Monday, January 28, 2013

Your People Are Your Brand

As a graphic designer and marketing specialist, I'm often approached by clients who ask me to establish, revamp and expand their existing brand presence. To that end, there’s certainly a lot I can do for them. I can devise memorable advertising campaigns, create spiffy logos and visuals, write catchy copy, create social media buzz - and much more. For all that I can offer though, there’s one essential aspect of brand management to which I have little (if any) degree of influence.

I’m speaking of the people who work for you. People, more-so than your logo, the name of your company and scale of your advertising commitment, are the face of your company – your brand!

A client of mine, a restaurant owner, has been able to grow his business simply by investing in the people who work for him. He pays them more than the going rate, but it’s not just the money. From the cooks to the servers, everyone is made to feel part of a family. Staff are routinely consulted on a wide variety of subjects that frequently come to fruition in the form of new menu items and service improvements. Rick’s employees are made to feel as if they have a personal stake in the business’ success, and as a result work smarter and always have a smile on their face. Think his patrons don’t notice? Sure they do – many going so far as to post their experiences on Facebook and Twitter! I'd like to take credit for some of his success, but truthfully, he's doing more to help his own cause by just being a great boss.

From a consumer perspective, I’m a frequent shopper at Steve’s Music Store in Ottawa, Canada – have been for years in fact! What keeps me coming back? It’s not “Steve”, I can assure you of that. Heck, I don’t know who “Steve” is, or even if “Steve” really exists for that matter, but what I do know is that when I go to Steve’s Music Store, I have no trouble finding friendly familiar faces to serve me. They're knowledgeable, yet never pushy. Salespeople they may be, but I always feel like I’m among friends. To me, Steve’s sterling brand is a direct result of my always positive experiences with their staff. I'm not alone in this view.

For many consumers, perception of a brand isn’t defined by a company’s logo or name, but by its reputation. And a company’s reputation, is forged by the relationship consumers have, not just with products and services, but with the people who represent the face of the company.
Next time you find yourself needing to address a branding issue, look first to the people who work for you. They are the biggest brand asset any company can ever hope to have!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Mangled Guitars and Lessons Learned


Today I read an update on the plight of one Dave Schneider, the musician whose treasured 1965 ES-335 Gibson guitar was horribly mangled by Delta baggage handlers a few weeks back. Schneider's efforts to be compensated for his loss were initially met with indifference, forcing him to turn to social media. His story soon went viral.















Good news! All is now well as Mr. Schneider was recently presented with an apology and reimbursement from Delta closer to his $10,000 repair estimate. Even sweeter, Schneider became the recipient of a brand new 50th Anniversary Re-Issue ES-335 from Gibson Guitars - along with an additional offer of free repairs for his damaged original.

Wow! There are so many lessons learned here, it's hard to know where to begin.

For Delta (and all consumer-based businesses for that matter), this is a cautionary tale of what happens when you ignore your customers. In the age of social media, appearance is everything and public relations disasters lurk around every corner. After all, it's not like this type of thing hasn't happened before

They say those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

There's a positive angle to this story though. With media attention squarely focused on Mr. Schneider, Gibson Guitars were quick to exploit the situation to score an obvious marketing coup. Their decision to assist Mr. Schneider in his time of need cannot be seen as anything but a wonderful gesture of a caring company keen to acknowledge the loyalty of its customers. Of course, the media was quick to pick up on this aspect of the story as well. That my friends is Marketing Gold!

As quick as social and mainstream media is to report the ugly side of the story, they're often just as quick to publish a good news story. As a good corporate citizen, the best and most obvious marketing moves you can make are to treat your customers right from the outset, while looking for opportunities to right other's wrongs.