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Diversity Is Imperative For Brand Leadership

Earlier this month, in a conversation on ESPN’s The Jump, journalist Nick DePaula told fellow panelists that Beyoncé had been in talks with several brands after news broke of her athleisure brand Ivy Park signing a deal with Adidas. In the clip shared by the show’s host, Rachel Nichols, DePaula said he had been told that Beyoncé had “stepped back” from any potential partnership with Reebok because the team lacked diversity.

According to DePaula, Beyonce told Reebok, “Nobody in this room reflects my background, not my skin color, and where I’m from and what I want to do. And so, she kind of took a step back and left, and it did not come to terms.” Reebok has denied these claims, but regardless, it does remind us that representation matters. It’s important to customers and it is good for business.

This year, a California law came into effect that requires all locally headquartered publicly traded companies to have at least one woman director by 2020. Over in Europe, several countries require that women comprise at least 40% of boards at publicly listed companies. And who can forget Justin Trudeau’s comment “Because it’s 2016!” in reference to his historic gender-equal cabinet.

According to a publication from Harvard Business Review, “Evidence that board diversity benefits firms, however, has been mixed. A 2015 meta-analysis of 140 research studies of the relationship between female board representation and performance found a positive relationship with accounting returns, but no significant relationship with market performance. Other research has found no relationship to performance at all.”

This may explain why, despite many executive leaders believing in the benefits of diversity, defining what diversity is, and developing practices to promote diversity in the boardroom is still not clear. There is no formula. If your board appears diverse but everyone shares the same views, it’s only socially diverse. If your board looks the same and everyone has a different perspective, it’s professionally diverse, but might not mirror the representation in society that reflects who your customers are and what they value. You need both social and professional diversity.

In a survey from Deloitte about diversity and its benefits in the boardroom, The Mixtocracy Model is introduced. The thinking goes like this, “The term meritocracy describes organizational advancement based upon merit—talents and accomplishments—and aims to combat the nepotism and cronyism that traditionally permeated many businesses. However, too often meritocracy results in mirrortocracy in which all directors bring similar perspectives and approaches to governance, risk management, and other board responsibilities.”

95% of those surveyed agree that their boards need to seek out more candidates with diverse skills and perspectives, but only 16% cite lack of diversity as a top problem they are dealing with. Many boards still rely on traditional candidate criteria and those without executive experience are seen as unqualified. And by prioritizing candidates who have experience as board members, well that pool of prospects is largely white and male.

The opportunity here is to recognize that while boards will always have traditional members where deep expertise is crucial to guiding the business, there is also room for non-traditional members. The report finds, “Many existing recruiting methods do too little to achieve true diversity. The prevalence of those criteria and methods can repeatedly send boards back to the same talent pool, even in the case of women and minority candidates. For example, Deloitte’s 2016 Board Diversity Census shows that female and black directors are far more likely than white male directors to hold multiple Fortune 500 board seats.”

The benefits of brands having a socially and professionally diverse board cannot be clearer: Improve innovation, manage disruption, increase performance while representing what the world (and often your customer) looks like.

The Blake Project Can Help: Please email us for more about our purpose, mission, vision and values and brand culture workshops.

Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Growth and Brand Education

FREE Publications And Resources For Marketers

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How to Create a Workplace Culture of Acceptance

This week I would like to include David Mesa’s ideas and opinions about creating a workplace culture of acceptance in my article. David Mesa, Chief Development Officer of PJ’s Coffee, an experienced leader with over 25 years at the management level has created robust company culture through building trust, acceptance and understanding with his team members. His tips on how others can do the same below:

Lead with Optimism– It is important to set the tone from the top. Ensure employee relations, whether it be a meeting or a one-off email, are done in a positive tone that shows you believe in the outputs and capabilities of your team members. This leads to employee empowerment and employee retention in the long term. One way to do so is to start each morning by sending your team members a positive and encouraging email, this will set them off on a high note for the rest of the day.

Encourage Mistakes– While detrimental mistakes should be avoided, trying new things that don’t turn out can be a great opportunity for growth. Mesa, takes a very hands-off approach by delegating and then encouraging autonomy. When employees come with questions, he will encourage them to try to find their own answer first. He encourages other leaders to do the same. While mistakes often occur, the learning associated with them can spark innovation.

Allow Dissenting Ideas– Mesa encourages his team members to buck tradition and take a leap of faith on new ideas knowing that stagnancy and resting on laurels is often what leads to an organization’s downfall. To make sure creativity is always top of mind, put together structured brainstorms these should be both planned and at the drop of a hat to keep employees fresh and enthralled.

Make Collaboration an Everyday Experience– Collaboration allows team members to open up in a way that may not always be possible when honing in on projects. This helps to create natural trust. To help build this collaboration into everyday create small teams that work interdependently on projects.

The post How to Create a Workplace Culture of Acceptance appeared first on Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career.

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How To Create Names Like Facebook, Instagram & Snapchat

Instagram and Snapchat are identical constructions. Each simply substitutes new words from an accepted utility name: Instant Message. Insta & Snap are synonyms for Instant, and Gram & Chat are substitutes for Message.

Since Instant Message is already a universally adopted name, you know that Instagram and Snapchat will be accepted as well. If what you’re naming doesn’t map to a two-word generic, break it down into one first.

You can do this by re-purposing an unrelated, well-known compound word, as in Apple’s Wi-Fi base station being called “Airport” – a port accessed through the air. It’s easy to remember and readily embraced because everyone knows the word Airport already.

Proposing a name like Airport to a committee will be met with immediate pushback such as, “Everyone hates the experience of an airport” or, “Last time I was there they cancelled my flight, I had to sleep on the floor and I missed my child’s birthday” or “The first thing I think of is stress, long lines and bad service”- as if any of this will make the name less successful, which of course it doesn’t.

As soon as the name Airport is applied to a Wi-Fi device the primary definition disappears, your audience puts the clever double meaning together in their heads in an “aha!” moment, and they smile at the warmth & humanity you’ve brought to the game. Airport contains all of the ingredients of an unforgettable, best of breed name.

Because this simple concept is inherently difficult for bureaucracies, names like Airport are rare indeed – but they do happen.

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Brands Need Meaning To Revive, Expand Or Disrupt

Last month, we established that consumers do not care about (most) brands. Consumers are on a quest to find meaning and brands that succeed are the ones that help them fulfill this quest.

Today, we will look at brands that rely on meaning to grow and differentiate. I also share some important guidelines on how to create meaningful brands and products. You will find many more case studies and tips in my book Brand Hacks: How to Grow your Brand by Fulfilling the Human Quest for Meaning.

Leica

Leica is a 114-year-old German camera brand. It is known for launching the first ever 35mm portable camera, which was soon favored by Henri Cartier-Bresson and his fellow photographers from the famous Magnum agency. But Leica initially failed in marketing its digital cameras and by 2004 was facing insolvency.

Enter Dr. Andreas Kaufman, who brought financial support for Lecia and perhaps most importantly, a marketing vision to reposition Leica as a passion brand. Leica cameras are known to be masterfully engineered, robust, and fitted with the best lenses that exist. Beyond these functional aspects, a Leica is a medium for its users to bring their purpose to life. While competitors overwhelm their users with features, Leica focuses only on three: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Leica’s core value is das Essenzielle (“the essential”). That is, radical simplification and the elimination of redundancies.

This focus on the essential perfectly aligns with the growing trend of minimalism, whereby consumers buy less material goods to concentrate on life’s most important things. For minimalists, products must be meaningful or enable people to make meaning. As such, a Leica camera is the perfect meaning-making machine. Leica is now bringing simplicity and meaning into lifestyle and accessories, which include Leica watches and the Leica café that opened in Bankok in September 2018. For example, Leica watches feature a single, patented push-piece that was designed to be reminiscent of the eponymous camera.

Nutmeg

Dominated by a handful of global brands, the banking and financial services industry has been resting on its marketing laurels. Most banks tout their functional (parity driven) benefits such as overdraft alerts, lower interest rates, and mobile banking.

In contrast, ‘digital wealth manager’ Nutmeg promises to ‘unravel the knotty works of investing and finance’. It is making investing simple and meaningful to its clients. For example, Nutmeg manages socially responsible portfolios that feature environmental, social, and governance scoring. It is on a mission to make investing accessible, affordable and better for the world. In line with the minimalism trend outlined above, Nutmeg also considerably simplified the investing experience. It focuses on four products only and its users are encouraged to label their ‘pots’ with descriptive names such as ‘Good Old Pension’ and ‘Peter’s education’.

Nutmeg and Leica operate in very different verticals. Their marketing budget is nowhere near industry behemoths HSBC and Canon. Neither wealth management nor photography represent new consumer needs. However, these brands thrive because they are meaningful to their customers.

How Marketers Can Fulfill Consumer’s Quest For Meaning

In the early stages of product development, I urge you not to obsess with the product, nor even the brand. First, you must uncover the meanings your audience is trying to fulfill. To bring these meanings to light, consider projective techniques in your qualitative research such as collages and scrapbooking. These enable participants to materialize meanings that are subjective in nature. Then, craft your product and its value proposition around the specific meaning it is aimed at fulfilling.

When tracking the performance of your brand and product over time, do not limit yourself to measuring standard Key Performance Indicators such as awareness, consideration, and purchase intent. Make sure you also capture the cultural fit of your brand and its ability to fulfill meaning.

Last but not least, emphasize in your marketing the meaningful attributes of your brand and not only its functional aspects. For example, Marriott, Westin, and Airbnb each offer different functional, meaningful and aspirational benefits:

Functional: Marriott rents hotel rooms. Each of Marriott’s 30 brands has distinct traits, from room types, food and beverage options, and amenities.

Meaningful: Equinox health clubs and hotel fulfills our ongoing quest for a healthier lifestyle. Their tagline is ‘It’s not fitness, it’s life’.

Meaningful and Aspirational: Airbnb fulfills our quest for discovery and adventure. Its core segment of ‘head-first explorers’ consider new ways to travel and local experiences as part of their identity.

To sum up, consumers have become insensitive to most advertising. Big data and advanced analytics claim to reveal what products people search for but there is much more to the equation. You must begin with the realization that people don’t search for products, brands, Instagram pictures, and social influencers. They search for personal, social, and cultural meaning and the brands that succeed are the ones that help fulfill their quest.

How will your brand fulfill their quest?

The Blake Project Can Help: Discover Your Competitive Advantage With Brand Equity Measurement

Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Growth and Brand Education

FREE Publications And Resources For Marketers

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The Lowdown on VoIP

The Lowdown on VoIP is available on: https://ineediphone6plus.com/

The Lowdown on VoIP

VoIP is the directing of discussions over an IP network or the Internet. VoIP utilizes a packet-switched network rather than the circuit-switched voice transmission lines utilized by common telephone networks. VoIP does not require an Internet internet link to run. VoIP is a wonderful modern technology, nevertheless has a collection of stress over application. High-speed Internet internet links are needed for VoIP along with in addition firewall software program programs frequently verify made facility for VoIP contemporary technology. Some customers furthermore see VoIP call as cost-free as a result of the fact that they do not require to pay consisted of for the choice. The personal just pays the Internet solution supplier, in addition to consequently taking advantage of VoIP appears for free. VoIP growth will definitely in addition generate income network representatives that benefit telephone call. Considered that VoIP is attached to the Internet, a power blackout will absolutely wind up a VoIP telephone call when the computer system closes down. If the Internet internet link decreases, after that the VoIP telephone phone telephone call will absolutely be gone down. It will definitely be incredibly checking to incorporate VoIP on a substantial range, due to the fact that while the conventional Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) has a typical need, VoIP does not. When VoIP exposes that it can be just as trustworthy as typical telephone choices have actually in reality been over various years, after that it will definitely begin to be approved. VoIP modern technology is constantly boosting, so the issues with VoIP today are most likely to be managed quicker contrasted to a variety of individuals plan for.

High-speed Internet internet links are needed for VoIP in addition to furthermore firewall software program programs generally expose screening for VoIP modern advancement. A power stopping working will most definitely finish up a VoIP phone telephone phone call when the computer system closes down since VoIP is attached to the Internet. VoIP contemporary advancement is continually enhancing, so the issues with VoIP today are greater than most likely to be fixed quicker contrasted to lots of individuals get ready for.

Thinking about that VoIP is attached to the Internet, a power blackout will most definitely finish a VoIP telephone phone telephone call when the computer system closes down. Since VoIP is linked to the Internet, a power stopping working will absolutely finish a VoIP phone telephone phone call when the computer system closes down.

Offered that VoIP is linked to the Internet, a power blackout will absolutely finish up a VoIP phone discussion when the computer system closes down. Taking into consideration that VoIP is linked to the Internet, a power blackout will most definitely finish a VoIP telephone phone telephone call when the computer system closes down. High-speed Internet internet links are needed for VoIP as well as also firewall program software application programs regularly expose screening for VoIP modern development. Due to the fact that VoIP is linked to the Internet, a power stopping working will certainly finish a VoIP phone telephone phone call when the computer system closes down.

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The Lowdown on VoIP

The Lowdown on VoIP

VoIP is the directing of discussions over an IP network or the Internet. VoIP utilizes a packet-switched network rather than the circuit-switched voice transmission lines utilized by common telephone networks. VoIP does not require an Internet internet link to run. VoIP is a wonderful modern technology, nevertheless has a collection of stress over application. High-speed Internet internet links are needed for VoIP along with in addition firewall software program programs frequently verify made facility for VoIP contemporary technology. Some customers furthermore see VoIP call as cost-free as a result of the fact that they do not require to pay consisted of for the choice. The personal just pays the Internet solution supplier, in addition to consequently taking advantage of VoIP appears for free. VoIP growth will definitely in addition generate income network representatives that benefit telephone call. Considered that VoIP is attached to the Internet, a power blackout will absolutely wind up a VoIP telephone call when the computer system closes down. If the Internet internet link decreases, after that the VoIP telephone phone telephone call will absolutely be gone down. It will definitely be incredibly checking to incorporate VoIP on a substantial range, due to the fact that while the conventional Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) has a typical need, VoIP does not. When VoIP exposes that it can be just as trustworthy as typical telephone choices have actually in reality been over various years, after that it will definitely begin to be approved. VoIP modern technology is constantly boosting, so the issues with VoIP today are most likely to be managed quicker contrasted to a variety of individuals plan for.

High-speed Internet internet links are needed for VoIP in addition to furthermore firewall software program programs generally expose screening for VoIP modern advancement. A power stopping working will most definitely finish up a VoIP phone telephone phone call when the computer system closes down since VoIP is attached to the Internet. VoIP contemporary advancement is continually enhancing, so the issues with VoIP today are greater than most likely to be fixed quicker contrasted to lots of individuals get ready for.

Thinking about that VoIP is attached to the Internet, a power blackout will most definitely finish a VoIP telephone phone telephone call when the computer system closes down. Since VoIP is linked to the Internet, a power stopping working will absolutely finish a VoIP phone telephone phone call when the computer system closes down.

Offered that VoIP is linked to the Internet, a power blackout will absolutely finish up a VoIP phone discussion when the computer system closes down. Taking into consideration that VoIP is linked to the Internet, a power blackout will most definitely finish a VoIP telephone phone telephone call when the computer system closes down. High-speed Internet internet links are needed for VoIP as well as also firewall program software application programs regularly expose screening for VoIP modern development. Due to the fact that VoIP is linked to the Internet, a power stopping working will certainly finish a VoIP phone telephone phone call when the computer system closes down.

The post The Lowdown on VoIP appeared first on I Need iPhone 6 Plus.

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voip-phone system

The following blog post voip-phone system was first seen on: https://ineediphone6plus.com/

voip-phone system

The VoIP phone system along with our altered interaction growth

Years of growth led techniques to making use of telephones, beepers, in addition to furthermore mobile phones. Interaction contemporary development’s considerable growths are still streaming out from the minds of the specialists, along with so today, speaking with anybody anywhere worldwide is made much less costly with using a net along with furthermore a computer system internet link.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the here and now contemporary technology permitting you to get in addition to in addition supply voice call using an Internet internet link, specifically broadband, as an alternative to an analog or a normal phone line. It is referred to as the Broadband telephone, Voice over Broadband, IP Telephony Broadband Phone, in addition to Internet telephone systems.

VoIP can allow you telephone either right from an unique VoIP phone, a computer system, or a conventional phone connected to one distinctive adapter. Wireless “relaxing locations” such as parks in addition to journey terminals enable you to link to the Internet allowing you to take advantage of VoIP solution wirelessly.

Ccomplex modern VoIP phone systems are created from a range of woven elements. Modern company phone system is made center along with in addition examining as it is made up of 3 parts and also additional.

The substantial elements for having a VoIP phone system are the phones, the alternative, along with the internet link. The alternative explains service that makes the entire system job in addition to in addition internet links phones to the around the world telephone network.

A broadband or a high cost Internet internet link is one major demand for having VoIP. The adaptor or specialized phone remains in enhancement called for.

The 3 essential parts can cover a huge offer of hard situation. Such intricacy is taken care of by having finance as well as additionally time obtained understanding along with keeping the phone system. You could possibly require to pay another private to do it for you.

Today, VoIP phone systems supply phone call, where a component of the phone conversation programs over an IP network. Aspect of the phone call would most definitely go through the Internet by a public or an unique program. An aspect of the phone telephone phone call will most definitely as well take a trip over the normal public telephone system or PSTN when you are calling a regular phone.

Your service will certainly require to have an interior Ethernet network since of the reality that of the IP network application for VoIP. As promptly as you are making the most of computer system systems in your organisation, you certainly have it, so you do not call for to anxiety. In circumstance you recognize that you do not have one, you may acquire an inexpensive one later on have it quickly created up.

VoIP solutions could permit you to call different other individuals taking advantage of the particular identical solution; nonetheless, there are some which permit you to call any type of kind of exclusive having a get in touch with number. This includes globally numbers, mobile phones, neighborhood numbers, along with go across country. Some VoIP treatments simply encourage your computer system or an unique VoIP phone, while countless various other choices allow you take advantage of a normal phone attached to the VoIP adapter.

We can think of a quote that in the following 2 years, each home will definitely be making the most of a VoIP phone system. The professionals should certainly regularly think about the thickness of call each 2nd or the trouble spots bewildered by web site web traffic.

VoIP can allow you make a telephone call either straight from an unique VoIP phone, a computer system, or a conventional phone connected to one unique adapter. Some VoIP treatments simply run over your computer system or an unique VoIP phone, while various other alternatives allow you utilize a standard phone linked to the VoIP adapter.

Today, VoIP phone systems supply phone conversation, where an area of the phone conversation training courses over an IP network. Some VoIP choices just urge your computer system or an unique VoIP phone, while various other treatments allow you take advantage of a typical phone linked to the VoIP adapter.

VoIP can allow you make a telephone call either right from a distinctive VoIP phone, a computer system, or a common phone connected to one distinctive adapter. Today, VoIP phone systems supply telephone phone call, where an area of the telephone call training programs over an IP network. Some VoIP solutions simply persuade your computer system or an unique VoIP phone, while various other solutions allow you utilize a common phone linked to the VoIP adapter.

When you are calling a regular phone, a component of the phone telephone phone call will certainly as well take a trip over the regular public telephone system or PSTN.

Some VoIP treatments just persuade your computer system or an unique VoIP phone, while countless various other alternatives allow you make usage of a normal phone attached to the VoIP adapter.

VoIP can allow you make a telephone phone telephone call either right from an unique VoIP phone, a computer system, or a conventional phone connected to one distinctive adapter. Today, VoIP phone systems supply telephone phone telephone phone calls, where an area of the telephone phone telephone call training programs over an IP network. Some VoIP solutions simply function over your computer system or an unique VoIP phone, while various other solutions allow you make usage of a normal phone linked to the VoIP adapter.

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voip-phone system

voip-phone system

The VoIP phone system along with our altered interaction growth

Years of growth led techniques to making use of telephones, beepers, in addition to furthermore mobile phones. Interaction contemporary development’s considerable growths are still streaming out from the minds of the specialists, along with so today, speaking with anybody anywhere worldwide is made much less costly with using a net along with furthermore a computer system internet link.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the here and now contemporary technology permitting you to get in addition to in addition supply voice call using an Internet internet link, specifically broadband, as an alternative to an analog or a normal phone line. It is referred to as the Broadband telephone, Voice over Broadband, IP Telephony Broadband Phone, in addition to Internet telephone systems.

VoIP can allow you telephone either right from an unique VoIP phone, a computer system, or a conventional phone connected to one distinctive adapter. Wireless “relaxing locations” such as parks in addition to journey terminals enable you to link to the Internet allowing you to take advantage of VoIP solution wirelessly.

Ccomplex modern VoIP phone systems are created from a range of woven elements. Modern company phone system is made center along with in addition examining as it is made up of 3 parts and also additional.

The substantial elements for having a VoIP phone system are the phones, the alternative, along with the internet link. The alternative explains service that makes the entire system job in addition to in addition internet links phones to the around the world telephone network.

A broadband or a high cost Internet internet link is one major demand for having VoIP. The adaptor or specialized phone remains in enhancement called for.

The 3 essential parts can cover a huge offer of hard situation. Such intricacy is taken care of by having finance as well as additionally time obtained understanding along with keeping the phone system. You could possibly require to pay another private to do it for you.

Today, VoIP phone systems supply phone call, where a component of the phone conversation programs over an IP network. Aspect of the phone call would most definitely go through the Internet by a public or an unique program. An aspect of the phone telephone phone call will most definitely as well take a trip over the normal public telephone system or PSTN when you are calling a regular phone.

Your service will certainly require to have an interior Ethernet network since of the reality that of the IP network application for VoIP. As promptly as you are making the most of computer system systems in your organisation, you certainly have it, so you do not call for to anxiety. In circumstance you recognize that you do not have one, you may acquire an inexpensive one later on have it quickly created up.

VoIP solutions could permit you to call different other individuals taking advantage of the particular identical solution; nonetheless, there are some which permit you to call any type of kind of exclusive having a get in touch with number. This includes globally numbers, mobile phones, neighborhood numbers, along with go across country. Some VoIP treatments simply encourage your computer system or an unique VoIP phone, while countless various other choices allow you take advantage of a normal phone attached to the VoIP adapter.

We can think of a quote that in the following 2 years, each home will definitely be making the most of a VoIP phone system. The professionals should certainly regularly think about the thickness of call each 2nd or the trouble spots bewildered by web site web traffic.

VoIP can allow you make a telephone call either straight from an unique VoIP phone, a computer system, or a conventional phone connected to one unique adapter. Some VoIP treatments simply run over your computer system or an unique VoIP phone, while various other alternatives allow you utilize a standard phone linked to the VoIP adapter.

Today, VoIP phone systems supply phone conversation, where an area of the phone conversation training courses over an IP network. Some VoIP choices just urge your computer system or an unique VoIP phone, while various other treatments allow you take advantage of a typical phone linked to the VoIP adapter.

VoIP can allow you make a telephone call either right from a distinctive VoIP phone, a computer system, or a common phone connected to one distinctive adapter. Today, VoIP phone systems supply telephone phone call, where an area of the telephone call training programs over an IP network. Some VoIP solutions simply persuade your computer system or an unique VoIP phone, while various other solutions allow you utilize a common phone linked to the VoIP adapter.

When you are calling a regular phone, a component of the phone telephone phone call will certainly as well take a trip over the regular public telephone system or PSTN.

Some VoIP treatments just persuade your computer system or an unique VoIP phone, while countless various other alternatives allow you make usage of a normal phone attached to the VoIP adapter.

VoIP can allow you make a telephone phone telephone call either right from an unique VoIP phone, a computer system, or a conventional phone connected to one distinctive adapter. Today, VoIP phone systems supply telephone phone telephone phone calls, where an area of the telephone phone telephone call training programs over an IP network. Some VoIP solutions simply function over your computer system or an unique VoIP phone, while various other solutions allow you make usage of a normal phone linked to the VoIP adapter.

The post voip-phone system appeared first on I Need iPhone 6 Plus.

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How To Create A Business Game Plan For Your Personal Brand

Your personal brand needs to have a plan in place for your projected growth, regardless of whether you’re new to Internet marketing and branding, or a seasoned participant. Ask yourself, where do you see your business going in the next few years?

Having a passion for what you do is essential to success along with perseverance and a well planned business strategy. Here are several ways your brand can overcome obstacles and build a successful online business:

Keep brand development first place – Once you know how you want to be defined by your audience, work on identifying your key competitors. What are they better than you at? What do you do differently when it comes to marketing? Be on the lookout for cutting edge tactics that are sustainable for the long haul. You want to steer clear of flash in the pan strategies or fly by night trends. As small business entrepreneurs take their ideas online it’s vital that you are doing the same with motivation and enthusiasm to win over your target market in a way that is unique to you.

Change up your content marketing – Content is becoming more shareable than ever. Social media has the power to generate word of mouth through social signals. As you create your schedule you’ll need to think less about keywords and more about getting your readers engaged. This all begins with an understanding of your target audience. People are looking for a brand that actually understands the problem they’re going through and how to motivate and walk them through a viable solution.

Spread your message on multiple channels – Your business should be developing a following in multiple channels in order to effectively reach your target market. As you grow your brand you should be building trust with a loyal audience that converts much higher than just a visitor landing on a website or visiting a social network.

Educate yourself and learn new skills – There are plenty of low cost or even free resources that will help build your knowledge in your industry. Take advantage of seminars, webinars and live streaming events, which is also a great way to network and attract more clients. Seek the advice of high influencer connections, and be open to adjust your strategy as trends change.

Today’s online business is moving quickly as technology advances and people demand more transparency from brands before making a purchase. Create a game plan that best reaches your existing followers and then focus on what needs to change in order to attract more interested brand followers.

The post How To Create A Business Game Plan For Your Personal Brand appeared first on Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career.

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Marketing For Agency Strategists

Curiously, many people find their way to advertising agencies or in-house marketing departments at major brands without being educated or trained in the basics of marketing. And inside agencies, even more curiously, there is no additional training in marketing beyond the on the job variety. Which is a wonderful way to ensure that you will always be at least one step behind the MBAs.

Let’s cover some of the key concepts today starting with the marketing mix – the Four P’s which was developed in the late 1950s. Of the four, three of them – Product, Price and Place – are assigned to the agency 99% of the time. The agency gets to skin the last P, Promotion. This is flawed. Separating promotion from the other parts is an outmoded thought. This is especially true with digital products, which may actually only have 2 Ps. Product, Place and Promotion may all be the same thing.

Agencies have become much more involved in Place. There are countless great examples of experiential campaigns and executions that help re-contextualize the Product or brand for consumers. For example, 360i helped Nestle’s Lean Cuisine reframe the promise of the product by executing an experiential campaign in public spaces like New York’s Grand Central Station. They invited women to define how they would like to be measured instead of weight – choosing attributes and descriptions of their accomplishments instead of pounds. An artist helped bring each to life by painting a scale which the women were invited to hand in an exhibit showcasing all of the scales. Women used phrases like “Back in College at 55” or “Caring for over 200 homeless children per day” to show that lives are more than just one metric on the scale.

The most effective client/agency relationships allow for collaboration across the spectrum of the marketing mix.

When Crispin Porter + Bogusky found research that showed consumers were eating even more on the go than was understood in 2004, they created a product – not an ad – for Burger King: Chicken Fries. The packaging is designed to fit in a car’s cupholder. The product was an initial hit, and when the brand pulled Chicken Fries off the menu, fans begged for their return via reddit and other online forums. They’ve been on the menu ever since.

Takeaway: If you are going to make an impact on your client’s business, you need to be thinking about the entire business and not waiting for the last P. Understanding how they arrived at the product and pricing – if not advising on those elements proactively – is critical.

I’m not the first to suggest the Four Ps are no longer relevant. There were attempts to add three more P’s (People, Process, Physical Evidence). There are also dozens of models that have been introduced to replace it. For example, The Four C’s. There are probably five models called the Four Cs that can be found. Professor Bob Lauterborn introduced his Four C’s in the early 1990’s which updated the Four P’s with modern terms. Consumer Wants and Needs which replaces Product, Convenience to Buy which replaces Place, Cost to Satisfy standing in for Price and Communication for Promotion. Professor Koichi Shimizu authored his own updated version: Commodity, Cost, Communication, Channel.

Another version of the next Four C’s adds new dimension. Clarity means making your message simple and understandable. Consistency means reinforcing that simple message repeatedly to break through. Credibility means serving messages that consumers can find believable and worthy of paying attention to. Competitiveness means explaining how the brand or product is different or better than competitors.

Before we go too far with messaging nuance, let’s look at overarching modes of communication. Today, there is a push towards the societal concept of marketing management (think: Toms Shoes or Even Stevens subs). Some brands are thinking more broadly about their message, a far cry from product or selling concept. Product concept says if we create something great, we will not need to market it. Selling concept says if we promote the hell out of our product we will drive sales. Marketing concept says we should identify a consumer need and design products to meet that need. This is known today as product market fit. In the product concept, we are much more tactical and less focused on the brand promise. This usually applies to highly specialized products and markets today. Societal concept is most interesting because in essence it closes a loop back to a product focus, while hiding that fact in a brand message that is powerful to a specific audience.

Toms Shoes offers a powerful societal message. For each pair you buy you trigger a donation to someone with no shoes. That is a powerful and unique value proposition. Could this work with a luxury car or private jet flight? Not likely. Because most of us don’t consume those things, or think people are truly ‘in need’ of them. It wouldn’t work for private jet flight, but might work for coach domestic air travel. Pay attention to the types of products and brands that use the societal concept. They are typically lower in the commodity chain. In fact, the first designs of Toms Shoes were on the plain side. People didn’t buy them for looks. They bought them because compared to Keds or another utilitarian type of footwear, they served the same purpose, made a statement normally hard to share – and actually helped someone.

Ridesharing brands like Uber and Lyft would never be able to use the societal concept. Until maybe now. Initially, Uber was treated like a luxury; the private driver for everyone. In fact, the approach used was initially marketing concept, then transitioned to product concept. In Uber’s case, 70% of the communication you’ve ever seen has been recruiting for drivers – not recruiting customers!

With the emergence of Lyft, Flywheel and dozens of other brands the time might be right for a rideshare brand to use societal concept. In fact, Lyft was initially conceived as a social good to reduce the number of cars (and their ecological damage) on the road but this hasn’t made it into their consumer marketing as they’ve scaled.

Now that ride sharing has become widely accepted and commoditized, a brand could shift. For every ride, we donate to a transit service in Haiti or donate subway cards in inner cities. That might be a meaningful differentiator between Brand A and Brand B in this space.

What I’m describing is part of product positioning. How do people think about the product in the context of their category. There are a lot of shoe brands, Toms is the one that gives back. There are a lot of rideshare brands, Uber is the evil one. Axe deodorant creates desirability for those who wear it but Degree keeps you drier longer, a factor in social acceptance.

Takeaway: All of this is usually decided by the brand’s marketing team before they brief you. Sometimes, the claim they ask you to make isn’t very strong or might be true but isn’t compelling. Make it your business to understand and have a point of view on how you will sell, based on what will motivate the audience.

Joy – Pain = Value

To describe all the mental processes we make when we consider a brand I would have to write all about neuroeconomics. Luckily, Phil Barden already wrote Decoded.

To boil down what is critical for strategists to understand – different sets of mental operators drive the way we think as consumers. We essentially weigh the joy we will derive from a product. This is heavily skewed by our perception of the brand.

Once our brains score how much joy the thing will provide, we begin deducting points for pain. This could be things like high price, effort to buy or waiting for delivery. If the pain doesn’t cut too far into the joy, we act. We click. We subscribe. We buy.

Inside an agency, there is often fierce debate about brand ads versus promotional ads. It’s possible to do both, as many great restaurant brands have proven in their TV ads, with 25 seconds for branding and five seconds for the value or promotion.

But this goes further than the brand and the offer. People lose joy whenever they encounter friction. Starbucks has mastered reducing friction. Customers walk in, order, wave their phone and leave. Better yet, they order on the app before they arrive, pick up their drink and leave. It’s no coincidence that sales increased shortly after they introduced this feature to their app. It reduced pain and increased value.

But, sales started to wane because there was different pain being caused. Non-users waiting while mobile orders were prepared ahead of theirs. A reduction in conversation and engagement with baristas due to technology. For non-users of the app, pain increased and value decreased.

Takeaway:  As you think about messaging in campaigns, find the right weight for increasing the joy and diminishing the pain. As you think about execution, find ways to make it easier for people to engage. Increase joy. Decrease pain. Whatever those may be to the end user.

Satisfaction Is Not Enough

Satisfaction is a traditional and now weak measure of brand or product success. This is often measured and reported by Consumer Reports and J.D. Power among others.

When you last ate at McDonald’s were you satisfied? Were your very basic needs and expectations met? Most likely yes. Great! Success for the brand! What if I asked if you to rank the experience at McDonald’s on a scale from 1-10 with 10 being Nordstrom service with Lyft convenience and Houston’s food? Still satisfied?

What if I asked you the basic Net Promoter question – would you recommend this McDonald’s based on this experience? Comparing the value of ‘satisfied’ customers to the value of Net Promoters tells us that satisfaction is baseline. If customers aren’t satisfied you don’t have a business. But it takes much more to sustain and grow.

Takeaway: Satisfaction was a common measurement device before brands began designing delightful experiences. Just satisfying customers means losing them soon. Design programs to overachieve and measure more significant indicators to prove success and brand growth. Satisfaction is now meaningless. Aim higher.

You don’t need an MBA to think strategically about brand marketing. But you do need to understand the key concepts well enough to communicate and to know what they’re trying to do. The concepts above are basic items that are often discussed on the brand side, and rarely mentioned inside the agency.

A lot of the foundational pieces of marketing don’t make sense anymore given the way consumers find products. And the way consumers market for products on behalf of brands. But it’s important to understand. Most musical virtuosos don’t start that way. They learn the basics before breaking the rules and creating their own. Understand how marketing works so you can know how to bend it to your goals.

Contributed to Branding Strategy Insider by: Adam Pierno. Excerpted and adapted from his book Under Think It.

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5 Steps to Outshine Your Competition In a Job Interview

An interview is a business transaction wherein the objective of the hiring manager (the person who has the authority to hire) is to make a selection among job candidates called in for interviews. A candidate has two challenges: first, to convince the hiring manager that he is the ideal candidate for the position, and second, to outshine the others (i.e., the competition for the job). Following are several suggestions.

First, prepare for the interview by working with a seasoned interview coach. An interview coach can practice with you certain mock-interviewing techniques, thereby helping you to not only answer difficult interview questions but also recognize traps and avoid saying the wrong things. As an interview coach, I need no less than five hours to get someone ready for the big test. If the result is to get the job, then the fee paid for such a service is merely a drop in the bucket.

Second, prepare your SARBs: situation/action/result/benefit. These are short vignettes about your experience, describing for the interviewer how you solved problems on the job and the results and benefits to employers. They are the tools you bring with you to the interview. If presented well, the examples will convince the hiring manager you’re the right person for the job.

Third, research the company. Spend some time in the public library investigating as much as you can about the company. You cannot overdo this aspect of the job search, and neither should you underestimate the importance of showing the interviewer you understand–on either a macro- or micro level–the issues the company faces.  Knowing details about the company improves the “cultural fit-factor”.

Fourth, use your personal connections via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to discover as much information as you can about the people you’re going to interview with. While doing that, attempt to find something in common with them. This is very important, because people are known to hire candidates with whom they can build a relationship even during the interview process.

And fifth and last but not less important, make sure the position you’re interviewing for aligns with your own needs and desires. Consider your skills and attributes and traits. Evaluate the organization’s work environment, the commute, the compensation, and the benefits. Pay attention to your gut feeling. If it feels good, make sure you clearly show your enthusiasm. This is what the hiring manager wants to “buy.”

  The post 5 Steps to Outshine Your Competition In a Job Interview appeared first on Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career.

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The Media Supply Chain Every Brand Needs

Last week in Florida, Mark Pritchard, Procter and Gamble‘s Chief Brand Officer, told an audience at the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) that advertisers need to support a digital ecosystem that prioritizes quality, civility, transparency, privacy and control. A few years ago, Pritchard made headlines when P&G and Unilever announced dramatic cuts on digital ad spends, citing waste, fraud and lack of transparency among the reasons for the reduction.

Instead of admonishing the industry, this year he’s laid out five action steps. He says, “It’s time to invest our brainpower into an ecosystem that builds in quality, civility, transparency, privacy and control from the very start. A new media supply chain that levels the playing field and operates in a way that is clean, efficient, accountable and properly moderated for everyone involved. A new media supply chain that is both a force for growth and a force for good. Good for consumers, our brands, our industry and society.”

Here are the five steps he is implementing at P&G:

1. Elevate Quality. Where a brand advertises is a reflection on the brand itself. A hot topic over the last few years has been around brand safety. As Pritchard says, “Every platform has a responsibility to control their content. Each one is responsible for anticipating all of the possible ways their tools could be used and should put the safeguards in place before making them widely available. Some kind of system needs to exist to prevent these situations. None of us should ever have to worry that our brands end up anywhere near that kind of horrible content.”

2. Promote Civility. Pritchard understands that story is now porous, and editorial comments are now a big part of the media ecosystem. But comments combined with algorithms that surround people with like-minded viewpoints create a potential for hijacking conversations and amplifying hate. Pritchard offers, “We prefer to work with those who don’t allow anonymity to be a weapon by providing some mechanism for accountability and follow up, so individuals are responsible for what they say. We prefer those who allow the dislike button to be a productive tool, not a magnet for anger. We prefer those who enable common sense moderation of comments, allowing people to express themselves through civil commentary, positive, neutral and negative, versus disproportionately amplifying controversy or, worse, hate. While today everyone can have a microphone, it doesn’t mean every voice needs to be amplified.”

3. Level The Playing Field. By setting a common measurement standard, and common practices around how to measure and report, brands will be able to better control their spend, improve the customer experience and limit waste. Pritchard shares, “We’re trying to address a major pain point of annoying ad frequency, the number one problem for consumers. Seven out of 10 people think ads are annoying. Why? Because they see the same ad over and over again on the same program, on the same platform and across multiple platforms. This is not good for anyone. It hurts the consumer experience and wastes an enormous amount of money.”

4. Simplify Privacy. Since customer data powers nearly all of digital advertising, setting a common standard for privacy, as Europe has done with the GDPR will be critical in the US and other markets. As Pritchard says, “We want a standard that follows the rules of common sense for consumers, one that is simple and completely understandable, so each person knows exactly what permission they’re granting and what control they have over their data.”

5. Take Control. Pritchard believes more brands should operate like entrepreneurs, saying, “For too long, we’ve been wowed by shiny objects, overwhelmed by big data and intimidated by algorithms. We outsourced too much work, taking the head fake that media was so technical and advanced we couldn’t possibly handle it ourselves. No more.” P&G has been re-evaluating what work can be done in-house and where it makes the most sense to lean on external vendors and agencies. A smart move for brands to consider.

Will the online ad industry step up to the challenge? They’ve been challenged before, and still we have problems. Pritchard’s call-to-arms is certainly inspirational and much needed. What do you think?

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Branding has an Identity Crisis

Ask anyone for the definition of “branding,” and you’ll get a different answer. It’s nuts, but true.

In the marketing realm the answers vary widely:

Philip Kotler: “Branding is endowing products and services with the power of a brand.”

Marty Neumeier: “Any effort or program designed to increase value or avoid commoditization by building a differentiated brand.”

David Meerman Scott: “Branding is what lazy and ineffective marketing people do to occupy their time and look busy.”

David’s response is priceless!

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Toyota Reveals 2020 Corolla with Major Push

Toyota has launched a creative campaign around its 2020 Corolla, with Saatchi & Saatchi, Burrell Communications, and its other agencies.

Toyota has debuted Greater Than, a campaign around its new and improved 2020 Corolla. Capturing its bumper-to-bumper and wheels-to-roof transformation, the push uses cross-agency approach which invites fans to rediscover the model through a fresh perspective.

The exercise involved Saatchi & Saatchi, Burrell Communications, Conill Advertising, and Intertrend. Zenith Media handled television and outdoor media buys. A series of broadcast and digital spots were created for a trans-cultural mainstream audience. View the ads here:

Train

Rainy Day

We

Battle 

All Natural

“The all-new Corolla sedan dares to make life a little more adventurous. Given how popular the Corolla sedan is, this campaign really turns up the volume and inspires drivers to leave their mark,” said Ed Laukes, Group Vice President of Toyota Division Marketing.

The article Toyota Reveals 2020 Corolla with Major Push appeared first on World Branding Forum.

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YSL Beauté and Kaia Gerber Hit the Road

YSL Beauté has teamed up with ambassador, Kaia Gerber, and beauty director, Tom Pecheux, for a journey carved around makeup and music.

Its first such promotional effort this year, YSL Beauté is collaborating with its makeup ambassador, Kaia Gerber, and global beauty director, Tom Pecheux, to introduce a road trip which places the brand in the path of the music lovers. The campaign features a desert theme and beauty station.

A popup store is included in the mix. While discovering Gerber and her campaigns, fans will also have the opportunity to experience the latest and bestselling makeup essentials from YSL Beauté. Two special looks have been developed in tandem with the push and for social media engagement:

Watch Me Glow

Feel My Beat

The latest from YSL Beauté with new looks by global beauty director, Tom Pecheux.

Beyond the products, visitors will experience interactive moments such as an exclusive makeup vending machine, a virtual mirror to instantly try on over 50 shades, and more.

The article YSL Beauté and Kaia Gerber Hit the Road appeared first on World Branding Forum.

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Artifact Uprising Honours All Mothers in May

Artifact Uprising has created a push inviting its website visitors to send up to four free photo cards to deserving women this Mother’s Day.

Online custom photo goods company, Artifact Uprising, has announced its Mother’s Day plans. To ensure all mums receive a card in celebration of said occasion this year, the ecommerce provider is introducing a free limited-edition option that will be available from 15 April to 1 May 2019.

Visitors to its website can send a customised card with a personal photo and message to chosen recipient. The product will feature as a high-quality (5 x 7”) flat card printed on 100 percent recycled stock. The card will be mailed directly to the intended party in time for Mother’s Day on 12 May.

Understanding that people define their mother figures differently, Artifact Uprising shoppers will have the opportunity to send up to four complimentary cards to the many inspirational women in their lives. The aim is to honour those who deserve recognition on this holiday.

For photos that don’t fit on the card, the brand will offer 20 percent off purchases of $200 and up and 15 percent off all others for its promotion ending on 30 April. Inspired by real stories, the Artifact Uprising favourites are the Layflat Photo Album, Brass Easel & Calendar, and Baby Book.

“We believe the little things are big things. We want to make the act of sending a Mother’s Day card more accessible. Our company is fuelled by the joy we give our customers. I can only imagine how many mothers will have their mornings made by holding a photo card paired with a meaningful note,” said Laura Schmalstieg, Brand Director, Artifact Uprising.

The article Artifact Uprising Honours All Mothers in May appeared first on World Branding Forum.

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QooQoo Names Beth Newman Account Director

California-based health marketing network, QooQoo, has welcomed on board former Liquid strategist, Beth Newman, as its Account Director.

Healthcare marketing group, QooQoo, has hired Beth Newman as Account Director. The appointment follows a multi-month nationwide search by the boutique firm for a new type of advertising professional to spearhead the network as it fulfils its mission as more than an agency.

Having spent over two decades in the field, she brings with her deep expertise in brand strategy, planning, experience design, and business development across multiple agency landscapes. Clients have included pharmaceutical, financial services, technology, retail, health and beauty, and travel brands.

Prior to QooQoo, Newman helped lead campaigns for Juvéderm (Allergan), Jackson Hewitt, Revlon, Webster Bank, Beaches Resorts, Zoloft (Pfizer), and US Bank, among others. She has served with firms like Grey Group New York, Geary Interactive, Zimmerman, and Kaplan Thaler Group.

She was most recently at New York brand agency, Liquid, and worked on accounts like Collibra, Synchronoss Technologies, and The Vitamin Shoppe. Recognised for her client leadership and team mentorship, she will direct the KCI Advanced Wound Management account and more at QooQoo.

“The agency was founded to offer a combination of services. We could see our clients needed more than just new messaging. They require fresh platforms and solutions to engage customers. We have that with Tied Technology and Dry Eye Access,” said Clayton Daniells, CEO and President, QooQoo.

The article QooQoo Names Beth Newman Account Director appeared first on World Branding Forum.