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 -
