Apple Lives Their Brand. Here's What That Means:

Apple is a marketing phenomenon. I know, you don't need anyone to tell you this, but I'll ask you to indulge me while I share a short story:

I pulled into the Apple store yesterday morning for a major technical problem with my new MacBookPro. I mean major. The spinning wheel that couldn't be stopped, shut down, re-started or ignored. That means I'm out of business.

As I pulled in, there were 200 people lined up outside the store. It is iPhone launch day. How did I not know that? Which means Apple really didn't have time for me yesterday.

Apple sells to hundreds of customers every single day, at this store alone. I know this because I'm there pretty often with my new laptop for training and technical problems. Or perhaps, seriously, it very-well-could-be a few operator errors!

The manager met me at the door, called me by name, and asked what was going on. I've been in several times with laptop problems. She is always somewhere in the store and we make eye contact. There were no "Genius Bar" appointments today, but she took my laptop anyway. She disappeared behind the silver door to the back room.

As I wait in the store, with a steady flow of apple-heads with credit card in hand, it occured to me that Apple, while they do not make a perfect product, does have best-in-class customer service.

In the middle of this chaos, the manager made me feel like I'm the only one who matters right now.

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A few hours later the Apple store called. To my complete surprise, they had a new laptop waiting for me. I brought it home, ran the back-up to restore my files and I'm back in business in less than 24 hours.

Sherri and the Apple team delivered on their promise, otherwise known as their brand: Innovation, Reliability, and Simplicity.

What's your brand promise? Would any Joe (or Melynn) off the street feel that you deliver on your promise after any interaction?

Apple Lives Their Brand. Here's What That Means:

Collaboration: The Intersection of Common Goals and Creativity

Partners in Innovation (PII) is a project in innovation as much as it is an effort in collaboration. Four diverse associations are participating, along with four dedicated, quality Association Executives They vary in size and geographic location, from Pennsylvania in the East to Utah in the West. We will soon see results from the communications survey sent to 6,000 members. While we wait for the responses, let’s remember why we came together in the first place – to innovate and overcome their most pressing communication problem: Not enough members open, read, and appreciate their communications.

During my travels this past week, I found the new "all-in-one dental floss gadget" tucked into my travel kit. Using it for the first time, it hit me what we are trying to accomplish with this communications project  - to approach ages-old communications in a new way. It will require innovation.

One of my favorite marketing philosophies is a concept called "The Possible Service." It happens in big for-profit business, and can happen in your association. It's a marketing approach containing one (or all three) parts. Marketing has evolved from being:

1. Service-driven - offering services or tools to the member based on what the company decides to deliver.

2. Market-driven - finding out what the customer needs, and building services or tools to meet them.

3. Imagination-driven - this kind of marketing answers the needs of the customer through innovation. It’s based on what the customer says they want; but it’s also about giving the customer something they need that they haven’t even asked for. Let’s use an example anyone can relate to: the 1970’s introduction of overnight (too many spaces in these lines) shipping. Before this, the only option for sending and receiving important documents and items was either the fax machine or US postal mail.

The PROBLEM: Original documents and products took too long to send and receive.

The BIG GOAL: Sending documents with reliability and speed.

THE ANSWER: Overnight shipping. (Think “absolutely positively overnight,” and “It’s not just a package, it’s your business.”) These award-winning campaigns promoted the solution to a customer problem that they never dreamed possible.

So, does this happen inside associations? As a matter of fact it does. The Florida Association of REALTORS® delivers concise, compelling, information to their target audiences through their innovative (and award-winning) website. Oklahoma City REALTOR® Association (OKCMAR®) gives members a cup of Starbuck’s coffee when they visit the association’s retail store. They grew the R-Shop from a closet to a non-dues revenue-machine for the association.

We’ve already made progress in this collaboration to change the way associations communicate regularly with members. While members respond to the communications survey with their thoughts about their communications preferences, let's collect ours, and continue to innovate. Start making your own short-list of the unexpected ways to get your highest-priority messages through to your members.  We'll be back together soon to continue the collaboration effort, so stay tuned.

The best part of this project - members will get out of it what this dedicated group puts into it.

Collaboration: The Intersection of Common Goals and Creativity

It's (Mostly) All About the Package

If you don't think your communications acts as your storefront, think again.

I was in a neighborhood yesterday I don't frequent often. I have seen a little grocery store 50 times.The building is great. The windows are great. Cossentino's neighborhood grocery is very enticing and 'hip' from the outside.

I came downtown for a meeting and decided to come 15 minutes early to finally visit and go into the store.When I walked it, it had really good eye appeal, but with further strolling, it was just that, a grocery store.

The outside design pulled me in, and I left, along with my recycled bag with of $16 of nothing...a greeting card, some jumbo corn nuts and purple spinach!

I think there's lesson here... whether it's your association's "store", your Facebook page, your newsletter or your website - is it  inviting? Intriguing? Does it look good enough to your uninvolved member so that one time, they will come in and look around?
Think about communications that are eye catching, straight-forward and scan-able. In other words, show members the quality you bring to them with the package; Then, deliver on the promise once they chose to come in.

Even if the content isn't fancy, when the package is interesting, you are likely to sell them something. If your message is simple and reliable on the inside, you have the chance to bring them back or even compel them to make a PAC contribution, attend a class, or become a fan.

It's (Mostly) All About the Package

The Brand Called You

From: Issue 10 | August 1997 | Page 83 | By: Tom Peters

Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand. Here's what it takes to be the CEO of Me Inc.
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It's a new brand world.

That cross-trainer you're wearing -- one look at the distinctive swoosh on the side tells everyone who's got you branded. That coffee travel mug you're carrying -- ah, you're a Starbucks woman! Your T-shirt with the distinctive Champion "C" on the sleeve, the blue jeans with the prominent Levi's rivets, the watch with the hey-this-certifies-I-made-it icon on the face, your fountain pen with the maker's symbol crafted into the end ...

You're branded, branded, branded, branded.

It's time for me -- and you -- to take a lesson from the big brands, a lesson that's true for anyone who's interested in what it takes to stand out and prosper in the new world of work.

Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.
It's that simple -- and that hard. And that inescapable.

Behemoth companies may take turns buying each other or acquiring every hot startup that catches their eye -- mergers in 1996 set records. Hollywood may be interested in only blockbusters and book publishers may want to put out only guaranteed best-sellers. But don't be fooled by all the frenzy at the humongous end of the size spectrum.

The real action is at the other end: the main chance is becoming a free agent in an economy of free agents, looking to have the best season you can imagine in your field, looking to do your best work and chalk up a remarkable track record, and looking to establish your own micro equivalent of the Nike swoosh. Because if you do, you'll not only reach out toward every opportunity within arm's (or laptop's) length, you'll not only make a noteworthy contribution to your team's success -- you'll also put yourself in a great bargaining position for next season's free-agency market.

The good news -- and it is largely good news -- is that everyone has a chance to stand out. Everyone has a chance to learn, improve, and build up their skills. Everyone has a chance to be a brand worthy of remark.

Click here to read the full 8-page article.

The Brand Called You

Jump Start Innovation by Following a Few Ground Rules

Most real estate associations realize the value of innovation, but some find it hard to achieve. Association leadership, especially in small and mid-size associations often lacks the time, the tools, and the creative process to nurture exciting new ideas. I recently brought together a few small and medium sized associations to innovate their communications process.  As our “Partners in Innovation” process gets started, we’ve discovered ways to jump-start innovation.

1.  Set side the time to get creative. The participants all said the biggest creativity boost was simply allocating the time to looking for new ideas. Taylor Oldroyd, CEO of the Utah County Association of REALTORS®, said, “We all get into ruts. Setting aside time specifically for this project allows me to focus for a minute, to ignore the staff members that are poking their head in, and instead actually take the time required to do some creative thinking.” 

2.  Bring together diverse participants. All of the associations in the project have strategic plans and are constantly discussing how to communicate, but have had trouble coming up with new ideas. What’s different in this project, according to Diane Streichert, CEO of the Burlington Camden County (New Jersey) Association of REALTORS®, “is the integration of people from different sized associations and interaction with people from all parts of the country. It’s lead to more innovative ideas.” Her Communications Director Liz Peters agrees. ”You toss around ideas daily in your office, but its even better to hear ideas from other people that we would never have thought of,” she said.

3.  Designate a facilitator to keep the creativity flowing. My role in this process is to guide the conversation and push the participants to keep digging deeper. The participants all agree having one person whose focus it is to facilitate makes a huge difference. “It gives me a purpose, a reason to stop and think and engage,” said Rob Hulse, Executive Officer of the Lawrence (Kansas) Association of REALTORS®.

4.  Give yourself license to think crazy thoughts. After their initial meeting, the group was given an usual homework assignment. Before our second phone call, I asked them to come up with the craziest idea for improving their communications they could imagine.  “It was helpful to have that direction, that push to come up with something that isn’t traditional,” Hulse said. And it lead to some very useful ideas we can refine as we move ahead.

We are determined to show that process like this can lead to positive change that your members will see right away. Please stay tuned, I will share the fruits of their labor as we progress!

Jump Start Innovation by Following a Few Ground Rules