February 11, 2014 — Thom Elkjer
Nobody likes being criticized. This is one of the least productive of human traits, because few things are more effective than good criticism when it comes to changing our results or our ways. If you went to schools that gave out report cards, you’ll remember how few critical words it took from a teacher to alarm your parents. “Not focused in class” or “Tends to talk out of turn” were enough to get mom and dad engaged in a hurry. As adults, most of us get criticism from only a small handful of people: family, bosses, and spouses. Friends could be a great source of criticism, but the implicit...
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January 5, 2014 — Thom Elkjer
We were reminded about the sign Albert Einstein had hanging in his office: “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” We’re not here to say that the measurable dynamics of employee engagement don’t count. But we do believe that what really counts in employee engagement can’t really be counted. That’s because employees are inevitably driven by how they feel. There’s nothing strange in that; all rational thought and action is driven by emotions. So what drives how employees feel? More important, what...
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October 23, 2013 — Tracy Lloyd
Random acts of kindness and generosity are a great way to acknowledge valuable customers and employees – and to create a meaningful buzz about your brand. Why not appoint someone in your company as the “Director of Something Special” and define their role as: “To create random moments of unexpected happiness for the staff and customers of our company”? Determine an appropriate budget, keeping in mind that the real value of the exercise will be in the gesture as much as the gift itself. Then let your “Director of Something Special” find people that deserve a special “thank you” from your...
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July 29, 2013 — Tracy Lloyd
The new won’t come from looking at past patterns. It will come from bold brands that create new movements, behaviors, and patterns in our culture. I came across the following comment left by “Jon P” in response to a blog post that pondered the difference between puzzles and mysteries: “The solution to most marketing problems can only be found within the irrational fears, and colorful impulses of your ideal customers. Because those are the things that drive purchases. “But data collectors and data analysts aren’t comfortable with messy stuff like that. So they go on pretending that the...
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July 23, 2013 — Thom Elkjer
We’ve blogged here about something called integrated reporting, which would merge financial reporting (which public corporations are already required to do) with sustainability reporting (which only some companies do). What we’ve missed – until now – is the need to brand this transformation. Integrated reporting is a transformation for a whole bunch of interrelated reasons. First, financial reporting is mandatory and highly regulated. All big companies have full-time staffs of people to prepare the reports, and the big accounting firms around the world have armies of people to check them....
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July 10, 2013 — Tracy Lloyd
Brands need to think carefully about how they leverage new levels of customer information when handing iPads to front-line service people. Using data and behavior-driven information, while a powerful way to forge connections, can easily go awry. I wasn’t too surprised when I read this in Michael Schrage’s HBR piece, “When digital marketing gets too creepy”. “The digital marketer who effectively runs Qantas Airlines’ highly regarded – and very successful – loyalty program has an unusual iPad problem. Flight attendants on Australia’s flagship carrier can now get up-to-the-minute data on...
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April 3, 2013 — Tracy Lloyd
Some brands are built around products or ideas that are inherently emotional. But true emotional resonance happens when these brands recognize that their competitors own the same emotional space. Brands seeking to rise above the fray dig deeper into the well of positive emotions that bond brands and people. They build upon, complement, and extend that innate emotional “kick” they deliver with a set of ancillary feelings chosen to support the brand’s purpose beyond profit. A unique purpose and emotional aura distance emotionally meaningful brands from their competitors. They...
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April 1, 2013 — Jerry Holtaway
High morale. High energy. High interest. High collaboration. High innovation. Why not? Just ask, “What is standing between what our company needs and what our people really want?” You’ll see there’s a lack of balance. Your company needs your employees’ blood and sweat. Whereas, your people need better reasons than you now provide to invest their energy in helping your business succeed. The way to create a purposeful workplace balance is to evolve your brand’s intent, attitude and behavior: Make it your brand’s intent to matter to the people you...
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March 14, 2013 — Tracy Lloyd
At Emotive Brand our goal is to make brands truly meaningful through emotive branding. Emotive branding is about transforming the way a brand reaches out to people and the way people respond back to that brand. The key is meaning. As we add meaning to the things a brand does, the people vital to that brand’s success start to care, think, talk and do more for the brand. As a result, emotive brands thrive across all business measures. But what is meaning? And, perhaps more important, how do we add meaning to brands through emotive branding? We focus on meaning because we noticed the remarkable...
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October 31, 2012 — Tracy Lloyd
Connected TVs In our first post, we introduced you to revolution with two dimensions. First, technology is changing what TVs can do. Second, people are changing their behavior with respect to TV. Here, we continue to explore how this revolution challenges brand managers. Today’s applications and services on internet-connected TVs are what we can call “first generation.” By first generation we mean standalone services, which are accessed by the television viewer through a menu of “internet services.” In some cases, the manufacturer has provided a dedicated button on the remote control for...
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