The Edmonton Arena District is a hot topic right now. Dare I say even hotter than the closure of the Municipal Airport (which by the way we are completely stoked about—awesome job Councillors!). Let the evolution begin!
That’s right. The Jungleheads and virtually everyone we’ve talked to supported the closure of the Muni, and now support the development of the EAD 100%. We see the vision. We want it to happen. We want to be a part of it. Now it’s just a matter of City Council getting it done.
Why do we support it? Let me count the ways.
The current situation is broken.
If we look at the existing situation and location with Northlands and Rexall Place, be it Oilers games, concerts, exhibitions, rodeos, shows, etc.—it’s broken.
What makes it broken? Because we (Edmontonians) say it’s broken.
Northlands clearly doesn’t think—or care that Edmontonians think it’s broken and there are some people out there with ulterior motives and conflicted interests that will preach to us that it isn’t broken. But all it takes is a quick look at some of the incredibly daft, narrow-minded comments on the various blogs out there and you’ll soon see that it doesn’t matter how broken this situation is, some haters (you know who you are), attempt to knock others down with negative comments and say, “I don’t think it’s broken fool…and here’s why….”
News flash haters—I don’t care that you don’t think it’s broken. If I think it’s broken, it’s broken. If Eric thinks it’s broken, it’s broken. If Sarah thinks it’s broken, it’s broken. If anyone thinks it’s broken, it’s broken!
How many Edmontonians out there love to race home after work, then race to Rexall, then hoof it for 3 blocks in freezing cold temperatures through the dumpiest part of the city; all just to watch mediocre play whilst forking over way too much money for bad beer and worse food; then hoof it for 3 blocks back to their unheated cars in freezing cold temperatures again, trying to beat the rush, and finally race back home? I doubt there’s any, but we do it anyway. What we have is one of the worst brand experiences in the entertainment industry and it’s amazing to see what Edmontonians will put up with just to be entertained. I wonder how positive and successful the situation could be if the entertainment experience in this city was fun? Warm? Easy? Taking this one step further, I wonder what it would be like if the downtown core was more exciting? More beautiful? More desirable to live in and be around?
The bottom line is the Edmonton Arena District solves more problems than it creates.
The evidence. There’s lots of it.
Read some of the blog posts out there. Councillor Iveson’s is a great place to start. Some people choose to look at the information, a.k.a. the “evidence,” and good on them for doing it (someone’s got to). While evidence is important, it’s not what Edmontonians are interested in. Evidence is what lawyers and accountants are being paid to come up with on both sides to rationalize their decisions and to persuade with in their pitches. I’m not interested in commenting on the evidence of either side, which is why I choose not to write about it.
In my opinion, rationale is not enough. Why? Because Edmontonians don’t have time for information. We eat on the run, we drive our kids to soccer and dance practice, we work, we workout, we do it all. We do not have the time, nor do we really care to be convinced that what happened in X city and at X arena intellectually was the wrong decision. We don’t care because it has no relevance to us. We are emotional beings and therefore, information isn’t a competitive advantage like it used to be. I'd also like to think that both the Katz Group and Edmonton City Council are smart enough to learn from the past mistakes of others.
This isn’t about the Oilers.
For some reason a lot of people keep bringing the conversation back to the Oilers; and more specifically, the taxpayers funding a billionaire’s hockey team. In my opinion this isn’t about the Oilers. If it were, I wouldn’t have bothered weighing in on this topic in the first place. I don’t care that much about the Oilers—that’s Katz’s business. What I DO care about is Edmonton.
The Edmonton Arena District is much bigger than the Oilers. This is about the evolution of Edmonton as a first class city. It’s about rebuilding a downtown core that we all can be proud of. In Katz’s defense, why should he have to foot the entire bill for a facility his team only plays in a small fraction of the year? Of course he should pay some, but should the City/Province/Nation decide to make a serious push for Expo2017, this is a facility that we would have to build anyway. The only difference is that now we can get it for 50% off. A 50:50 partnership seems fair doesn't it?
Why a partnership? Because a partnership is the only way this idea will work. Partnerships create accountability. Molson failed in the development of Montreal’s arena partly because there was no incentive for the city to make it work. The same goes for the cities that were 100% responsible for building their arenas—there was no vested interest of the teams’ owners. Some people call this proposal "too risky." Yes technically it's a risk, but given the current state of Rexall Place I think it’s a bigger risk for City Council not to pull the trigger on this deal. As a true 50:50 partnership, both sides will make it work because they have to, thus mitigating the risk.
We don’t know how lucky we are.
I think we should consider ourselves pretty fortunate to have a hometown boy that actually gives a damn about investing in Edmonton and evolving this wasteland of mediocrity into an amazing place that everyone will talk about, appreciate, and reap the rewards from for generations to come—not many other cities have this luxury.
Kudos to the Katz Group. Kudos for taking a bashing like they do and still caring about Edmonton. Their hearts seem to be in the right place and we should respect them for it. Kudos for having a vision. Their vision is what has—and will continue to inspire us. As for those who feel a sense of entitlement? Shame on you. You act as if Katz owes us something. Grow up and get real—he doesn’t owe us a damn thing. He is a businessman who owns a team that many Edmontonians happen to care about. At the end of the day the haters and naysayers need to be reminded that he has the right to do whatever he wants with this team—just as any business owner does with their business. Katz has done a lot of good for Edmonton but it still doesn’t seem to be enough. There’s always someone ready to pounce on him for not doing more.
Moving on.
If you are anything like me you want more for our city. Wouldn’t you like it so that when people think of Edmonton they don’t think of “the mall?” Wouldn’t you like it so that when people ask you, “why the heck do you live in Edmonton?!” you have more reasons to give them than, “because my family lives here.” I know I do.
Edmonton is a business, and part of any successful business is caring about customers and creating experiences that we love and are proud of. The Edmonton Arena District (in it’s proposed location) is the catalyst to creating a critically contagious pulse in this city. A pulse big enough to give us not only a minute shot at winning Expo2017, but a chance at becoming a creative and intellectual mecca.
In my opinion we are in the beginnings of what could be one of the most profound times in Edmonton’s history. We are re-establishing our city. This is the age of Edmonton’s self re-discovery.
The sleeping giant is waking up and everyone at Urban Jungle is stoked to live here and be a part of it.
The ripple effects of losing an event like Indy will be detrimental to our City.
Vancouver didn’t know what they had until they lost it—and the same might end up happening to us if we’re not more cognizant of that fact. The only difference is we will never—ever get it back if we lose it. Vancouver’s kung-fu grip will be tight. They’ll never let it go a 2nd time. That being said, if (and that’s a big ‘if’) Edmonton gets 1 last chance at making Indy über-successful in 2011, the following is a list of 21 things that must be done in order to have any hope of a shot at Expo2017.
1. Create a shared vision, purpose and strategy.
Instead of a bunch of disjointed events, create 1 major event, with a central theme running through all supporting events. This gives Capital Ex (under a new name), A Taste of Edmonton, The Edmonton Indy, as well as shops, restaurants, pubs and bars a shared purpose and an aligned strategy. More importantly it gives the customers something to rally behind.
2. Establish ownership by all stakeholders.
Accountability rocks! Wouldn’t it be awesome to see all of the companies involved in running the event put their profits on the line? If it’s a success, you reap the rewards. If it’s a flop, sorry pal—no pay cheque. (This only works if everyone is on board and we don’t have dead weight).
3. Articulate innovation as an organization/event-wide commitment.
Without innovation and a sense of “nowness” you’ll have bored, uninspired staff. This trickles down to bored, uninspired customers.
4. Think long-term.
What do we want this event to be 3, 5, 10 years from now? The short-term, ‘year-to-year,’ ‘go with the flow,’ ‘take it as it comes’ attitude is so “Edmonton.” Let’s get our stuff together. Seriously.
5. Focus on the customer experience—the brand; rather than the internal processes.
Otherwise you are just going through the motions.
6. Focus on challenges of the future rather than successes of the past.
Unless you’re in the business of selling Transformers or the Rubik’s Cube, you cannot build a profitable business on nostalgia.
7. Evolve or die.
Be willing to change when your platform is burning. Even more important—be self aware. Know that your platform IS burning!
8. Leave politics out of it if-and-whenever possible.
Politics can open a lot of doors, but in many cases it leads to sustaining the status quo in order to support entrenched, misguided and conflicted interests. See #7.
9. Reward crisis prevention rather than crisis management.
10. Get rid of any hierarchies that exist.
Inspire. Undermanage. Constantly review new ideas.
11. Fund new ideas in the wake of kiboshing current underperforming efforts.
12. Kill any initiatives that are not succeeding, especially ones that are funded and staffed.
13. Think critically.
Fear of criticizing current practices and commitments is a high-risk activity.
14. Make decisions with your heart.
Addiction to left-brained, analytical thinking (“data is God”) is corporate crack. People are emotional and heart-driven beings. Data is no longer the advantage it used to be.
15. Ideate-collaborate-deviate.
Adopt a more user-friendly idea management processes.
16. Find people that understand (and more importantly care to understand) the customers.
17. Be willing to acknowledge and learn from past failures.
Why is this one so difficult? It shouldn’t be. Own up to your mistakes and move on.
18. Make innovation part of the performance review process.
This goes for every single company/stakeholder/employee/volunteer involved. “How much did we/I innovate this year?” “Did we/I raise the bar?” If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward.
19. Create room for more “spec time” to develop new ideas and opportunities.
Good ideas take time. The best ideas might take longer.
20. Coach innovation and creative thinking.
I’m serious. Just as execs would bring in coaches/trainers into the office for their staff, Indy should do it too. This is after all a business (or at least it should be).
21. Create reward and recognition programs for every portfolio.
People like to know that their hard work means something.
That’s next year’s headline. I’m calling it right now.
No, I’m not an oracle, and no, I don’t have Zoltan in my basement. But I can show you why we’re going to lose what could be—should be—a world-class Edmonton event.
Do you know why? Because we haven’t been given a reason to care! There’s no public buildup of excitement. There’s no celebrity endorsement. There’s no branding to turn the Indy into a can’t-miss experience.
I have to be honest: I’m a little embarrassed to be an Edmontonian right now. Our city was awarded an amazing opportunity! The Indy should be a world-renowned event, even more attractive than the Calgary Stampede (racing vehicles at mach speeds is a bit more exciting and relevant than racing chuck wagons). But the powers that be are completely squandering the opportunity.
How did this happen? (Please circle the best answer.)
a. Many years ago the City awarded an exclusivity deal to Northlands to market and manage all major events (whether penned or implied is irrelevant)
b. Corporate greed, laziness
c. Politics
d. All of the above
If you chose “d,” awesome! You get a gold star.
Exclusivity promotes laziness, complacency, short-sightedness, and greed.
Don’t believe me? How inspiring and memorable is the “Make it your Indy” campaign? Laziness brained it, and laziness approved it. What you see in this campaign is the business model of “let’s do the least amount of work possible and still get paid.”
I’m sorry, but that doesn’t work for me. Organizers should be going above and beyond to make this one of the most memorable events in Canada. Northlands isn’t working hard or getting creative because they don’t have to. They’ve got the job. They’ve got all the jobs. Why put any effort into creating vibrant and exciting events that tell the world that Edmonton is the place to be when you don’t have to?
Northlands is not a marketing or branding company.
Northlands’ business is to provide space and coordinate the logistics of events (and they do a really good job at it), but that’s it. They are not a marketing company. They have failed to generate buzz and excitement around events and draw the throngs of people that should be attending because that’s not what they do!
That’s right. The wise decision makers in our city made an exclusive arrangement to market events that could draw who knows how much tourism with a company that isn’t a marketing company. While this might not be killing Edmonton, it’s definitely holding us back.
Instead the City should award the contracts for creating buzz around events and attracting large crowds to branding and marketing companies. (Earth-shattering idea, isn’t it?) Then they should hold those companies accountable. The current zero-accountability situation simply doesn’t work and is a waste of taxpayer money.
What would happen if accountability existed? For starters, the marketing of the Indy wouldn’t be left up to the sponsors, as it seems to be now. This is ridiculous and something no professional marketing and branding company would do. When sponsors are solely responsible for marketing, they aren’t getting the potential value out of the partnership. No wonder they’ve had an impossible time trying to secure a title sponsor and must find new sponsors every year. I wouldn’t renew my sponsorship either.
Make us care, and we will show up.
We are blessed with a many great cheerleaders in this city. @MasterMaq, @CaryWilliams, @ChrisLaBossiere, @KenBautista among others are all doing their best to help Edmonton evolve into a world-class city. But I’m worried that they too will one day give up, (Please don’t. You guys are awesome!).
Edmonton city council needs to start acting like a business. That means caring about its customers and creating brand experiences that we love and are proud of. Like any business, Edmonton must give the people what they want; otherwise, we will suffer the consequences of our customers’ choosing the competition. Vancouver is our competition. Calgary is our competition. Right now, they have much more to offer our customers.
I find it odd that Mr. Mandel is scoping Shanghai’s World Expo right now. It’s great that he’s taking the initiative, but I find it a little presumptuous. We can’t even manage a little Indy event properly. Does anyone seriously believe that Edmonton could land Expo 2017 if we were to lose Indy? And if we did, what impression would be left at the end of it?
Enough is enough. Quit killing opportunity. Quit killing creativity. Quit killing evolution. We need some new players—people and companies willing to do all it takes to make Edmonton a world-class city. The exclusive arrangement with Northlands has to stop if Edmonton is ever going to have a chance.
I bet the Indy will be pulled from Edmonton’s portfolio within the next year. Perhaps it will be given to a city that actually gives a damn about evolution, creativity, and inspiring its residents to live there. Vancouver—you’re well in the lead. Calgary—you are a close second. Edmonton—you are the dark horse I am rooting for.
“Lovemarks” is a marketing term that was intended to replace the idea of brands.
The term was coined a few years ago by Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide of the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. Roberts claims, “Brands are running out of juice.” While I don’t entirely agree that brands are running out of juice, I do believe that the term “brand” has become so watered down and misunderstood that companies need some extra jos to reconnect with customers.
Love is what’s needed to rescue brands. This love stuff isn’t marketing “fluff.” It’s the truth and whether or not you choose to believe it is irrelevant. That being said, if you are interested in building loyalty beyond reason, if you are looking at becoming truly great; the following are key ingredients to elevating your company’s status to that of a Lovemark: Mystery: Tell great stories. Exercise your past, present and future. Tap into dreams, myths and icons. Inspire people.
Sensuality: Sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste. Excite the senses. We are sensual beings making emotional decisions. Tap into the 5 senses and you’ll be a winner.
Intimacy: Commitment, empathy, and passion. Show your customers you are an intimate person/company, and they’ll show you love back.
The difference between a product, fad, brand and Lovemark is simple.
The schema is based on respect and love.
Mere products (commodities) command neither love nor respect. Think salt. (Or Comic Sans).
Fads attract love, but without respect this love is just a passing infatuation. Transformers anyone?
Brands attract respect, even lasting respect, but generally without love. I respect Burger King, but I don’t love them. Lovemarks command both respect and love. BMW. Grey Goose. Virgin. These are Lovemarks and they’ve achieved Lovemark status by binding the holy trinity of mystery, sensuality, and intimacy.
I had a tough time finding out who was responsible, but after a morning of Googling I can give proper kudos to our eastern brethren, Mighty, for creating the brilliant site that is the Rethink Romp. Awesome job on creating a fun experience for all to share.
These are the superheros of Urban Jungle ready to stand up and fight for tatas!
Anyone out there sick of seeing animals in ad campaigns?
Telus is apparently “unleashing” something new this week. Let me guess…a lion? Perhaps a tiger or maybe even a bear? Oh my! How original! While Telus’ animal theme is one of the most memorable campaigns in Canadian ad history, after 10 years of the cuteness I now find it all rather boring. It’s time for something new.
GoAuto? Same thing. We get it – dogs. Fido? Ditto. Cute puppies. Very unique.
Playing off animals is such a played out theme, so I was pretty skeptical when I heard that AT&T was going to be jumping on the animal bandwagon. However, after seeing the ads I have to say that I’m pleasantly surprised.
They’ve successfully put a new twist on the animal concept which is pretty cool.
Using just hands and a phone, AT&T melds 2 popular ideas of painting hands, along with animals to make a moderately unique campaign. Not only do they incorporate beautiful colors and country specificity, but they maintain a unique style and inject the human element back into the animal theme. Yes! Humans! Go figure.
That’s right! May 7, 2010 we’re off to Hollywood to hang out with some of our coolest clients.
The Nancy Davis Foundation will be hosting it's annual Race To Erase MS Gala. The celebrity studded event typically raises over $2.5M in one night for the foundation. Please visit their website and help find a cure by purchasing some of their great merch. 100% of all proceeds raised go towards finding a cure for this horrible and debilitating disease.
I love going through branding exercises with our clients. Why?
First, I find it absolutely fascinating to get to the root of the big questions.
Why do you exist?
What inspires you?
Why do you get up every morning to do what you do?
What experience do you want your customers to have?
These are tough questions that many business owners haven’t thought of since they wrote their business plan (you know, the one that’s sitting at the bottom of your desk drawer collecting dust).
I believe time should be dedicated to thinking about these questions on a daily basis, and at the very least, weekly. I realize that’s easier said than done; as a business owner myself I know all too well that it doesn’t take much to get bogged down in the details.
However, by forcing yourself to take a step back and “see the forest from the trees,” you will no doubt find new energy to persevere. The answers might take a lot of thought and probing, but once redefined, they always seem to give a greater sense of purpose, direction, and rejuvenation.
Second, the exercises force me to rethink the same questions for myself and the company I’m trying to build.
What’s at the heart of Urban Jungle? What guides me to want to build Edmonton’s next big success story?
1. For starters, I strive to keep good company.
Relationships are what my world is all about. Without them I have nothing. My family and friends are amazing and have supported me through some very difficult times. As some may know, I have recently expanded the Urban Jungle team and in doing so I have surrounded myself with amazingly talented and über cool people. Their creativity and passion inspire me and give me a reason to wake up every morning.
2. I try my best to only work with people whom I can see myself becoming friends with.
It’s definitely not the best decision from a business owner’s standpoint as I’ve turned down many well-paying jobs and I’ve fired lots of customers; but to me, negativity, nay-sayers, and uninspired people are not worth it – no matter how good the money may be. Most of my clients have become great friends. We go out for pints, we golf, we BBQ, and we have even attended each others’ weddings!
3. We want to help change the face of Edmonton one business at a time.
That may sound a little flaky but it’s true. There’s a lot of ugly, a lot of noise and a lot of misleading out there, and we Jungleheads see it as our mission to help change the way businesses relate with their customers. We want to grow, we want our customers to grow, we want Edmonton to grow, and we want to be a catalyst for change. While Urban Jungle will always be a small idea factory, we feel that simply by being a part of the creative process we can help elevate our city’s culture and be an agent of growth and positive change for our future.
Notice the ordinary. Preserve the ephemeral. Create ideas for everyone. Keep it simple. Don’t ever tolerate “o.k. anything.” Remember your responsibility as a storyteller. Make ideas your life (and life, your idea.) Leave something behind.
That is our mantra. And we try our best to live it every day.
I have met many business owners with ground-breaking ideas, cutting-edge technology, knowledge, skills…you name it, they had it all. And for whatever reason their businesses never took off.
On the other hand, I also know many other business owners that had very little knowledge of what they were getting into, they didn’t have any revolutionary ideas or products, and they either met the right person at the right time, or a sudden shift in the market created a demand for their product or service.
There are so many other factors to becoming successful other than you just ‘being awesome.’
Sure it is part vision and skill, but sometimes it comes down to timing and a little bit of luck. If I am right, and timing and luck do in fact play a role, I say you have to be willing to put in the time and play the odds. Don’t give up because you never know what the next day will hold.
You might meet the right person…and tomorrow is that day.
The market might suddenly shift…and tomorrow is that day.
Refusing to give up on your dream means that you take control and you leave less of your destiny up to chance.
When you wake up every morning the question will always be “Am I willing to put in the love?”
If you can answer “Yes,” then I believe you are well on your way to achieving your dream.
This may sound easy, but what happens if business doesn’t skyrocket as fast as you had planned?
What happens if you aren’t making the money you thought you would and you have a mortgage, a car loan, and groceries to pay for?
When it seems like nothing is going your way, are you willing to persevere and keep driving forward?
One thing that you aren’t going to learn in university/college is adversity.
You have to train yourself not to be stopped by anything. My friend John says, “If you let one thing stop you, you’ll let anything stop you.” When I first started Urban Jungle I had to take on a 2nd job just to float my boat while times were tough. I even had to sell my car and put up my house as collateral.
What are you willing to do?
I am a firm believer that your level of commitment will dictate your success. Committing to your success means that you will do everything in your power to make it happen. It’s doing whatever it takes; no excuses, no ifs, no buts, no maybes. Failure is not an option and your commitment needs to feel empowering not daunting.
Business should feel more like a challenging game of poker and less like digging a ditch!
“Burn the Boats!”
Around 200 BC, Xiang Yu, a great Chinese warlord faced a situation, which made it necessary for him to make a decision that would insure his success on the battlefield. He was about to send his armies against a powerful foe, whose men greatly outnumbered his own. He loaded his soldiers into boats, sailed to the enemy’s country, unloaded soldiers and equipment, then gave the order to “burn the boats” that had carried them. Addressing his men before the first battle, he said, “You see the boats going up in smoke? That means that we cannot leave these shores alive unless we win! We now have no choice—we win, or we perish! They won.
“Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn their boats and cut all sources of retreat. Only by so doing can one be sure of maintaining that state of mind known as the BURNINGDESIRE TO WIN, essential to success.” – Napoleon Hill
Committing means to devote yourself unreservedly and work smart.
Are you willing to put in a 18 hour day?
Are you willing to sacrifice seeing your family and friends?
Are you willing to put your house on the line and risk all your savings with no guarantee of return?
I’m not saying that you will ever have to do any of these things; you may never have to work an 18 hour day and you may never have to put your house up as collateral; but that’s not the point. The point is, AREYOUWILLING TO?
If you are willing to, it means that you’ve increased your chances that tomorrow might be that day.
A glimpse into the ethereal experience that is Vancouver.
This video has it all, beauty, mystery, sensuality. Thank you InnerLife & Linda Ganzini; you’ve inspired me to want to share the beauty of my city.
Recently, I outlined 2 of the 5 keys to successfully creating a mysterious brand. Today I’ll outline the final 3.
3. Tap into dreams.
Dreams inspire action and action encourages dreams. If you know what your customers or clients dream, it can only mean you are trusted and loved by them. Tapping into dreams is about listening to people. Being curious. Asking lots and lots of questions. The only way to be heard is to listen. Not just keeping your mouth closed between all the brilliant statements that you make, but really listening. Tapping into dreams is a powerful way to show others that you understand their desires and you can turn them into a joyous reality.
4. Cherish your icons.
Too often do I hear statements like, “It’s just a logo,” or “Logo’s aren’t that important – people put too much emphasis on them.” When an icon is belittled to the point of being called a logo, this is true. And for these people, that’s all it will ever be (poor them).
However, if an icon is truly cherished, nothing could be more untrue. Imagine a newspaper, choc full of information, headlines, facts, stories, and pictures. Now imagine as you turn to page B8 of the Business Section. Your attention is stolen, only for a fraction of a second. There is a little pink icon at the bottom right hand corner of the page. It is the Pink Ribbon of the Breast Cancer Society. Consider the power this icon has even though it entered your mind only for a millisecond! This little pink ribbon represents so much! Pain. Passion. Perseverance. Nothing out there cuts through everyday clutter like a simple, well designed icon. Why? Because great icons trigger memory and your heart is irrefutably attached to your memory.
5. Build on inspiration.
Inspiration is sudden brilliance. Inspiration has always had the power to transform lives, and inspiration can navigate people through the craziest, the darkest, and the most upside-down of times. Nelson Mandella. Have your ever heard 5 syllables tell such a compelling story? Very few names conjure more inspirational thoughts and ideas than his. Mandella is a true metaphor for doing what is right and holding to your principles. Capture the essence of inspiration and you too will be able to motivate others to act and change.
A couple weeks ago, I was discussing mystery and its integral role in creating solid relationships with your customers and clients. Today we’ll outline 2 of the 5 keys to successfully creating a mysterious brand.
1. You have to tell great stories.
If you choose to continue to live in the information world, you will undoubtedly find it is too difficult a place to stimulate action, let alone passion. It is not to say that information doesn’t matter – it does. Absolutely it does. (And all those stats and figures, those matter too). But it is not what attracts people to you. The sale is made long before information even becomes important.
Consider the greatest brands in your city. The greatest brands in your city are probably the greatest story tellers around, plus they probably use their stories to show why the information matters.
Have you ever been to a seminar where the speaker goes on and on with loads of stats, figures and reports? Did that promote you to act and create change? On the other hand, have you ever listened to someone tell a really great story? How did that make you feel? A great story at the right time can change our minds and release the vital “Ah-Ha Moment” because it taps into our emotions (positive and negative, whimsical and painful).
Stories are how you explain the world to yourself. It gives value to the things you love in life. Alice in Wonderland is one of the most interesting and beloved stories of all time, and it will endure forever. Why? Because there will always be someone new ready to hear the story for the first time.
So where do you find the Alice in Wonderland for your company? It comes from people. From the people who love what you do and care enough to tell you. Their experiences can harvest stories worth their weight in gold. Urban Jungle recently received a testimonial from one of our best customers. This story is so valuable we can only begin to describe it. What is it worth? 100 sales calls? Maybe a 1000? Actually now that I think about it, it’s probably worth 10,000; I really hate ‘sales’ calls! But to me it’s worth much more than that because it’s proof that stories and mysteries exist within Urban Jungle. And stories, like ideas are eternal. A good story about you and your company proves that you have fans, people love you, and you are a good person to develop a relationship with.
2. Exercise your past, present and future.
The world’s greatest brands unite learning from the past with understanding the dynamics of the present to create fantastic futures. They recognize that emotional legacy can inspire passion for the current and it can inspire the most loyal of fans.
Look to sports if you ever want to see the past working brilliantly together with the present and the future. When you close your eyes and think of the Edmonton Oilers, historically you’ll envision Mark Messier making plays; Wayne Gretzky scoring goals and shattering records; and Grant Fuhr stabbing his lightning quick glove hand into the air.
With the rush of the past should also appear nightmares of the present with ridiculously overpaid Horcoffs and hilarious losing streaks. And with the disdain of the present, comes dreams of the future in guys like Dustin Penner, Jordan Eberle, (and a 1st round pick yet to be determined) and ‘Oh Canada’ being sung by thousands of fans at deafening decibel levels once again.
Stanley Cups, game winning goals, hockey fever at Rexal Place; the energy created is something truly amazing and it is what will continue to inspire those who love sport to keep coming back for more.
I heard an inspirational saying by the New Zealand All Blacks once that sums this point up so beautifully,
“Preserving your body never enters your mind. Preserving your history never leaves it.”
The hairs stand up on my neck just whispering that.
For the entire month of February Urban Jungle will have on-site press coverage in Whistler at the 2010 Olympic Games. Danna Beatty, Urban Jungle’s newest relationship rockstar will be blogging from the front lines; discussing the awesome and the ugly of the Games. From branding, to communications, to creative, to the overall visitor experience, Danna will be sure to have engaging topics and interesting stories. Have fun Danna and make sure to have a few pints on us! This will be the experience of a lifetime.
Businesses are completely obsessed to organize and structure their world
so their customers “understand” and know everything there is to know about them. Why do you think this is? Do these companies figure that understanding will translate to a logical conclusion to purchase? Do you find it tough to communicate or get your point understood by customers? Perhaps it is because you are telling them everything and not leaving anything up to mystery?
Identifying benefits, outlining targets, drawing up plans and strategies, backing them up with statistics…man it gives me a headache just thinking about it! Strategies such as this in any line of business are grossly time-consuming and experience only moderate levels of success. Whether you are in the food business, the retail business, or any other kind of business, rethink your strategy. How can it possibly work that well? Everyone; all of your competitors have the same resources, the same information, and in many cases the same processes and people. What is your unique value proposition? What is your defining factor for success?
Great relationships thrive on learning, anticipation, and surprise. Think about any relationship you’ve had. When you know everything there is to know about someone, what is left for you to discover? Where is the wonder? Where are the opportunities? Where is the relationship?
As long as you continue to have goals, aspirations and dreams, you will always crave mystery.
Have you ever heard of anyone craving statistics or bar graphs? Me neither. Mystery invites you to feel emotion because it adds to the complexity of relationships and experience. Mystery lies in the stories, metaphors, and iconic characters that give a relationship its texture. Mystery is a key part of creating loyalty with your customers and clients.
Perhaps you are in a line of work that isn’t “sexy.” You may be asking yourself “Where do I find my mysteries? How do I create mystery within my organization?” The beauty is you already have mystery. Everyone has it – you just have to recognize it. There are 5 keys to successfully create a mysterious brand, which we’ll talk about in a future post.
In the quest for the most magnetic, persuasive, and inspiring marketing strategies ever, Urban Jungle adds four new talented ladies to the ever-growing team.
We are pleased to announce that Priya Bhasin-Singh, Koren Cherkewich, Angeline Stewart and Danna Beatty are bringing their enthusiasm, talents and experience to Urban Jungle and, more importantly, to our clients.
In a world where only the strongest survive, these relationship managers are more than ready to take on the challenging role, doing whatever it takes to meet client needs and achieve ultimate success.
We look forward to sharing the adventure with Priya, Koren, Angeline and Danna.
“I don’t believe in this branding crap…vision, mission, values…it’s all fluff.”
We’ve heard that comment more than we’d like; and for those that feel that way they are absolutely right. If they don’t believe in their brand and in the promise their brand is to deliver, then why would their employees? Why would their customers?
On the other hand, if you agree that a brand is a relationship that creates and secures future earnings by growing customer preference and loyalty in the present, then wouldn’t you agree that it is critically important to understand what practices assist in the process?
Yes it is true that brand is an intangible asset, and as such it’s perceived to be more difficult to gauge ROI, however, if the ultimate goal is to engage happy customers and develop ongoing business, brand is actually quite easy to measure when you think about it…if revenue isn’t trending upward then you are probably doing a shitty job at effectively communicating and delivering the value of your brand.
What is it about today’s most effective brands that puts them so far above their competition?
Is there something we can learn and implement in our businesses that will enable us to set ourselves apart from our competition?
Digging deep in the Urban Jungle vaults, we found 7 key practices that are employed by leading brands. In doing so they are able to drive considerable ROI from their branding investment.
1. They continuously meet and often exceed customer expectations.
Highly effective brands deliver value and they provide high quality products or services that are designed with the customer in mind (imagine that!). Their ultimate goal is to make their customers’ lives easier and more enjoyable. Ideally, the brand fulfills a previously unmet need and that requires focus and investment in innovation. Apple and RIM are adherents to this practice. Both are relentlessly focused on putting the next great tool in the hands of their customers.
2. They rigorously remain relevant.
Highly effective brands ensure their ongoing relevance within their defined audiences. This involves rigorous segmentation to understand what are the most financially attractive segments and who is apt to be a brand evangelist and spread the word. This requires the brand to tailor its message to these segments with a compelling “value proposition.” Therefore execution is key and messaging must be more creative in order to cut through the current communication clutter.
3. They price impeccably.
Highly effective brands are able to price their products/services in a way that captures their customers’ attention and their perception of value. Of course, companies invest in brand in order to achieve a premium over similar offers and that remains a key objective. In order to accomplish this, leading brands make a direct link between price and the intangible benefits of communicating exclusivity in order to justify the premium.
BMW is a tremendous example of effective brand pricing. The brand is linked to “performance” and as a result, loyal BMW customers perceive differential value versus competing offers.
4. They are flexible.
Current practice involves how to approach brand consistency. Traditionally it is thought that a brand must be 100% consistent in communication and execution in order to achieve broad recognition. We disagree. Highly effective brands are more flexible in their communications approach than their competitors. At Urban Jungle we like to refer to this as the “70/30 Rule” whereby the brand is consistent in large part but allows for customization to address language, culture, buying behaviour, and communication channels.
Ten years ago every single McDonald’s restaurant would largely have had the same retail design. Now, there is much more flexibility in format. As an example, in Paris the locations are more café-like with a wide coffee menu and chairs that are not bolted to the floor. In Tokyo, the menu includes shrimp burgers.
5. They are extremely proactive.
It may sound cliche but the most effective brands never rest, nor do they allow the market or the competition to define who they are, what they believe, and what makes them consistently
unique. Instead they employ best practices to ensure their ongoing leadership.
6. They have accurate self perception.
Highly effective brands ensure that all employees, prior to making any claims in the market, understand the brand promise. It is, after all, the employee’s responsibility to deliver on the promise. In many average to less than average companies employees are the last to know, or learn about their own brand strategy through external advertising at the same time as prospective customers.
Progressive companies on the other hand use brand as their central organizing principle in order to guide employee decision and action, providing rules about what is “on-brand” and what is “off-brand.” These companies review employee performance against the brand strategy and values tying results to compensation and other rewards.
7. They manage brand as a long-term asset.
Highly effective brands continuously measure the drivers of brand value and make management decisions based on performance within those metrics. They clearly recognize that brands are not merely logos or tag lines or short-term advertising campaigns, rather they are fundamental drivers of the company’s economic performance. Though employed by significant global players, these practices are applicable to all brands regardless of size and reach and can help management unlock further potential for mind-, market-, and wallet-share.
I hate seeing people waste their time and money. The easiest way to do this is by moving forward with a rebranding project when you aren’t ready.
Here are five reasons that simply aren’t good enough for a rebrand:
1. It is a new year!
Bust out the bubbly because it’s a new year! It’s time to rebrand! The old collateral? “We can keep the content, but we’ll just redesign it.” It’s amazing how many times I have heard that response. This old-school mentality to content development is dead, whether you know it yet or not. Remember that marketing is an investment. You wouldn’t treat your financial investments so frivolously, so why would you do it with your company?
Design is always based on content, so essentially it should be the last step in your rebranding project. More importantly, you need to take the time to investigate, rediscover, plan, and execute a show-stopping campaign even if it doesn’t fit nicely on a calendar. The extra time you invest in the beginning will pay huge dividends in the end…literally.
2. The CEO thinks it’s a good idea.
I’ve been in many meetings where the CEO loves the color blue. And so, the company decrees that blue, on blue, with blue highlights is the new color scheme. His staff may not have the guts to tell him “No,” in fear of confrontation, but I sure do. I love debating with my clients! Healthy debate is a good thing. It’s the ying and the yang. Unless your company is in the business of selling CEOs, there are usually better people to poll than the CEO. Research is king. Poll your target market. Poll your existing clientele. If you do a bit of research, you will likely come back with some good insights and interesting information. You may even find the results to be completely different than what you expected. Once the research is done, making a case becomes much easier. A lawyer wouldn’t go to court without researching the case so why would you?
My friend John Cutler says, “Being N.I.C.E. means Nothing In me Cares Enough.” We’re not paid gobs of money to be nice. As marketers it is our job to do the right thing even if it is an uphill battle. Being a “Yes Man” with your clients is the same as saying yes to your kids all the time; it always does more harm than good. Your client will be happy in the short term, but in the long term results will suck and your marketing ‘guru-ness’ won’t look so guru.
3. You need to validate marketing’s existence.
If you have a marketing team, you have them for a reason. Their job should be to create a never-ending stream of stories, campaigns, and business ideas, right? WRONG. A new brochure isn’t the cure to a bad sales outlook, it’s probably a part of the problem. In every case, the marketing team would be better off taking a break from the constant visual communication production. Instead they should be communicating with the sales team, asking them what will help make their jobs easier. What road blocks do the prospects put up? Why do the prospects say ‘no’? Are they confident in the product? The company? The sales team needs to be fearless and secure in what they are selling. Having a well-thought out communications strategy will help them help the prospect. “Help me help you help me help you!” – Jerry McGuire
Another awesome endeavor is to go on a listening tour. Concentrate on building the relationships you already have. It is arguably easier and unequivocally more important to focus on client retention than client acquisition. Happy clients will sell you better through their word-of-mouth than a glossy brochure ever could.
4. An industry trend needs to be included.
Web 2.0 created many design memes and in its wake a torrent of new businesses were born covered in cliché designs. Following a trend can be beneficial because it shows you are awake in a sleeping industry; but following trends is a dangerous game. There is always something new and exciting and because of this infinite evolution, your brand – if built on a trend – will become outdated just as quickly. The great brands are timeless and the greatest brands start the trends rather than follow them.
5. You feel the reason you’re doing badly is because of your crappy marketing materials.
Consider this your intervention – it isn’t just your identity and it isn’t just your marketing materials. Your brand is suffering on a deeper level and it might even stem from you as it’s decision maker. ‘Look’ and ‘feel’ helps to set initial customer expectations, but at the end of the day it’s just a brochure and the prospect still needs to feel compelled to open it. More importantly, the business needs a remarkable product or service to survive. Focus first on building relationships – where everyone feels validated by great output. Do that and a strong brand will follow.
The best brands use their visual identity to reflect their core values. When you waste your time and energy overhauling your collateral on a whim it shows a lack of understanding what these are.
Stay Hungry. Stay Focused. Stay Unstoppable. Be Remarkable.
Cool sells. Bottom line. Apple is a prime example of the ‘cool’ that other companies attempt to copy but rarely duplicate. Cool companies don’t chase it and they don’t copy it. They create it. If you look and sound exactly like your competition what does that say about you? What makes you different? What makes you better? What makes you cool enough in the eyes of your potential customers that they HAVE to have you? Do you have lame, inexpensive stock images? If you do you’ll find comfort in numbers because so does everyone else. But why do you want to be like everyone else? Try using higher-priced stock images that fewer people have, or even better, how about create your own photo shoot using real people in real situations? You can’t fake cool. Either you have it or you don’t. If you are truly as different as you say you are, you won’t do what everyone else is doing. Your company is unique, and your brand needs to portray its uniqueness through everything you do.
2. You look unprofessional.
Many new businesses leave branding at the bottom of their to-do lists. The thinking is that it allows the business to get up and running while dodging the initial discovery and design costs. This is totally understandable and depending on the type of business, sometimes I recommend it. The company needs to discover itself through the formative years. Quite often a company doesn’t realize their true identity and niche until they have a few years of business behind their belt. Building your business is more important than having the perfect logo or website.
That being said, there comes a point in time when your Do-It-Yourself brand needs to die a horrible death. The problem is that many companies don’t know when to put their brand to the firing squad. And because of that, there are many companies out there with identities that represent the way they used to be; a ‘mom-and-pop’ start up working out of the basement. A good rule of thumb is to update your brand when it doesn’t portray the professionalism you want it to. If you stick to this rule it could mean that you’re rebranding after a month, or even a year if business goes well. You have to remember that whether you like it or not your brand is always representing you and an unprofessional brand can often do irreparable harm. Much of our decision making as consumers is based on preconceived perceptions and if you don’t look good, how can you expect to attract the right kind of business?
3. It’s unclear what you do.
Don’t laugh – you’d be shocked at how businesses strive to be unknown. A good brand does more than look pretty, it should tell others what you do, how you do it, and why you are the best choice. Remember a brand is not a logo. Your logo is the identity of your brand. A brand is much deeper than a logo or a website. It is your DNA. It is the foundation of your entire business philosophy. It is how you answer the phone to how you dress. It is how you hire staff to how your work. Your brand must be clear and consistent through all you do, including how you portray yourself through the web, print, radio and every other “touch-point” with your audience.
4. You look outdated.
People have become increasingly smarter and better trained over the years. As an art form, design is subjective, however, most of us can easily pick out what looks good and what doesn’t. We especially respond positively to what is new. We are always looking for the newest smart phone, the newest paint color, the newest car, the newest hairstyle, the newest fashion, new, new, new. And while new doesn’t always mean better, “old” is rarely better. Perception as I’ve already indicated goes a long way. A brand can tell us how much they care about themselves and their customers by how well they are dressed. A tired brand gives customers the impression business isn’t good and this usually leads customers to believe the product and service aren’t up to par as well.
5. You don’t inspire.
The best brands defy convention and build excitement. It is important for your customers to feel something when they buy from you. So how does a customer get inspired? Well, you are a consumer, what brands inspire you? What’s so inspirational about them? Maybe they have a funky space you love hanging out at? Maybe their product is so unbelievable that you tell everyone about it? Maybe they have staff that are so helpful, so knowledgeable, and so cool you become their biggest fan?
Inspirational brands start by inspiring their employees. The employees should be as much a part of the brand as the brand itself. They need a brand they can believe in, and if they don’t, quite often that means it will be tougher to believe in themselves. When your employee pulls out their business card, don’t you want them to have the comfort of having a brand they can stand behind? Too many business owners don’t build inspirational brands and then wonder why their sales team can’t sell. You might have the best product out there but if people don’t believe in you, you might as well pack your bags and call it a day. When inspired, your employees can potentially become your biggest evangelists and thus your most inexpensive medium for advertising. It’s called word of mouth marketing (and as we all know, WOM marketing is the most powerful form of advertising around).
“If you build it they will come.”
Seriously?! Do you really think that’s true? I say, if you build it, they might come…if there’s nothing good on TV. BUT if you inspire them, they WILL definitely come (and they’ll do it more often)!
If you liked this, come back soon to learn 5 Reasons NOT to Rebrand.
I’m not sure if this is “legal” in the eyes of Facebook, but regardless it’s frigging brilliant. Even if Facebook ends up blocking the campaign, this YouTube video is enough to go on now as it circulates for eternity. 1 day and it’s already up to 82,000 hits. LOOOOVE IT!
If you would like to be inspired, look to the most coveted brands of our day – Mac, Google, Virgin. They have all built outstanding love affairs through their sensuality, mystery, tenderness, and their quiet confidence.
Building a great brand means making sense of the senses.
As our lives have seemed to become more complex, it is odd that we tend to ignore our senses rather than let them guide us. It is our senses that lead us to emotion. The beauty of a Technicolor prairie sunset. The pop of a champagne cork. The taste of dark chocolate and red wine. The crisp smell of the forest after a rain. The soft touch of another human being. Since the beginning of time, our senses alert us, enflame us, warn us and fill our hearts with joy. Without sensuality our existence would become unbearably bland and ultimately impossible. I cannot imagine the world without light, food without taste, or days without sound.
Music makes the people come together.
I love music! I listen to it all the time. At home, in the car, at the gym; and when I’m not listening to it I usually can be found singing, whistling or humming a tune. Music for most people, builds the soundtrack to their lives.
Think of a special time in your life – a ski trip, a summer holiday, a birthday, the purchase of your first car. When the right tune drifts into your life, it can open the floodgates to moments and memories like these. And it’s not just the music or the tune of the song that plays this powerful role. The lyrics too give us phrases that are so strong they can set our course in life. The greatest poets and lyricists can give us a voice when we don’t have one. They can articulate our feelings when the words just don’t come out right. Armies have been rallied; lovers have been bound closer together.
One band that springs to mind is U2.
Take a look at the YouTube video above. At about 1:21 you’ll probably agree that not many brands connect better with their audience quite like U2. Whether you love them or hate them, they are one of the greatest bands of all time. There aren’t many greater voices for the masses of our pop culture. Sunday Bloody Sunday, (Pride) In the Name of Love, With or Without You; no matter what the song, you can probably hum the tune and likely cite the words.
Where am I going with this? In many studies, around 70% of both sexes said that music was important to them because: 1. It elicits emotions and feelings, and 2. It’s ability to alleviate boredom. For the most beloved brands in our world, music is taken literally. It provides us with the well-worn phrases; it gives voice to the product and more importantly it speaks the voice of the consumer and the voice of our time. To hear and to speak are 2 of the most powerful forces in creating deep emotional connections with anyone. The greatest brands are into sound and you should be too!
Music isn’t just for those that can afford the big budget TV commercials – it’s for everyone and can be put into almost everything – retail environments, phone messages, brand signatures, radio, and the Internet.
I often get asked the question “What is marketing?”
While most people will instantly think of brochures, websites and ads, I believe marketing is listening. Plain and simple. And regardless of whether the company is a small ‘mom & pop’ or a large international corporation, for the most part companies do a pretty shitty job at listening.
Why don’t we listen?
In my 9+ years of meeting with countless business owners and corporate executives, a great deal of them view dialogue as unproductive. Employees should be ‘working,’ not talking. They would rather send a memo throughout the office, informing employees of the latest facts, figures and stats, hoping that the employees relay this information to their customers. Their thought with this approach is that information and logic will cut through the clutter. Instead what they find is it does the exact opposite; their customers end up more confused and less engaged.
When you think about it, how can this approach possibly work when the competition is doing the exact same thing? When a customer has too much information doesn’t it make it even more confusing for the them to decide what is best?
I feel it’s our job as marketers to simplify the consumer’s life. Messages should be so simple and so easy to understand that a 6 year old can comprehend them.
How do we listen?
The only way you can truly listen is to ask your customers what moves them. What are they passionate about? What makes them happy? What makes them feel accomplished? What makes them laugh? Cry? Angry? What can you do to help? Listening means you have to genuinely care about your customers; it means you have to be curious about what makes them tick. Forget the ‘corporate’ speak and what your company ought to sound like. Engage people with meaningful dialogue.
With the evolution of the web, people have access to more information than ever before. Because of the amount of information people have to sift through, consumers are now turning to peers, blogs, and online communities to make their decisions for them. You may have heard the term “Web 2.0,” which is the evolution of interactive websites that maintain themselves through user-generated content. Websites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn & Digg, as well as blogs are exploding in their popularity because people are finding that someone out there in Cyberspace can help them make sense of all this information.
And while these mediums may be cool, they are only useful when they have a purpose. With a kabillion bloggers out there in the Blogosphere, many often forget what it takes to have a conversation. It involves listening. The better you listen (by probing and asking tons of questions), the more there is to talk about. Listening leads to conversation, conversation leads to meaningful long-term relationships; and in the end isn’t that all we’re trying to achieve with our customers – meaningful, deep, loyal and long-term relationships? Communities help companies shut up and really listen to their customers.
Yes another plug for the guy who doesn’t need one, Seth Godin; my bono of the marketing world. The guy you almost wish you could hate but he’s some damn cool and so damn right you can’t help but love him.
In a world of too many options and too little time, our obvious choice is to just ignore the ordinary stuff. Seth spells out (in this old but awesome speech) why, when it comes to getting our attention, bad or bizarre ideas are more successful than boring ones. Being remarkable is more relevant now than ever before.
What’s TED?
For those who know, you know how amazing it is. For those that don’t you soon will. This online video crack is ridiculously addictive as it is choc full of the best key-note speeches out there, and I guarantee you it is one of the easiest ways to spend an entire day avoiding work.
Being in the marketing industry I have obviously visited tons of “marketing” websites over the years. What still amazes me is that for every 1 great site out there there has to be about 20 monstrosities.
What makes them so scary?
Poor design, too much/too little information, misinformation, half-truths, cliché stock photos, and most importantly – not enough emotional connection.
There are so many self-proclaimed marketing geniuses are out there. Each have of course professed to have made hundreds of millions of dollars practicing “the secrets to marketing that they don’t want you to know about.”
First. Just who is “they” anyway?
I don’t know but I’m sure to get to the bottom of it. I just reserved the domain name whoisthey.ca. One of these days I will uncover the truth.
Second. There aren’t any secrets to marketing.
Marketing is listening. Marketing is teaching. Marketing is building relationships. Marketing is making deep and relevant connections with people. Yes, marketing is that simple, but unfortunately it’s not that simple. Making those connections can be pretty difficult, especially for those that don’t know how, don’t practice, or don’t have time; but I digress.
Third. We are emotional beings; not informational robots.
Another thing that annoys me with these “experts” is that they all say the key to marketing yourself is giving people information.
“Don’t use pictures – they are a waste of space.”
“Give your visitors as much information as possible and then they will buy from you.”
In the information world companies tend to market by going faster,making things brighter, and TALKINGLOUDER!
Billy Mays (RIP), the infomercial boob is a perfect example of this. HOWAREPEOPLEGOING TO BUYMOREOXICLEANWITHOUTBILLYMAYSYELLING AT THEM?!! I don’t know but maybe SlapChop guy can help us have a great day slap, slap, slapping our troubles away.
Ya right. I don’t think so. Those outdated strategies don’t work quite like they used to. We are inundated with so many messages on a daily basis, that we have become much better trained to sift the good from the crap. (Although I do find Vince pretty funny. “Quit having a boring tuna, quit having a boring life.”)
Today we live in a much more exciting world that I like to call the ‘sensual world.’ People long for more in the sensual world, which is one major reason why social mediums like Twitter and Flickr have taken off. In the relationship-driven sensual world, faster, brighter, louder hit the wall real quick. For those of us that find our lives become increasingly more hectic, it will always be the sensual world that reigns supreme. At heart, we are emotional beings and the senses are the fast track to human emotions.
Our senses lead us.
They are direct, powerful, provocative, immediate. They are tough to fool and even tougher to override.
The senses speak to the mind in the language of emotions, not words. Emotions are more powerful than any word. Emotions alert us and tell us how important our senses are; not only to our well-being but indeed to our very survival. The senses interpret and prioritize and when we feel emotionally connected to something we say, “That makes sense.”
I do not consider myself an expert by any means so you don’t have to take my word for it but I say, lead by example. Be real. Choose the right words. Exploit great design to your advantage. Embrace white space. Have fun with color. Use great imagery. Excite the senses. Inspire the heart. Create emotion. Create cool.
Craig Blackburn is confirmed to speak at 1:30pm on October 10, 2009 at the Professional Development Seminar for AISEC Edmonton and the University of Alberta School of Business.
When is the last time you dug, not just asked, but really got dirty and dug into what your customers and clients love/hate about your industry? What kinds of emotional connections have been made? Are they good? Great? Beautiful? Painful? Until you have started your excavation, you will never know.
Some special brands are so far out in front that they seem to have evolved into something else. They have created a loyalty that goes beyond reason. Loyalty is created through mystery, sensuality, intimacy and creativity; those that can put these ideas into action will become truly coveted brands.
Left brain thinking doesn’t cut it anymore.
Rationale; features; benefits – what a steaming pantload. In order for your clients and customers to be loyal to you they have to love you! As in any relationship, without loyalty and trust there is no love, without love there is no loyalty and trust. They go hand in hand. Rationale is not enough!
Do you read the newspaper – front to back, word for word?
Do you watch the 6 o’clock newscast for the entire hour?
Have you ever had a telemarketer puke all over you for 15 minutes (as you watch your dinner get cold), and you eat up every word of it? Not a chance!
People don’t have time for information.
You eat on the run, you drive your kids to football and dance, you work, you workout, you do it all! We do not have the time, nor do we really care to be convinced that what company X has to sell us is intellectually the best choice. Information isn’t a competitive advantage any more; we are way past that age – and thank God. How boring. What a crappy time to have been a part of – best this, finest that, fastest this, strongest that. BORING!
In my opinion we are in the beginnings of one of the most fantastic times ever. We are re-establishing an age of old, some might even dare to say an age of new.
The age of discovery.
The age of the idea.
The age of hope.
The age of dreams.
The age of emotion.
Where’s the emotion?
Doesn’t it seem like emotion has been taken out of the equation of most purchases? Deep down, don’t we all just want to find an emotional connection to something? Take real estate for example – we aren’t buying into the realtor’s knowledge of real estate, or because he has “the guaranteed home selling system” – features and benefits like this are transparent. What we are buying is their integrity and belief that they actually give a damn about us; that they actually care about the type of house we want to build our hopes, dreams and memories in. All we want as consumers is to feel the world through all 5 of our senses. Brands that can take us to that fantastic place; brands that can move us from logical reasoning to emotional responses will in all likelihood create loyalty beyond reason.
The goal of any entrepreneur, business owner, manager or marketer shouldn’t be to make tons of money. The focus is skewed and therefore the end result will be too. The focus should be to create loyalty beyond reason. Why? Because that means you can appeal to your customers and clients in a much deeper way; forever. And forever is where success lies. Isn’t it true that if you look at your best customers, the ones whom you love, the ones whom you laugh with, the ones whom you go for a coffee or a pint with, the ones that bring you the most money; are the same ones that are committed to you and have been with you forever?
You want “lifetime” customers and you want them to have a love affair with you, so that no matter what the competition does, no matter what a A-Buck-or-Two or Wal-Mart (commodities) are offering cheaper, they will stay with you and they will pay a premium price to do so. Just as you will stay with your husband or your wife over 30 years because you have loyalty towards them beyond reason; a force that is bigger than a feature and much larger than a benefit is at work.
Now go make some love with your customers. Create loyalty beyond reason!
I’d like to share a little bit of my inspiration process with you today. It’s very easy to look at a singular item and think to ourselves, ‘I like this, I don’t like that’… but pulling together a cohesive brand presence incorporating the look, the energy, the spirit, and the voice across multiple mediums can sometimes feel frustrating and at times even impossible. Especially when you have a myriad of stakeholders and agendas.
One thing I have always tried to maintain in my creative process is to constantly be open what’s going on in other creative outlets. The cool thing is that inspiration can really come from anywhere. For example, the curves and lines of a brochure piece might be inspired by the lines of a clothing design; a color composition for a new corporate identity might be inspired by an abstract painting I saw in an art gallery. Inspiration can essentially come from anywhere. Even the most brutal designs inspire me – I want to do it better.
Almost everything I see and do gets digested (either consciously, subconsciously or superconsciously) and comes out in my work. Designers, like painters, sculptors, writers and musicians, have a distinct way of looking at the world around them and translating what they see into something new and beautiful so that others can learn to appreciate it. Everyday I feel blessed to have the opportunity to explore my creativity through my work, and I don’t think that is something that everyone can say.
It’s one of the most useful tools for creating desire,
one used in both the fashion and entertainment industries for years, and it sells more products than any other marketing approach: it’s called scarcity. Purposefully restricting supply so you can keep the demand strong and long term profitability up.
In Tokyo, Silas & Maria, a British skateboarding label, mastered the concept. Customers are let through the doors in groups of 20, while everyone else is kept waiting in a line outside by a guy behind a rope. After the current group of shoppers leaves, products are replaced on the shelves and the new gawkers are allowed in. This gives the store a rarefied atmosphere similar to what you’d find in a gallery than a run-of-the-mill clothing store.
Nightclubs everywhere live and die by the scarcity tactic. Who wants to go to a bar that’s empty? Conversely a bar that has a line-up that’s a block long surely must have something crazy going on.
Creating scarcity to build a following isn’t anything new…
Think about all of the limited editions of Nike sneakers, Coca-Cola pop bottles, Starbucks coffee mugs. Remember Beanie Babies in 1996? How about Furbies in 1998? Last year Apple’s initial release of the iPhone made it THE must have product of 2008.
This year Ferrari took scarcity to a whole new level.
It’s called the FXX. It’s a bit like the Enzo but it has over 800 HP. And even though it costs over $3 million, none of the 30 people who bought one have ever taken delivery! Seriously. You buy the car and Ferrari keeps it at the factory, only allowing you to borrow your car for the day on their approved racetrack. After your rip is over they take your car back.
Then there’s Budlight Lime…
I tip my hat to the marketing department at Bud. Regardless of whether you love, hate, or haven’t even tried the limey beverage, one thing is certain – you’ve heard of it. Even sweeter is that they probably spent very little in advertising. Most of the brand’s awareness was created by word of mouth. “What no Bud Light Lime anywhere in Canada?! This is a travesty!” (‘I must tell all my friends!’) Their word of mouth exposure was then amplified by all the media attention they received. The Edmonton Sun, like many other media outlets across Canada reported “Bud Light Lime flying off liquor store shelves.” The kicker is that this was completely free! You just can’t buy that kind of exposure. People want what they can’t have and this will probably go down as the most brilliant and well-designed brand awareness campaigns of 2009.
Deliberately limiting distribution to drive up demand works. But is it ethical?
What do you think? Is this tactic cleverly cool or shady and underhanded?
Are their lessons we can learn from the big guys? Should small and medium sized business owners use this strategy? Does it come with a risk?
Are you sure about that? Did you know that according to an article in Time Magazine nearly 40–70% of all e-mail, even legitimate ones, are getting blocked by spam filters before anyone has the opportunity to read them? I’m not sure what they define as “legitimate,” but regardless, that is a ridiculously high number.
Despite the failure rates, in my opinion e-mail is still an awesome marketing medium, but it takes a little bit of know-how and ingenuity to get your message in front of your audience. Spam filters are making it difficult for marketers to ensure e-mail gets to their intended targets, and this is a good thing.
Most spam filters search e-mails for words, phrases, and symbols that commonly appear in spam. If your e-mail has more than a certain number of these words, phrases, or symbols, the filter identifies it as spam and blocks delivery of the e-mail.
Here is a list of 11 ways to get schooled by spam filters.
1) Send bulk emails, especially if your customers use Shaw or Telus addresses
2) Use caps in your email, especially in your Subject line
3) Overuse punctuation!!!!
4) Don’t provide an “unsubscribe” link
5) Start your subject line with “Dear…”
6) Use your PC as a server
7) Send emails without checking to see if you are on a Blacklist
8) Use the BCc or Cc feature to send your emails
9) Overuse “Marketing Phrases”
10) Use the Priority option in Outlook
11) Don’t provide a text-based version of your html email
Don’t waste your time.
Using your email client to send mass emails to your customers is too risky. There are so many things that can go wrong, not to mention managing subscribers and unsubscribers is an absolute nightmare. And from a marketers perspective, how can you determine the success of your campaigns? You can’t!
There are a lot of really cool and inexpensive automated programs you can use to send emails. They are 100% legitimate, they come with ‘spam-o-meters’ so you can determine the level of spamminess of your emails; you can track your traffic, click-thru rates and article popularity; plus they automatically manage your lists.
Your corporate vision and mission inspire everyone. Your employees know why the company exists, where the company is going, and what it is trying to achieve in the future.
2. Your leaders have mad leadership skills: (and chicks dig skills)
You embrace change. You have a “let’s get it done” mentality, you have entrepreneurial spirit and your leadership style is perfect – neither too directive nor too hands-off. You lead and you manage change. You don’t administrate or micromanage. You create leaders instead of followers.
3. Your corporate culture is encouraging:
Your culture is inspiring. There’s shared values. There’s trust. There is no blame. You focus on opportunities instead of problems. Your employees are energized. Everyone has fun at work. Diversity is celebrated. Failures are acceptable because that means people are learning. Everyone has confidence in you and your systems.
4. There’s no bureaucracy:
Your company doesn’t let bureaucratic organizational structures drag you down like most corporations. You’re transparent. There are no boundaries between management and staff. You’re quick at making decisions. You have proven systems but your tools and systems encourage creative thinking.
5. Your people have initiative:
Your employees are empowered. They are motivated and encouraged. Your people feel their contributions make a difference. You engage everyone in the organization effectively; people work cooperatively and creatively, they go beyond their job description and they don’t accept ‘OK’ anything.
6. There’s great vertical communication:
You are approachable. You have an open door policy. Your employees understand the big picture and they feel that their contributions are important to reaching the company’s goals. There’s no uncertainty. Your staff knows what you are thinking and planning.
7. There’s no “I” in team:
Everyone loves collaboration and they are committed to the team. Your teams are small – and small means they can be agile enough to respond to challenges and sensitive enough to give a damn. You have a shared reward system in place and the shared and worthwhile goals strengthen your team. They want to play as a team and you facilitate their growth.
8. There’s great idea management:
You encourage idea manufacturing. You encourage the cross-pollination of ideas. There’s creativity and ideas (good & bad) always being shared. No-one pretends to “know-it-all” nor has a “not my problem” attitude. You have strong knowledge management strategies and systems in place. Everyone asks a lot of questions and enjoys discovery. You’re curious about everything, most importantly your customers. You strive to understand what makes them tick, you understand their goals and dreams, and you try to think of new ideas to help take them there.
Definitely the most creative ads I’ve seen as of late.
Which is your favorite?
If you have others drop a link in your response or send them my way and I’ll post them.
It’s just about time for a client appreciation party! 2009 has been off to a fantastic start and we owe it all to our clients, colleagues and friends. Thanks to you, Urban Jungle has more fun new clients to brag about. Two of the newest and coolest companies we’re helping market are Hahn&Houle, an uber-hip accounting firm, and Leading Edge Physio, a cool St. Albert-based physiotherapy clinic. Our work is going to start with an overhaul of their corporate brand identities.
Visit the featured work section of the site to see what happening.
Simple and clean. 2 words that I often hear in design-speak, but still don’t see enough of.
Citi (formerly Citigroup) is currently in the process of overhauling their corporate identity to a more simplistic and clean version, yet they are still retaining the familiarity of the old Citigroup identity.
What is the biggest marketing issue facing companies today?
Some might say it’s developing new approaches as the traditional mediums become increasingly obsolete.
Others might say it’s demonstrating marketing’s ROI.
While others might even say that given today’s economy it’s simply a basic need like keeping a job.
All of these are great arguments but in my opinion there is one that’s still bigger.
Marketing people at many companies, (especially the larger ones) are hostages of their own profession.
In working with some of my larger clients, one of the bigger challenges I am usually faced with are the silos of organization. The org charts tend to slow down decision making and it makes it difficult (sometimes impossible) to reach an agreement on critical issues such as brand values, communications strategies, new offers, and messages.
The silo—the disconnect—often exists between marketing and other functions, such as finance, HR, sales, and operations. Yet there are even silos within marketing itself—usually between research, communications, and creative. Sure the ads look pretty but if they missed the mark they’re useless and they’re a complete waste of time & money.
As an outsider with fresh eyes, the results are usually obvious to me, as the organization proclaims different messages based on different strategies from its various groups and functions. Corporate management, public relations, advertising, sales, and investor relations each tend to create messages that address their respective audiences, but they generally fail to take the extra step and marry them with common themes that best reflect the value and essence of the business in its totality.
The result is that companies rarely speak with one coherent voice. And the consistency of the brand—one of the key drivers of value—is undermined.
And marketers, assigned with the task of developing and executing clear positioning and communications, end up spending an enormous amount of time struggling against the many voices within the company, often begging and pleading with everyone to agree.
How can we solve this problem?
The solution to this problem can be found first by recognizing the need to have a coherent message. This unified voice creates the perception of leadership that naturally allows others to gravitate towards.
Through the course of communications, be it public debates, speaking events, press releases, social media, etc. messaging can being taken to a dynamic and more strategic level through better research techniques. Rather than testing messages in isolation on variables like appeal, current and potential messages can be tested in head-to-head comparisons against current or potential opposing messages. Then after being exposed to the pro and con messages, respondents can then be asked to choose one—an approach that gives a vastly more accurate and precise picture of public attitudes.
By flushing out a number of view points simulating all the expected paths the issue might take, the company is then in a better position to see how client/prospect attitudes will play out, often before the first message ever comes out.
So what is the structure and process that makes this approach successful?
I am by no means a political expert, but an example of a successful approach can be drawn from politics. (Yes politicians have managed to do something right!) In a well-run political party, there is “the communications team.” The communications team includes people from advertising, speech-writing, PR, strategy, management, policy, and research. They all sit at one table to decide the strategy then decide how to execute on the strategy in the most effective way using each of the different communications channels as a tool. Everyone at the table accepts the reality that “everything communicates,” which means they have to agree on one message.
This consolidated organizational structure for managing communications is intimately involved in the research process itself. Everyone on the communications team can, and is encouraged to, suggest strategies and messages—and that full range of perspectives is put into the research, in an open and transparent process. That way, everyone gets their ideas tested and, when the research comes back, they know what messages won and lost; and—most importantly for attaining buy-in and agreement across the group—they know that their ideas had a full, fair, and objective chance.
The results are powerful, crisp communications that have an enormous impact in projecting competent leadership, building reputation, and enhancing brand value.
Our self-imposed Catch-22.
Through old habits, fear of change, and inertia, most companies have their marketing people using aged techniques. They still judge messages against historical, and largely irrelevant, benchmarks. As a result, the CEOs and other senior executives, lacking accurate and reliable information to guide their decisions on messaging, are (rightfully) reluctant to make the organizational and process changes needed to let the marketing team own and guide the full spectrum of the communications agenda.
We need to adopt the latest and most effective research techniques and in making the commitment to align communications around research results. Better research and organizational changes are the 2 inter-related keys that would allow marketing to escape from its silo. If companies, and marketing organizations in particular, implemented these 2 simple techniques, they would find their organizational cultures far more focused, effective, and respected; and brand communications would realize its full potential.
Urban Jungle is going to be marketing a cool company in yet another industry we know nothing about! Our newest client, Micralyne, is an internationally recognized, award winning, Edmonton-based microtechnology company. Micralyne specializes in Micromachines, (more commonly referred to as MEMS) for the communications, life sciences, energy, and transportation sectors, and some of their A-list clientele include Fortune 100 companies.
If it sounds like a tough job – you’re right – it is. This is going to be a big challenge for us but we’re excited for the opportunity. Urban Jungle is being brought on board to manage all marketing efforts from brand marketing & communications development to creative direction & design to tactic implementation & evaluation.
Can we do it?
We sure hope so for our reputation’s sake! Check back soon to see how we begin to evolve the Micralyne brand and how we create new and innovative connections with their high-tech clientele.
If you haven’t I’m sure you want to, and if you have, did you ever regret it? I know I sure haven’t. I realize some people find issues with Apple, but let’s face it, buying an Apple is an awesome experience.
I bought my 3rd one last week and I swear the feeling will never get old. The packaging is beautiful and everything is laid out perfectly. All you have to do is plug it in, turn it on, and suddenly you are flying through space and time, grooving along to the funky Mac beat as your new computer greets you in a multitude of languages. A couple simple forms later and in literally 2 minutes you’re doing whatever it is that you love to do. For anyone that is subscribed to MobileMe it will automatically fill out the forms for you.
I want to contrast this experience with my friend’s purchases through Dell. He’s an IT manager at a major Edmonton-based software company so they purchase hundreds of PC’s a year, and while he always downplays the awesomeness of Apple, I know he secretly wants one.
His company has a deal with Dell and they need new computers for their staff all the time. A few weeks ago they received their latest shipment. He opens the box and as well all know Dell has pretty boring packaging – a brown box with a blue D. Whoaaaa…cool. It sure isn’t enticing and it sure isn’t Apple. After unwrapping the first computer he plugs it in and hits the power button. Nothing. It’s completely dead. Right on!! He then moves to the 2nd computer and hits the power button, this one responds by putting form after form in front of him. The laptop had to install a ridiculous amount of applications and tools, and after 3 restarts and 29 minutes of staring at progress bars, the computer was finally ready to be used. Thinking about that shitty experience just literally made me kiss my iMac right now. “I love you Apple.”
I know – I’m a loser.
So what is Apple selling?
Are they selling computers and smartphones or are they selling lifestyle items? Look at all the apps you can download to your phone to make it so much more than what it actually is. There truly is “an app for everything.” Every single one of these apps represents a story, and as I have said many times before, stories are what sell people, not information. I dare you to find one person who hates their iPhone. In fact, I think that you’ll find those who have an iPhone are Apple’s biggest evangelists; and these customers are more powerful than any ad. Apple has taken Word Of Mouth Marketing (bar none the most powerful form of advertising) to a whole new level. Those that have an iPhone and those that have a Mac will tell everyone about how awesome they are. I am a prime example of that and I’m not alone.
How many people do you know that go above and beyond what is considered rational to tell people about their Blackberry? How about their Dell? Of course people like their Blackberries and their Dells – they are great products – but I’ll put money on it that a Blackberry owner or a Dell owner won’t go to the level of ‘selling’ to their family & friends like an Apple owner will.
Apple gets it.
They make buying easy and owning fun, and when buying is easy and owning is fun it is usually a pretty rewarding experience. It actually makes you feel like you’re investing as opposed to buying.
While so many companies are focused on making the sale, they end up forgetting about making the person happy once they have purchased their product. Apple understands that it’s far more expensive to reach new consumers with marketing dollars then it is to keep existing repeat consumers. When you see a message with the product thanking you for the purchase or calling you a loyal customer, this is the company trying to overcome your feelings of anxiety and that’s how repeat business is made.
Given all the doom and gloom we constantly hear in the media, it’s a challenge to not let it affect us. What attitude does your communication reflect? How do you think people interpret your brand’s attitude?
According to the sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer in his Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude “You have to study attitude, think attitude, and express attitude every day.”
You can wake up each morning and choose to be positive; wake up to using positive language and having a powerful positive attitude – or you can wake up and choose to be miserable – and experience the ramifications of using the wrong language. Corporate communications is no different.
Whichever path you choose, your company’s message will be heard loud and clear.
Two men imprisoned expressed their vision. The first man exclaimed, “When I look out the window, I see the bars of the prison that are holding me in.” The other said, “When I look out the window, I see the stars in the heavens, and I’m so thankful I’m alive.”
Those companies that can choose to think positively by figuring out solutions to hard problems, by learning and growing from life’s challenges, and by saying ”&!@$ you” to anyone that tries to stand in their way will find the true meaning of success.
“After my house burned down, I saw the moon more clearly.”
– Old Zen saying.
Of course we’ve all heard of Web 2.0 but this is taking imagination – rather “ecomagination” to a whole new level.
Want your very own FREE wind turbine or solar energy source?
It’s now possible as General Electric has created something so inspiring and so mind blowing I only wish I could take credit for its brilliance.
Go to http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/#/augmented_reality and simply print off their solar panel marker. Hold the printed paper marker to your computer’s webcam and prepare to be mind warped as your sheet of paper magically turns into a moving 3D virtual world.
Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I’ll keep you in the loop,” or “We’re on the same page.”
It’s okay to admit it – I’ve caught myself a few times this week already.
In a poll of senior executives from the North America’s 1,000 largest companies, executives were asked, “What is the most annoying or overused phrase or buzzword in the workplace today?”
Here are the top 10 responses:
• Win-win
• At the end of the day
• Solution
• Outside the box
• Paradigm
• Metrics
• Value-added
• Get on the same page
• Core competency
• Alignment
“At the end of the day we need to have everyone on the same page. We must think outside of the box and shift our paradigms to create a true value-added, win-win solution.”
Here are a few more buzzwords that drive me crazy:
• Green
• Seamless
• Strategic
• On board
• Best in show
• Best of Breed
• Comprehensive
• Dial in
• Ramp up
• World Class (fill in the blank)
If you need a dictionary to decipher the jargon in your communications, click over http://buzzwhack.com. The site uses good-natured humor to roast “companies and individuals who use buzzwords to ‘impress’ and befuddle the rest of us.”
http://www.flickrdesign.com/ is a blog cataloging interesting and inspiring graphic design pieces posted to flickr. Designs choices are completely subjective, but they are all inspiring in some way. Whether it’s typography, colors, unique styles (or some combination of the three), you’ll find lots of pretty here.
Last night, CBC‘s The National with Peter Mansbridge invited the panel from the Dragons’ Den to consider a different kind of pitch for money.
With just five days before Canada’s Jan. 27 federal budget, with an imaginary $20 billion to play with, the Dragons saw a number of presentations from Canadians making the case for where the money should go. The Dragons can put money in any sector they want.
I think this is an absolutely awesome idea; too bad it won’t have any bearing on what’s really going down in a few days. Like anything, when you put the power back into the people’s hands, you can achieve some amazing ideas, and far better innovation and ingenuity than anything the politicians will come up with. Forget bailouts and simple tax-cuts. This isn’t a political problem. Our problem is much bigger than anything we’ve ever seen before and therefore it requires a much bigger solution.
My favorite idea is currently in 2nd place – “Invest in the future: Innovate! Go Green!” While ‘green’ is already such an over used buzzword, I feel that there is a lot of substance to this idea.
Pull the plug! Let the auto-sector die it’s sad death.
After all, if we truly live in a capitalist society, they should. You and I aren’t going to get a bailout, so why the hell should they? Instead we can transition all of these workers to manufacturing entirely new infrastructure systems nation-wide. 100% Canadian-made. Brilliant.
“While most global markets have been crashing, my ‘green’ alternative energy investments have maintained steady growth,” said David Lewis. “The ‘smart money’ has realized that with ever-increasing energy demands coupled with soon-to-be dwindling energy reserves, the move to renewable energy is obvious.”
As for innovation, Grant Elder thinks big. “We already have examples of geothermal extraction and conversion to electricity. What I propose is a project that would be similar to U.S. president John F. Kennedy announcing that Americans would have the vision and drive to put a man on the moon: a statement and vision by government to do the largest-producing Geothermal energy project ever.”
John in Ottawa sums up his idea in two words: “shuttle pods.” He suggests that Canada “research the manufacturing of an individualized transport system to take advantage of the existing, unused rail corridors and possibly the hydro lines that connect cities and areas. The uniqueness of the system would be a purely Canadian answer to both economic job-creation and the environment.”
Along the same lines, Michael H. Kaer of Chatham, Ont., says: “Improve the grid to accept wind and solar power as well as investing in any good battery technologies, nanotech solar panels, cheap, small-scale solar and wind generators for household use.”
At the same time, E. Katz from Winnipeg warns: “We have to be realistic about the reliability of these power sources. Windmills are only 20 per cent efficient, whereas hydro, coal and nuclear generation is in the 80 to 90 per cent range … so to match the 1000MW output of any of these other sources, more than 2,800 windmills covering more than 70,000 hectares of land would be necessary.”
My 2 cents
While the idea may need a bit of work, it’s a start. Not to mention it’s probably much more innovative than anything Parliament is going to present. This is Darwinism at it’s finest and I think manufacturing in the traditional sense is dead. A bailout is essentially life support that only prolongs the inevitable. The future is in creative capital.
8. Look to “low-hanging fruit” technology to become more efficient and more productive.
Many of us may not be using technology to its fullest potential. Explore ways to use your tech investment to help drive down other costs and accommodate more sales without having to hire more staff. Look at free or nearly free technology from the Web, such as Google Apps for business. No matter what size of company, we recommend Google Apps to all of our clients because it is a cost efficient way to stay connected. Consolidate all of your email, calendars, communications, and information sharing without compromising control and flexibility.
7. Consider outsourcing.
Why have everyone in house? Unless employing people is the most-cost efficient way of getting the job done, outsourcing is usually a great alternative. In many cases, outsourcing is an excellent way to make better use of time and energy costs, to redirect or conserve energy, and to make more efficient use of land, labor, capital, information technology, and resources. Outsourcing is a great method to extend your organization’s capacity and help bring a fresh perspective to light. Couldn’t an outsider’s point of view be a huge business advantage over your competition?
6. Re-examine every one of your operational services.
Sometimes we use business services for years without realizing there may be substantially cheaper – and better – options on the market. Look at your telecommunications, your computer network, and your hardware. For instance, you might want to evaluate services like Skype, VoIP or wireless phones with calling circles to save on telecommunications costs. Even look at things like your insurance and your travel suppliers to look at ways to cut other operational expenses.
5. For start-ups, start selling something asap.
Cash flow is crucial. If you run a start-up, don’t wait until your product is perfect. And if your main products are big-ticket items with long sales cycles, come up with some lower-priced items to sell pending the big sales closing. Negative cash flow is the big “gotcha” for smaller firms — you don’t want to run out of cash before you are out of the gate.
4. Cut existing staff only as a last resort.
Most small businesses don’t have much staff to begin with. So cutting staff often means losing a vital lifeline and can sometimes be a surefire way to business suicide. With every forced cut it will probably have a demoralizing effect on the remaining staff. “Am I next?” syndrome can sweep over the office and your employees may find work elsewhere as a desperate act of self-preservation. I’d rather ask people to take temporary, across-the-board pay cuts, or eliminate some benefits, than lay people off… unless pushed to the wall.
3. Focus on customer retention instead of customer acquisition.
In any economy it is ALWAYS tougher to gain new customers than it is to keep existing ones. Now is a great time to re-evaluate what you are doing well and what needs improvement. Unsure? Ask! Start a “listening lab” – a listening lab is one of the best marketing projects you can undertake. It shows your customers you are committed to keeping their business, and it helps you make the important decisions to streamline and improve your service. If you have to make a choice, focus on relationship marketing and building the relationships with your existing customers versus new customer acquisition.
2. Don’t cut marketing.
For some reason when times get tough, many business owners cut funding to the one area that is designed to keep business coming – marketing. Cutting marketing means cutting your business off at the knees. When customer spending slows down, make sure it’s your competitors’ sales that slow, not yours. Instead of cutting down your marketing spend be more aggressive and more creative at marketing than your peers. Believe it or not you have been given an opportunity; a recession is your chance to gain customers and help grow your business. When the economy turns around you will be miles ahead of your competition.
And the number 1 way to help your business weather the recession is…
1. Don’t cheap out on your accountant.
Now is the time to have a kung fu grip on your business numbers, more so than you’ve ever had before. Your accountant is your sensei. Bow to your sensei! Cash management, and management of accounts receivables, will make or break you during tough times. Weekly – even daily – attention to your numbers will give you early warning of issues and buy you more time to adjust.
Craig Blackburn is confirmed to speak on January 31, 2009 at the Professional Development Seminar to kick off Business Week for AIESEC Edmonton and the University of Alberta School of Business.
An unlimited ad budget in a recession probably seems like a pretty ludicrous statement but it is possible to have one.
A couple weeks ago Seth Godin challenged the topic of advertising, or more specifically, how your advertising can be free when marketing does its job. Here is an excerpt from this blog post:
If the local bank were offering a sale on dollar bills, ninety cents each, how many would you buy?
Most rational people would say, “I’ll take them all please.” Especially if you had thirty days to pay for them.
So, why, precisely, do you have an ad budget?
If your ads work, if you can measure them and they return more profit than they cost, why not keep buying them until they stop working?
And if they don’t work, why are you running them?
The time-tested response is that you’re not sure, that ads are risky, that you can’t tell. And for some sorts of products and some sorts of ads, you’ll get no argument from me.
Digital ads are different (or they should be). You should know cost per click and revenue per click and be able to make a smart guess about lifetime value of a click. And if that’s positive, buy, buy, buy!”
I couldn’t agree more. I am Craig Blackburn and I approve this message.
For more on Seth, do a You Tube search and you find tons of awesome interviews and key note speeches. He has also written some stellar books: The Big Red Fez, The Purple Cow: Transform Your Business By Being Remarkable, Free Prize Inside!: The Next Big Marketing Idea, and his latest, Tribes.
Seth is the quintessential marketing rock star and each one of these books is sure to strike a power chord. Why? The marketing swami’s delivery is perfect. He cuts the bullshit with the precision of a surgeon, he masterminds real life examples like a marketing-focused Dane Cook, and in just a few choice words he is able to reveal wonder and awe within the most mundane of subjects. Some would call him a genius but I think he just has common sense…and today common sense isn’t so common.
In many cases I think a word is worth a Thousand Pictures.
What I mean by this is that marketers too often use ridiculous stock photos – you know because you’ve seen them; the cliche business hand shake, the group of employees crowded around the computer overly interested in whatever is on the screen. Marketers also use images where they aren’t needed. Maybe it’s because they’re scared of the white space? Maybe it’s because their message is weak? Who knows.
Whether it’s a Web site, an advertisement, or any other type of marketing collateral, we’ve all heard the adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Having a visual of the product enhances marketing communication, and we’re told that it’s mostly because people don’t have time to read.
While I don’t doubt that people neglect to read most of the advertising copy they come across, I don’t think that it is people’s lack of time or willingness to read, rather it is because of the hype that’s part of most ad copy today. We are inundated with noise constantly, and because of that our brains have evolved over the years with ‘shit filters.’ We have been trained to spot crap faster than ever before and it doesn’t take a marketing whiz to realize this.
In a study of 3,600 consumers, researchers concluded that to get people to notice an ad, text was twice as important as pictures. I found that very interesting. Your clients ARE interested in reading about your services, but you must grab their attention.
What’s new about your offering?
What’s your story?
Is there news or is this just hype?
What’s most important is that the fluff has to be ruthlessly eliminated from your ad copy, Web pages, and any other marketing communication. (I’ll be writing more about this in a future post.)
If you include hype and half-truths, you make it nearly impossible for customers to believe. The result: lost customers. Ten different studies have shown that when the bullshit is stripped from ads, consumer interest skyrockets. Conversely, other studies have shown that long ad copy works when selling products and services. The debate continues.
Personally, I believe that nothing cuts through clutter like an amazing photo. That being said, I think that regardless of whether it’s pictures or copy, when it comes to marketing any product or service, to improve your customer’s rate of interest, EVERYTHING needs to work. To that end, marketers are in fact more like artists or engineers constructing the perfect piece; building trust by conveying truth, and creating emotion through compelling stories. Pictures cannot be contrived and every word needs to count.
It is in fact the “right” words and pictures, not just any words and pictures, that sell.
Found on VisualComplexity.com, this beautiful but disturbing poster examines global human trafficking.
“It depicts each country’s level of involvement (from Very High to Very Low) as either a country of destination or origin. The project concentrates on the smuggling of people from one country to another – mainly illegally. In many cases these people are forced to do work that is illegal, such as prostitution or child labor.”
The poster was created by Taulant Bushi, the original image can be found at http://tinyurl.com/22jkm9
A few months ago 8 artists gathered in Cape Town, South Africa to paint about the fate of the earth.
Are we doomed? Will the human race persevere? You decide.
Zach Beane had an idea for displaying box office data graphically. Each graph displays trends in the top 25 movies at the box office for each weekend in a year. The color is based on the movie’s debut week. Because of that, long-running movies will gradually start to stand out from newer movies with different colors. This is so absolutely stunning I had to share it.
Next time you are at the zoo you might notice a 10-ton elephant tethered by a flimsy rope to a 3-foot pole. The elephant has been trained to believe that it has no choice about staying in its current position.
And so it is with the hourly rate, which marketing firms, law firms, accounting firms, business consultants – and of course all of our clients – are trained to believe is the only way to price our services.
But just as that elephant could potentially break free from the pole, we are breaking free from the hourly rate. Although the concept isn’t new, there are only a select few innovative thinkers that have already adopted the model. There is still however, a long way to go. We hope that with one big collective jerk at the rope by our industry, the hourly rate will be a legacy of a bygone era.
Why are we dumping the hourly rate?
The hourly rate has always been a major thorn in our side. It greatly devalues and undermines the expertise, service and quality of work that we provide. More importantly, companies are not interested in paying for time. They are more interested in paying for a specific result. Their thoughts are, “If you don’t produce a result, why should we pay you?” On the other hand they also think, “If you produce results, and you produce even greater than anticipated results, why shouldn’t we pay you more?”
We once had a client jokingly ask, “Are you thinking of ideas while in the shower and then charging us a half hour for it?” Although it was completely untrue, the underlying concern itself was quite valid and we completely understood.
It happens all the time in our industry and we are sick and tired of defending a billing concept that we never believed in the first place. Quantifying price based on time is ludicrous. How can we put value on time? How is your time worth more than their time? Yes time is money, but time is just that, time.
How will we do this?
Dumping the hourly rate is all about reaching an agreement with our clients on value. If, for instance, we propose to help our client reduce indirect marketing expenses by 10%, then we must quantify that cost reduction and provide a way to measure it.
Every project has potential measurable benefits and value. Of course, some values are easier to measure than others. To orient yourself in the discussion of what marketing services are worth to you, consider the possible drivers of the value below.
Drivers of Value. Urban Jungle can help our clients…
Increase
Visibility
Revenue
Profit
Growth
Value
Retention
Return On Investment
Reduce
Costs
Time/effort
Complaints
Risk
Turnover
Conflict
Improve
Quality
Loyalty
Reputation
Information
Morale
Service
Processes
Productivity
Create
Brand
Strategy
Systems
Processes
Business
Products
Services
How much is it worth to elevate your company’s brand identity? Or to increase your visibility in niches you never thought possible? Or to improve the design of your products? Investing into your brand via better design and smarter marketing should result in higher perceived value, better customers, increased profits, fewer complaints and returns, and a lower cost of stocking merchandise.
What would improved morale among your staff mean? A great internal marketing campaign could mean the managers spend less time in HR meetings and more time running the business. What is it worth to have motivated employees instead of absences due to low morale?
In the future, we believe all marketing firms will have to quantify the benefits that are relevant to the projects they create. They must – because quantification (not time) provides the crucial context to determine the value. We are excited to finally break free of the shackles of the hourly rate and we are confident our clients will too.
Last week we looked at some of the difficulties in finding the perfect name for your company. This week we are going to look at what strategies the world’s biggest, most well-known brands have used to find theirs. Perhaps their approach can teach us something.
What’s in a name?
Actually, quite a lot. As our marketplace continues to become increasingly cluttered, it is more important than ever to be memorable and to stand out among your competitors. The name of your company is one of many critical factors in staying “top of mind.”
There are many schools of thought as to what makes a great name. Some say it must describe your business category precisely; some say it should describe a feature, benefit, or unique differentiation; while others say it should require no explanation at all. Different companies have used different methods, all with varying levels of success. There isn’t one solution that works best for everyone. If it was that easy you would know about it and in that case wouldn’t be reading this post!
For the purpose of creating your company’s name, a few questions and naming strategies need to be considered.
Do you want your name to define a key attribute of your company? If so, then a descriptive name like Speedy Auto Glass or Quality Inn might be a fit.
Do you want it to be blatantly obvious to your customers what it is that you do? Companies like Toys ‘R’ Us, Burger King, and Internet Explorer all used this strategy.
Don’t forget the hybrid approach. Companies like Grey Goose, Red Bull, and FireFox all used the hybrid method to come up with some pretty unique names.
Whatever you do, you gotta be creative.
For some that comes easier than others. If you consider yourself to be the creative type, maybe you’ll want to try designing an evocative name? For example Yahoo, Virgin and Crunch! used suggestive words to convey their business.
Or if you are feeling up to it, perhaps you can create a name you coin or invent yourself? Names like Viagra, Verizon, Kodak and Xerox come to mind. This is one of my most recommended strategies because it is likely no-one else will have it. Your imagination is the only limitation when inventing a new word.
Have you considered using analogies or metaphors? Names like Amazon and Safari are unique and will stand out in any crowd.
Companies like Apple, Blackberry, Saturn and Target all used random objects with positive connotations to describe their business. Is your company a beacon of hope in a shady industry? Maybe an approach like this will work for you?
Sweet, you’ve created a few names…
So you’ve decided you’re a ‘metaphor-kind-of-guy’ and you’ve come up with a few solid contenders. Are you done?
Nope. Not even close.
The next exercise in analyzing the name of your company, is looking at a few of its characteristics. The following is a list of things that should also be taken into consideration:
1. Is the name easy to remember? Your biggest challenge will be to increase the brand awareness to everyone within your service geography, therefore the name should to be simple and concise. This should make it much easier to remember.
2. Does the name just roll off the tongue? Isn’t the name Google fun to say?
3. Is the name 1–3 syllables long? The exception to this rule lies in the name’s creativity. An uber-creative name could have 10 syllables as long as it is easy to remember. If you find your name is a mouthful, perhaps you need to consider abbreviating it? Bavarian Motor Works, United Postal Service and International Business Machines all used this approach to strategically build simple and strong brand names.
4. Does the name contain strong consonants? Historically, names that start with the letters B, C, D, G, K, P, T will be successful. These are all strong consonants that demand attention, and they also lend themselves to good graphic design; a vital component of marketing your brand.
If after all of this you still have a name to work with, you’re almost done. You’ve found the perfect name, so run with it and run quick! Hire a trademarking and copyright lawyer to seal the deal for you before anyone else snaps it up.
Naming your company is pretty easy stuff…Ya right!
If you have ever started a new business, you’ll know that one of the first things you have to do is also arguably one of the most torturous. What I am talking about is finding the perfect name for your company. Getting the right name is unbelievably important. Why? Well, let’s think about what’s at stake…
First of all, you have to get everyone of the company’s stakeholders to agree on a name, which is usually easier said than done. Decisions by committee never happen. If you don’t believe me, look at the past ownership group of the Edmonton Oilers; they couldn’t agree on anything. Now with the recent purchase by billionaire Daryl Katz, they have 1 owner and more importantly, 1 decision maker. Guaranteed the tough decisions will be made a lot quicker for the team. Ideally you need one person entrusted with making the big decisions like this, but that is a whole other topic all together. Let’s say for the purpose of this article that a group decision is your only option and somehow you miraculously agreed on the name; this is where the real fun starts.
Your name has to somehow embody what your company is all about.
It has to somehow fit with the product or service you offer and perhaps indicate the level at which you offer it.
It has to work with the image you want to convey and hint at what your brand stands for.
It has to convey what your message is and what industry you are in.
It may also indicate where you are from, your background, your beliefs, your influences, and in some situations – even your dreams and aspirations.
So in other words, your name has to convey everything your company is and hopes to ever be…all in a couple words or less. And until your company becomes famous, you’ll use this name to convey all this information to complete strangers in a very crowded market place.
Then from a marketing point of view, your name has to lend itself to succinct communications and clean graphic design. We all know how important image is – it’s everything! You want a great identity right?
Finally, your name has to be unique. One company per name per industry. If someone else already has dibs on the name that you chose too bad for you. Either start back at square one OR use the name and risk legal action. “Hey that’s our name! We’re going to sue you!”
It happens and it happens a lot.
So finding the right name for your company is one of the most difficult exercises you and your business partners will ever tackle, but it has to be done before you start doing whatever it is that you hope to do so well. This is where history can be helpful. Millions of companies, (all with names) have come before you. Is there something we can learn from their approach that can help you in your dilemma over nomenclature? We’ll find out next week.
Urban Jungle would like to congratulate Advico on the Grand Opening of their new Sherwood Drive location.
Advico, a financial advisory representing Professional Investment Services, Austral-Asia’s fastest growing financial services company; officially opened its doors to the public yesterday. We are honored to partner with Advico in helping them achieve their vision.
We know this year has been a very challenging one for everyone at Advico, but as the saying goes, “The things most worthwhile in life don’t come easy.”
Only 1 year ago Ryan Jewell, Chris Korte and Dallas Ferro decided to take a risk and leave the comforts of the large international financial services company they worked for and establish their own one-stop firm. The vision was to build a company that helped people create strong financial futures for themselves. Needless to say, the gamble paid off and their dream is now a reality.
In addition to supporting many charitable organizations and initiatives, the Advico team helps foster growth and betterment of the communities they call home and we are proud to be associated with them.
Congratulations Advico! We can’t wait to see where you take things next.
There are lots of changes in the works for the Urban Jungle website.
We’re excited to announce that in addition to our new Urban Jungle Radio (which you can find at the top right hand corner of the website), we also have some cool new features including:
Social Networking capabilities – Our visitors can now tag content for Facebook, Digg, reddit, StumbleUpon, Del.iscio.us and Newsvine.
Blogs – right now our ‘Media-slash-News’ section is a bit of a gong show. We will soon have better separation between Urban Jungle news and Urban Jungle commentary. Our new blog section is where you’ll find our musings and commentary on a whole range of topics related to branding, marketing, advertising and designing.
Feature Work – Our visitors will also soon be able to view a much better presentation of our Featured Work. Our current layout is mighty weak to say the least.
Click on the button at the top right of the site if you haven’t caught it already. UJ Radio, our online MP3 player is packed with great music recommendations.
Of course you have your iTunes, but maybe you haven’t heard of some of these songs or artists yet? Or maybe you are curious to find out what kind of music we’re into?
This is your chance to find your favorite artist and sing along, and it’s a chance to discover new talent. If you like what you hear, support the artist by picking up their album or song on iTunes or anywhere else you buy your music.
We feel that it is important for the Urban Jungle brand to portray a feeling of energy, playfulness and lightheartedness, however, it is just as important to portray the value we place on professionalism, formality, and of course, sincerity.
We feel our brand balances funk and energy with calm and cool. We have a clean-cut graphic style. We don’t conform to the latest design trends in marketing (such as ‘over-decoration’), rather, we create our own ‘clean’ style and a style specific to our clients’ brands. Our message portrays a sense of “Corporate Cool.”
The way something is presented will define the way you react to it. The same message can be presented in many different type faces; thus creating emotional responses from each type face that are completely different. The font used for the wordmark of the Urban Jungle identity is Helvetica Neuveau. (Wow big surprise! Sorry – we love it. It’s the basis of every font ever created. It’s perfection.)
Helvetica is a contemporary modernist font with classic qualities.
• It has a machined feel
• It is professional
• It is neutral
• It is well-rounded
• It won’t be damaging to our brand
• It is clean
• It has a ‘feel good’ quality and it is a font anyone and everyone can relate to
Our selected Pantone colors balance professionalism with energy. The colors work harmoniously together creating an organic feel, however, each color is strong enough that they work well on their own throughout other collateral.
Pantone Red 1795
Urban Jungle uses red because it is associated with energy, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. We love Love. Red is a very emotionally intense color. It has very high visibility. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. Red brings text and images to the foreground.
White
Urban Jungle uses white because it is associated with light, goodness, innocence, and purity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. White means safety, purity, and cleanliness – it has a positive connotation. In advertising, white is associated with coolness and cleanliness because it’s the color of snow. White is used in Urban Jungle’s marketing to suggest simplicity, especially since the product – marketing – is complex.
Black
Urban Jungle uses black because it is associated with power, elegance, formality, and mystery. Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It can have a negative connotation (blacklist, black humor, black market), however, in advertising, generally black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color (black tie, black Mercedes). Black gives the feeling of perspective and depth. Black contrasts well with white and bright colors.
Color choices are not in complete contrast to the typical color choices of Urban Jungle’s industry, however, many competitive firms use blues, greens, beiges and other neutral tones. The color palate Urban Jungle uses instantly sets it apart from many of its peers as the colors give the icon impact as they symbolize the passionate and positive energies of the company. We hope this translates to entrepreneurs with similar energies gravitating towards the Urban Jungle brand.
The Urban Jungle identity has quite a bit of personality as the ‘flourishes’ give the identity a very high-end, boutique-style feel. It is our vision to become a highly sought after creative marketing boutique, and while we aim to develop a national presence, we feel it is more important to maintain a local focus.
We think Edmonton needs to be put on the map as a creative capital. Montreal’s and Vancouver’s creatives have done a great job in elevating their cities’ brands as they continue to inspire new creatives and give them a forum to help grow and attract new people and business. It’s time Edmonton shakes it’s ‘Red Neck,’ narrow-minded, conservative stigma and elevates the brand to be known as a creative mecca. We already have an amazing arts community but we think it needs to be recognized on a more national & international stage. We hope to help be a catalyst for this evolution.
What does the Urban Jungle brand stand for? How did we come up with the name? Why did we make the choices we did? What do our colors represent? Where did our corporate identity come from?
Over the next few days I’ll post the answers to all your burning questions about Urban Jungle.
The Name
The name “Urban Jungle Media & Design” was created by principal and founder Craig Blackburn in 2000, but that was a mouthful. The name has since been distilled to Urban Jungle, simplicity being the ultimate goal.
The name is a juxtaposition of terms, ideas and concepts as they relate to our views on what marketing and commercial creativity mean. To us, marketing is all about finding the balance of the left brain with the right; the formal with the abstract; the analytical with the creative; the information with the magic; the structure with the surprise; the organization with the chaos; the form with the function; the concrete with the organic; the urban with the jungle. The name defines our company’s approach to marketing ourselves and our clients. Not only that, but the name is fun, unique and easy to remember. It rolls off the tongue and is easy to pronounce.
Smashing your brand requires attention to every detail beyond your logo. It covers every signal, every tone, touch or shape of your product; this includes merchandising and even wrapping.
Did you know that owning a smashable color can create emotional bonds with your consumer? Studies show that the well known Tiffany’s robin’s-egg blue box can cause a woman’s heartbeat to increase by 20% compared to an ordinary colorful box. Granted it is likely the piece of jewlery inside that is giving the woman a near heart-attack, but I still find the association between color and product totally amazing. Today the robin’s egg blue has its own exclusive Pantone number, a patent of Tiffany & Co., and only available to print offices approved by Tiffany’s. Whether it’s Tiffany’s robin’s-egg blue box, Louis Vuitton’s brown leather bag, or Gucci’s stylish-yet-chic wrapping, all of these smashable brands carry huge price tags- and all they are selling is packaging!
But color isn’t the only thing which can create a truly smashable brand, photographs (if done right) can perform the same trick. Just think about the images used to promote Apple. The kaleidoscopic colorful style with their white or black silhouette forms the foundation of the brand’s image which works with the product marketing. Every Apple image (whether it is a static picture or dynamic video) is smashable – and can be recognized as such without the logo. You could in fact even crop Apple’s images and you’d still be pretty sure it’s an Apple. However, not many brands have achieved this yet. Take the test. A quick visit to your own website and you will probably soon realize that you fail the picture test. Remember, a good picture is worth more than a thousand words.
Another cool smash story…
When the Porsche 911 was introduced in Frankfurt in 1963 the model was called 901. The brochures were printed, the marketing material was all in place but everything had to be urgently changed. Much to Porsche’s dismay, they discovered that Peugeot owned the rights to all three-digit model numbers of any combination with a zero in the middle, and this was non-negotiable. Fortunately only 13 models got through the production line with the 901 insignia, thereafter it became known as the 911. A similar strategy has been adopted by Absolut vodka. They deliberately misspell their brand extensions, using English words inspired by Swedish grammar – Absolut Vanilia, Mandrin, Peppar or Kurant.
McSmash!
McDonald’s uses the ‘Mc’ in their name to every possible advantage. Their world is awash with Big Macs, McNuggets, McMuffins and even McSundays. If you happen to receive an email from the cooperation you’ll be greeted with the words: “Have a Mcnificent Day”. McDonald’s naming philosophy is an essential part of their brand. Mac-ization of the language was formally recognized when Merriam-Webster added McJob to their collegiate dictionary, defining it as “a low-paying job that requires little skill and provides not much opportunity for advancement.”
Smash this post already!
The idea of Smashing Your Brand is simple. It’s all about identifying the components you want to be famous for and leverage the fact that your identity (your logo) is only a very small component of your overall brand image. Consider what your brand should be well known for 5 years from now. Once you understand that vision then you can begin to build up the associations with your touch points. That being said, consistency and diligence is of the utmost importance. Changing your strategy half- way can be dangerous. Smashing Your Brand is in fact all about keeping focus on everything beyond the logo as 90 percent of the real estate on your product or service should also be branded to some degree.
When every sense of your product is branded, you should have a truly smashing and smashable brand!
First off, what the heck is a “smashable” brand?
The story takes us way back to 1915, when a designer from the Root Glass Company in Indiana was given the task to design a glass bottle. The outlines were fairly simple. The client required a bottle that would be recognized the world over. (Hmm that’s no small task.) To take their vision even further, they wanted their bottle to be so unique that even when broken, its pieces would still be easily distinguished.
The designer succeeded beyond what anyone could have expected when he created what is known today as the classic Coke bottle. The iconic bottle could be considered a piece of art as it is displayed in museums abroad. If you disagree with its artistic consideration, one thing is for sure, there is no denying that the classic Coke bottle has become one of the most famous glass pieces ever designed. The bottle is still used today, it’s still easily recognizable, and it has passed the smash test for over the last 90 years.
As a marketer I am asked to elevate many of my clients brands from banal to beautiful. And from a brand building perspective, I find the Coke bottle story absolutely fascinating. In theory, all brands should be able to pass this test (relatively speaking). Obviously scale and sphere of influence come into play; Molson has a much greater market share than Alley Kat (Edmonton’s local brewery). Therefore, if you as a business owner were to think of adopting the smash principle by removing your logo from your brand, would your brand still be recognizable to others?
This experiment is very worthwhile to know because if too great of an emphasis is placed on your brand’s identity it carries risk. One of the most obvious risks is the danger of neglecting all the other potential brand-building opportunities available. Many other aspects of your company (if given due attention), should become recognizable in their own right. Color, texture, shape, sound, smell, and taste. Even if you were blindfolded, you would still know that you are holding a classic Coke bottle.
Take the smash test
It’s time your logo dies a sad and horrible death – but don’t worry, this is only temporary…or is it? Remove your logo and what do you have left? This is a very important question because a brand is so much bigger than its logo. Are the remaining components easily identifiable as your logo’s? If not, it’s time to Smash Your Brand.
Whenever Urban Jungle is engaged to build our clients’ new identities, we always use the Smash Your Brand philosophy, as we consider every possible consumer ‘touch point.’ Our vision is to elevate the image of the brand. Does ad copy enhance the brand? Do the colors we choose, the graphics we create, the photos we take, or even the packages we design individually pass the smash test? Ideally, yes, they should!
Therefore your imagery, your sounds, your product’s tactile feelings, and your company’s language all need to become fully integrated components in the branding platform. Each aspect playing a role as vital as the logo itself.
Which airline do you prefer? WestJet or Air Canada?
My preference hands down is WestJet. Why? They are problem solvers. They are built on the philosophy of helping people and making them happy. Air Canada on the other hand seems to cause more problems and headaches than they fix. I have no idea what their philosophy is but if I were to guess it would probably be to increase share holder value. Regardless of whether or not that is the case, they seem to be missing one very important element – Make your customers happy and the rest will take care of itself.
A few months ago I booked a flight online with Air Canada. (It wasn’t by choice, it was my only ‘option.’) There was a problem with the booking system that reserved the wrong flight for me. After I printed off my receipt and realized I was scheduled for the wrong flight I immediately called in to get it changed. “That will be twenty dollars sir. Which credit card would you like to put that on?” said the customer service rep. Are you freaking kidding me?! I couldn’t believe I had to pay for their mistake. Since then I have tried to avoid flying with Air Canada at whatever cost.
Sick of waiting in line to check in? WestJet offers web check-ins where you can view your seat on the plane. Don’t like being stuck in the middle seat? Their online service even gives you the option to choose a new seat if you like. Headset sockets? You can use your own headset as opposed to having to create an inordinate amount of waste using Air Canada’s double pronged headsets.
Today I flew to Vancouver with WestJet and other than the ridiculous cost for my ticket it was a pleasant experience from start to finish. I was processed through lines very quickly and I was greeted with a smile and a warm welcome by every employee.
Urban Jungle is proud to announce our newest client, James Burkinshaw of Burkinshaw Law in Sherwood Park. Urban Jungle teams up with Burkinshaw to help create their new identity and develop the Burkinshaw brand. Check back regularly to see how we evolve the brand and how we create innovative connections with Burkinshaw’s clientele.
Urban Jungle would like to congratulate The Nancy Davis Foundation on their 15th Race To Erase MS Gala, one of the most recent events Urban Jungle helped to promote.
The Race, an annual celebrity-studded event founded by Nancy Davis and Tommy Hilfiger, was able to raise over $2M for Multiple Sclerosis research last week. Urban Jungle developed the website that received over 10,000 visitors in just 2 short weeks of promotion, as this event receives extensive publicity. ETOnline.com Instyle.come Extratv.com People.com Bizbash.com
To show your support for the fight against Multiple Sclerosis, please visit The Race’s online store where you can buy your very own Tommy Hilfiger “We ♥ to Erase MS” T-shirt, plus many other luxurious items.
Or, a month in the making and 11 months of procrastinating. Regardless, the Urban Jungle site is finally up and running.
Wow. I never thought I would see the day. How could a marketing company, moreover, my marketing company be without a website for almost a year? How did I let that happen?
If you would have told me last summer that I’d be without a site until the following spring I would have laughed hysterically. Instead, the laughs I laugh today are coming from a much more humbled, awkward place because I am one who should be leading by example.
I know we have had a ton of visitors to the site over the last year that have no doubt asked themselves, “How can I reasonably expect these guys to do a great job marketing my company when they don’t even take the time to do it well for themselves?” If they didn’t, I’d be surprised. I know that would be the biggest question on my mind.
I have to thank some of my business colleagues like the Mike Andersons of the world for kicking my ass. Whether he knew it or not, he helped light the fire, and snapped me out from my tunnel-vision. Thanks Mike! Sometimes it takes a good wake up call before you finally realize what’s going on. Maybe it’s a lost sale, maybe it’s a decrease in market share, or maybe it’s seeing your competitor’s exponential growth that finally rattle you enough to make a decision to do something about it.
It goes to show (and I think most small to medium-sized business owners can relate), how easily any of us, even those who specialize in the field, can get caught off track when it comes to marketing your company and growing your business.
Marketing is like most things in life, whether it’s investing, fitness, or relationships. That which you focus your time on is what gets you results. This means spending the time consistently and diligently in order to see any long term benefits.
That’s easier said than done though isn’t it? Life has a way of getting in the way. Urgent matters always have a way getting in the way of important matters. Your clients need your latest product, you have daily meetings, countless emails, endless phone calls, and traveling. You have to be in 10 places at once, and that doesn’t even begin to account for the time you need to spend with your family and friends.
I say all of that to say this; the importance of my chosen career path has just re-confirmed itself for me. If I can let this happen to my company and I am in the business, what are other business owners out there doing? How are they finding the time to connect with their clientele and stay ahead of their competition?
If you know of someone who owns a company and you you think that they might not have much time or expertise to effectively market it (a crappy web presence would be a good indicator), please think of Urban Jungle. We’ll help them get back on track.
Soon, you will be able to listen to UJ Radio!
Our online MP3 player will be jam packed with great music recommendations.
Sing along with your favorite artists and discover new talent.
If you like what you hear, support the artist and pick up their album or song on iTunes or at any other friendly music provider.
The Race To Erase MS is one of the most recent projects Urban Jungle has been blessed to be a part of.
The Race, an annual star-studded event founded by Nancy Davis and Tommy Hilfiger of The Nancy Davis Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis, raises over $2.5M annually for MS research.
Urban Jungle developed the website for this fantastic cause that garners huge media attention. Just recently Paris Hilton was found by the paparazzi wearing the Tommy Hilfiger “We ♥ to Erase MS” T-shirt for the 2008 campaign.
To show your support for this event, please visit The Race’s online store where you can buy your own T-shirt plus many other luxurious items like Alexandra Knight Alligator leather bracelets and Kissable Couture Lip Gloss. 100% of the proceeds of all items sold funds Multiple Sclerosis research through The Center Without Walls Program.
Edmonton City Council - Please Approve the EAD
Edmonton Loses the Indy! (Part 2 of 2)
Edmonton Loses the Indy! (Part 1 of 2)
Mercedes Attempts the Impossible
Lovemarks
When I first started Urban Jungle I had to take on a 2nd job just to float my boat while times were tough. I even had to sell my car and put up my house as collateral.
Now imagine as you turn to page B8 of the Business Section. Your attention is stolen, only for a fraction of a second. There is a little pink icon at the bottom right hand corner of the page. It is the Pink Ribbon of the Breast Cancer Society. Consider the power this icon has even though it entered your mind only for a millisecond! This little pink ribbon represents so much! Pain. Passion. Perseverance. Nothing out there cuts through everyday clutter like a simple, well designed icon. Why? Because great icons trigger memory and your heart is irrefutably attached to your memory.
They recognize that emotional legacy can inspire passion for the current and it can inspire the most loyal of fans.
How can it possibly work that well? Everyone; all of your competitors have the same resources, the same information, and in many cases the same processes and people. What is your unique value proposition? What is your defining factor for success?
As our lives have seemed to become more complex, it is odd that we tend to ignore our senses rather than let them guide us. It is our senses that lead us to emotion. The beauty of a Technicolor prairie sunset. The pop of a champagne cork. The taste of dark chocolate and red wine. The crisp smell of the forest after a rain. The soft touch of another human being. Since the beginning of time, our senses alert us, enflame us, warn us and fill our hearts with joy. Without sensuality our existence would become unbearably bland and ultimately impossible. I cannot imagine the world without light, food without taste, or days without sound.
Another thing that annoys me with these “experts” is that they all say the key to marketing yourself is giving people information. 
I bought my 3rd one last week and I swear the feeling will never get old. The packaging is beautiful and everything is laid out perfectly. All you have to do is plug it in, turn it on, and suddenly you are flying through space and time, grooving along to the funky Mac beat as your new computer greets you in a multitude of languages. A couple simple forms later and in literally 2 minutes you’re doing whatever it is that you love to do. For anyone that is subscribed to MobileMe it will automatically fill out the forms for you.
Did you know that owning a smashable color can create emotional bonds with your consumer? Studies show that the well known Tiffany’s robin’s-egg blue box can cause a woman’s heartbeat to increase by 20% compared to an ordinary colorful box. Granted it is likely the piece of jewlery inside that is giving the woman a near heart-attack, but I still find the association between color and product totally amazing. Today the robin’s egg blue has its own exclusive Pantone number, a patent of Tiffany & Co., and only available to print offices approved by Tiffany’s. Whether it’s Tiffany’s robin’s-egg blue box, Louis Vuitton’s brown leather bag, or Gucci’s stylish-yet-chic wrapping, all of these smashable brands carry huge price tags- and all they are selling is packaging!
When the Porsche 911 was introduced in Frankfurt in 1963 the model was called 901. The brochures were printed, the marketing material was all in place but everything had to be urgently changed. Much to Porsche’s dismay, they discovered that Peugeot owned the rights to all three-digit model numbers of any combination with a zero in the middle, and this was non-negotiable. Fortunately only 13 models got through the production line with the 901 insignia, thereafter it became known as the 911. A similar strategy has been adopted by Absolut vodka. They deliberately misspell their brand extensions, using English words inspired by Swedish grammar – Absolut Vanilia, Mandrin, Peppar or Kurant.
McDonald’s uses the ‘Mc’ in their name to every possible advantage. Their world is awash with Big Macs, McNuggets, McMuffins and even McSundays. If you happen to receive an email from the cooperation you’ll be greeted with the words: “Have a Mcnificent Day”. McDonald’s naming philosophy is an essential part of their brand. Mac-ization of the language was formally recognized when Merriam-Webster added McJob to their collegiate dictionary, defining it as “a low-paying job that requires little skill and provides not much opportunity for advancement.”
The designer succeeded beyond what anyone could have expected when he created what is known today as the classic Coke bottle. The iconic bottle could be considered a piece of art as it is displayed in museums abroad. If you disagree with its artistic consideration, one thing is for sure, there is no denying that the classic Coke bottle has become one of the most famous glass pieces ever designed. The bottle is still used today, it’s still easily recognizable, and it has passed the smash test for over the last 90 years.
My preference hands down is WestJet. Why? They are problem solvers. They are built on the philosophy of helping people and making them happy. Air Canada on the other hand seems to cause more problems and headaches than they fix. I have no idea what their philosophy is but if I were to guess it would probably be to increase share holder value. Regardless of whether or not that is the case, they seem to be missing one very important element – Make your customers happy and the rest will take care of itself.
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