Tag Archive for branding

Should Happens (Thanks, Josh)

April 3, 2013 Uncategorized 6 comments

should.008You can blend in, or you can be OK with being different. It’s pretty difficult to have it both ways.

Not that people and organizations won’t try.

It’s understandable too. Lots of folks are dying to tell you and any other organization what you should do.

Within the friendly confines of a team meeting, it’s easy to say you’re going to do this or that bold thing. It’s not nearly as difficult for a group of executives or managers to say they’re going to take a risk and do something different than it is for them to actually do that different thing. And the degree of difficulty is ratcheted up even another notch or twelve when the feedback on that something different isn’t 100% positive.

(Weird how suddenly that’s the standard when folks start to get nervous and want an out. When else is 100% the standard for success? We wouldn’t be able to do anything! But I digress…)

When a person or organization does something different — something outside the norm — you can almost be certain they’re going to catch some sort of flack, and often a lot of flack. Sometimes it’s from well-meaning folks; other times it’ll be from people who are taking the opportunity to take a shot at you. Kind of goes with the territory though, right? You want the feedback either way, or at least you should. Doesn’t mean they’re right; but they’re not necessarily wrong just because they’re acting like donkeys. (And you might also double check to be sure that it’s not you being the aforementioned donkey. We all end up doing that more often than we’d care to admit. At least I do.)

There are oodles of people out there — and maybe inside your organization who are more than willing to precisely describe for you how you or your organization should be acting. Or how they should be marketing. Or how they should be training. Or how they should be operating. Or how they should be dressing. Or how they should (or should not) be using social media. Or how they should be doing any number of things.

Before you know it, they’re shoulding all over you.

You’re knee-deep in should.

They’re so full of should it makes you want to slap them (figuratively, of course).

And you’re torn. I don’t give two shoulds about what they think, you say to yourself.

Or do I? Maybe I should give a should. Or two.

Before long you’re scared shouldless and aren’t quite sure what the heck to do.

You have that Oh Should moment. Or maybe even that Holy Should moment. Are they right or is this culture stuff really just a bunch of bullshould?

Then one of a few things happens:

You start spending all your time trying to convince the whole wide world that you’re right instead of doing your thing, or…

You get super defensive and repeat the above, or…

You start to believe them and begin to pull back, or…

You start to doubt yourself, or…

You get so caught up in complaining about no one else “getting it” that you become more known for that complaining than for the thing you’re doing that people aren’t getting.

***

But here’s the thing — if you try to bend to every whim of every individual or every group that tells you how you should do or be something, you’re going to drive yourself crazy. You’ll just be getting jerked back and forth like those psychotic rat terriers you see on “walks” with people.

They’ll say you should avoid being so boring, so you’ll lighten up. Then they’ll say you should be more professional, so you’ll tighten back up.

They’ll say you should have more staff, so you’ll beef up. Then they’ll say you should “be more efficient” because your staffing numbers are “above the industry norm” (or something) and you’ll do an efficiency study.

They’ll say that since workplaces are universally becoming more casual, you should too; so you finally bite the bullet and do a jeans day. Then a customer or three will complain about the jeans and so you’ll revoke the jeans day on account of the fact that 0.000001% of your customer base didn’t like the fabric content of your employees’ trousers. But then your employees are going to be irritated that you’ve taken away the jeans privileges they just got. And then you’re in a real pickle because either way you go, someone’s going to be ticked.

So then what do you do? You’re darned if you do. Darned if you don’t. You’re up should creek without a paddle.

Unless…

You’re OK with being different. You’re OK being you. You’re OK with having a unique organizational identity and culture, and you understand that not every organism in the universe is going to love you.

Sometimes you just shouldn’t give a should.

(Hat tip to Josh Wooley, AVP Ops & Member Experience at Mazuma, for giving me a title for this thing.)

A Leadership Lesson from Livestrong

February 18, 2013 Uncategorized 2 comments

notbike The dust appears to be settling a bit. Another chapter in the this whole Lance Armstrong fiasco is behind us. I mean, once you go on Oprah, stuff’s official, right? Like most folks, prior to this latest bombshell, I fell somewhere on a spectrum of belief in Lance’s story and skepticism of the same, and that spot moved back and forth a little over time.

Want to know what’s weird though? Over the past few years, I found myself caring less and less about what Lance did or didn’t do. On one level, as one who’s had a little dust-up with cancer, I appreciated–and still appreciate–his battle to survive cancer, regardless of what he did or didn’t do afterward.

On the other hand, that little yellow rubber band that’s sometimes around my wrist wasn’t and isn’t really about Lance Armstrong. To me and millions of others, it doesn’t symbolize the ability to win a bicycle race or seven. It doesn’t symbolize our allegiance to a sport. And it doesn’t symbolize our endorsement of, excitement about, or admiration of Lance Armstrong.

This did get me thinking, though. Why wasn’t I more ticked about all of this? Should I be? As I looked around Facebook, Twitter, the web, and so on, I almost felt bad that I didn’t feel the same indignation that others seemed to. I mean, sure, it’s crappy; but I guess that while Livestrong has played some little part in my life, Lance Armstrong really hasn’t. Consequently, his current situation doesn’t really hit me like a ton of bricks.

Apparently, Livestrong has done something over the years that we should strive to do. They have made their organization about something other than its first famous and now infamous head. It’s always been about the fight against cancer, to be sure; but in its early years it was powered by Armstrong’s celebrity wattage.

livestrong-artwork-templateThey found a way to anchor their identity in something other than a celebrity. If you think back, you began to see less and less of Lance, and more and more grassroots, local stuff popping up all over the place. Livestrong had fostered something that was organic and real; it resonated with people on a human level. It was about them, and people knew it.

It was and is about a community of people with a common bond. Livestrong gave them a voice and a symbol. I think people who really appreciated and appreciate Livestrong did and do so because of its meaning in their fight against cancer, not because of some guy who could ride a bike really fast. In fact, as I think back, I can’t really even remember the last time seeing a Livestrong product made me think of LanceyPants.

If you’ll let me shift gears, isn’t that what we’re supposed to do as leaders? Leaders work hard to provide a compelling context for their teams, help them connect, show them the greater good, and then embrace humility so that they can make sure it’s always about the team. The group. The collective. The greater good. To attribute the accomplishments of a team to just its leader is to do injustice to the team. The group. The collective. The greater good. Sadly, it’s often leaders themselves who are guilty of attributing the team’s success to themselves.

So what do we do? We determine to lead well. Embrace humility. Serve first, then lead. Promote the good of the whole. And remember, it’s not about us.

The Old Branding Bait n’ Switch (Guest Post)

February 15, 2013 Uncategorized 2 comments

cbEver been the victim of a “bait and switch”?  See an ad for something at a great price, almost too good to be true.  You go to the store, or website…and they’re out of stock.  But there are other items available, substitutes, usually.  And they’re almost always different enough or more expensive enough that you don’t buy.  You took the bait, they switched the goods, and you’re left feeling misled and mistreated.  That can’t help that company’s reputation, can it?

That’s what happens when organizations don’t think about their own culture and align it with their marketing efforts.  And it’s a common fail.

Most organizations think: here’s a product, here’s a service.  How can we sell it?  What’s the key message?  What’s cool now?  What will catch folks’ eye?  How can we appeal to our target demographic?  The effort to create marketing and advertising is built around the product, and the medium we’re using, and the folks we’re trying to reach. Makes sense, right? But all too often, the product/customer/media discussion leads to one type of message…which the culture of the CU or company can’t support.  (I work in the credit union industry…thus the reference to CUs.  This theory easily applies to all companies.)

Consider a radio spot with young adults talking about where they bank.  One of them says his CU is great.  Nice people, friendly, fast.  And the ad works.  A young person comes into a branch… and the switch is complete.  There are tellers…but there’s a line.  There are forms to fill out.  It’s right before lunch… and that teller isn’t thinking “friendly”…she’s thinking, “hungry.”  That potential member….maybe now, not so much.

The ad worked – but it hadn’t considered the culture.  In this case, the culture couldn’t support the outreach.  The actual experience didn’t match the advertised experience.  Bait and switch.

When effective organizations think about marketing, they think NOT JUST product, media, target.  They think culture.  They ask themselves: who are we, how do we behave, and can we support the advertised experience through our people, processes and behaviors.

And keep in mind: culture is not what you say.  It’s what you DO.  Culture is the sum total of all the behaviors in your CU.  Align them with your marketing, and potential members will become actual members.

Too many people say (when referring to their logo), “But, that is our brand.”  Your organization’s brand is not a color or image.  Your brand is the emotion that people feel when thinking about your organization or seeing your logo.  Much like culture is not what you say, a brand is not what you do…but rather, how you make people FEEL.

Have you strategically woven together your marketing efforts, brand, and culture?  It’s still early enough in the year to revisit strategic goals.  Make sure your marketing efforts and brand truthfully tell your members and customers who you are, what you do, and leave them feeling something positive.  Tell your story honestly and avoid the old “bait and switch.”

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Deb Schaffer, Queen of Conversation for Chatter Yak.  Chatter Yak! is credit union marketing made simple. Cooperative. Collaborative. CUSO. (www.chatteryak.com, @chatteryak, @debschaffer)

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