Everything is (or should be) part of your Brand

We recently moved into new facilities. Everyone knows that a move can be both exciting and tiring. It is after the move, when everything finally settles down, that you can take a deep breath and look around.

What do you see? Does your new location say what you want it to say - from its locale to the outside of the building, to the entry, to your actual space? Does it add to your brand? If not something is wrong. Your work space MUST tell your story. It must represent to your employees, clients, vendors, friends, and even walk in visitors who you are and what do you stand for. It should tell them what to expect. It should be part of your brand.

For example, a simple thing as a crooked picture may be interpreted as you do not pay attention to details or a dirty floor may send the message that you do sloppy work - even running out of toilet paper (do not laugh) may say you do not plan properly.
There are two easy questions to ask yourself, your employees, and clients
1. Are you proud of your work space and excited about people coming to visit?
2. Are your visitors happy to come to your office/studio?

We have had several clients say “We know what they do but you know we just enjoy being here”. We often have clients ask if they can use our meeting room and story boarding room for their company meetings. Not because they are elaborate but because of the atmosphere. This is an example of our facilities being part of and building our brand.
So take some time today, look around and make sure your surroundings are adding to your brand.

So we were correct – big deal

About 9 years ago (I believe the Studios just celebrated it’s 9th anniversary)we started evangelizing Corporate Story Telling and why having a story and telling it is so important. Everyone who heard the message would say that they agreed and they could see why not telling their story could harm an organization. But like my last blog stated – Einstein’s definition of insanity “ keep on doing what you are doing and hope that the outcome changes.“

So many organizations just have not incorporated telling their story in their internal and external communications.

In the last blog, we also talked about correcting weaknesses this new year. If you are not incorporating telling your story in all you do including your brand, put it on top of your list. Over the past 12 months, we have heard more and more of successful companies openly talking about not only their story, but wanting to hear their clients/customers stories.

Nine years ago, we were correct in building our services around telling your story. Sometimes it just takes a while for a good idea to take root. Story telling is no longer a “cool” idea, it is a necessity. Thus this weakness becomes an even more critical one.

I am going to suggest to Denise, our Studio President that maybe our next ezine newsletter be about corporate story telling (even though we did one several years ago). It is no longer just our recommendation. It is an accepted practice for effective communications. Remember Marketing is just education your clients in your Story, Employee training is educating them in your story and reporting is educating your stakeholders in your story.

New Day, New Week, New Month, New Year Blah Blah Blah!

So it is a new year and time to re-energize yourself and your organization. This is the year that is going to be better than last year. This is the year that the organization is going to make its mark on the industry. This is the year that the new, big contract is going to be won - blah , , , blah . . . blah. We have all heard this and probably all said these same words to ourselves and staff each year.
You know Einstein's definition of insanity - repeating the same thing hoping for a different result. So I have a suggestion. Instead of making all those promises of the great things we have planned - take a different approach - and NO it is not being negative.
Look at your weaknesses. This should be the year that you will not repeat them. This is the year that those weaknesses will turn into strengths. So often we do not want to hear about our weaknesses. That is negative and depressing.

Rule #1: Celebrate if you have weaknesses. Be upset if you do not have any. Weaknesses mean that it can get better. No weaknesses mean this is the best it is ever going to get.
Rule #2: You cannot manage or grow your organization without having some sense of reality. Knowing reality may appear to be at first scary. It is actually “freeing”. It frees you to come up with solutions that can have possibilities of actually working. You have a better handle on success managing the known, not managing a fantasy.
So write down those weaknesses, embrace them, and start making meaningful improvements. A new year with old weaknesses being improved upon - now that is something you can work on.

It is important that you believe

There is a real sense of hope in the air. Every client and professional associate we talk to has one common comment – "2010 has to be better than 2009". As I had mentioned in a previous blog, “2009 to 2010 – from hell to well”. But just hoping is not enough. We must have trust in your organization that 2010 will be better. Just hoping will not make it happen.
It reminds me of a story I heard this weekend. It seems that there was this community and they were experiencing a severe drought. They requested that their pastor pray for rain. So he said that the next week there would be a prayer service for rain. Everyone came to pray for rain.
The pastor started his homily with the statement ”there will be no rain”. Someone from the back of the church cried out – “You told us to come a pray and we have”. The pastor responded – “Yes, but you do not believe that it will rain. No one came with an umbrella or raincoats, etc.”
The message behind the story is very simple – for 2010 to be a great year we must all start acting that way. What are you doing differently to make it a good year? Or are you just sitting back – hoping it will be true.

Are you communicating or dialoging?

In today’s world, we hear so much about being a good presenter and speaker. There are workshops and organizations that are dedicated to presentation skills and public speaking. There are books and lists of what words to use for a given situation. We often are told that this includes our body language and how the right body language helps one better deliver their message.

This is all well and good and I truly believe in learning these skills. This is especially true for corporate storytellers – the art and skill of telling your story. What follows is not a BUT - it is an AND

With all this emphasis on our speaking and presenting, we so often ignore the “as equal to” part of communications – listening. Yes listening ( not hearing – there is a difference!). We must stop talking and listen to what are clients are really saying ( a want expressed as a need or a need expressed as a want). We need to listen to what our professional associates and fellow workers are saying. We need to quit our self-talk to listen to the creative message that lies within us. For some of us, this means including listening besides asking in our prayers.

As designers, as a nation, as a society - we need to re-learn the art of listening. Here at the studio, one of our beliefs is: “Communications is telling. Dialogue is sharing.” Let’s start dialoguing with each other.

2009 to 2010 - From Hell to Well

Last blog I mentioned that I was getting ready for the studios’s follow-up planning session as it related to our personal and corporation SWOT analysis. First it was not as painful (personally) as I thought. It was very constructive and helpful. What was made clear is that it is important to have weaknesses and to know them – it is the best way to improve.

This got me thinking about the New Year 2010. 2009 for so many of us was a “mess”. In so many ways, it can only get better. So I guess you can say 2009 had a lot of weaknesses. It is a good way to get prepared for a much better 2010. Look at 2009 and as a year - what were its weaknesses as they related to you and your organizations. Included should be opportunities lost and threats not prepared for. Next create strategies to take your strength and opportunities for 2010 and come up with ways (strategies) to do better.

The first thing is to write down the following on a card and keep it in front of you:

2009 to 2010 – From Hell to Well

What is needed takes courage

Welcome to a new calendar year. It may not be the start of your fiscal year, but it is still a time of new beginning and change. So often we start January with new goals and a commitment to achieve those goals and we do not take time to review ways to improve ourselves (personally and as an organization).

During Christmas week, the studio held our yearly planning and off-site. This year we spent time doing a traditional organizational SWOT and personal strengths and weaknesses. Going back to known processes was very helpful. I strongly suggest if you have not performed a SWOT analysis, do one.

To prepare for the off-site, each studio member had to present what they thought was their own strengths and weaknesses. This was difficult but more difficult part is the next step. This will occur this afternoon. After reviewing each strength and weakness, each member gets to comment on my strengths and weaknesses and how I can improve. Just what I need, people telling me what is wrong with me and how I can be better.

This is not going to be easy. But if I remember that it is important to have weaknesses. That means one can get better. If no weaknesses, then one must ask “Is this all there is?”

So to improve myself and the studio as an organization, I will go into this afternoon’s meeting with an open mind and a resolve to listen. (By the way, did I tell you that being able to do this is one of my weaknesses?)

Bloggers read this – it is the law!

On Dec 1, the FTC regulations regarding aspects of social media went into effect. First of all this is a good thing (not that regulations are good). It demonstrates that the era of social media has not only arrived but is a main part of business marketing and communications.

The FTC ruling is entitled “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”. The ruling is mainly directed to online media and specifically blogging. The aim of the ruling is to provide consumer protection that is found in traditional advertising media.

Some aspects of the ruling:
• Full disclosure by bloggers, on their blog posts, when they are either receiving compensation or free products by organizations whose products or services are discussed in the blog posting.
• If a company or advertising agency provides a blogger or other online commenter with incentives the online comments will be treated legally as endorsements
• If you provide incentives to a community of “preferred users” who blog about your product or service, you may be liable for any misleading statements made by the blogger
• For customer organizations, if one of your employees receives an evaluation sample and lets say free tickets to a Magic game and the employee evaluates the sample product as one of your employees, you may be liable for any statement (positive or negative) made by the employee.

A best practice guideline is to now treat company-initiated social media and blog posts as official corporate communications. Thus it becomes imperative that all social media marketing activities of an organization come together under one policy.
Thus Social Media, previously unregulated, now is regulated.

Marketing vs Technology

As we move from recession to transition, one of the areas that is changing is the type of market research and analysis that is conducted. It used to be one of the following two major categories:
• Technology driven
• Market driven

Computer and high tech companies are examples of technology driven. These companies based their marketing plans on what was/is the latest technology. Once the technology is replaced, the marketing program becomes unraveled. Product R&D drives the market.
Market driven is driven by market characteristics such as demographics and/or psychographics. Once the demographics change, the marketing approach must also change.

What works for baby-boomers will probably not work for Gen-X or Gen-Y.In the transition world, the most important thing is to address what customers want. The main point to remember is that customers do not really know what they want. What they are really looking for are better ways to solve their problems. The challenge thus becomes being able to understand the customers and their problems in depth. We must continually work on ways of making life easier for our customers. This may occur because of luck or detailed marketing research. The how is less important than the end result.

It is a Great Time to be Small

The reality is that we will not be in this recession forever. We are moving from recession to transition. Yes, clients are still buying but they are buying differently. After full economic recovery, they will continue to buy differently. Thus every organization and company needs to develop responses and solutions to address this transition.
Even the larger companies will have to change and this is great news for smaller companies. Large organizations have organizational structures that are slow to move and change. Their bureaucracy prohibits the types of changes that will be required. An example is when it comes to advertising. Previously advertisers and marketers measured ad campaigns by the amount of exposure. Social marketing channels have changed that. What we need to offer our clients (no matter the industry) are metrics to measure not exposure but effectiveness.
We must realize that the digital world is no longer a specialty but rather a competency that must exist throughout all elements of an organization. So my advice to small business owners and managers of larger organizations – as a ‘60s popular song lyrics read “for the times they are a changing”. That is a good thing if you start today moving from recession to transition just like your clients purchasing patterns.

Look Smart, Act Smart, Be Smart

One of strongest selling points for an organization, especially when providing professional services, is to have current and potential clients believe you are “smart”. This does not mean that you act as a “wise-guy” rather you are known for good ideas, professional knowledge, and willingness to share your insights. We call this Knowledge Perception.

There are several ways to build Knowledge Perception:
• Give seminars, workshops, and presentations – always be open to “speak” to people. Act as a subject-matter-expert (SME).
• Write books, e-books, and white papers – get your name and your organization’s name in print
• Electronic magazines and newsletters (e-zines). Provide helpful and relevant information to your audience.

We strongly suggest that you consider e-zines as part of your sales and marketing leads generation. Develop Knowledge Perception as part of your brand awareness.

What are you colored blind?

When working with clients, especially when it comes to brand and branding, we emphasis the importance of color (quick lesson: if 80% of all purchase decisions are emotional and 60% of emotion is created by color then. . .). Yet color is often a great source of frustration for both the designer and the client. This is especially true when the client wants you to match a color from some printed material (they do not have the color code (PMS, CMYK, RGB, etc.) and are judging if you have isolated the correct print color by viewing it from their lab top. Or they are trying to view using their in-house, free ink-jet printer of 4 years ago and are thinking that you are just stupid because it does not look green to them – it looks grey. You think that they are crazy and must be color blind.

It does not work. Stop right there. The two parties will never agree and if you do wait until you print. It will look even worst (did not even mention coated or uncoated.)

Designer – color is important. Take time to instruct your client on the science of color, Explain what the various color codes are, and why at times there is not a direct match between PMS CMYK and RGB. Explain what are web safe colors and their benefits. Warn them to never do final approval for print via a monitor.

Clients – Color is important. If you selected a professional studio/agency they know what they are talking about. Invest time in learning color management. Trust them. If not, you are just causing problems for the professional you hired and for yourself. Remember the most effective color probably is not your favorite color. We are trying to sell not select a color swatch for painting your house.

One final note: more than 15% of the population has some type of color blindness, but that is not the type of color blindness I am talking about. Color is important to the sales and marketing process. Take time and learn about color and color management – do not be blind to color.

Touching the Infinite

One thing good about blogging, is that your blog can and should be personal. Your blog should also be at times controversial. Well today I enter both arenas.

Yesterday, the studio took an employee motivation day and went to the Business Motivation Seminar at the convention center. There were over 7,000 attendees just at the convention venue. Do not know how many were at the Arena downtown. NO I am not going to comment on the program or the speakers (my favorite was Laura Bush). The organizers of the seminar said that their surveys indicated attendees were looking for more topics on spirituality and personal finance.

I was pleasantly surprised that most, if not all speakers continually referenced the need to include God in what we do. This got me thinking. God is the creator of all things. Our industry often uses the word create or creative such as creative graphic design. Not that we are playing God (even though there are some out there who border on thinking they are God). There is something in us designers who try to tap into that spark of creativity given to us as a gift from God. We, on/in various forms of media try to create stories, ideas, communications, and yes even beauty. As designers we try to “create” beauty and balance that we see all around us. As designers, everything we see is looked upon from a view point that was given to us as a gift from God. We strive to touch the infinite knowing that we never can. As St. Theresa once said, "God in the blinking of an eye can create an infinite number of new realities (new designs)".

I thank God for my gifts and talents in participating in the creative process, even if it is, in terms of eternity, just a grain of sand.

Are you design savvy?

A couple issues back of our studios’s e-zine “Studio Buzz” we talked about the importance of design. We also stated that since customers/clients so often make buying decisions based on emotions, successful organizations recognize that their human assets need to be design savvy. It is no longer function over form but it is now form over function. So how do you become design savvy? First of all, remember that design is about usefulness and affect not about contemplation and what you like. Design needs to communicate a message or concept.

Design savvy needs to start with the designer. As designers, often the people who make the final approval of our design(s) are not visually trained. They operate in the world of budgets and market share increase. Words and logical thought are their tools. They really cannot tell if a design is good or not. They then often revert to what they like. They need and often time want to be convinced.

Designers must be able to and prepared to sell their design with words. As designers we must assure our clients that the design has merit and supports their marketing strategy – the perfect solution to their problem.

So what does this have to do with becoming design savvy? First when reviewing designs, try to separate what may work with what you like. There is no room for egos when it comes to being design savvy. Second, make your designer present as part of the design review the following three things:
• What objectives they were attempting to address
• What assumptions they used in their design
• Verbally explain how the design achieves the objectives within the assumption set

And designers remember one thing: ultimately your job exists only to help your clients achieve their objectives and they nearly always have the last word.

Sometimes it is all worth it

The creative process is not easy. It is not just sitting down and this inspiration comes over you – voila a masterpiece. For design it is even more difficult. Art is very personal and meant for contemplation. Design is meant to be useful and to communicate. Designers must constantly remember that their goal is to meet the client’s needs. So often you are convinced that it is the perfect design, the president walks in to see it (after being approved by the marketing department), one hour from the media dead line, and the president hates it. For those not in marketing and advertisement, this scenario may not seem real – Believe me it is real!
Then you have yesterday. Having worked several weeks, and many long brainstorming sessions, we completed the concept phase of a totally new marketing and advertising approach for a national bio-mass energy company. The concepts were somewhat “edgy” but would be very effective. We went in, presented the 10 different communications channels that would be designed. There was silence in the room (oh boy that must have been a bomb, we were thinking). The chairman looked up with the biggest smile on his face and said “Love it – different and that is what we need”! It is moments like this that makes our industry truly enjoyable and satisfying.

Always Keep Them Surprised!

We are working with one of our clients on a major re-launch of their system of web sites (actually 5 different sites supporting each other). Over the past couple of years we have developed a strong sense of trust and respect for each other.

In large projects like this, sound business practice is to not find yourself in the erroneous belief that whatever the client asks for you perform the work for free. “Out of spec” merits engineering change orders. But you can also fall into the trap of “nickel and diming” the client to death. Balancing these two extremes is important but at times difficult. The more we respect our clients and they respect the studios, the easier it is to find the right balance. Both each have to be fair – and in today’s economy fairness often times goes out the window.

With all this said the done, we at the studio constantly remind ourselves that our success has been and will continue to be built on “always striving to exceed client expectation”. This mantra can be heard in the truly successful studios and agencies

If it helps – think of it as a bird’s nest!

As we work with our clients to establish channels of communications for advertising and marketing, social media always comes up. Yes, everywhere you turn there is some start-up offering a free seminar in social media and how they use it.

Many clients when first exposed to social media channels, either have a blank look or an expression of “I dare you to try that craziness here”. Such reactions usually come from the baby-boomer age cohort. As a baby-boomer, I fully understand. On the surface, it makes no sense. It is one of those things, the game-crazed younger people do. Within the studio, I was the last to have a “FaceBook” account. The real story is: one lunch time when I was out of the studio, Studio Guy et al set up my FaceBook link.

This was my mindset until I heard the following story:

Often times we see birds with twigs, strings, and pieces of trash in their beaks. How often we would ask “What will they use that “crap” for? Until we see the beautiful nest they build. That is exactly the same with social media. Maybe that is why they call some postings “tweets” in Twitter!

Every time there is some type of social media posting about your company/organization, it adds to building your nest. So my advice to you who are still resisting trying these communications channels, is the same advice I got from others at the studio – “Get over it and just do it”! Go “tweet”.

You just cannot get around it!

We believe in the power of a brand and that branding is one of the most important assets an organization possesses. Every organization needs a brand. So often, we find organizations having survived their first five years of start-up, having built no name recognition or client loyalty - just two of the benefits of branding. We repeatedly remind clients going through the brand development process that their brand is more than just an icon or graphic, so much more than just a logo.

Creating your brand elements should be the result of a process. If not the results are personal opinions. Even worst, they just concentrate on a graphic element and actually get lost in the design. They quickly move from design to art. The process gets thrown out of the window. Branding degenerates into what family and friends like – so much for what will work in the market.

I have come to the conclusion that even though everyone needs a brand and should be branding, some organizations and/or founders are just ready for a brand. We have actually included interviewing and screening prospects, who are interested in branding as part of our marketing processes. Both process and product are required for success. Some people are just not ready or understand that principle.

Design Wins Again

We often repeat the phrase: Design is a necessity not a decoration. And last week’s business news validated that expression.

Apple Computer, in the mist of one of our worst recessions, posted their best non-holiday quarter ever. If you stop and think about it – Apple grew when everything else was shrinking.

I wonder why? Even though they have always been known for quality they are definitely not the cheapest. They also do not dominate the installed computer base. Some may say it is the iphone and ipod. Those two products do go along way in explaining Apple’s success. But during the same period of time, they also sold millions of desk and lap tops.

You see, Apple understood and understands the power of Design. They came to the realization that consumers are more interested in how it looks versus how it works. Design has become an integral part of Apple equipment. It is not just some “white-wash” to make you think that they are interested in design.

Design is a strategic component of Apple not just some passing tactic for quick- short-term success. You need to just walk pass an Apple store and everything screams – DESIGN.

The lesson learned? You must make design part of your culture, part of your strategic growth. Your staff must become design savvy in their thinking and approach to business growth. You just need to look to Apple for validation.

Are you making the proper investments?

One of the real sad results of today’s economy is how we look at making important business investments. True, “cash my be king” but that does not mean we throw away our business savvy when it comes to business decisions.

An example is your business’ web site. It is one of the most important investments you can/will make for your business. It is the focus of expanding your brand. It is the first place someone will go to validate your organization or be introduced to your products and services. Your web site is one of your most important first-impressions maker. And yet so many business owners and managers are selecting their web sites for the wrong reasons. Let’s take an example out of our personal lives. Our cars and houses are probably two of the most important investments we will make. Now, if you have a family of five and have your main car a two-seater – wrong investment. You are just going to have to return the two-seater and get the right car – the investment.

Or take your logo. A logo is one of several important elements of your brand – and branding is extremely important. Going to get some modernized clip art because it is cheap or quick is the wrong investment. Just hope you are not making your other business decisions with the same short sightedness.