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It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For

Mark Howell — June 20, 2011

If you do any work on developing vision, mission…or purpose, it would be a good idea to pick up a copy of It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For by Roy M. Spence, Jr. I first ran across Spence when I read Mavericks at Work and GSD&M, the Austin based marketing and advertising company he serves as chairman and CEO, was highlighted more than once as an example.

I asked for a review copy when I noticed the subtitle: Why Every Extraordinary Business is Driven By Purpose. Believe me, I was not disappointed. This is a great read and packed with lots of ideas, principles and practices you can use right away.

There are several very important features with this book. First, it opens with three very important chapters on distinguishing purpose from mission or vision, how to discover your purpose and how to articulate your purpose. I loved the fact that all three of these chapters were very practical and included tips and exercises designed to make it happen.

Second, going far beyond discovering and articulating purpose, in Part II and III Spence wrestles with building an organization that makes a difference and becoming a leader of great purpose. One of the coolest things about these sections of the book is that they’re heavily seasoned with stories from some of the most dynamic purpose-driven corporations (including Walmart, AARP, Whole Foods, Southwest Airlines, and Charles Schwab). You’ll come away with many, many stories that will inspire you to think differently about the task at hand.

Finally, Part IV provides a detailed examination on the subject of bringing purpose to life in the marketplace. Covering corporations (Walmart, BMW, etc.), membership organizations (AARP), nonprofit organizations (American Red Cross), higher education (Texas A&M), and sports (PGA), the case studies in this section provides extensive detail of the strategies (marketing, human resources, business objectives, etc.) that brought purpose to life.

While Roy Spence is clearly a brilliant and very successful marketer, It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For is not a book about marketing or advertising. In fact, in one of my favorite quotes from Part IV he writes that ”the more an organization understands its purpose, the more it can create products, services, and experiences that will create a strong brand in the marketplace. Truth be told, advertising is very far downstream in the process of building truly great brands (p. 156).”

This book is about discovering and learning to articulate purpose. It’s about building an purpose-based organization. It’s about becoming a purpose-based leader. Sounds like the kind of thing all of us could use more of. This is a great book and I’ll be recommending it to many of my consulting clients.

In Books, Branding, Mission, Purpose, Vision

Life Changes Available…More Than a Tag Line

Mark Howell — December 8, 2010

If you’ve been along for the journey here at StrategyCentral, you’ve heard the phrase “life-change” many times. It’s the thing we exist to deliver…and that’s true whether your organization is a church or a non-profit. Our organizations are in business to do more than make products or create experiences or operate programs. We exist to do something that will ultimately change lives!

Yesterday I saw a Tweet from my friend Will Mancini (@willmancini) and it got my attention. His Tweet read: “Ikea out-articulates the church. Isn’t “Life Changes Available” a better golden tomorrow than the nebulous “life change” we talk?”

I have to say, the addition of the word “available” presented such an intriguing twist on the well-worn phrase “life-change” that I had to check into what IKEA is doing. Life Changes Available is a great tag line, but it’s more than a tag line. It is a great story.

At the same time, it is a great illustration of the kind of thinking that can create an appealing and memorable invitation designed to catch the attention of our customers.

Back to Will’s Tweet. He was making the point that our frequent reference to life-change is colorless. It’s vague. Who really knows what it means. I guess we know what it means. But when we use that phrase in a marketing piece or in a message, doesn’t it slip right by our intended audience?

Example: “Small groups are important here at ___________ Community Church because we believe that life change happens best around a coffee table.”

What?

The Takeaway: The addition of the word “available” takes the phrase “life-change” from camouflaged fuzziness to an appealingly clear offer. It shifts the phrase from the body of the marketing piece to the headline.

For me, it now fits in the same category as another tag line I’ve used for years: “Feel like a face in the crowd?” That line perfectly fits the sensation that many people have when they’re walking into a large crowd week after week and no one knows them. No one knows their struggle. No one knows their loneliness.

Can you see how “Life Changes Available” will catch people’s attention? It sure caught mine.

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In Branding, Marketing, Mission, Vision Marketing, Mission

What If We Started Over?

Mark Howell — July 10, 2010

Like many of us, I am a student of the language of ideas. How to say it in just the right way is the essence of great communication. Without the right language it can never be more than directional. For anything to be inspirational…language is an essential element.

Need an example? Take a moment to read this manifesto. It was developed by GWP as part of their pitch to secure the ING Direct account as they prepared to launch in the United States. This kind of pitch must show that the branding company absolutely gets the core idea. As you read it, listen for how it might apply to your organization:

We are new here. There has never been a time like this before. Our name is ING Direct. Our mission is to help people take care of the wealth they make for themselves in ways that fit this new time.

We will be fair. We will constantly learn. We will change and adapt and dwell only in the present and in the future.

We will listen. We will invent. We will simplify. We will never stop asking why, or why not. We will create wealth for ourselves, too. But we will do this by creating value.

We will tell the truth. We will be for everyone, except those who are truly served by the old way (I love that line!)

Because we aren’t conquerors. We are pioneers. We are not here to destroy. We are here to create.

We will never be finished.

We are not a bank. We will never be a bank. But we will be what a bank would be if it began tomorrow and asked simply, “What if we started over?” (I really love that line) (p. 77, The Orange Code)

I can’t speak for you. I don’t know about your organization. But I do know this…there is an aspirational element in this that’s at the heart of what needs to be rediscovered in many, many organizations.

“We will be what a ________ would be if it began tomorrow and asked simply, “What if we started over?”

By the way, this concept is related to the Andy Grove idea referred to here, here, and here. And if you’re new to StrategyCentral…you can sign up to get my updates right here.

In Branding, Communication, Strategy, Vision

Ignore Everybody

Mark Howell — January 5, 2010

One of the blogs I read almost everyday is Gaping Void by Hugh MacLeod. Word of warning…sometimes often profane. At the same time, Hugh’s insight is very keen. Not every post or cartoon is dead on, but a lot of them are. There are definitely times when you just have to nod your head. There are other times when you have to think, “You are one crazy dude!”

Good ideas alter the power balance in relationships. That's why good ideas are always initially resisted.

His first book came out recently. Ignore Everybody, a collection of 40 keys to creativity, is an engaging read and a good overview of the kind of thinking that will either get you in trouble…or onto an insanely great idea.

Need an example of Hugh’s brand of thinking? Here’s one of my favorites:

If you are into marketing, innovation, creativity, etc., this is a book you might want to check out. At the same time, you need to be aware that “Good ideas alter the power balance in relationships. That’s why good ideas are always initially resisted (p. 2, Ignore Everybody).

In Books, Branding, Design, Innovation

Stairway to Brand Heaven

Mark Howell — June 13, 2008

One of the bloggers I check out regularly is David Armano over at Logic + Emotion. Often a really good way of looking at things, maybe a little unexpected, but definitely will make you think. Check out this diagram about the Stairway to Brand Heaven:

Interesting, don’t you think? This is all about the way things work from the standpoint of brand value (whether you’re talking corporate or personal). Want to build loyalty in your customer? Building loyalty takes a lot of work. Positive interactions are only the beginning. Consistency and credibility are important steps along the way. Authenticity and trust get you beyond credibility to the place where you’re actually building loyalty.

The truth? Compromise on consistency or waste credibility on a half-hearted effort…and you take a few steps down the stairway. Fudge a little on something or break trust even for an instant…and you may take a giant leap backwards and have to rebuild. Want to build brand loyalty? Where are you?

In Branding, Communication, Corporate Culture, Influence, Leadership, Marketing

Ready for a Brand Makeover?

Mark Howell — February 19, 2007

I love it when I discover something that’s both practical and packed with imagination-freeing ideas. If you’re looking for that, you’ve got to check out the article on Dave’s Insanity Sauce over at Inc.com. Without a doubt, one of the very best articles I’ve read in quite a while…and there are some great take-aways that you can use in your next brainstorming session. In particular, the exercise to determine brand character, strategic equity and overall equity is something that could form the basis for an extended discussion for any of us. In fact, I can’t wait to try it out at Lifetogether!

Thanks to Brand Autopsy for the link!

In Branding

Inspiring the Nod

Mark Howell — July 8, 2006

Do you ever get the nod? You know what I mean…the nod that means I’m down with what you’re using (what you’re wearing, what you’re driving, etc.)? Maybe you’re at Barnes and Noble and you’re sipping on a Peet’s coffee. That’ll get you the nod. From another Peet’s drinker. If you’ve got a love wins bumper sticker you’ll get the nod. Or maybe you’ve got a strange Hugh MacLeod cartoon on your desktop and another gapingvoid fan sees it. That’ll get the nod. ‘Course it’ll get a look of another kind from everyone else! Check it out:

Actually, that one’ll get you two nods (one for gapingvoid, another for the scoble connection). Question: is the nod a good thing? Yes it is. It is an indication of a larger community. Can we do things to create opportunities for the nod? I think so. Kathy Sierra’s got a great post today on the nod. Some really good insights. She says, "To give The Nod is to recognize and appreciate another person who "gets it", whatever it is." Second question: can we create such a vibe that it would inspire the nod from someone else who "gets it"?

Another key line from her post is that "When we give The Nod to another, it’s NOT about the thing we have in common–it’s about what having that thing says about us." This has real potential for what we’re doing! Don’t you think? Or, what about this line: "It’s NOT about having a remarkable product–it’s about helping our users be remarkable." This is an idea that could produce a really good discussion. How can we help our users be remarkable? What could we do as an organization that would make such a difference in the lives of our users that they’d get the nod from another user? I think that’s part of our challenge. Of course, the other key part is inspiring non-users to see the difference in the lives of our users and be drawn to them.

This is a really good discussion to have. You can check out Kathy’s whole post here.

In Branding, Corporate Culture, Experience, Marketing

Branding, Logos, and Design

Mark Howell — June 23, 2006

What makes for a good logo? I was traveling the last couples days. Up very early and turning out the lights very late. Both days I desperately needed a some good coffee. Peet’s was nowhere to be found. Dohhhhhh! So I did what the rest of you do. I started scanning the horizon for that green logo that means a Starbucks is near. Do they have a great logo? What makes it great for me is that they’re very recognizable and I can pick one out from 100 yards away in the airport or half a mile away on the freeway. That’s a good logo!

Seth Godin had a link to an interesting blog today. Design Observer had a post today on The Mysterious Power of Context. Some really helpful ideas on branding and logos. I especially found this section helpful:

In the world of identity design, very few designs mean anything when they’re brand new. A good logo, according to Paul Rand, provides the "pleasure of recognition and the promise of meaning." The promise, of course, is only fulfilled over time. "It is only by association with a product, a service, a business, or a corporation that a logo takes on any real meaning," Rand wrote in 1991. "It derives its meaning and usefulness from the quality of that which it symbolizes."

As I thought about it, the quote reminded me of the visual image given in this great post by Dave Ferguson. Now that’s a powerful logo, filled with "the pleasure of recognition and the promise of meaning."