All in Marketing
Decades ago, in the early days of the PC, Steve Jobs observed that “most people didn’t want to learn how to use a computer; they just wanted to use it”.
That was his underlying philosophy with the Mac (and all (of his) subsequent Apple products): how do you make the product so simple, so intuitive, that the customer can simply use it without a learning curve? And you have to admit, it’s worked beautifully.
Brands today are quite different from the brands I grew up with. Many of them are quite explicit about what the stand for and believe in, even if that narrows their target market.
These brands, I'd argue, achieve far greater loyalty and commitment than those that don't. Because, as I discuss in today's episode, consumers are sick of fitting in. And they expect brands to reflect that.
One of the most common conversations you’ll have, as someone who manages others, is the conversation about goal achievement.
That is, what will it take to achieve our goals? What needs to be in place for us to get there? It’s a good discussion (usually) that keeps all of us grounded on the practical steps that should be taken to enable us to get to where we want to go.
Earlier this week, I was in an Uber on my way to a client meeting.
As we rolled up to the building, my driver pointed to the client’s name emblazoned on the building and exclaimed: “This is a Moroccan company! I grew up in Morocco and their products are everywhere!” I smiled and said they’re a very big brand.
When we're trying to sell an idea or a product, we want to say all the right things to the prospect, so that we can close the deal quickly.
In doing so, we can at times, sugar coat the message, or gloss over key issues that need to be grappled with upfront. All the more reason, as I discuss in today's episode, that we always be upfront - even if that means talking about difficult things.
There's an allure to the grand strategy, the flourish and ambition behind the work we do. We love the exciting, glamorous and sexy parts, because that gets noticed.
And while those aspects of our work are indeed important, of far more importance is the more detailed, granular executional work, as I discuss in today's episode.
In the list of priorities of any organization, and specifically the management team, keeping everyone happy cannot be high up there. Any mission and its related strategy will - if done with concerted intent, structured focus and ability to execute in mind - polarize. That is, it will have its proponents and its detractors.
And if you, as a leader, have done your homework and have determined that that strategy is fit for purpose and the best path forward, then bringing everyone along cannot be a priority.
A lack of a brand is a forcing mechanism.
There’s nothing to hide behind, nothing to protect you or carry you in a conversation.
A lack of brand requires you to be crystal clear about what you have to offer and what you represent. It forces you to do the work, to the point that someone decides to engage with you - because the value you offer compels that engagement.
There’s an adrenaline rush, a state of heightened performance, that comes with growth, when things are going well. It’s a positive state because it’s a sign that others value what we’re doing and, by definition, in increasing numbers.
All of us want that kind of growth for our enterprises (and ourselves) because it is a sign that things are working. That kind of growth motivates the organization and pushes us to believe, commit ourselves and achieve more. All good things.
There’s a passage in Ayn Rand’s book, The Fountainhead, where the central character, Howard Roark, lays out his personal rules for Architecture. He says:
"Here are my rules: what can be done with one substance must never be done with another. No two materials are alike. No two sites on earth are alike.
Rented space can be a good thing. It provides for flexibility and minimal commitment, allowing us to piggyback on someone else’s work to serve our ends. Rented space can be a good and useful thing - for the short term.
Longer than that, the problem that arises, is one of control. When you rent, by definition you don’t own. Sure, you might be able to paint the walls and move the furniture around a bit, but if you want to make structural changes, more often than not, you’re out of luck.
In my last post, I wrote that, instead of focusing on having more choice, we should focus on having more confidence in our choice.
This is harder than it sounds, of course, as it demands that we do the work to understand our values, our decision criteria and what it is we’re looking for, as we make decisions about the work we do. If we know what we want, then we’ll make better, more confident decisions.
Years ago, I was developing a website when someone I worked with asked me what I was doing about SEO. As I explained my thoughts, it became clear that he was less interested (if at all) in the fundamentals of SEO (strong content) than he was in how we could best ‘game’ the system.
I suggested that tricking the Google algorithm wouldn’t be a great strategy, and certainly not one that could be considered long-lasting.
When we're communicating an idea or selling a product, we often think that if we just explain the benefits, people will buy.
When they don't, we lament that they just didn't get it. But maybe we're the ones who didn't get it - because it's not anyone's job to listen, it's our job to make them want to hear us, as I discuss in today's podcast.
In the last episode, I talked about how everyone has a platform and how that can be a good thing.
But having a platform isn't for everyone, as it comes with a set of responsibilities around what we say and how we say it. Today's show speaks to some of what I believe are the ground rules for establishing your own platform.
Many of us believe we have a message to share, in one domain or another, and many of us long to actually share it.
Today's episode speaks to the fact that we all now have a platform to say, write and otherwise communicate, anything we want. But wanting to and doing so are two different things, and the discussion today focuses on that inner dialogue.
Today's podcast focuses on the idea of owning our messages.
In any work we do, we're called upon to present our ideas and findings in front of an audience. Often, we feel compelled to "do what we're told" or to "follow a script". The reality is that we need to own what we present, no matter our level. In this podcast, I discuss how.
Earlier this month, the neighborhood I live in, Andersonville, was voted “The Coolest Neighborhood in the US” and the second coolest neighborhood in the world in the 2021 Time Out Index survey which polled 27,000 voters across the world.
Andersonville beat out such luminaries as Chelsea (New York), Sai Kung (Hong Kong) and Gracia (Barcelona).
Company missions need to be to the point. They need to focus on what the company actually does, so that when you read them, you have a sense as to the firm’s aspirations and where their collective energies will be spent.
Tesla talks about “accelerating the world’s transition towards sustainable energy”.
So, up until roughly 15 years ago, if you were interested in music and wanted to really enjoy the work of an artist, you had to own it. In other words, you had actually buy the single or the album. Singles came relatively cheap (99 cents), while albums cost anywhere from $6.99 and up. Either way, if you were really into music, the numbers could add up.
