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.
Pope John Paul II’s three steps to better communicating your message
Just after dusk on October 16, 1978, a cardinal stepped out onto the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica proclaiming to the world, “Habemus papem”—”We have a pope.” In the 26 years that followed, Pope John Paul II changed the course of events in eastern Europe if not the whole world. How he did it offers clues on how you can be a more effective communicator.Continue Reading
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