The Little Details that Make Great Brands

When I talk about brands, I often tell a story about Disney that (I hope) illustrates the power of attention to detail in creating a strong brand. The story goes back to the time when I was national chairman of the American Marketing Association. The AMA was having a meeting in a Disney hotel in Orlando and Disney hosted a cocktail reception for our group (so they could make a sales pitch for future meetings bookings). As part of the reception they had Mickey Mouse make an appearance for photo opportunities with the guests. Three people came into the room. Mickey Mouse, a photographer, and a third person. I asked what the third person was doing there. His job was to hold your cocktail when your picture was being taken with Mickey - because the Disney brand doesn't associate its characters with alcohol. Small little detail ... that means so much when building a big and powerful brand.

The Softer Side of Brand Hawaii

Hawaii as a visitor destination is at an important crossroads. There are two proposals, in particular, that can change the character of Brand Hawaii forever: rail and gaming.

I am certain that a great majority of Hawaii residents are in favor of rail. Traffic is a mess. We need to become greener with our transportation. But HOW we develop rail is going to affect the character of this place. The current proposal to build a system that is entirely elevated will result in viaducts and stations that are as much as thirty or forty feet high. If we put that kind of system in front of the buildings and communities that create the special ambiance that define Hawaii as a special place, we will have changed our character. The planners argue for the proposed system on the basis of improved ridership and safety. Those points are debatable. What's not debatable is the visual and aesthetic impact it would have on Hawaii. I would argue that, in a place like Hawaii, those softer elements of a plan are equally - or more - important. Alternatives such as an "at grade" system can provide a transportation solution that has less impact on our character.

Then there's gambling. Or "gaming" if you want to sound less sinister. This issue comes up whenever there's a budget crunch in the belief that it will produce the revenues that will save our budgets. That case hasn't been proven. And, like elevated rail, it can have a profound effect on our character ... and the Hawaii tourism brand. One needs to be careful about making decisions that have long term impacts based upon short term conditions. Putting the genie back in the bottle is impossible. If we want the genie out, we'd better be absolutely certain that she works for good in the long term ... and that there are no horrible "unforeseen circumstances." Imagine casinos flashing neon "Aloha Slots" signs. It could happen. What does that do for the character of the Hawaii brand? What does it say about aloha?

Then there are the social aspects of gambling. I had a speaker in one of my classes that had managed a resort in Lake Tahoe ... and told the story of the hotels/casinos issuing $25 in chips in pay envelopes as a "bonus" for their employees. You can imagine that the employees ended up putting more than $25 on the table. (And he went on to say that spouses were calling him asking that pay be sent directly to them rather than the employee to keep them from gambling). I'm not saying things like that will happen .... but things like that COULD happen. I'm even more concerned about the changes to the ambiance of the guest experience in Hawaii. We have something here that's pretty mellow (even in Waikiki) which could be changed forever with a casino.

Planning and Performance

I'm back to update my blog after a long hiatus. I guess nothing really moved me to make a blog entry ... until last week. I received a notice from a public agency that they had completed a long overdue strategic plan. In case you haven't noticed, there's a recession raging out there - and I thought every organization, including government agencies, would be motivated to get a move on. Well, I thought, at least it was done. Then I read it. Not a lot of depth, but directionally right on. Short term: need to react to the economic crisis with hard hitting marketing programs. Longer term: get back to more traditional branding and positioning. Sounds right.

Except that on the very same day I got the plan, I saw some of the marketing programs that the plan ostensibly is driving. My reaction: huh? It's like nobody read the plan. No hard hitting offers or message. More fluff than a Northeastern snowstorm.

I guess no one figured out that there's supposed to be a connection between what's in a plan ... and what hits the streets. At the end of the day, marketing will be judged on the effectiveness of programs, not the elegance of plans.

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.