9 Sept 2011: Thanks for visiting! The ThomasBoston Blog for small business owners + marketers, The Whole Brand Blog™, is now located at:

The Whole Brand Blog

. . . along with the new ThomasBoston website.

Please come and visit us!

Kindly,

Tom , Founder, CEO + Brander

ThomasBoston

It’s been an interesting period since I last posted to this blog, one that’s helped me more fully understand the nature of Brand (which
I continue to capitalize out of respect and affectation).

Brand is about focus.

Long story short: it seemed like serendipity when I re-connected in July with the owner of a great little specialty agency; his dad had been one of my early mentors, and we were both of the mind our dads were smiling someplace as we met for lunch. Sure enough, soon came the offer to start a new ‘product’ agency for them. I was excited.

But try as we may, after months of ‘dating’ it became clear it just was not meant to be.  And while we were both disappointed, it was all good, because the lessons we learned strengthened both companies and Brands. At least that’s what I’m feeling about mine.

So what did we learn?

First, that it is very difficult to define a Brand without a fully shared mission and vision. And I don’t mean its logo, but focusing and crafting a (long-tail) position, a unique Brand ‘story,’ which a logo only identifies.

‘Shared’ is the operative word here, wonderful when it happens freely, but impossible to force. And when it’s not fully shared for whatever reason, the only thing left is transactional. Products become commodities, perhaps Brands, but not without costly repetition. (Brutish political and discount furniture brands come to mind after these past mind-numbing election weeks.)

For most small businesses though, the function of Brand is to provide conclusive, ideally unique reasons to purchase a product from many offered at various price points. The theory (and my experience): when Brands are understood as representing true value, better margins are possible, and in fact expected. Value creates confidence, which in six months, is still confidence.

Of course price is always important. But I really believe in the maxim: ‘buy the best you can afford; you’ll always be satisfied.’ It may mean you can’t do everything at once, but half of a great sandwich is always far more satisfying than a fast food meal deal, which initially fills you up, but inevitably leaves you wanting.

The second lesson: to embrace simplicity. During our exploratory period we’d been asked into one of the agency’s clients for a Brand project. For whatever reason, we decided to horse and pony show the pitch, and it was nothing less than a disaster. Not only was it a classic example of ‘selling what the client had already been bought,’ it over-powered what we were really there for – to listen and understand how they had built their Brand’s foundation, upon which we could help build new revenue streams for them. Us, too. (In the meetings I’ve done since, I’ve left the deck at home – to much better effect.)

So no, we didn’t come to a meeting of the minds in this merger, at least for now. It was not for lack of wanting. But we (re-)discovered it’s nearly impossible to Brand what you are not. That keeping it simple is key. And you can’t force success, anymore than pressing helps a sports team win a game (the 2010 World Series comes to mind).

Underworld connects with its audience via audio + visual design

All told, I feel I’ve regained my focus. And I’m certainly more relaxed, knowing better who I am and what my Brand stands for. This understanding has freed me to again start taking reasonable risks so critical to building my business.

Yep, ‘focused, but relaxed,’ is my new mantra. And as a line in the UK duo Underworld’s latest album (on which I recently wrote my first-ever music review) “Barking” suggests:

‘He regained his perspective; that felt a lot better.’

Kind regards,

Tom -

PS: As always, your comments are welcome.

{Tom Lanen is a Strategist + Brand Storyteller at ThomasBoston in Hopkinton, a company that helps small businesses focus and fortify their Brands for greater profitability. Say hello to him on Twitter.}

By Tom Lanen

During a blog posting break for the World Cup, a most magnificent event, I’ve given some considerable thought to what’s next in my series, “Finding yourself: a euphemism for Brand.”

While this shot is now over 10 years old (my oldest son is now 17), the time we spent together on Buzzard's Bay that day was worth more to me than anything anyone can buy me today - except maybe a new sailboat. (Kidding!)

When I left off at the third installment, my thought was to explore the “low” and “high” roads of business and Brand positioning, a concept put to me in the early years of my career, when we believed a position and Brand was an outcome we could manipulate via hyperbole, the mass media or the quality of the brochures we produced.

But I’ve come to think ‘low’ and ‘high’ are antiquated concepts in this era of media intimacy, and while we can package things to the Nth degree, to great effect, ultimately today’s amplified consumer voices define the Brand, and its position.

What drives these voices? I think it’s what’s worthwhile about your Brand. (Or not.)

This may seem a fairly basic question, and a simplistic answer. And it is. Then again, most things about Brand are obvious (and thus elusive if not focused). But it goes to the very core of what I believe is the function of Brand: to provide conclusive reasons to choose a product from many at varied prices points. That it’s a product worthwhile having; an experience worth pursuing.

Given how deal- and ROI-driven the world is, my first tendency as a marketer is always to spell out the transactional features and benefits. But in doing so it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that ultimately the emotive aspect of most any purchase is the real reward. And emotion is at the core the relationship one has to a Brand.

My twins fishing off a little island we visited on Father's Day - being a dad truly makes my #LifeWorthwhile

When a business or Brand stakeholder honestly and astutely articulates why what they offer is worth considering, both transactionally and emotionally, the truth of their answers will reflect their position and value-add – regardless of their price points, distribution, or marketing tactics. Thus the ‘high road’ or the ‘low road’ question really is moot. The true road is the one that gets us to our destination and fulfills us along the way.

So what makes things worthwhile? To me, it’s the people with whom I work and interact, the conditions under which we do it, and those reach and impact on whose lives we make better. Maybe it’s different for you.

Last week I started a new Twitter hashtag, #LifeWorthwhile with the idea it could be a channel that perhaps provides us shared insight and understanding about the many things, the details if you will, that can enrich our lives. Or maybe even just give us common ground to connect on Twitter. And if it connects us in real life, even better. My intent is to tag things I find worthwhile, family to friends, brand to design, and from philosophy to things that just make us smile.

I started the hashtag #LifeWorthwhile for many reasons. For one, I’m not convinced as important as it is, we overtly apply or focus on the concept of ‘worthwhile’ in our professional or personal daily lives, or use it as a measure to guide our actions.

My sense is we often make decisions that take the path of least resistance: a ‘low-low’ cost, everyone is doing it, or because it’s expedient; and not because it’s what’s really best. Goodness knows I’m surely not immune to making these questionable decisions. But I’ve found I’m never happy when I make decisions to accept anything less than what’s really worthwhile knowing or buying.

The quiet of the morning, the promise of a new day; even getting out of bed at dawn can be worthwhile (unless you were up until 2 AM the night prior doing some worthwhile dancing).

One of the ways I’ve learning to apply the worthwhile test, be it intellectually or even instinctively, is using design as a primary measure. My experience and observation is Design connects us to what’s important, e.g., natural design connects us to a better understanding of the world around us.

Conversely, some will always try to pass off ‘decoration,’ both visual and verbal, of what they think as pretty – and thus having value. But without some sense of strategic design discipline driving it and connecting me, ‘pretty’ is totally subjective and most often is just noise. Not worthwhile, at least for me. (And not the low road, but no road.)

Articulating the concept of ‘worthwhile’ provides a significant challenge for Brand marketers. And it can also translate into significant return.

The challenge is you can’t make up or invent what’s worthwhile about any given product or service once it exists; it can only be better defined, focused and amplified. And in my experience, any attempt to qualify inferior Brands or goods using false modifiers or hype is futile, another worthless time burner that simply annoys me. And I never buy anything, literally or figuratively, that annoys me regardless of price. (You’d think the 85% of furniture retailers that burn my time and ears with loud and ill-designed advertising would get this basic concept, but no.)

The opportunity is once the core brand value, what makes it worthwhile, has been planted and internalized, Brand gains momentum that’s hard to stop. Its equity becomes measurable and increasingly valuable. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a mega-brand or one with local flavor. As such, ‘worthwhile’ is a pillar of communication strategy.

To me, this is where marketing ‘creative’ jumps in, hopefully really creative, which seeds itself to tell two friends – and so on. But it’s built on truth and reality, not just wishes or worse, the desire to exploit those easily exploitable. Sure, some will tell you it’s the way of the business world, that it’s done, and done daily. But at what real cost? (I can’t answer that for you.)

And to be sure, selling mass quantities, making tons of money, and making people happy is what we do, and the basis for capitalism, an economic system in which I believe. But I’m still idealist enough, naiveté aside, to believe that money is one measure of the good we bring to people’s lives. (Of course Bernie Madoff blows that theory out of the water – for all the good it will do him for the next 149 years, and beyond.)

Kenneth Feinberg, now engaged in helping the people in the Gulf recover, is a modern day an American hero; his Brand was defined only after he started to listen deeply to what the survivors of 911 deemed significant. (AP File Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Of course a Brand, no matter how worthwhile having in one’s life, isn’t infallible. And that’s that’s the real challenge. If a Brand screws up, time alone will heal it or sustain its momentum. A Brand (and those who own it) must always show active promise and action, documented and true. Tiger is case in point. And I hope he succeeds.

Last Thursday’s news that the oil well in the Gulf has been capped for the first time since April may prove to be another unstoppable Brand example, if indeed the Brand can truly “make it right.” They seem to be trying, but jury is still out on that one. And goodness help them if they take up their old ways in Alaskan oil exploration.

For now, the news about progress in the Gulf is most welcome. Because the people of the Gulf, their families, work, and happiness are definitely #LifeWorthwhile.

I hope you’ll join in on the conversation and help enrich my life too, with ideas, products, and philosophies which have enhanced yours.

Kind regards,

Tom -

I’ve decide to take a break from my series, “Finding yourself, a euphemism for Brand,” to celebrate the greatest sporting and social event in the world – the FIFA World Cup.

Like I have a choice. I’m absolutely enthralled with the level of play, and with the traditions of the World Cup. The global spectacle, the people and host country have fully captured my imagination.

Landon Donovan, USA National Team

A good friend, a former Irish national, now a USA fan (OK, England too), is to blame for much of my affliction. During the last Cup, in 2006, I always knew where to find him any time a game was on – and it wasn’t at work. And you can be sure we spoke more than once this week, after the glorious USA win over Algeria to advance to the knock-out round. (Woo-hoo!)

My love affair with the Cup, and the game in general actually began back in ‘93, when we were introduced to Hummel, the Danish soccer team wear company (not the figurine company). At the time, Hummel was the outfitter for the Danish National team, and was thought to be selling more soccer apparel into Germany than the German brand Adidas. They were looking at the USA market with high expectations. And why not? Not only was it a very well-designed line, it was also a very well established Brand, aspired to in most all of Europe and South America. Why would it be anything but great in the USA too?

And most excitingly, ‘94 would bring the World Cup to US soil. US Youth soccer, which had been around a scant decade or so, was starting to take root (I eventually coached 8 awesome seasons for my 3 sons’ teams).  And there it was: share to be gained just for the asking. Famous last words.

Dealer catalog created by ThomasBoston for Hummel USA soccer team wear: 1994 World Cup in the USA

Hummel USA Inc. was formed, with a former CFO at Puma at the helm. His mandate from the Danes; to establish the Hummel brand franchise in America. After all, just grabbing 10% share would translate to a huge revenue stream. Just 10% was do-able, right?. No sweat. After all, our products were just fabulous (and they really were).

This CEO, a long-time sailing buddy for whom I’ve crewed in a few of the Chapman Bowl 24 hour Cape Cod Bay sailboat races, brought us on to develop marketing materials, which were to be targeted to buyers at the local retailers. No consumer awareness effort was in the plan. And of course, this was before the Web (you know, in ancient days).

It was reasoned that the almost cult-like status of the Brand would pull customers through retail specialty soccer shops; in essence the goods would sell themselves, simply based upon the line’s style, its rich materials and design, and global cache.

And, to the USA president, having pulled Puma through a Brand disaster after they had decided to sell their line at K-Mart, which had egregiously eroded its “serious athlete” positioning, there appeared no other option than to sell through soccer specialty stores.

Along with a great catalog, and some POP stuff such as posters, we created a number of ads, which ran in what was very limited youth soccer media (two unaudited publications since gone). But we were in both books, in almost every issue, along with a few others, notably Umbro. And where was Adidas?

My twin sons' 2007 youth soccer team, one of 8 seasons I enjoyed coaching (in red jacket). That's a famous Fidelity Investments marketing Sr. VP behind those other Foster Grants.

We soon found out. They were deep in the trenches, executing against their strategic grass roots commitment to the category. Sales reps were calling on youth soccer associations, and in the high schools lining up introductory uniform and gear deals. And slowly but surely they instigated measurable brand engagement, not via hype, but by relationship building, and introductory offers that got product in the hands of those making short- and long-term purchase decisions.

When the games began, they really turned it on. And blew us out of the water. My estimate, based upon industry sources was they spent in one day, what we spent in over perhaps nine months.

But more importantly, when they turned on the ad spigots, the money had somewhere to flow. They had their distribution ducks lined up; they’d gathered some ardent supporters who told two friends, who told two friends, and so on, and so on. And not only did they tell friends, they showed them the goods.

And thus the Brand became synonymous with the Cup, and with the game. They’ve never looked back. I also see this years’ Danish National team jersey is made by – you guessed it.

Yep, they kicked our butts. But not without learning a few things.

1. Arrogance kills. Great Brands aren’t so because their owners believe it so, but because customers think they are great Brands, and are willing to share them with others.

2. This is a big country. We all fly over it to LA and back, and yes, it seems big alright. But hitch-hike through it, as I did the year between my sophomore and junior years in college, and you see how really big it is, how diverse its people. And be assured, it is effing big. There’s no other way to put it.

Unless you can afford to beat your message into your entire audience by repetition, and shear brute force, consider a regional rollout. (Are you listening you bold marketers ready to take “just 1%” of share in China?). A step at a time, steady and sure, concentrating on one focus market. Because half-ass, diluted coverage is folly.

3. Small brands are not big brands in miniature. It’s generally impossible to match the money and clout of big brands. But you can build a Brand story to compete for the hearts and minds of your customers, and charge it with benefits to which customers can relate.

Part of the South African culture - the vuvuzela. To not have one for a match, "would be like going into war without a weapon." (and there may have been one had FIFA outlawed them).

Regardless of media clout, messaging and imaging must compete head-on with all in the market in terms of the values it conveys. And that’s where the work begins; the effort to articulate and amplify a Brand’s values so they are understood by each customer who buys a product, one at a time, according to their very specific needs and aspirations.

My sense is it’s natural we all get so ‘mass quantities’ at times – this many Twitter followers, that many Facebook fans, and that many sales needed – that it’s easy to get ahead of yourself, or even overwhelmed by the thought of  creating immediate volume. But we have to remember even Adidas started somewhere, and wasn’t an overnight success right out of the gates. And I think we should all take a lesson, if not from their grass-roots strategy, from their understanding that the secret to Brand is in the details. And a step-at-a-time works.

4. Customer experience matters more than clever words. Just this week I read in Ad Age about a study conducted by Xyte, an online research firm, that concluded us folks in the ‘advertising’ business fall into the ‘word’ category – we’re a people who like to work with words and have a longer term focus.

The 2010 Adidas World Cup “JABULANI” ball, which means “to celebrate” in isiZulu

The problem is only 18.5% of all people are word people. The majority of people are what’s called “hand people,” and have a much shorter focus. They like products backed by facts. Let them get their hands on it, and if its price reflects its value, you won’t have to sell them anything. They’ll buy it.

(Expect to see this blog converted to a video blog in the near future.)

All told though, I have no regrets. We did the very best with what resources we had available; the strategic vision was simply not aligned to the reality of the marketplace. At the onset we suspected it might not be, but hoped our principals would see the light after seeing what they were really up against. But by then it was too late.

And frankly, we were excited to have the opportunity to work on such a stylish and well-designed product line; the excitement of the World Cup was flowing in our veins.

I only wish we had the consumer engagement capabilities of social technologies in our marketing tool belts as we do today. It’s grass-roots marketing at its very best.

Nike knows this; it’s coming at Adidas’ mindshare with its own “grass roots” effort in the form of 4 minute video, now wildly viral, that understands its objective, validates the Brand, and spotlights its legacy with soccer-savvy consumers.

I can’t recall quite who first suggested it, but I think watching the World Cup should be mandatory for all marketers. Because along with the grace and at times, its sublime beauty (as Twitter and SEO/linguist friend #Ironshef describes it; he also describes the moment of Landon Donovan’s stoppage-time goal as “scrumtrulescent,” which it was ), comes some real insight about how big the global market is, and how diverse the needs and dreams of the people in it.

Just check out #WorldCup and see for yourself.

Thanks for reading the ThomasBoston B.Log. As always, your comments are welcome! Please use comment form at the bottom (the second one) – thanks!

_______________________________________________________________

Are you a small business owner to whom marketing is worthwhile, and Brand is personal? As of today I have the bandwidth to take on a few new projects. If you’d like more information about ThomasBoston creative, Web and Brand marketing services, please fill out and submit the first form below – or call me at 800.452.6231, x-202 to discuss your plans, in complete confidence.

Call today, and we can get started – summer is a great time to prep for Q3 & Q4! I’d love to hear from you!

Kind regards,

-Tom

800.452.6231 • +1 508.497.8900 • Thomas@ThomasBoston.com

This is the third installment in the series:
‘Finding yourself: a euphemism for Brand’ by Tom Lanen

About 10 years ago my designer and then full time creative partner sent me Bruce Mau’s “An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth,” which today still hangs in sight of my desk.

The times are changing; at one time identity purists considered it 'improper' to change a logo's coloration or treatment. Yet here's the redefined (not 'reinvented') ABC logo on its website, moderated to the times - a Paul Rand design.

A brilliant designer, sometimes thought of as heir apparent to Paul Rand (forever the king of Brand identity for me), Bruce’s third point (of 43) is:

Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we’ve already been. If process drives outcome we may not know
where we’re going, but we will know we want to
be there.

In the course of building a Brand, most company owners have a picture in their mind’s eye of what that Brand should be, and what it should look like. This is a very healthy, and in fact, critical to growth (goodness help the business owner without one).

But from experience I’ve found that when that vision becomes cast in cement as an outcome, it’s nearly impossible to build a Brand that’s vibrant and current. And Brand presence and equity diminishes, sometimes imperceptibly, sometimes markedly to everyone but its owner.

When Brand is driven by an outcome, paraphrasing Mr. Mau, it can only go where it’s been. That can be very different from what it needs to be to stay meaningful and connected to the marketplace.

As Pepsi’s Frank Cooper recently stated “marketers must make (the) (epic) brand a critical part of core fans’ culture.” And no matter if the Brand is B2C or B2B, its “fans” are always moving; perhaps making a way-stop at your business, but if the what they find is static, not staying for long.

Legend has it Paul Rand was asked if he could improve the original ABC logo he designed. His answer: no.

This is not to say that a Brand’s legacy is not a valid tactic within the Brand building strategic process. Legacy is important. But it’s just that – a tactic.

Of course the Six Sigma folks will tell you it’s all about outcome. And I understand their point of view, especially given the movement all started in the semiconductor industry, where a botched outcome on just one semiconductor wafer yields $70 grand of trash.

But Brand is just a very different animal. It needs to be fluid. And its guardians must be given creative license, within strategic parameters (what its core values are), to adapt it and help Brand connect with its audience – ‘fans’ if you will.

My point is simply this: Brand is a process, a journey driven to provide definitive reasons to buy a product among many at varied price points. The goal of the process is to make inroads, a pathway to a destination fans want to discover and visit today, tomorrow, and a year from now. Brand is a value-driver.

And ultimately Brand is equity; momentum, goodwill, a customer list, and yes, cash flow. The real Brand outcome is its intrinsic value when you sell it.

And that’s an outcome upon which we can all agree.

Kind regards,

- Tom

@ThomasLanen

Next: The High Road or the Low Road?
PS: If you missed the Prologue to this blog series, you’ll find it here. For the previous installment, just hit the <- Older Entries button on the bottom left. And please, your comments are welcome!

Questions? Want to know more about ThomasBoston creative and Brand marketing services? Please fill out and submit the form below. Thanks!

This is the second installment in the series:
‘Finding yourself: a euphemism for Brand’ by Tom Lanen

So there you are, running a business you started some time ago armed with a vision, a prayer, and boundless energy and enthusiasm.

Back then you created a logo and perhaps a tag line or ‘catch phrase’ to help people understand who you were. If a retailer, your store and merchandising design were also a definitive part of your identity (what people see).

Rolling Stone magazine's quintessential repositioning set the stage for the Brand's next era.

Likely you also created a website and some marketing, sales, and POP stuff. The design may have been a little homegrown, and not spot on to your tastes and vision, but it didn’t matter then: off you went to build your company and conquer the world.

Then you gained momentum and started enjoying repeat customers who began to better understand your style, your way of doing things. With this came your Brand’s image (what’s remembered).

But now, you find yourself quietly dissatisfied. You’re not the new kid on the block anymore; the buzz you once enjoyed is not what it was. Nobody is beating down your door to put you on TV or the ‘What’s New & Cool’ guide in the local newspaper or happening Web directories.

And then there was the time a customer called to place an order, and told you they were looking at your Website – and you cringed. And it wasn’t the first time it had happened. In your gut, you know it doesn’t represent what your business is today, your design sense, or the value you bring to customers. It’s just not juicing you like it did back when.

What to do?

My first advice would be to take a few days off. Regain your perspective. And when you get back, take another look at your Brand with a fresh eye.

The 'good old days' for Visibility Systems, and it's Lightman® brand . . .

I’ve often heard company and brand founders characterize their start-up period as “the good old days.” They also tend to think of that period as one when they had more time to devote to such non-operational aspects of their business such as Brand.

And while they’re right – time is a most precious commodity – there generally comes a time when investing some effort into redefining, focusing and again amplifying your Brand can pay big dividends.
And perhaps an annuity.

No, it’s not always easy. But you may be surprised at some of the outcomes the Brand retooling process can yield, and how easy it becomes to maintain your edge after you get Brand back in control (more about the process in future posts).

From experience, I’ve found there’s 5 major reasons to justify the investment in retooling a Brand.

. . . and the current-day Lightman, featuring its award-winning product design & function presented within a minimalist site design.

1. Your instincts tell you it’s time to refresh the vision. If your Brand just doesn’t “feel” right it probably isn’t. Trust your instincts. Just do.

2. Your Brand has an Identity, but its Image is tired. People use the terms Identity and Image as if they were interchangeable. An Identity is what you see; an Image is what you remember. Ideally, one drives the other to instigate a ‘feeling’ about the Brand, and its products. Emotion plays a huge part in driving transactions; it can also override the price issues.

And to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with a Brand being “Old School.” In fact, it’s a valid position, within which there are many colorings, such as “retro-contemporary.”

3. Your Brand communication, web to storefront, no longer provides enough current information or data to customers to help them make purchase decisions. The purpose of brand is to provide meaningful and conclusive reasons to purchase a product from many options and price points. Brand is a value-driver.

4. Your category or industry is rapidly evolving. Matt Howell, the CTO of the Boston-based agency Modernista recently spoke at Boulder Digital Works about “the freakish rate of change” in the agency business. That was the primary reason I redefined my company’s position and brand last year.

Top: what our Brand looked like in traditional marketing days (the Thomas Sailboat™ is still our Corporate logo). Bottom: Our migration to the interactive era; also becoming a 'red company.' We added the 'Advertising.' tag line when we found out it was how our clients knew us - even when we worked on their websites and social media.

When I started this business as Thomas Marketing Services in 1989, the internet was a fledgling ‘information superhighway,’ then a uber-cool term (at least in Al Gore’s mind), and we did mechanical art from “desktop publishing.”The term ‘marketing services’ was also in vogue, even if most didn’t know what it meant (and still don’t).

We redefined our Brand to signal we’ve evolved with the times, and the online dynamics of ‘advertising.’

5. When you’re preparing your business or Brand for sale or succession. The condition of your brand something to think about well before the fact, because building or rebuilding one does not happen overnight. But bring a meaningful, well-established and current Brand to the table, and it’s saleable equity – money in the bank. And your kids will thank you.

Sure there are other reasons to take a critical look at your brand: new technologies and entrance into new product categories are but a couple. You’re invited to comment below if you have others.

Just one word of caution. Once your Brand has been redirected to reflect your values, resist the temptation to further define and revise its core nature. That only confuses things (and everybody), which is entirely at cross-purposes with two very important objectives of the branding process: consistency and focus.

It’s time to get on with business.

Kind regards,

Tom

800.452.6231, ext. 202
Twitter: @ThomasLanen

Next: Brand definition or redefinition: process drives outcomes.

PS: If you missed the Prologue to this blog series, you’ll find it here.

Questions? Want to know more about ThomasBoston creative and Brand marketing services? Please fill out and submit the form below. Thanks!

Hi there. I’m back. It’s been well over a month since my last post, and my site visitor numbers have dropped precipitously according to my Google Analytics. And that’s reason enough to pay more attention.

My dearth of posts has not been not for lack of trying. Sure I’ve been busy with projects, but I’ve also written 2 post drafts, one on strategy; the other why people shouldn’t fear social media, as do some of my boomer friends and clients.

The problem, as I began to see, was there was no context or logical lead-in to either subject. I was assuming too much. And as my dad taught me early on, “Don’t assume anything,” a maxim he learned from the great Dale Carnegie. I was stymied.

Most troublesome of all it was shoot-from-the-hip tactical; the irony of writing a tactical piece on strategy was not lost on me.

This past weekend, Mother’s Day, my wife and I really enjoyed the time with our sons, 17, and twin 12 year-olds, who were just very sweet with their homemade cards and gifts. We took the time to look and reflect upon where they are in their lives, and how they were all developing such amazing personalities, each with his own focus, strengths, and not-so-strong points. Three different kids you just won’t find; even the twins are day and night.

My sons are at a great age; they'll still go to rock shows with dad - here at Gillette Stadium in 2009.

That Sunday night, as I started to gear up for the week ahead, I felt pretty happy and satisfied with how my boys were growing, excited for them and their future: my oldest son’s AP English exam and pending Junior Prom (today), and my twin’s soccer prowess and academics just a few of the great things happening in their lives.

I also started thinking about a phrase planted during the day by the media: the process of how Mothers help children “find and/or re-find” themselves.

And what do mothers (and dads) hope their children will find? Who they are, what they believe, and what they stand for. And how they’ll bring these attributes to bear for the betterment of humankind, their families, and themselves.

In short, we help them find their Brand.

Quebrada: neighborhood bakeries serving Fresh, Fresh, Fresh™ baked goods and desserts made with only the freshest, simplest wholesome ingredients available™.

By now I’m getting excited. Because I realize it’s exactly what we’ve been doing with a client these past months while staging her business’s second website. It’s been more far more than a website  development process, and more than a technology and content management system (CMS) platform upgrade. In fact, that was the easy part; my web partners, Newfangled, have that (and now mobile) down cold.

It’s been a collaborative process of updating the Brand’s Identity (what you see) via the design disciplines, so as to reflect the client’s style. And it was a structured process, at times soul-searching, focused on articulating the brand’s position, its uniqueness, which drives messaging and visual elements of its Image (what you remember).

The interesting thing has been, like my boys, I’ve not invented her brand anymore than my wife and I have invented my sons’ character traits (OK, so genetics and nurturing has something to do with it, but you know what I mean – they are still very different kids).

Rather, it’s more like what my client said to me just this week: “you pulled together all the different threads of what we do, and what we’ve built over the years, and have woven it to create a new tapestry.”

I love that.

My sense, from years working on many awesome brands, is Brand isn’t something anyone other than its owner(s) can “invent” or “reinvent,” any more than we mere mortals can invent a non-fictional person other than ourselves. Anyone tells you different just doesn’t get it, or isn’t listening.

Extending Brand across all touch points and media - including one that reaches thousands daily. The new Quebrada truck just became part of the Brand this week

But Brand can be defined or redefined, and focused. Or as sailors say about a boat fully prepped and ready to take on the challenges of the seas, “well-found.”

How Brand is found. Now there’s a topic I love, to which I can write. And without the technical, academic, or oh-so-cool social media terms my clients don’t really care to know, and in fact, hire me to understand for them.

And the place to start is from the beginning.

So what’s in it for those with whom I work, would like to work, or hope will read the ThomasBoston blog?

Brand is more than a logo and tag line; it provides compelling reasons to chose one product from many. And it starts with its owner's style.

My goal is to help advance their understanding of the subject. That Brand is not a simple thing to be bandied about; and it’s far more than a logo or a catch phrase. It’s a state of being, emotive and transactional. It provides conclusive and compelling reasons to buy a certain product from among many. It drives pricing and value premiums.

And Brand builds tangible equity, money in the bank ready to be cashed out upon its sale or succession.

And importantly, Brand requires attention to how it’s presented – all of the time, point of sale to FaceBook. Because the real secret to Brand is in the details.

Of course, there will be many for whom my posts may seem like a Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious (BGO). And they could be right – a lot of Brand is obvious, so much so that one may not feel it worth their attention. But it is.

Kay Wiggin, Baker & Founder, Quebrada with Tom Lanen, ThomasBoston

If you’re a business owner or stakeholder, and marketing isn’t really your thing (or you don’t have the time to study it), but sense you have a need for it to grow your business, I invite you to join in.

And please, comment below and/or ask me questions you may have wanted to ask, knowing my belief is there’s no such thing as a dumb question in this business. I learn new things daily, which is one reason I love what I do.

You may also email me directly. And be sure I’ll never give up your name to anyone. Never. So ask away in confidence.

You’re also invited to subscribe to this blog via RSS, which will feed a notice to your Google Reader or Home page whenever I post a new chapter. My goal is to post one new chapter a week.

And BTW, if you’re new to RSS, it’s really an easy thing to understand, even if the acronym puts you off. Really. Send me a note, and I’ll email you some very simple directions from which I learned. (Or, just watch this RSS video on YouTube.)

And yes, we’ll get to the topics of brand strategy and social media soon, along with a host of others. And you can always contact me directly if you’re ready to know more now.

But please, if we ever work together, don’t expect me to be your father. Brand Father maybe, but not your dad. (I feel mine smiling someplace right now as I channel his sales engineer humor, one of the many things he helped me find.)

I’ll be here all week.

Kind regards,
Tom

800.452.6231, ext. 202

Twitter: @ThomasLanen

Next: When is it the right time for a business owner to take a good hard look at their Brand?

Questions? Want to know more about ThomasBoston services? Please fill out the form below. Thanks!

In a recent well-written post, Sarah Dooley of Newfangled, my primary web partners, wrote about how the design process “actually worked” when we created the new website for Quebrada Baking Co.

The view to Mt. Washington from my ski trip to the top of Wildcat in New Hampshire on 3.13.10. The feeling: awe.

One of the directions I had given her and Justin, our lead designer, was how the site “must look like Kay,’ the brand owner. Sarah’s post noted how this was accomplished, largely in part by the fact we didn’t dictate tactics, such as specific type faces, but spoke in terms a designer could interpret as we advanced through the design process. This is actually a basic issue; I’ve been taken out by more than one great designer when I’ve tried dictating anything to them – it’s really self-defeating, and can only end in mediocre decoration.

I smiled as I read her post, partly because of my pride in the job we’d done together, and partly from what seemed like her surprise when we got the design right.

Because I was surprised too. Not that we got it right; I’d collaborated with the team before and generally make it a point not to experiment with a client’s budget. I knew we’d get it right at some level.

No, my surprise was at Justin’s great design solution. Again, not that he got it right, but at the brilliance of his execution, which was right on the design strategy to which we had agreed: “site design will communicate a feeling of understated retro-contemporary elegance.” And it happened because we let our design process drive outcomes, not by letting outcomes drive the process, which at best, can only result in going where we’ve already been.

Mt Washington, 1/3 of the way down Wildcat. The feeling: exhilaration.

It’s important to understand that while I’d given the direction the site must ‘look like Kay,” my implicit instruction, which they understood, was that the design must be understood and feel like the Quebrada™ brand, just as its stores, brimming bakery cases, amazing aromas, and friendly staff sets the tone for the customer experience. The core values we helped articulate at the onset of the site development process – Fresh Fresh Fresh™, made with only the freshest simplest wholesome ingredients available™, and that it’s ‘a neighborhood  bakery’ needed to be reflected within the overall design sense.

So why ‘feel’ like the brand? Because emotion is what engages people. And as I had observed in my many visits, Quebrada is more than fresh artisan-crafted baked goods and desserts. When you’re at the bakeries you always feel welcome.

No matter what your product or service, they’ll always be intellectual reasons for embracing or rejecting a product, brand or company. But most often they’re tactical and transactional. They’re issues and outcomes you can address, step by step, assuming you get the opportunity to do so. Getting that opportunity is where emotion comes into play.

About halfway down Wildcat. The feeling: elation.

I think emotion is as much strategic as it’s tactical. It’s a powerful motivator that opens the mind, heart and spirit to a better understanding of the world. And emotion gone astray is not easily fixed on an intellectual level. So it’s important to address it openly and often in the marketing business, regardless of the numbers orientation we need in marketing today.

The big idea for this specific project, the site design and user interface, didn’t evolve from what we thought. It came from how we interpreted the brand and design strategy, and from product, facility and staff images – and how our complementary (not dictatorial) skill sets and shared values set Justin free to create a solution. As we went through each step – mood boards to page design – we didn’t analyze each design element intellectually; we let it resonate with all our senses until it really felt like the brand, the Quebrada ‘experience.’ And its beauty extends beyond the aesthetic to real function. And that’s the difference between design and decoration.

Once we had the emotion question answered, all other elements became an exercise in filling in the blanks and physical speed.

At the bottom. The feeling: let's do it again!

Of course, you don’t have to like working on the emotional level. I’d say many, if not all of the engineer and technical marketer types with whom I’ve worked aren’t patently emotional creatures – at least professionally. And when I work with them, I generally don’t talk in terms of product benefits. For them it’s about features – which they internalize and ‘discover’ to yield, you guessed it, an emotion (aka: benefits – as they perceive them).

Today, whatever we do as marketers and creatives must be measurable. But to attract interest and help fulfill expectations of those whose actions we measure, I’m not convinced the first question is always “what do you think?” I believe it’s “how does it feel?”

Because feeling is satisfying. And I always come back for more.

A few years ago, we created a new brand identity for Ovation Benefits Group, the outcome of a merger of one of our longtime clients, who also named the company. My ‘tagline’ positioning evolved fast: you stand during an ovation. “What You Stand For.” was adopted.

Stand and take notice

At the time, the ‘stand’ reference seemed the obvious brand image, the connection to it. But today it seems almost subliminal. And the deeper meaning of what you stand for, at the core of Brand.

It’s important a small brand communicate its core values in a manner that enables fast uptake. This is especially true on the Web: you have to make an impression and capture interest during a 3 second viewing window – and the page still may not be read.

The fact is small brands must compete head to head with the bigs. Quebrada Baking Co. has to work just as hard as Starbucks to sell a cup of coffee, to get customers in the door. And if they didn’t have a track record of quality, even harder. How can they compete with marketing at spend levels just a fraction in comparison? By clearly and simply projecting what they stand for, their core ideas and style.

Today the Ovation brand stands on its own, its values known in its marketplace

I believe well thought out brand design, visually based and strategically aligned with content – which includes the business or store environment – is an efficient way to articulate core values. And, while decoration can be a tactic  within a communication strategy, design is far more. By definition design is functional. It’s a tool that can rapidly transmit baseline brand truth.

Brand design attracts people to an idea, a simple story. Unfettered and even primal (as in nature), design is what connects us to a better understanding of the world around us.

A small business is unlikely to ever have the resources to overpower the big brands. But it’s not a big brand in miniature. It’s possible to outmaneuver them and capture customers, one at a time, with a well-defined and truthful design-driven communication strategy. It can telegraph what you stand for.  And at the very least, provides the foundation to compete on equal footing.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s TED presentation on the Fragile Earth continues to fill me with awe. As he depicted the Alberta oilfields, and the fact we use 3 times more oil per day than we find, or that in 100 years the mountain glaziers will be gone, or that by 2050 (40 years from now) all the fish in the ocean will be gone if we don’t change our systems of harvesting, his central point was: “we don’t believe what we know.”

Greenpeace: Maldives Island (Video)

When I first watched this I was struck by the vast, almost incomprehensible magnitude of the ecological madness that’s happening. It’s so big, one could feel powerless to effect any change – there’s almost no place to start.

But Monsieur Arthus-Bertrand is a brilliant presenter and messaging expert. By staying ‘on-brand’ with his consistent mantra, “We don’t believe what we know,” he’s able to drive home a singular and very critical message on his latest project, which binds together many aspects of ecology and humanism. And understanding his message is where to start.

What makes his brand so credible? I think it’s the universality of it, the truth, if we allow ourselves to
believe it. Now’s a time we all need something in which to believe – and a brand is one of those things -
why shouldn’t it be yours?

I also found his mantra to be a positioning tool. It’s pretty easy for a business to loose sight of its position and of its brand values, if all our marketing revolves around drinking our own kool-aid as producers selling something we can make, rather than marketers making something that fills a need.

Last week I had the pleasure of having lunch with a high-powered CEO/CFO type friend with whom I worked when she was the president of a division within Fortune® 300 company. Our relationship has always been characterized by our ability to communicate openly, which has been a key factor in my ability to produce some of the best work of my career for her. So I asked simply: “In your opinion, what’s been my primary value-add as a marketing guy?”

“Tom, your position as a marketing services firm is too broad. You’re a brand messaging specialist.”

Believe what you know. And while you’re at it, talk with some of your customers when you’re not trying to sell them something. Chances are good you’ll get a dose of reality, and regardless of what it is, it will put things into perspective.

I’ve found outside perspective is especially valuable with the marketing SaaS products that enable you to execute marketing programs yourself, or within your company. Without perspective that helps ensure you’ve presented the most salient messages, doing it yourself can more expensive than what you spend to field the program, especially when you factor in lost opportunity.

As for me, ThomasBoston, the next generation of Thomas Marketing, specializes in brand messaging.
Which is good to know.