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Register Today and Save!
November 13-15, 2007
Seaport World Trade
Center
FREE Admission to the
Exhibit Hall and
Workshop Discounts expire October 19, 2007. Click
here to
register.
"Imagination
is the last remaining legal means you have to gain an unfair
advantage over your competition."
- Ed McCabe
Rebuilding Lives
Every now
and then, we see a need that strikes us so deeply that we
simply have no choice but to take action.
Such was the
case earlier this year for Ken Vona of Kenneth
Vona Construction, who has taken on a monumental
leadership role in coordinating the building efforts of more
than 400 skilled builders and tradesmen in a wonderful project
called "Wayland
to Waveland" (W2W). W2W is one community's efforts to
reach out to another in dire need, left in the ruins of
Hurricane Katrina.
This is just one example of how the
built community bands together to help others in times of
crisis. While there are many companies involved in W2W,
including many readers of this newsletter, I know countless
more of you are involved in other charitable projects, all of
which deserve thanks.
If you're interested in learning
more about W2W, follow
this link.
If you feel inspired to help out, much
help is still needed. There are a dozen ways
to get involved with the effort.
Best of luck to
you, Ken and to everyone involved with W2W. Godspeed, all.
Thanks for your attention.
Copyright
2007
Chris Joy Marketing Communications.
All
rights reserved. You may reproduce content included in the
Brand Guardian e-newsletter by including this copyright and,
if reproducing it electronically, by including a link to www.chrisjoycomm.com.
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Hello,
Today's
newsletter is about living your brand every
day.
Enjoy!
All the best,
Chris Joy
Principal
Chris Joy
Marketing Communications
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Live Free or
Die (Trying)
For several years, I have worked with
a client who hails from the great state of New Hampshire, so I
keep up-to-date with the news there.
In and among the
numerous daily items about the pending political primary and
other local issues, I recently came across this
piece from the Eagle Tribune about the state legislature's
resistance to repeal New Hampshire's "no motorcycle helmet
required" law.
Despite a federal agency's
recommendation that all states make motorcycle helmets
mandatory, it appears that local lawmakers don't see it
happening in New Hampshire anytime soon.
As State Rep.
Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry puts it, "There's no
question it's a piece of safety, but once you become an adult,
you have to become responsible for your own
decisions."
That's just the way they see
things in the Granite State.
Now, regardless of
your political persuasion or your penchant for legislating
personal liberties, you have to admire a state that stands by
its long-held, albeit in this case, really, really dangerous,
convictions. OK, so maybe I'm being a little transparent
on where I personally come down on this issue, but here's
my point.
New Hampshire is about liberty.
It's right there-- unequivocally stated in their motto,
"Live Free or Die." The state's legislators vehemently
defend the personal freedom of its citizens - even to the
point that it interferes with their health and mere existence.
In a word, "Living free" trumps merely "living", i.e., not
dying.
Now, that's defending a
brand.
So here's the question of the day: What
is your brand about? Do your actions, big and small,
intentional and not, reflect what you're about? Is that true
of your employees? Every decision you (each of you, all of
you) make in your company makes an impression on your client.
Your action either strengthens your brand identity or
dilutes it.
Brands are not merely about catchy
taglines or colorful logos. They are about the experience
you deliver to those who choose to engage your services.
Every day.
Your promise may not be as bold as
"Live Free or Die," but, for the life of your company,
it's just as important.
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Quick Tip
Testing
1-2-3
Now, I may just not be getting enough sleep
these days but I find this picture absolutely hilarious. It
makes me laugh harder every time I look at it.
I'm not
sure how it strikes you, and therein lies our Quick Tip for
this month - testing your message.
When you
spend a lot of time and effort to refine your company's
message, it can often become hard to be objective about its
value.
Before you roll it out to the masses, it
makes sense to test it to see what sticks.
That
doesn't mean you have to hire a formal research firm to poll
thousands of unbiased strangers for their opinions, but nor
does it mean you should change direction if the first random
person who walks by your desk looks at your creative and says,
"I don't get it."
Consider the source, and how
well he or she reflects your target audience. When taken with
a grain of salt, some feedback is better than none, and
you'd likely be surprised at how flattered your
professional contacts might be to be asked their opinion.
So the next time you have to create an ad, a
speech, a presentation package, leave time for testing. It
may reveal some very useful information, or at least tell you
if you're the only one who finds Jedi Squirrels funny. : )
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Does This Message Pop or Flop?
When
is a toilet seat not a toilet seat? When it's "a cleaner
happier you."
OK, so thank you to all of you who
weigh in on these ad campaigns each month. I love reading your
critiques, and it tells me this segment of the newsletter has
been doing its job in getting you to think about the marketing
messages you see.
I'm dying to know what you, dear
readers, think of this
one for the Toto Washlet.
It's an automatic
bidet/toilet combination that promises to "cleanse you more
gently and more completely than ever before, leaving you
feeling fresh, confident and very, very happy."
It then goes on to promise, and I quote, "It's
NOT a toilet seat, it's a cleaner, happier you."
What do you think of this
message?
Secondly, and please humor me as I digress
here -- I promise to eventually come back to a point. The
design of this ad struck me as really odd. The smiley
faces seemed weird, and there seemed to be a disconnect with
the visual. Then I found out that the original ad had been
altered - see
the website for the image that had been censored
for family-friendly consumption. The colored boxes were
intended to have people's rear ends on them, with the smiley
faces superimposed over them.
Whether that offends you
or not, at least it makes sense. But it brings me to a point.
One of the things that often happens with creative (ads, copy,
whatever) is that the idea is presented to the client, and he
or she is struck by it. It's love at first sight. Then
the client mulls it over, sleeps on it, analyzes it to death.
She comes back and says, "OK, I'll go with it, but can you
change X,Y, and Z?" The changes almost always "soften" the
edginess of the work, making it more bland, and almost always
less effective.
If your first instinct is that you
love something creative, resist the temptation to edit it to
the point that it becomes bland.
In this case, the
rear end images were probably censored by the magazine, but
the point is, what's left is a design that looks odd at best -
unsophisticated at worst, which for a very high-end luxury
item, is an impression you'd hope not to make.
So, best
and brightest of the built community, does this ad campaign
(as is, sans derrieres) leave you feeling fresh and happy, or
should it be flushed?
What do you think? Does Toto's message pop
or flop? |
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