Company Stories – Don’t just Tell…. Do!

A recent book entitled True Story: How to Combine Story and Action to Transform Your Business is creating a buzz in the marketing community. It is written by Ty Montague, a successful advertiser and the founder of co: collective, a consultancy that helps clients develop a brand story by using the principles of “storydoing” – rather than storytelling.

Basically, the 240-page book hammers home the point that marketing is not about telling a story to get people to like a brand. It’s about creating and activating the brand to behave in a manner that marries meaningful passion and action with a substantial consumer need. The best brands do not simply “tell a story,” they “live a story.” We can think of Apple, Nike, Virgin, Ralph Lauren as specific successes of this.

At StimulusBrand Communications, we perpetually seek to discover the heart of a client’s business, its leaders, and the products BEFORE beginning any promotional activities. Years of experience have demonstrated there is always a “story” behind every brand, which is often, in fact, the brand. If this story is then told and acted upon in a real, relevant way, there is a high chance the brand will be trusted, admired and successful.

Recently, I spent a week in Santa Fe, New Mexico, working directly with a family planning the launch of a new kind of Coffee Café experience —called Fullfilled Coffee CompanyTM. The initial café will launch in Edmond, Oklahoma, with a planned opening in mid-2014. The experience will be similar to the well-known Starbucks brand – albeit with a warmer, more artsy ambiance and more emotionally and spiritually fulfilling vibe. Here, expression will be king! Customers will be encouraged to express what fulfills them. Coupled with their Community program entitled, Living Fullfilled InitiativeTM, the café owners will encourage community artists to submit their work for display in the café – and offer grants to advance artists’ crafts.

I spent the first two days talking at length to the family members — asking and probing in order to get a strong and accurate feel for them, their business strengths and personal attributes. As we worked together to identify the brand “from the bottom up,” their passion was palpable.

As StimulusBrand Communications helps promote Fullfilled Coffee CompanyTM, we will use this as the backbone of the company’s story. By serving up a unique experience over coffee while exposing extraordinary talents in the region, the family can easily participate in “storydoing” to complement the storytelling, adding further authenticity to their brand.

In many ways, a true brand is like an onion, with many layers. As each layer is gently peeled away, the “truth” unfolds. And that, as I believe Montague would agree, is where the brand’s ultimate strength resides. Consequently, doing branding takes a little more effort than telling branding. But, doing it well is a very fulfilling experience!

 

— Tom McManimon

— Diane Blaszka

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Yes, Virginia, Everyone Needs Branding!

It is fairly easy to realize the importance of a corporate brand. The Coca Colas, Nikes and Apples of the world spend millions to reinforce and fine tune their branding and messaging each year. But what about Business-to-Business and Professional Services marketers? Those working in law firms, accounting firms, insurance companies, energy, financial, telecommunications, human resources, research and more? Yes, Virginia, branding is equally important, although different in some ways, for them.

At StimulusBrand, we’ve built a reputation in helping companies better understand their target and positioning them with a presence that elevates their brand visibility. We help clients seize opportunities to reach their target with meaningful messaging and to better compete in their market space.

In 2012, we continued to add quality professional service businesses to the growing StimulusBrand client list. Working with these folks is inspiring, challenging, and always leads to great creativity. Looking to “make some noise,” or “refresh their advertising,” these types of businesses are increasingly realizing the power in a brand and in examining not just what they say in their target communities, but how they say it.

S.W.O.T. analyses are especially helpful with new clients. This is a beginning review discussion to determine a company’s STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES, and to discuss any OPPORTUNITIES and THREATS. Then, we always add another T — an examination of what TACTICS we can now employ to truly add value to the effort. Often, interviewing an organization’s top managers or salespeople, its key clients or top customers leads to terrific learning that helps us craft the most targeted, results-producing messaging. After all, what’s the point of creativity if you’re not saying the right message to the right people?

We help companies, big and small, pause … to define and “drill down” their target audiences, their motivations, their needs and their goals — before they invest time, money and effort into a website redesign, or ad, social media campaign or email marketing campaign. In the process, we uncover valuable, often hidden, opportunities. This learning is good for everyone. And, it informs the creative work— which we do pretty darn well too!

As we welcome in 2013, new businesses will look to launch. Small businesses will strive to get to the next level. And big businesses will seek to re-examine and re-define. We get it. And, we do it. I encourage all of you: don’t do marketing out of desperation, and pause before doing “Do It Yourself (DIY)” marketing.  Instead, take the time to consider the impact of sound branding. Trust StimulusBrand to help you define or re-define your brand direction with smarts and creativity.

See images below for samples of client communications… and learn more at www.stimulusbrand.com and by calling Tom McManimon 609.538.1126 for a FREE consultation.

–        Tom McManimon

–        Diane Blaszka

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Technology and Customer Service: Where’s The Human Touch?

Discover commercials bring us Peggy as a funny example of customer service…

You’ve hired the best firm (StimulusBrand Communications) and spent valuable hours and hard earned dollars on a new brand direction, a wonderful logo, brochure, website, ad campaign… Your materials are stunning and you perceive your overall brand as favored and strong.

Are you paying equal attention to the attitudes and work ethic of the individuals who work for you and with you? Your people play a fundamental and critical role regarding the overall good or bad perception of your company.

Customer service in America is, as a rule, disintegrating rapidly. It’s like we think providing more tech tools means giving customers more choices and, therefore, more service.

Who doesn’t have stories of being on hold for 25 minutes only to be directed to a website; talking with someone with an accent, or attitude, so thick that it was almost unbearable; being treated as a nuisance and not as a PAYING CUSTOMER?

I feel technology, as wonderful and promising as it is, is partially to blame. Telephone systems lead us through countless prompts and allow reps to, with the touch of a button, quickly place us on hold while we are “entertained” with music or a constant parade of promotions.

Technology also enables people to answer our phone calls and e-mail inquiries in cubicles on the other side of the globe — and reply to our pleas for help with formulaic scripts and lightning-fast transfers. A recent and clever ad campaign for Discover serves up “Peggy” the rough scruffy looking guy who poses as a frustrating customer service rep with a thick accent and no interest in helping customers.

Funny, but sad!

Now, for a more positive approach, see how combining technology with real voices (a human touch) and relevant messaging to customers would seem to bridge that challenge. Preview StimulusBrand client Talksoft Corporation online at http://www.talksoftonline.com/

I also blame technology for a seemingly declining ability for workers, especially younger ones, to carry on intelligent conversations and display true patience, empathy and assistance. Perhaps we are getting so accustomed to pressing buttons, swiping screens, and getting exactly what we want that, when problems are more complex, many find it easier to tune out or simply transfer the call.

According to a University of California study, we are now faced with approximately 34 gigabytes of information and roughly 100,000 words a day. “Conversations” are increasingly done in half sentences and abbreviations. How many more hours a day do we spend gazing at computer screens, television, video games, tablets and smart phones — and not into the eyes of someone speaking to us or, for that matter, even our loved ones.

Technology offers wonderful opportunity to connect, engage and learn from each other. But it’s only as good as the hands that it is in. Have you ever been victimized by a company who chose only to connect with you via email, especially when a phone call or letter might have delivered a more “human touch” and perhaps been more fruitful?  Ask yourself, “Am I allowing technology to help me better engage with someone?” Or, are you using it as a crutch?

Have a quick read of a past blog at https://stimulusbrand.wordpress.com/2011/09/16/multi-tasking-productivity-or-simultaneous-combustion/

As you focus on branding, don’t neglect to examine your customer interactions and use of technology as well. Make sure technology helps you better engage with your customers. Back up your stellar marketing materials and high-end machines with heart. It may be the personal connection and human touch that ultimately provides the true definition of your brand.

We would love to hear your thoughts. Get in touch!

–Tom McManimon

— Diane Blaszka

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“Top 10” Things We Learned from Our Clients in 2011

Clients hire us to advise them in all matters of branding, advertising, marketing and more. They know that, at Stimulus Brand, we focus on listening more than talking. And one of the numerous advantages to that philosophy is how much our clients teach us in return!

With January being the month for “Top 10” lists, we are adding our own Top 10 list twist to your bombardment. Okay, it may not be as amusing as one of Letterman’s, but we hope it reflects how highly we value our customers and relationships! Thank you.

Top 10 Things We Learned from Our Clients in 2011

1.      When you go the extra mile for a client, often higher fees are a non-issue.

2.      Good clients expect executional excellence. But, they value you for your thoughtfulness, creativity, experience and openness to work together on their behalf.

3.      “Marketing-focused” clients are always engaged in the “possibilities” and excited in the process. Budgets are flexible. “Sales-focused” clients are more immediate, analytical and sometimes desperate. Budgets are rock-solid.

4.      Clients who are ill-prepared to offer you input, background and direction, but expect miracles are usually bad clients. They are the ones often heard saying, “I’ll know it when I see it.”

5.      Good clients ask, listen, lead, direct — and set you free. Not-so-good clients tell, yell and disrespect.

6.      Good relationships last. Just because the workflow has slowed, doesn’t mean the love is lost. Two great clients for several years had very little activity with us in nearly a year. And then … the phone rang!

7.      When a client thinks you are expensive, they are right. You may not believe so considering the measure of your work and what competitors charge. However, for them, it’s all relative to their cost vs. value position.

8.      Just as your client may be only one of several you are serving at the same time, the work you do with them is only one small element of all they are juggling and managing on their end. Patience has its rewards.

9.      One of the most powerful things you can derive from a good client is a strong referral.

10.    When a client remembers seemingly small things, such as the names of your family members, an important event you  mentioned, a hobby you spoke of, etc., it brings a smile and deepens the relationship. You should make a point to do the same for them.

We wish our past, present and future clients much health, happiness and success in the year ahead. Let’s make it another top year!

www.stimulusbrand.com

– Tom McManimon

– Diane Blaszka

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Multi-tasking — Productivity or Simultaneous Combustion?

Multi-tasking. It seems to be the term of our age. We live and work in an age of automatic this and automatic that. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. High expectations. Come on, I need you to over-perform! We seem to buy into the pressures and expectations. And the latest and greatest technologies feed right into it. And so, we try to accomplish lots of things at the same time. I call it “simultaneous combustion.”

It’s similar to those people you see on the road; they’re driving, drinking coffee, talking on the phone, maybe shaving or fixing their hair and even trying to read something— all at the same time. Come on! Aren’t they really just doing lots of things at maybe 25-50% or less, instead of one thing at 100%?

Here’s a sad excuse-for-multi-tasking story: I met a colleague for a scheduled meeting over coffee one morning. Once we sat down, the entire time they were
texting others and taking calls. So, to get their attention…I texted them back asking if we could have our meeting. They looked up and replied, “I’m listening!
I’m just multi-tasking.” We never really got the conversation started. I then got up and left and texted them suggesting. “When you have time for me, let’s
reschedule…”

My point: Respect the task (or person) in front of you. Then, take time to actually look, listen and participate in the moment with full focus.

— Tom McManimon

See how I multi-task with great clients and projects every day — but never, ever forget to LISTEN. www.stimulusbrand.com

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What do Social Media and a Backyard BBQ have in Common?

With summer in full swing, many of us will be enjoying backyard BBQs. There is a certain unspoken etiquette to such functions that can also apply to social media.

Like informal summer gatherings, online platforms, such as Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Plaxo, etc., offer wonderful opportunities to hang out and engage with large groups of people. There are some people who are close friends, some you know vaguely, some you don’t know and some you hope to get to know. The best interactions are casual, not forceful.

For example, most of us would not aggressively approach a group engaged in conversation at a BBQ and spout off a top 10 list of successes or a rehearsed elevator speech about our company or services. It’s more likely that we’d politely wander over; linger long enough to listen and get a good grasp of the subject being discussed; and then insert ourselves into the conversation as appropriate. Our chatter would likely be on topic and not overly sale-sy.

Think: How ‘bout them Yankees? (or fill in favorite team); not how ‘bout that quarterly report? Or: Where are you heading for vacation?; not where’s your bottom line heading? Make a great pitch – on the ball field; not in the boardroom. This is the time for refreshing libation rather than professional ovation.

Smart, effective (and non-irritating) users of social media follow similar principles.

1)      Observe and listen first to get a full understanding of the topic of interest.

2)      Determine if you have anything, personally or professionally, to offer.

3)      If so, gently insert yourself into the discussion in a helpful and friendly tone.

4)      Give enough on-topic information to convey that you’re knowledgeable (and available if they’d like to hear more) but not so much information that you bore people or seem boastful.

Every day, more people are wisely jumping on the social media bandwagon — and then quickly realizing they don’t know the first thing about how to ride it. BBQ etiquette is easy enough to remember and can help guide us all.

Happy summer!

 

– Diane Blaszka

– Tom McManimon

 

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The Heart of the Matter

Any small business owner quickly realizes that there are a myriad of things that go into achieving professional success. Sure, being a good graphic designer, or accountant, or carpenter, or (fill in the blank) is crucial. But equally so, in my opinion, is being a good communicator.

And that doesn’t simply mean being a good talker, schmoozer or salesperson. It means being a good listener, a skill that appears increasingly hard to come by in this age of instant everything. It takes patience, focus and persistence to truly listen — to get to the heart and soul of what the customer is trying to say. What do they need to communicate? Why do they need to say it? To whom? What is most relevant in the message? Why should anyone care?

I consider the answers to these types of questions more important than the graphics, fonts or content when I create an advertising campaign or marketing collateral. Information feeds relevance. It’s the “why‘s, where’s and how’s” that ultimately lead me down the path to my finest creativity.

Have I ever developed creative work without them? Yes, certainly. But, I have always had an easier road to the creative solution, believed in it more and, ultimately, been more successful by asking, researching, challenging and digging.

Maybe that’s rare in a creative guy, especially an art director at heart. There is so much design around us, advertising in front of us and overwhelming media in our face that appears purely shallow. When I sense that kind of vapidness, I sometimes get depressed about the field of communications. I feel as if I’m engaged in a constant, lonely uphill battle to create meaningful communications that can make a difference.

Thankfully, though, all is takes is one really great marketing piece to lift my spirits. One really creative commercial on TV, one engaging print or radio ad, one crisp and memorable logo…. There is still greatness around us. And it often springs from simply taking the time and effort to get to the true heart of the matter.

Good luck and good listening,

Tom McManimon

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Logo Redesign: Seemingly simple but serious business. Proceed with caution!

A logo is not a brand, but it’s a vital component of it. People visually identify a company by its logo and may express surprisingly strong emotions when it’s altered. A logo not only reflects the company’s self-image but, often, the customers’ as well. Changes considered “off brand” may conflict with a customer’s experiences, associations and sense of self. For these reasons, a good logo redesign involves multi-dimensional research, professional advice and careful design and implementation. Done right, a redesign can be brilliant. Done poorly, disastrous.

For example, a recent redesign of the well-known Starbucks logo sparked a wave of social media chatter disliking the new identity. It appears to have become its own Café-no-a-lika-Grande.

Five of the most common logo mistakes you should be aware of include:

1)      Amateurish design – A professional business should look professional. A logo designed by a friend, relative or cheap online site will likely not. Using clip art or aspects resembling another company’s logo could lead to licensing and legal troubles. Your logo is your unique, memorable signature — and should be treated with respect.

2)      Too trendy – Following design trends is tempting, but is akin to putting a sell-by date on the image. Trends come and go. A strong logo is timeless.

3)      Poor reproduction – A properly designed logo can be reproduced in various sizes and mediums (t-shirts, billboards, automobile wraps, etc.) It should be designed as a vector graphic, using software such as Adobe Illustrator that creates mathematically precise points, not a raster graphic, which can result in poor pixelation. In this electronic age, a logo must reproduce online just as well as it does in print.

4)      Too complex – A well-designed logo will be simple. A complex design with photos, drop shadows, small text or special effects may be illegible and look like a smudge when printed in smaller sizes, such as on letterhead or business cards. A good logo incorporates no more than 2-4 complimentary, business-appropriate colors and 2 easy-to-read fonts. It will appear just as professional and attractive when printed in black as in full color.

5)      Not well studied – There are numerous (and comical) examples of costly logo designs that were approved and implemented, only to be retracted or scorned when others perceived unacceptable images or messages within them. A new logo should be studied up, down and sideways for anything that could even remotely be perceived as organizationally, sexually or culturally inappropriate!

 

StimulusBrand Communications has developed a significant business and reputation designing award-winning logos for major corporations, small businesses and nonprofits. “We take these assignments seriously and love it when launching or refining a brand requires new identity and positioning. What may seem like a simple design project is actually an exhaustive and critical step in properly defining the tone of a brand. Designed well, it should indeed appear to be simple, memorable and easy to consistently display,” states Tom McManimon, Principal of StimulusBrand Communications. See our logo sample sheet below. Or visit www.stimulusbrand.com.

Click here to see some logos designed by StimulusBrand Communications

— Diane Blaszka

— Tom McManimon

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All Aboard the Brand Bandwagon! Does your Company Need a Brand Training Campaign?

Company leaders are increasingly realizing the value of strong branding, but are they successfully communicating that downward? Are they championing its power and priority on a regular basis?

Everyone in an organization needs to understand the company brand. Everyone. With branding, the phrase “you are only as strong as your weakest link” resonates. Each employee needs to understand that a brand is not simply a consistent logo or color scheme. It is the company’s personality, tone and soul. It is the customer’s experience, feeling and memory. In their book The 22 Immutable Laws of BRANDING, brand management experts  Al Ries and Laura Ries write, “What’s a brand?  A singular idea or concept that you own inside the mind of the prospect.”

Before a consumer purchases a product, studies show they need to be exposed to a brand an average of 17 times. That’s a lot — and underscores the importance of consistency at every turn. And, although logos and Pantone colors may change, company attitudes and values should not.

A successful brand (think Nike or Apple) is woven through each customer contact point, communication, product and service; and is aligned with every organizational decision. Think emotion as well as emblem. Since Apple’s conception, its brand proposition was to supply advanced, quality, great looking, high performing computers. The company has expanded in ways its founders never dreamed, but its brand proposition has not — resulting in customer loyalty that makes others green with envy. The strength of its brand is so strong that, if Apple were to delve into the auto industry tomorrow, it would have an immediate group of rabid customers.

Demonstrating a true top-down commitment, company Brand Training Programs define the multiple aspects of a brand and help employees at all levels realize the important role they play in guarding its persona. Those of us who are branding experts can provide tools to get every employee (and prospective employee) aboard a company’s “brand bandwagon” and to increase their company pride and commitment. The result is often strengthened marketplace clarity and familiarity. With familiarity comes confidence and loyalty. And, with loyalty comes increased market shares, revenues and decreased price sensitivity. Customers will pay more for a brand they feel never disappoints!

The “father of branding” David Aaker aptly states, “Branding adds spirit and a soul to what would otherwise be a robotic, automated, generic price-value proposition. If branding is ultimately about the creation of human meaning, it follows logically that it is the humans who must ultimately provide it.”

Is your company (and personal) brand stimulating success?  See our brief on Branding for Success. “It’s Personal” at www.stimulusbrand.com and consider Brand Training for you and your team.

–Diane Blaszka

–Tom McManimon

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Get Out of the Box!

 

Source: http://qualityjunkyard.com

 

We’ve all heard it before: “I want you to think outside the box.”  This usually goes along with other buzzwords including “fresh”, “innovative”, “unique” and “new.”  But what does it actually mean to think outside the box?  Most marketers want their message to look and feel different.  But sometimes there is a hard time reconciling that desire with the risk that comes with it.  More often than not, a client will give direction to think outside the box but end up gravitating back to…well, inside the box.  Why does this happen?

The problem can occur when a client tells a creative person “the sky’s the limit” when really “the top of the tree’s the limit.”  Both parties have to come to an understanding on how far to push the limit of outside the box thinking.  Taking a risky approach to an ad or marketing plan requires putting total confidence in the hands of your creative partner.  If it is originality that you want, you have to be prepared to get what you ask for.

Marketing is cyclical…once everyone catches up to the outside the box idea, it’s time to think of a new one.  Years ago guerrilla marketing was the go-to trend.  Now it’s viral marketing.  Everyone wants to be the leader, the innovator of the next big idea.  How often have you looked at a clever ad and said, “I could have thought of that!”  But you didn’t.  Someone took the risk and thought outside the box.  The only limit you have is how far that box stretches.

Take a look at this website for some truly innovative approaches to advertising.  What are your thoughts?  What struggles have you had as either a client or creative director with this conversation?

-Jordyn Haas

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The Way You Make Me Feel: How Ads Appeal To Our Emotions

Whether it is to announce a new product, maintain relevancy with consumers, spread a message, or persuade viewers, ads appeal to us in many different ways.  Some use humor.  Others go straight for the sympathy chord (I’m looking at you ASPCA).  Still others try to provoke a response by using controversial material.  Either way, advertisements (both print and television) have found interesting ways to connect with us on an emotional level.

A successful use of humor can be found in the eTrade “baby” commercials.

It’s a commercial that we discuss not for the product but for the laughs it produces.  You may not know it, but eTrade’s name has been implanted into your subconscious through the use of a talking baby. A baby with attitude!

Often, hospitals use real stories to create an emotional connection with the audience.  St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital plays to our emotions by using actual patients in their ads.

This approach illustrates the human element in hospitals.  Plus they must know these ads make us cry.  Just a little.  Stimulus Brand created a similar testimonial approach with a commercial created for Kennedy Health System.

Ads that use controversial approaches can ignite shock among viewers.  But that is exactly what can make an ad successful.  By creating an emotional response, the ad creates the conversation organically.

We all remember the GoDaddy.com ads.  Pretty racy stuff.  But that website sure generates a lot of traffic after an ad like this airs:

Another successful example is this McDonalds commercial.  Its charm and simplicity creates a connection to the brand.  You get caught up in the mystery of a baby’s cry and then it turns to joy. Then it turns back to a cry and then turns to joy again. Suddenly, you realize (from the baby’s point of view) that he is in a swing inside a house and every time he swings up to the window he sees the “golden arches.” As he swings down away from the window, he cries. So simple, memorable and emotional.

Another from the halls of classic Budweiser Clydesdale horse team commercials — the team travels across land, roadways and ultimately the Brooklyn Bridge to a broad view across from Ground Zero, where they ultimately stop, tilt their legs and bow their heads offering a moment of reverent silence. Emotional. Proud. And, it doesn’t hurt that it ties the Budweiser brand to all that is American.

There are all kinds. What are some ads that provoke emotional responses from you, good or bad?

-Jordyn Haas & Tom McManimon

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Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word.

June 2^nd, 2010.  Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga needed one more out to complete his perfect game.  The crowd held their breath.  The pitch.  The throw to first base.  And the batter was called…safe.  Safe?  Jim Joyce, in a potentially career-ending call, failed to see that the ball made it to first base before the batter.  And he knew it as soon as he called it.  What happened next marked Jim Joyce as a shining example of how to handle a mistake.

Source: http://www.msn.foxsports.com

We all make them.  You send out a proposal to a client only to realize that you’ve made a typo.  You give a quote to a potential customer on a print job only to realize that you’ve grossly underestimated the cost.  How you handle your mistake determines your reputation and your personal brand.  The most important rule?  Own up to it immediately.  Nothing puts off a client or a colleague like a person unwilling to admit they are wrong.  By making excuses or shifting the blame elsewhere you eradicate your credibility, both personally and professionally.  Owning your mistake displays integrity and trust.  I would be willing to take another chance on a vendor if they not only apologized but made good on what they did wrong.

Think about a time when you had a bad experience at a restaurant.  If the manager comes to apologize and comps your meal, wouldn’t you go back?  You have been treated with respect and that wins out over covering up a flub every time.  It only takes one bad review to mark you as unreliable or untrustworthy.  Make sure you apologize for your mistake, even if you must swallow your pride to do so.  It makes all the difference in the long run.

So what exactly happened after that fateful game?  Jim Joyce immediately owned up to his botched call and apologized publicly for ruining what could have been a landmark event in a young pitcher’s life.  Galarraga told reporters, “(Joyce) probably feels more bad than me. Nobody’s perfect. Everybody’s human. I understand. I give the guy a lot of credit for saying, ‘I need to talk to you.’ You don’t see an umpire tell you that after a game. I gave him a hug.”  And at the start of the next day’s game, the two met at home plate and shook hands.  Joyce’s accountability and Galarraga’s sportsmanship turned a mistake into a positive sports moment.

The point is: hold yourself accountable every time.  It makes all the difference.

— Jordyn Haas

—Tom McManimon

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