When Less is More

I'm working with some organizations that have had to refocus because of budget cuts. The remarkable thing is that refocusing is good. Whereas in more flush times they might have made some decisions without much thought, the scarcity of resources is making them think.

Even more remarkable, the tight times are making some smart people look more intently at accountability.

Unfortunately, these good outcomes from bad times aren't found in every company or organization. There are those who - when faced with scarcity of funds - panic and start to flail around like a drowning victim. If you're a swimmer, you know the rules for getting out of a rip current. Number one, don't panic. Number two, don't fight the current - outsmart it.

I hope that if your organization is facing scarce resources, you'll refocus, not flail.

Thinking our way out of recession ...

The Hawaii Chapter of the American Marketing Association is putting together the programming for the chapter year - July 2009 through June 2010. For June, we've scheduled a social gathering that's billed "Celebrating the End of the Recession."

Now, we don't have a crystal ball. So, we're not positive that the recession will end by next June. But, if we don't start getting out of our recession mindset we'll never get out of this recession. It takes consumer confidence and positive thinking to really get our economy moving.

Of course if the recession is still going strong, we'll have a party anyway. Who needs to be depressed after sixteen months or so of depressing news?

It's a party. You're invited.

Breaking Through ...

In my current job (in academe) I read a lot of dreadful student papers and obtuse academic or administrative tomes. Sometimes I despair that we are losing our ability to communicate.

Faced with this tower of Babel, I have turned to three touchstones of good writing: a new book, an old standby, and some good advice from colleagues.

The first is Made to Stick Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath. You can easily find it at the bookstore ... it's the book with duct tape on the cover. The book is filled with practical advice for getting your ideas noticed and remembered.

The old standby is The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White. I make an appointment to re-read this classic every few years. I'm up to the fourth edition. Some may complain that the book is too focused on rules. But rules are necessary for good communication (just look at the wild west of email communication). Beyond the rules, there's good advice here: "Write in a way that comes naturally." "Don't explain too much." "Be clear." That's great advice both for my students and my sometimes-obtuse-and-unclear colleagues.

The final bit of advice that has stuck with me came from my journalism school background and an early boss - both of whom taught me that good writing is hard work. Write and re-write. Edit so that your message is, as one j-school professor insisted, "tight, terse, telegraphic and to-the-point." I often advise my students to read their papers aloud. The ear can catch syntax errors and jumbled logic that somehow is hidden on the page.

I don't want to squelch the evolution of language anymore than I would want to see the return of "thee" and "thou" in our vocabulary. But I would like to see the evolution of the English language result in clarity and effective communication. Not the Tower of Babel.

Technology's Siren Song

Let me begin by saying: I like technology. In fact, I'm something of a geek. I bought my first computer in the 80s when prices were sky high and memory was minuscule. I even worked in High Tech for fourteen months during the infamous bubble.

There are limits to the proper use of technology, however, and like so many things I see misuse of technology applications that are due to a misunderstanding of fundamental strategy. The latest instance - which prompted me to write this entry - was a newspaper story about the state of Hawaii considering moving toward internet voting. That sounds really cool. It's easy. It saves money. You can vote in the comfort of your own home. So, technology's siren song is calling the state to move away from a proven and strategically sound system.

Here's the problem that I see with internet voting: there is a fundamental tenet of our American system that will get compromised with internet voting and that is the secret ballot. When you are voting on your computer, who might be looking over your shoulder? For most people, I don't doubt that they will vote their conscience in the privacy of their own home or cubicle. But ... what's to prevent special interest groups from organizing voting parties complete with campaign-like speeches and propaganda? What if unions or religious organizations have their members come into their halls to vote as a bloc? What about people with low computer literacy skills? Can a an organization with an agenda "help" them vote?? I believe that there is a ton of mischief that can be done under the guise of what will be promoted as an "easy and cheap" solution to voting issues.

So, sometimes a convenient and economical solution isn't the best. It's true when it comes to internet voting and it's true in business as well. I see this issue come up all the time in phone systems that send callers into never-never land. Or, offices that have no one to greet visitors. When I ran an advertising agency in Hawaii, we kept a receptionist on staff even though we could have saved significant costs by putting a phone on the reception desk and dispensing with a person. That would be cheap and easy. It would also have compromised our marketing position of being a people-oriented and caring agency.

So, technology is wonderful. I'm all for it. But it needs to be applied strategically. And with common sense.

What Gets Measured Gets Done

The Hawaii Chapter of the American Marketing Association recently gave out its Marketer of the Year Awards. In one of the presentations, a slide reprised an old marketing adage: What Gets Measured Gets Done. That's worth thinking about. Are you measuring the key metrics for your business ... the dashboard that tells you how you're doing in reaching your objectives? Too many companies do measurements pretty much "pro forma." "It's always been done that way ...". Especially in these times, we should be focused on the measurements that matter. In the case of travel to Hawaii, we need to be fixated on fundamental measurements - like value for the money scores. Just a thought.

Lewis Carroll Was Right

Recently, I spoke to a group about how to manage in a world of change. In searching for a metaphor to describe how to adjust to a new environment, I was reminded of a course that I taught in which I screened the film Alice in Wonderland in the first class session. The students were confused. Why were they seeing an animated children’s film in a college level marketing course?

But, there’s a metaphor in the Alice story that applies to life today. When Alice falls through the rabbit hole, she finds an alternate universe with a completely different set of rules … and she struggles to make sense of it to survive. That situation sounds very familiar. My favorite scene involves the game of croquet between Alice and the Queen of Hearts. The stakes are high (the Queen’s favorite phrase is “off with their heads”), but this is a game that Alice knows. Or, so she thought. In this strange universe, however, the croquet mallets are flamingos and the balls are little hedgehogs that move around on their own. So, when Alice has finally struggled with her feathered “mallet” to line up a shot, the target has moved. (Who moved my cheese?).

There are a lot of people making money writing books about the current economy and how to cope in it. Lewis Carroll perhaps wrote the first one. It’s worth a review.

Co-opetition In Tourism

Recently, I was named in a news article as someone giving free advice to a new tourism organization in Hawai‘i – the Hawai‘i Tourism Association. I have been approached by many friends and acquaintances asking “what the heck is all that about?” There seems to be a lot of suspicion in Hawai‘i when anything new arises which might appear to upset the status quo.

In fact, I’m a believer that the status quo is always fair game. I came of age in an era when bumper stickers touted the slogan “question authority.” There’s always a benefit to looking at the status quo, especially in unsettled times. I distinctly remember that one of my less-than-stellar grades on a paper in my graduate program came from a comment that I had made indicating that I was following “the conventional wisdom” in coming to a conclusion. The terse margin note from the professor was “NEVER accept the conventional wisdom without critical analysis.”

So, there’s a new organization in the tourism arena in Hawai‘i. That’s not a bad thing. However, some in the industry see competition as a threat. In the case of the Hawai‘i Tourism Association, I would characterize them as an example of co-opetition rather than competition.

In my career, I have worked at the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and have managed the advertising for the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau. I know first hand that, with limited resources, they have to do triage. They can’t be everywhere and they can’t service everyone. They have to choose geographic markets and they have to prioritize vertical markets because of their lack of budget and bandwidth. They have to address the high level strategic needs of the state and the industry. I understand that. But, that means that there are niche markets and vast swaths of geography that go untended.

I definitely can see a role in the virtual world to connect buyers and sellers in these niche markets. Is there a travel agency in Singapore that wants information about travel products in Hawai‘i? Singapore isn’t covered in the state’s plans (because of budgets). But, in the virtual world, an organization like the Hawai‘i Tourism Association can connect buyers and sellers virtually. Are there groups out there representing special interests (the GLBT market, the Hispanic market, bass fishing clubs, cultural tours) that aren’t supported by state plans. Let the free market and the worldwide web make the connections that are missing in the state’s programs. It’s not a case of competition. It’s a case of market self-determination. That’s the genius of Craigs List, eBay and other C-to-C and B-to-B communities.

If the tourism industry wants to rely solely on official and approved organizations and programs, that’s their prerogative. If I were grading them, however, they’d find a big marginal note: “Look Outside the Conventional Wisdom.”

For Job Searchers: One day at a time …

The news, lately, has been pretty breathtaking. Inconceivable drops in the market. Unbelievable amounts in the federal deficit. Unimaginable stimulus legislation. Washington turned upside down with a new administration. Whew. But more breathtaking than that has been news at the personal level. There are friends, acquaintances and colleagues that I know who are out of work and looking for jobs in this bleak environment. The scale of this economic mess is such that I’m sure everyone knows someone who’s been affected. That puts a face on the problem.

The best advice I’ve been able to give to the newly unemployed is the same advice I’ve always given. Keep your networks strong. But, more importantly, think of your job search as a marketing campaign. Start with the product. What are the benefits that you have to offer a company? Take a look at the old résumé and see if you’ve just amassed a bunch of facts about yourself. Instead, you may want to take those facts and translate them into real benefits to offer and contributions you can make. Of course, it’s tempting to pursue a “shotgun” approach to a job search. But, just as in a marketing campaign, you’ll probably find your best results when you hone in on your target market. The most compelling way to sell a product or service – or yourself – is to match what you have to offer with a likely prospect. So, while the internet has made “blasting” your résumé easier than ever, take the time to identify and research your best prospects. Go narrow and deep.

With all that, it’s still tough out there. So, there are two final words of advice. Be patient. There are jobs, there just aren’t a lot of jobs. It will take some times to make the match. And, finally, keep your perspective and your sense of humor.

The Joy (and Value) of Networking

The Need to Network …

I’m finding that, in these difficult economic times, there are fewer people joining professional associations and attending professional development programs. I’m sure the reason is financial. In tough times, there is a drive to cut every cost that you can. However, I would like to make the case that, especially in times like this, networking through associations and conferences is essential – both for professional and personal reasons.

Professionally, in a time of rapid change, it is more important than ever to keep a finger on the pulse of change. You need to hone skills. You need to get outside perspectives from your peers and from professionals. Naval gazing in a tornado is not a recommended survival strategy.

On a personal level, this is the time to keep up your contacts. Even if you think you have a secure job now, that could change without much notice. Companies fail. And even for companies that are survivors, marketers are (unfortunately) too often at risk. If you don’t have a network outside your own company, you will be at a disadvantage in a job search. It’s all about your network.

So, cut costs where you must. But be careful not to cut off the resources you’ll need to survive.

Who's Accountable?

Once upon a time ... in a galaxy far away ... a primitive tribe of marketers huddled around a primitive campfire and chanted "we can't be accountable." In this primitive world, there was a primitive idea that marketers were somehow different from those in other tribes who had auditors looking over their shoulders. Marketing can't be measured, they cried. It's an art. It's immeasurable. It's magic.

That primitive world has gone away. In this galaxy ... in this world ... in this reality, there is a universal understanding that accountability and measurement are the brave new world. And marketing can't escape the universal mantra that measurement is a mandate. Measurements may not be perfect, but they are necessary. And as marketing costs have escalated, there is an increasing chorus of managers who are demanding that the marketers prove their worth. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? Well, let's just say difficult. There are creative minds out there that have been able to create approximations - if not precise measurements - for marketing effectiveness.

It's about time marketers stop stonewalling the need for accountability. It's part of the new world we're living in.

Civility … and the Marketplace of Ideas

I’ve worked for institutions with different kinds of cultures. In my experience, those companies that foster a civil working environment are obvious winners. Obviously, (duh!) because working in a pleasant and cordial environment is – all by itself – preferable to working in an environment of egos and email wars. But, there’s another and potentially bigger benefit to civility in the workplace: it fosters dialog. And dialog fosters creative thinking.

In the recent book Sway by Ori and Rom Brafman, there is an illuminating section on decision making in the U.S. Supreme Court. Despite the fact that there are strong political views among the Justices, there is a decorum that fosters dialog. Perhaps more importantly, dialog is fostered by the formal development of dissenting opinions. Knowing that a well-reasoned dissent will be published, the majority strengthens its arguments and addresses weaknesses and concerns that the dissenters identify. In the end, when the system works right, the prevailing opinion is better reasoned … and the dissenters have had their voices heard. The healthy discussion in an environment like this avoids the pitfalls of “group think” that can lead to disaster.

My first job out of graduate school was with Leo Burnett Advertising in Chicago. An advertising agency can be a collection of huge egos. But, that wasn’t the case with Burnett (at least when I was there). Collegiality was encouraged and bullying wasn’t tolerated. Burnett institutionalized this collegiality. When ideas were presented to a team, it was always the case that the most junior staffer in the room was asked to comment first. This insured that the junior staffers would get their moment in the sun – but would also not be swayed by the “bosses.” The “bosses” in turn, would address the issues that were raised. And, do you know what? Every so often, “out of the mouths of babes” would come brilliance.

Year of the Ox - Time to Deal With Sacred Cows

I haven't been blogging over the holidays. There were some emergencies and unexpected travel that kept me out of the blogosphere. But now that we're well into the new year, it's a good time to reflect on the challenges that the new year will bring and the skills we need to face those challenges. It's a good time for thinking as we contemplate a new year, a new administration in Washington, and an entirely new business environment.

I've taught a course in institutional change, and the first rule of change is simple: It isn't easy. We're comfortable with the way things have been, especially coming out of the last decade of economic growth and a bubble of real estate appreciation and false security fueled by sub-prime mortgages and credit card debt.

Here are a couple of catch phrases that have helped students understand the need for - and the difficulty of - change. They come from Paradigms a book by Joel Barker.

Your past success is your worst enemy is an essential idea in understanding the difficulty of making changes. We're comfortable with the skills and experiences that made us successful in the past. And we're confident that those skills and experiences will be successful despite the fact that we may be operating in a very different world. It's just human nature. Like Pavlov's dogs, we exhibited a pattern of behavior in the past and we were rewarded. And now we have learned the "trick." But, like a one-trick pony, that trick probably won't work in a new environment where the rules have changed. Who moved my cheese?? If you need an example of the folly of following past success, consider General Motors. They were operating under the rules of an outdated "conventional wisdom" while the Japanese were changing the manufacturing model and the world was changing the norms and expectations for transportation excellence.

Sacred cows make the best burgers is a phrase that reminds us to put everything on the table for review. In good times it's possible to "wink at" programs and policies that have been around, unquestioned, forever. In tough times, we don't have that luxury. It's especially hard to deal with programs that have political supporters, loyal constituencies, and staff that may end up getting displaced. But, for the health of any organization, shedding unproductive appendages is critical to organizational health. Think Darwin: evolution or extinction? I'm familiar with tourism in Hawaii, and this is the time to review duplicated and unproductive structures, budget allocation methods, market selection practices, and a host of other sacred cows.

January saw the start of a new year and the beginning of a new administration in Washington. January is also Chinese new year, and 2009 will be the year of the Ox. Like the Ox, we need to be untiring and focused as we pull ourselves out of the mud of 2008.