The Mississippi River overruns its banks and levies. Tens of thousands of acres of farmland are under water. It’s a disaster for farmers now. It will be a crisis for us soon enough. Farmers are ahead of the curve from us because they live and die everyday on the principle of sewing and reaping. We just know shopping and buying.Continue Reading
Be aware
Observe and reflect the market you operate in
Number 6 on my Ten Be’s of Better Branding. is well illustrated by this cautionary tale of what happens when you don’t observe and absorb. We’re living in an abbreviated world. The internet and texting is infecting our language with commonly known abbreviated shorthand. Except, maybe it’s not so commonly known.
A friend’s mom thought she was expressing sympathy in an email to someone who’d received news of a tragic loss. While she meant “Lots Of Love,” she was unaware the rest of the world knows LOL means “Laugh Out Loud.” Slightly different message.
Bath and Body Works is similarly unaware. This point-of-sale display in one of their stores left me chuckling. They didn’t know the slang meaning of BBW. Go Google BBW. You won’t find Bath and Body Works. Instead, you’ll find something truly LOL.
Of course, it’s possible Bath and Body Works was engaged in BE #10: Be Playful. Doubt it. There’s no mention of BBW anywhere on their site or stores. Even so, I doubt there’s an optimization plan on earth able to overcome the term’s commonly known meaning.
Be aware of your world. A simple Google search can help you avoid similar mistakes. FYI.
Be real
Be who your are without apology
I just love this van. It’s fun, it’s honest, it’s unpredictable. It covers nearly half of the Ten BE’s of Better Branding. But, it really nails Be #1: Be who you are without apology. They could have wimped out and called it “Quality Flyers,” or “First Rate Flyers.” Sure. Then they would have sounded like everyone else and melted into city’s the wallpaper of delivery vans. Instead, they claimed the truth of what customers want: cheap azz flyers.
I don’t know anything more about Cheap Azz Flyers than what you see here. I’ve never used them and can’t endorse them. I do know the colors, the lettering, the attitude all got my attention because they’re a great example of the Ten Be’s in action. (Minor points off for parking in a handicapped spot, though.)
How about you? Do you have the nerve to claim what it is your customers really want?
The ten BE’s of better branding
My son takes his SAT’s next week. The baby I held newly born two blinks ago, will be old enough to vote this December. So, I thought it fair to ask, as we drove together this morning, “what do you want to be?”
That ride, and his answer, left me wondering if we ask that question often enough about our business and marketing. Last week I wrote about the danger of too much doing. This week, I’m focused on BE: are you actively choosing what you want your business to Be?
I’m a Be student
Winning businesses, brands, products, and people start with BE. Here’s why: if you know what you aim to BE, what you need to do becomes obvious. Your BE comes before goals and strategies. BE is a filter to keep you on course.
1. Be real: Whatever you are, be it fully without apology
2. Be principled: Know your boundaries, follow your north star
3. Be honest: Truth is so rare it makes you stand out
4. Be specific: Define customer expectations clearly
5. Be reliable: Do what you say as you say every time
6. Be aware: Observe and reflect your market
7. Be generous: Give more than you expect in return
8. Be unpredictable: Customers love delightful surprises
9. Be learning: Stretch your thinking, seek innovation
10. Be playful: It makes you happy and drives competitors crazy
To BE IS the question
My son, by the way, couldn’t answer that early morning question. He’s in the same trap that often grabs us: mistakenly focusing on what to DO instead of understanding his BE. Take time to define your company’s BE’s up front. Then, watch what happens. Knowing your BE’s adds sparkle to everything you DO.
Our BE’s may differ
You may disagree with some of my list. Fair enough. What do you think belongs on there?
No worries about my son, by the way. He’s a teenager. It’s good for him to discover there are still some things he doesn’t know.
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