Archives for Brand Promise

I’m With The Band

May 29, 2013

 

I'm With The Band

I have a secret: I’m a groupie. For Northern Tool + Equipment. They’re not a band.

I fell for Northern Tool + Equipment as soon as I read their story.
Donald L. Kotula started the company – his picture is on the “company info” page. He reminds me of my grandfather. He has a 5 o’clock shadow and his company baseball hat cocked slightly to the side – a giant wrench is leaning against his shoulder. I’m certain he knows how to use it.

From the beginning of his career, Mr. Kotula has had a make-it-yourself mentality: he started making tools that were needed, but didn’t exist. Let me repeat that: he started making tools that were needed, but didn’t exist. From the looks of Northern Tool + Equipment, that’s worked out for him okay.

Like my grandfather, Mr. Kotula exemplifies a person who lives in awareness, resourcefulness and action. His story is personal. It weaves together milestone life/work experiences as if they were effortlessly leading him to this future: his home town identity; working for his father recycling industrial debris later used to make unavailable equipment; starting his own business as a teenager refurbishing and selling used hydraulic components; earning a degree in business and finance; working as an accountant; and finally returning to the first business idea he had originally been drawn to when he was young: tools. Its the story of how his business came to be, with a strong thread of family throughout. It’s personal. It feels like it always has been. I like being connected to something like that. It makes me remember what’s important in my life; what I’m connected to.

That’s why I’m a groupie for Northern Tool + Equipment. I’m always interested in what they’re doing and what they have to say. I love going to their site and seeing what’s happening there. I’m consistently drawn in.

Voice the personal story of your business. Inspire people – give them something personal to connect to. The groupies will start showing up.

Make your presence felt.

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What’s Your Story?
Do you know the history of your brand? Was it’s path a straight line or were there some twists and turns? Can you describe the time before it existed? Were there specific events leading up to the IDEA of it? Why it was conceived? Who created your brand and why are they unique? What did it do that no one else was doing at the time? Was it popular immediately, or did customers need to warm up to it? How did it initially serve people? Is is still functioning in that way, or is it different now?

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Lori Sallee POSTED BY: Lori Sallee| 2 Comments

Connect The Disconnected

December 20, 2012

CONNECT THE DISCONNECTED

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Space Shuttle to Mars—Now That’s Customer Service!

December 7, 2012

Starbucks, visionary leaders! 

I don’t go to Starbucks for the coffee. 

Let’s face it, I can pick up a coffee from the local Yum Yum Donuts down the street. Why is it that I’m willing to possibly go out of my way, wait in a line and pay more money for a cup of coffee? It’s all the details surrounding the actual purchase of said coffee.When I grab a cup of joe anywhere else I get just that, a cup of coffee in a styrofoam cup. The end. At Starbucks I get a coffee experience!

How Starbucks Builds Trust

Starbucks knows me. They know you. They know us so well, in fact, they’ve created an experience we didn’t even know we wanted. They took the simple act of selling coffee and turned it into an art form. That’s what building trust is all about. Getting creative. Going above and beyond to consistently surprise and delight those that you love. In business it’s turning the act of selling into the art of serving. Starbucks has done this successfully by paying attention to the details surrounding the coffee. 

Consistency – coffee how you want it every time in any store all over the world
Availability – locations everywhere, including the grocery and the airport
Atmosphere – relaxed, warm and inviting
Sound – familiar tunes and new artists provide background entertainment
Trained Associates – not just coffee servers, but baristas who know coffee
Extras – healthy snacks, hearty sandwiches and decadent confections that pair perfectly
App – find a location and pay with ease
Community – local flavor breeds familiarity
Rewards – spend money, get free stuff
Communication – consistently sharing what’s happening

Notice, I listed nothing about coffee—their claim to fame.

Experience a Connection

People buy from people. People buy an experience. Every company, whether B2B or B2C, is similar to Starbucks. The unique opportunity exists to create a more powerful connection at every customer touchpoint. Fascinate, surprise and delight, just like Starbucks. Doesn’t that sound like alot more fun than “selling”!

Creating this kind of experience takes more than just special cups and a fancy title for your sales people. It takes real planning. And not the kind that happens at the annual company budget meeting. It takes clear positioning, strategy, creativity and a willingness to step outside our comfort zone. In his bravest and most challenging book yet, The Icarus Deception, Seth Godin explains why true innovators focus on trust, remarkability, leadership and stories that spread. Starbucks has successfully created a trust by focusing on the customer experience. By being remarkable. By making their customers part of their brand story.

It’s time to re-examine every customer touchpoint and design a more remarkable customer experience, like Starbucks. It’s time to stop pleasing and start serving. Let’s surprise and delight in 2013. Whose with me?  

(Excuse me, I’ve got to finish my venti iced coffee with cream now—aaaaahhhh!)

Make your presence felt.

 

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| 1 Comment

Why We Love the Building Products Industry

August 3, 2012

Big Love 

Ever ask yourself why you do what you do? We talk about it all the time. Why we chose to be designers. Why we chose to specialize in one industry over all others. This is why we love the building products industry:

1. People  :  genuine, down-to-earth and smart

2. Longevity  :  this entire industry is steeped in tradition and long-lasting relationships

3. Loyalty  :  always going the extra mile because you want to

4. Surprising  :  we never cease to be surprised or to surprise those around us

5. Products  :  the smell of wood, the power of a tool, and what they create

6. Fun  :  every day is an adventure

Why do you love it?

 

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| Leave a comment

The Power of Positioning

June 28, 2012




When you’re thirsty for a cold one, what brand do you grab off the shelf? There are so many. Which one do you pick? Do you decide based on taste? Price? Quality? Packaging? Beer makers know you have thousands of choices, so how do they persuade you to choose their brand? They differentiate themselves, that’s how.

What does beer have to do with positioning your brand anyway?! Consider this…Have you ever seen the ad or billboard for Stella Artois® that simply says:

“It’s a chalice, not a glass!”

One powerful sentence that sets Stella® apart from every other beer maker in the world. This single distinction starts a conversation…”Such an extraordinary drinking vessel requires an equally extraordinary crafting process.” This equates to “High quality beer in a very cool glass and you’re a cool person every time you enjoy some.” Who doesn’t want that?!

Then, there’s our favorite beer from Mexico that tastes best with a lime. How’s Corona® different?

Corona is relaxation.

“…Nothing else seems to set the same mood. Nothing else lets the conversation flow so easily between friends. Nothing else brings such a natural energy to an occasion.” No other beer owns tropical and relaxation, like Corona. Just drinking it makes you feel relaxed, right?!

Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the first light beer, Miller Light®. “Tastes great. Less filling.” How many times have you heard that? They’ve stayed true to their positioning since their debut in 1975. Lighter beer that actually tastes good.

They all have one thing in common—positioning. They’re leading with an emotion. An experience. A promise. Drink this and you’ll be cool, relaxed, less full (aka: magically thinner). That’s what branding is—a promise. They’re also telling a story. People are drawn in by the story and they buy the promise.

Now consider your positioning. What is your differentiator? Are you leading with something unique that only you own? What’s your brand promise? These successful beer makers realize that everyone can say their beer is a “quality” product, but only one brand can say “relaxation” or “extraordinary” or “less filling”. It’s never too late to promise a chalice instead of a glass or a vacation instead of a Monday.

Stay thirsty, my friends…

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| Leave a comment