The Sucky Workplace
May 28, 2008
Is there a huge life-sucking noise when you enter into your workplace?
What makes some workplaces suck? We discuss this, and some steps you can take to improve the workplace you create.
What do you think? What are some of the factors that go into a sucky workplace?
Coke - 1000 Year Brand
May 24, 2008
We sent a question out to our viewers:
What is a current brand that will be around 1000 years from now?
It may not be around in 1000 years, but a brand whose impact or recognition will be felt.
Below is our discussion on the topic
What do you think?
Share your opinion on whether you think Coke has the potential to be a 1000 Year Brand.
Fixing a Broken Brand
May 23, 2008
One of the steps in branding is understanding the reality of the situation. Frequently, this is just removing the gap between what you think you are and what you really are. We call this the “RQ” or “Reality Quotient”. However, sometimes the reality is that a brand is broken. It could be a bad reputation. It could be outdated products or services. It could be low employee morale. Or it could be that some unintended disaster happens.
The initial reactions from corporate marketers is to use advertising to “fix” a brand. This may work in some cases, but advertising will draw extra attention to a brand that simply doesn’t need more time in the harsh light. Creating more customers to experience a brand that is broken just makes the situation worse. Example: When Bridgestone/Firestone had the issue with tires on Ford Explorers, the used advertising to try to reassure a nervous public. The results - a further drop in sales. If you have truly fixed your brand, then advertising can be a medium to tell your new story.
So how do you fix a broken brand?
- Deal with reality. As mentioned above, this could be a lot of different things. That said, we believe that the most common ailment of a brand is that it simply doesn’t have a core - or has drifted far away from its original simple idea. Either way, a company needs to determine and define why it exists; “soul searching” just like a person does. Another aspect of reality is more tangible. Brands and business models out of alignment with market conditions are likely to fail. In other words, these brands have lost their relevance. Think typewriter manufacturers.
- Start internally. Tens of thousands of business people have read Jim Collins’ book “Good to Great” - many of them work for or own broken or damaged brands. The first principle in this great book is one of the solutions to fixing a broken brand. This principle is “the right people”. Once you understand the reality of your situation, you have to get the Right People. This starts by getting rid of the wrong people. People who don’t think there is a problem; don’t want to change; don’t believe. The Right People will work hard, provide ideas, recruit others - and most of all, convince friends that your brand has truly changed.
- Re-build your customer base. This really is the same as getting the Right People. Like the above, this often means “firing” some customers. However, the majority of this step is going out and aligning your brand with customers who have the same brand core that you do. This is essentially the same step of creating customer evangelists that was so perfectly articulated by Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell in their book of the same name. This concept isn’t just for interesting or innovative brands. It is how broken brands heal themselves.
Assuming that all 3 of the above steps (not just one or two) are successfully implemented, the next step is to tell truthful and transparent stories from you, your employees, and most critically, your customers. These stories can be told through PR, advertising, or direct through your web-site and social networking (both your company’s and your employee’s). Further, make sure that new customers have a way to tell stories about their experience. This will have the single biggest impact on changing perception in the marketplace.
What are some real life examples of brands that recovered from being “broken”. We posed this question on LinkedIn and got some excellent and insightful responses:
Black and Decker. Company was getting killed by the competition but still had good quality products. They owned the Dewalt tool name and used it as a way to revive the company. Michael Ptasienski
Coke - recovered after issues with New Coke introduction; Apple was turned around after Steve Jobs returned. Ford recovered after the Edsel, however the U.S. auto industry has had a tough time dealing with overseas competitors. Harley Davidson is another one. Rai Chowdhary.
Apple Computers is an excellent example. They were becoming irrelevant in the personal computer market. The iPod and iTunes products made them a relevant brand again. Combine that with their “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” and their PC market share has made a come back as well. Leexan Hong.
Add Samsung as a company that went from nowhere with shoddy product to very strong prominence and awareness and top market share from the mid nineties to the current day. Gerry Corbett
Marks and Spencer were in the doldrums a few years back but reinvented themselves successfully. Simon Shah
I would add Kodak to this list for recent great brand turnarounds. Rick Sauter
Skoda is such a great example! If you’re looking for an example of brand that recovered from a disaster, then isn’t Johnson & Johnson tylenol tragedy a casebook example. I seem to remember it popping up again and again in my PR studies!!! Another example from the UK might also be Marks and Spencer. They were in all kinds of trouble a while ago but seemed to have turned themselves around, particularly with strong marketing campaigns for their clothes and food ranges (badged “M&S”) and opening a range of smaller convenience food stores located in clever places like petrol and service stations, train stations, etc. I would also perhaps add Nintendo to that list. Great example of changing their business model by going after new kinds of customers with the launch of the Wii and DS - not just turned their own brand around, but is also challenging the rest of the games industry. Tracy Playle
Skoda - Czech car manufacturer - one of the most remarkable turn around - from car with legendary jokes to most wanted car in UK. Kresimir Macan
1000 Year Brand PDF
March 25, 2008
Below is a PDF on the “1000 Year Brand” Model. Download, share, and/or rate it.
Tricycle Consulting’s “1000 Year Brand” Overview - Get more free documents
When Growth Stalls
March 12, 2008
I’m not trying to be a downer with posts like this, but I think this is critical information based on pending realities. It seems that most marketing mistakes are made either when things are going great or when things start to get bumpy. Like a “Good to Great” company, a 1000 Year Brand can weather (and even thrive) any economic shifts.
Harvard Business Review - Video
3 Identity Traits
March 12, 2008
This is a repost from my Brandtats personal blog, but thought it was important to educate our Tricycle audience on the same subject. This is something that supports the knowledge needed to build a 1000 Year Brand.
There are several traits that are common among strong visual identities. These similarities are basic design principles to a creative, but can seem unintentional to those that aren’t. Knowing what these traits are can help you identify the good from the bad. The strong from the weak. And create an unforgettable brand.
The 3 Identity Traits are:
- Simple
- Applicable
- Unforgettable
Simple.
Strong identities are easy to understand. They make sense. When you look at them you almost have a “no duh” moment. In fact sometimes you might even look at the logo and think to yourself “I could’ve created that!” Even though you know better. You know that they did something so creative. So clever. Yet so simple. It was a mirror image of their business. A perfection reflection of the product or service. And it didn’t take a lot of bells or whistles to create. Not a lot of make-up. Just someone that really understood the business and the way to illustrate that experience accurately.
Applicable.
When you look at the logo your mind automatically sees it on buildings. On trucks. Airplanes. Billboards. TV commercials. Etc.. You know that this logo would look great on a shirt or a web banner. Sometimes logos can look fantastic in full color on TV but look horrible on letterhead. (Mostly because they use the same file for both, but you get the point.) When you see this identity you can see your business now in the present. And in the future years to come. It also applies to yourself. To what your business does. To your employees. And to your target audience.
Unforgettable.
A little test. Can you picture these logos: Fedex. Nike. Starbucks. Apple? Why those and not others? These identities follow the top 2 traits and enhance them with their experience/product quality. Their logos do look good on shirts. On print advertising. On products. They do represent their business accurately and effectively. And they do stick in your mind. This trait more then the others cannot be taught in school. The traits above are taught in design school. It is the standard that all designers should adhere to. This third trait is different. The ability to execute on this powerful trait and develop an unforgettable identity is a talent. Something some people are born with.
The ironic part is that there aren’t many businesses out there that are unforgettable. Only a few brands make it to that level of customer awareness and respect. What’s even odder to me is that there are some companies out there that are unforgettable but look very common. And forgettable. The power of branding really lies in the ability to match the talents of a business with the talents of a designer. You then can align an unforgettable identity to an unforgettable experience. Which equals …
An unforgettable brand.
Positioned for Upsets
March 11, 2008
While watching the #1 North Carolina Tarhills fend off the #6 Duke Blue Devils this weekend in college basketball I got to thinking about the ranking system. Teams work so hard to get to #1. They train all off-season to prepare. They work hard throughout the season. Never give-up. Take one competitor at a time. And slowly rise to the top if they continue to do those things. And win of course.
But once they get to the top they are the easiest target for an upset. And all of a sudden … now that you’re #1 in the world at what you do … you have people rooting for you to screw up and fall apart. They can’t believe that hard work and talent can get you that far. It must be luck.
Is it like that in business? Do people root for Under Armor a little bit more because they know Nike is the 800lb beast? Does that local coffee shop get a little more business then Starbucks just because they’re #2 or #3?
Or do companies fall under pressure like many #1 teams? Do they like being #2 or #3 because it means they can sit back and coast a little bit more? Do companies get tired and beat up as the #1 seed for weeks, months, years? Do business like to remain the underdog?
Just like with sports, building a good brand requires a lot of work. It’s a constant day-to-day grind. You have to always improve. Take each day as a new day that requires your full attention. And remember the reasons why you want to be at the top. Hopefully is has something to do with creating a Heroic Brand. Otherwise it’s going to be a hard battle and you will lose lots of people in the process.
1000 Year Brand Ripple
March 5, 2008
Over the last 2 months we have introduced the concept of the 1000 Year Brand to a few of the friends of Tricycle and people in the community that have “been there, done that.” One of the common questions that we get is “What brands have actually been around for 1000 years?”
Although I can see where they are coming from and understand their question they are completely missing the point.
Literal examples of a 1000 Year Brand might be hard to find, but it’s not the number of years that a company exists that qualifies you for a 1000 Year Brand. It’s the long-term effect of your effort that should last 1000 years. The chain of events that happen because your company sought out to do something heroic. It’s the ripple of your business’ intention.
Your company might only be around for 5, 10, 100 years. But the brand ripple from those years can carry on even when the company is long gone. Or sold off. Your brand has the potential to have lasting effects for 1000 years. It’s something that is often taken for granted and underestimated. But you are a business owner and started this business for a reason. Take that power and knowledge and do something positive with it. Something that lasts. Even if your brand name isn’t tied to the end results that the ripple touches.
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