Today is the official day that we pay homage to Martin Luther King Jr. Although many of us do so on a more regular basis, some of his brand champions do so every day. As a young man growing up in 1960s America, I can remember the impact that Dr. King made in real time. Of course those of us who were alive at the time will never forget the day that he was taken down in Memphis.
Ironically I was in Memphis last week at this time and I thought about Dr. King then like I do today. What an amazing person and what a legacy. Although much of the outcomes that Dr. King invisioned is still in the aspiration category. When I was an undergraduate history major, one of my concentrations of study was African-American history and had the pleasure to research Martin Luther King Jr. I feel his presence often.
I will always be a brand champion. I anticipate as long as I have this blog there will be periodic space devoted to this Brand Champion of the Day. Another favorite brand is U2. Let us spend a few minutes listening to one of the ways that they pay tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.
A few days ago I had to fly one of my least favorite brands. Let's call it Del. My favorite airline brand did not fly to and from my business destination. Let's call it Southwest Airlines. Days before, during and after my trip, there were snow storms throughout the United States, making travel difficult for everyone. Passengers, airline employees, airport personnel and others had to endure challenging times.
The day I was to return home, the ripples from previous day's flight cancellations were still hampering travel. Before heading to the airport I figured I might be one of those affected. I was right. While on my plane, the captain announced that there was a "mechanical" problem and that our departure would be delayed. Check. After about an hour or so, the captain mentioned that there would be another delay and that we would need to board another flight with the same aircraft model at another gate. Check.
What no one mentioned, did not know or did not want anyone else to know until we started boarding the other plane was that the new plane was a smaller plane with less first class and economy rows. Check. You can imagine the panic that entered the employees and passengers minds when that missing fact was discovered. At which time the gate agent announced general seating. Check. You can imagine the panic that the flight attendants (or cargo loaders) experienced when she made that announcement.
These are just some of the silly situations that made a challenging situation more tense for everyone involved with Del that day. It occurred to me between stress sessions that Del simply does not have an internal brand strategy that allows everyone to make decisions on-brand, not off-brain, especially in a crisis. Interesting that Del's tagline is Building a Better Airline, Not Just a Bigger One. That is weird even if they had a brand strategy.
Del, remember, it's about the people. And I don't mean those guys in the military garb that sit in the cockpit. I am talking about your other employees and your passengers. Del, you can be honest with people and simply inform them that your system is still backed logged from weather problems and that you are doing the best you can, and ask for everyone's patience. You do not need to be compelled to using 20th century terms like mechanical problems and I hate to tell you this but...
I just finished reading The Mesh by Lisa Gansky. Previous Brand Champion of the Day, and one of my favorite personal brands, Seth Godin says, "Lisa Gansky is the ideal tour guide and provocateur for this big idea. The Mesh will have you taking notes (and then taking action)." Seth was right, I took many mental and physical notes while reading Lisa's engaging book, and now I am taking action. I am sharing her story.
The Mesh provides many great examples of 21st century approaches to brand development. Lisa shares with us case studies including Zip Car, Netflix and Roomarama, to name just a few. These innovative organizations understand the needs of today's and tomorrow's consumers and employees. They know what their brand stands for, as well as how to effectively recruit and retain brand champions. It is obvious Lisa knows that too.
If you are looking for a resource to help your organization move from 20th century offline business as usual, to a 21st century online sharing your story with others organization, then I encourage you to take a gander at what Lisa Gansky has to say. I am sure you will agree that she is a Brand Champion of the Day!
Over the past several years I have wanted to attend the International Thought Leaders in Brand Management Conference in Lugano, Switzerland. I was interested in engaging in dialogue with others in higher education and business from around the world. In the past my schedule has not allowed for the opportunity to do so.
This year I finally have my chance to attend. As a double bonus, I have been asked to present too. The theme of this year's event is bridging the gap between the academic and practitioner worlds. As a practitioner who works with higher education brands I have experience in this area on most days and welcome the opportunity to share those.
The title of my session is An Academic Enterprise Approach to Higher Education Branding: Finding Common Ground, Establishing Common Language and Ensuring Common Outcomes. Yes that is a mouthful, but we are talking higher education here. I can't wait to meet others and learn from them March 10-12 in Lugano. By the way, Switzerland is one of my all time favorite spots on the planet. Talk about a brand!
If you are interested in learning more, check out the conference website. My colleague who will be joining me will be blogging about our experiences, but we hope to see you there!
For the next couple of days I am in a region of the United States known as the the mid-South. One of the great cities of this area of the world is Memphis. A colleague of mine and I have returned for brand engagement sessions as part of a national education brand project we are involved with.
Of course the primary highlight of this visit is that we have the opportunity to work with great people in great schools here in Memphis. Secondarily is the chance to revisit a culturally significant spot on the American landscape. More great people. great music, a storied past and of course, unbelievable BBQ food.
When you come to Memphis you know what to expect. All great brands have the ability to deliver on their experience. Memphis does that well. Memphis understands how to recruit and retain brand champions. Today Memphis, Tennessee is the Brand Champion of the Day!
Have you seen the new minimalist Starbucks logo? No words just the sea nymph. When I saw this I thought about the Nike swoosh, the pink ribbon campaign and Apple. Those are brands that have visual representations without the name of the organization. By the way, let us not forget, a logo is not a brand. Other organizations have tried similar approaches but haven fallen flat.
My organization is currently working on two brand development projects that includes creation of a visual identity to support the brand platform that we created. We have used Nike, the pink ribbon and Apple as inspirations and case studies for our work. We love Starbucks and their ability to recruit and retain brand champions. Now we have another reason to be brand advocates.
Only because Starbucks is a trusted and time-tested brand were they able to take this leap. If they did so right out of the gates they would have fallen short of expectations. Too often new organizations want to start the brand development process by creating a logo, often without the brand name attached. Don't do that. Starbucks has been around for 40 years. Do that.
I am sure that you have seen or recently heard this man, Ted Williams. He was homeless and is now a media giant. Apparently the Ohio many has been offered voice work by the Cleveland Cavaliers, ESPN and a host of other opportunities. The 53 year has an incredible voice which was captured in the YouTube video below.
The rest is history as they say. Or at least 15 minutes of fame as they say. Time will tell what the future holds for this interesting man in these interesting times. The video was filmed next a highway where Williams was holding a sign and telling of his magical voice. The power of the Internet took things from there. YouTube for example is unbelievable.
Here is wishing the best for Ted Williams. I anticipate he will do well wherever he lands and will be a brand champion of whatever organization(s) he works for. Today he has a legion of fans and is the Brand Champion of the Day.
I received an email a few days ago from one of my favorite brands, Southwest Airlines, that it is introducing a new loyalty program effective on my next birthday. I have mixed feelings when I am informed that there is something new on the horizon. On the one hand there is a sense of excitement that there might be a nugget or two that will be incentive for me to participate. On the other hand I get a little nervous thinking that I might not like the new.
For many change is a challenge. We get comfortable with what we have or where we are. If you are like me, you do not want to take the time to read about the new program. In the case of SWA's Rapid Rewards program, I am perfectly content with the current program. I fly them all of the time and am what they consider an A-List member. In my world a loyal brand champion. Now comes change. I understand the need to attract more higher paying business fliers. but what about those of us who fly business now?
When these types of decisions are made there is a risk of not retaining brand champions, in hopes or recruiting new brand champions. Of course the goal is to do both. I need to keep an open mind here and trust SWA is doing right by their brand champions. Experience tells me that if it does not work they will pull the plug. That is what strong brands do.
I don't know about you, but I travel a great deal for business. I want the experience of booking flights to be fast and seamless. When I am flying domestic and whenever I can, I go to the Southwest Airlines website and in about five minutes I have my flight booked hassle-free for a relatively inexpense fare. I can change my flight in about the same amount of time and brain damage. When I am flying international or have a more complicated itenerary I visit with my travel agent.
I know many people go to Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz or one of the multitude of online travel sites to book their airfares. I have visited many of these sites, but have never booked a flight on one of them. Most of these sites are very easy to navigate and give the user a great sense for what their airfare options are. My favorite airline brand, Southwest, does not use these sites. By doing so I think they stay to true to their brand essence of freemdom and flexibility.
Now it appears that other airlines are jumping ship, er plane, as they think travel sites somehow dilute their brand. Let me tell you, your brands are already diluted. Delta and American Airlines for example have voiced concerns. When I see these and other airlines on travel sites, I think it is good for the airline and the travel site. Most airlines do not have a strong brand so any help they can get in creating more of an online presence and discounting fares seems to be good for them. Most need all the help they can get. What I thought was a solid marriage appears to be ending in divorce for many of these mutually beneficial organizations.
In the meantime, I will stay out of the bickering and continue to spend my online and in-flight experience in the friendly and freedom comfort of SWA. Recruiting and retaining brand champions one passenger and employee at a time.
If you have not heard much about Brasil or do not know much about this nation brand, you increasingly will. There are a number of current and aspirational attributes that enhance the Brasil brand. It is estimated that by 2016, Brasil will be the world's fifth-largest economy. That same year, Latin America's largest nation will be hosting the Olympic Games.
Two years prior to the Olympics, Brasil will host the 2014 World Cup. I am predicting championship by the way. Recently a number of other developments have taken place allowing Brasil to be on the world's podium now. A number of social programs have assisted some 20 million people to move out of the poverty category. Unemployment is at a record low rate. Dilma Rousseff just became the nation's 36th president. Nice to see another female serve as nation brand manager around the world.
Brasil has a legion of brand champions on the planet, many because of their fotbal prowess. Brasil will more and more recruit and retain brand champions for other reasons. I anticipate more posts in the future about brand developments in Brasil. Today, I will simply say, Brasil is the Brand Champion of the World.
