money raised, Jim
decided to leave his position and devote his time and energy to Operation
Starfish and the people of Haiti.
Since then, Jim has become the tireless on-the-ground director of Operation Starfish’s
management and marketing. Every new person that Jim meets, he tells the story
about how the simple beginnings of Operation Starfish and the collective
efforts of the common person have resulted in an organization that has raised
over $2 million through small change donations, developed 4 separate villages,
engaged in 11 projects consisting of animal husbandry, tilapia hatcheries,
vocational training centers, schools, health clinics, just to name a few. In
the numerous articles written about Operation Starfish in Catholic
publications, the message remains the same: the common person can make a huge
difference in the lives of others. That is the story of the Starfish:
As a
young boy walked the beach at dawn, he noticed an old man ahead of him picking
up starfish and tossing them into the sea. Catching up with the man, the boy
asked why he was doing this. The old man explained to the boy that the stranded
starfish would die if left in the morning sun. But the beach goes on for miles
and there are millions of starfish," exclaimed the boy. How can your
effort make any difference? The old man looked at the starfish in his hand and
then threw it safely into the waves. He turned to the boy and said, it made a difference to that one.
“I have been engaged with Operation Starfish since 2003 as
part of my dissertation work to develop a women’s vocational training center
flagship model for Operation Starfish-Food for the Poor. I have traveled a
couple of times with Fr. Martin and Jim to Haiti, and I can say, without
hesitation they are living up to their brand of the Starfish story. Traveling
with Fr. Martin and Jim is like traveling with the Odd Couple: humorous,
unexpected, and ultimately redemptive. It as been said that when Fr. Martin
goes to Haiti, he is like a rouge missile you never know what he is going to do
next (countless visits to villages and projects were held up because we couldn’t
find Father; We would eventually find him chatting away with the locals asking
them about their lives). But I think that assessment of him is untrue you can
be certain that this rouge missile is somewhere making a difference and urging
you to do the same.” (www.operation-starfish.org)
Regards,
Dr. Sara Baird Amodio
President, Launch Educational Services, LLC
Sara thanks for taking time to tell this incredible story.
Since 1983 the U.S. News & World Report publication has ranked what they and others consider to be "America's Best Colleges." During that period of time many of the over 4,500 colleges and universities have scrambled to gain higher rankings each year. Some have been obsessed with the publication's measuring stick, most have at some point in time made this a part of their institution's strategic planning process, while others could care less. Earlier this month, the year's rankings came out. As usual some schools are now raving about their position, others are not so sure and many don't care.
Today there are 16 measures that the publication uses to rank colleges and universities in the United States. Academic reputation opinions from peers and high school guidance counselors, student selectivity, faculty resources, graduation and retention rates are some of the measures. Of course these are important areas for prospective students and parents to consider when finding the right fit. Schools too understand the importance. But, I believe these measures, like all other aspects of the school, should be guided by the institution's mission and core values.
The purpose and what the organization stands for should be the drivers of any organization, colleges and universities are no exception. I am a firm believer that in the future students and parents will increasingly inquire about college and university guiding principles. Outcomes or ROI will be critical aspects of the college search too. Parents and students are very brand savvy now. A higher education brand should be based on what the institution stands for, not what it is known for. And heavens sake it is not the school's logo. Matching institutional brand with brand champions is what it is all about. The right fit. Should the U.S. News & World Report measure the effectiveness of colleges and universities understanding their brand and delivering on their brand promise?
A couple of days ago I read about a new advertising campaign for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The headline in the Philadelphia Inquirer read, Mormon ads trying for a new brand. When I see the word brand equated to the word ads I always get a little nervous. Why? Because way too many people, including semi-professional marketers, associate the words brand and branding with the words marketing or advertising.
When that happens the brand goal is usually not met. Is it the organization, the organization's marketers or the writer of the story that does not realize that a brand is your name, what your name stands for and the associations that people make with your name when they see or hear your name? A brand is not a logo, tagline or advertising campaign. A brand is not even your strategy, should you choose to take the time to develop one.
Unlike many others, religious organizations have an advantage because they have a built in mission and set of core values that is usually understood by their stakeholders. When creating awareness or developing a strategy to place the organization in a 21st century context, the best way to do so is to establish a brand platform that captures the essence of the organization by engaging your stakeholders in the development and execution of the strategy. Then deciding what is the best way to communicate that essence to your target audience. Creating traditional advertising campaigns that try to make the organization look hip with little regard to their mission and core values are not sustainable.
I think for those who are not Mormons, the organization is probably misunderstood and does need to educate people. If an advertising campaign reflects your mission and core values and is a way to inform and help ensure sustainability then I say go for it. If the advertising campaign in an attempt to try and make Mormons look cool without a brand strategy, then I say don't waste your money. Trying to be cool is what everyone else does so why try to look and sound like everyone else? Brand Champions are recruited and retained when they connect to what you stand for, not what you look like in a 30 second spot on a surf board.
Approximately 15 years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Christo and his late wife Jeanne-Claude. At that time I was the president of statewide art education association. As president one of my primary responsibilities was to organize our state conference. When I agreed to run for president my vision was to have Christo and Jeanne-Claude as the keynote speakers. Thanks to my friend Martin connecting them with me, the dream became reality.
The focus of the keynote address was The Gates Project for Central Park and the Over the River Project for the Arkansas River. The venue was packed and the attendees were amped, especially at the prospect of another Christo and Jeanne-Claude project coming to our state of Colorado. In 1972 the Valley Curtain hung majestically north of Rifle, Colorado. In 2005 The Gates project became a reality and many of you had the opportunity to experience that event. Unfortunately I got the flu about two hours before heading to the airport for my flight to New York and missed the experience. Christo and Jeanne-Claude were kind enough to send me some great photos which I proudly display in my home.
After more than 15 years of debate, dialogue and demystifying the Bureau of Land Management will apparently decide next February whether the Over the River Project for the Arkansas River becomes a reality. This would most likely be Christo's final project. I know there are thousands, if not millions around the world who are champions of the Christo brand. If you have not yet communicated your support for the project you only have until the middle of September to do so.
For those of you who are not champions of the Christo brand, I respect your opinion. Some of you might also be those who successfully ridded Colorado of the 1976 Winter Olympics. I think most of you realize now the error of your ways. If you are successful in blocking Christo's work you will regret that too. While the Olympics might go on forever and we might get another chance, we will not have Christo or his work around forever. Remember, his life and his work is temporary.
If you are like me you have experienced and witnessed a number of new employee orientations that miss the mark. Instead of making the most of what is arguably the best chance for helping recruit and retain brand champions, organizations devote new employee orientation to filling out forms and making the experience feel like work, before the work begins.
As someone who has hired many people, I know that the first day or so of work is when new employees are the most excited about working for your organization. This is a perfect time to tell your organization's story. Helping employees understand the history of your organization and what your organization stands for. Demonstrating to them how you want them to live your organization's brand and how to execute your brand platform. By so doing you just might have recruited a brand champion and made a brand champion for life.
You don't have a brand platform? You don't orient your new employees on the history and traditions of your organization? You don't engage your stakeholders? You don't have a brand.
Today I am in the wonderful city of Philadelphia meeting with one of my all time favorite clients. One of the meetings during my stay will be with the organization's internal brand leadership team. This will be the first meeting of the new school year and I look forward to engaging in a dialogue about next steps in their institution's brand development process.
For any brand to be sustainable it is critical to get support from senior leadership. The organization's ceo and chief administrators must demonstrate support and show others how to live the organization's brand promise. But the process cannot be limited to senior level support. That could feel like a top-down situation. An internal brand team comprised of representative stakeholders across the organization demonstrates support and helps ensure sustainability.
An internal brand team can successfully recruit and retain brand champion. The internal brand team can provide the necessary checks and balances for the brand development process. As I said the other day, branding is a process, not an event. On a campus of higher education that is a minimum expectation. It is great to be on the campus of La Salle University. They get it!
With arguably one of the most devastating natural disasters on their hands the nation of Pakistan is searching for people and other nations to champion their brand. Yes, there is relief help coming from eastern, western, middle eastern and other nations, as well as other groups. But it is not clear who the real champions are for the Pakistan brand. Much like a similar flood in the United States almost five years earlier, Pakistan's own government was slower than expected to respond.
Are nations coming to the aid of Pakistan because it is the human thing to do or are they doing so to posture themselves politically? The fact is that the people who are suffering need help. The fact also remains that the aid to Pakistan to date is a fraction of what was pledged to Haiti at a similar time for a similar situation. Why is the aid coming in so slowly?
Yes this is one of the worst situation in our history. Yes this is a very touchy situation in the world. Yes this situation can bring even warring factions together the world. Who will step up and hand the olive brand? Who are the real brand champions here?
I was reminded of the Red Hat Society last Saturday when I got onto an elevator with a neighbor who was sporting a very red, very large hat and a purple shirt. I told her that she looked extremely colorful and inquired where she was going. She informed me that she was attending a Red Hat Society breakfast. I am glad to know that she is a member and glad that she reminded me of the Red Hat Society brand.
According to its website, the Red Hat Society is the largest international social organization for women and is dedicated to making the world a better place. Its mission is to connect, support and encourage women in their pursuit of fun, friendship, freedom, fulfillment and fitness. The organization's goal is to support its members and help them get the most out of life. What a wonderful view of the world.
For taking a positive approach and being a model for other organizations, the Red Hat Society is the Brand Champion of the Day. With your spirit, I anticipate it is relatively easy to recruit and retain brand champions. Good job!
As I posted a few days ago, branding is a process, not an event. The process involves engaging stakeholders to build a sustainable brand strategy based on mission and core values. I have been involved with enough brand initiatives to understand what works and what does not work. What makes a brand sustainable and what makes it feel like a campaign.
Those organizations that develop sustainable brands realize that branding is evolutionary. Initially most stakeholders embrace a brand initiative because they understand the value of creating a communications plan that can ensure consistency in telling the organization's story. During the process of engagement, stakeholders realize the importance of working together and a culture of collaboration starts taking hold.
By working more collaboratively stakeholders then realize that the brand strategy needs to evolve from a communications plan to a business plan. The adopted brand platform then guides decisions on personnel, facilities, assessment, funding and other strategic priorities. When organizations embrace this type of approach to branding, their brand becomes sustainable.
Yes, creation is important, but in this case evolution is the theory that works. The theory becomes practice when you include your current and future brand champions.
