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Do you ever stop and wonder why women are leaving your company? Are you unsure how to stem the tide of women leaving corporate America? The simple fact behind the answer is senior management and employees are not on the same wave length. The appropriate policies are in place and every one uses the politically correct rhetoric yet the implementation of policies never seems to trickle down to those who are affected the most. The women employees know that policies, for the most part, are a joke and not taken seriously by the employer. There is a serious discrepancy in getting the “true” message to the right people. Here are some reasons why.
1) Lack of legitimate support for women at work
The Party Line: The company has developed a strong platform of supporting women in the workforce.
The Reality: Women have not attained parity with in the organization.
The Solution: The company needs more than rhetoric. A legitimate plan of understanding the real issues and implementation of solutions needs to be devised.
Start by assembling a team that is representative of the women within the company. Collect a good balance between the most senior women executives (if there are any), those who are on a management track and women who are considered 9-5 employees (not serious career plans) yet are an integral component of the companies success.
This task force should address the following: What are the real issues that concern the women within the company? These issues should go beyond the obvious equal pay problems. Prioritize the list and understand that this is not a quick fix program. If the company has more than one location, representatives from different facilities should be included. This is not just a corporate headquarters problem.
The task force should also look outside the organization for examples of companies that have what are considered “best practices” in supporting women within the workforce. It’s important for the team to understand that this is not a finger pointing exercise but an opportunity to establish parameters for what policies they would like to see implemented within their organization. Seeing examples of other companies’ policies in action and the successful outcomes will go a long way toward establishing a benchmark for beginning a program Outside experts and resources should be called in to share their experiences and progress in implementing similar programs
2) Employees are a resource.
The Party Line: Our employees are our best asset.
The Reality: The employees come last in a series of current economic issues. This reflects the belief that employees can be easily replaced or are overlooked while other financial issues are addressed. This is so commonplace that companies feel like they can resolve the employee issue at a later date. The reality is their reputation is already damaged. Women simply don’t want to work for them no matter how attractive the job offer.
The Solution: Invest in employees as an asset vs. a revolving door policy. Do that by supporting continuing education and training. Note: This does not mean telling every woman who wants to go into management that they need to go back to school to get a MBA (an all too prevalent practice as an excuse for not bringing women into the managerial pipeline).
Encourage active participation in professional associations. Paying dues, supporting meeting attendance and training programs should be carried out. I find many women end up paying their own expenses to industry events just to keep their skill sets current. Provide external development opportunities where women can be among peers and role models outside their industry, i.e., leadership conferences, training. Encourage women to expand their skill sets such as writing articles and professional speaking. Have a mentoring program within the organization where women can learn from each other and help younger women grow within the organization.
3) The Company reputation
The Party Line: Parading glowing reports and statements in the annual report and literature about happy employees and so forth. Trotting out the “poster child” a senior woman at the top (usually there is only one) that is supposed to be representative of the entire female workforce.
The Reality: The company can’t get talented women to come to work for it or stay employed by it.
The Solution: Once a reputation is damaged it’s very difficult for a company to overcome.
It’s a process that needs to be attacked on many fronts. Just offering jobs to women is not enough. You need to be where the women are and advertise in the appropriate women’s publications, sponsor the appropriate conferences, use job boards that target and seek out women applicants endorsing women’s organization that are affiliated with the industry.
Word travels fast and women will tell other women about female unfriendly policies. One of the tips I always suggest before considering any company is to go to the website and using the search button. Type the words women, diversity, leadership, etc. The results will give you the real picture of how supportive the company is toward these issues. Chances are you won’t get a single response to any query. This tells you very quickly how important this issue really is to the company philosophy.
If you do get a “hit,” read the article thoroughly. Ascertain if it’s it legitimate information or pure fluff. Check though all the corporate officers, executive committee and board of directors too. See how many women are represented. This will give you an insight into the “real” company beliefs and how supportive the company is of women at senior levels.
4) The company in action.
The Party Line: We actively seek and recruit women and minorities.
The Reality: The company places a few ads and advertises once or twice. When they don’t get hordes of women knocking at their door they give up entirely.
The Solution: It takes time to change a corporate culture. One of the worst tribulations in the transition is management hierarchy. One CEO may be very supportive, but his successor couldn’t care less. “Succession planning” is imperative to continue the message. This means that plans and policies that have been implemented by one leader are so firmly entrenched in the company philosophy that efforts to support and encourage women in the workforce continue unabated regardless who is at the helm.
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What is a Brand?
Brand is an identification of a company and its products. It can be in the form of logo, symbol, color or just a name. This identification helps distinguish itself among its competitors.
Creation of brand is not just creating a logo or byline statement or a symbol. It is the creation of experience, which would make the customer, want more and more of it. An experience, which can create strong positive emotions, something that can lead the customer to trust and become loyal to it. First thing that qualifies a company or product to be a brand is the ability to create emotions. Brand has to be associated or should trigger emotions.
Logos, colors, symbols, statements, advertisements and promotions are the main tools for the communication of a brand. Now coming to the main point of the article -Unleashing the power of brand internally & unveil a new power, i.e. Internal Branding or promoting the brand internally among employees so that they are aware of the capabilities of the company and are proud to be working for it. With the help of internal branding, a new source of powering the brand comes to force. All employees are people who connect with the outside environment after office hours. All positive vibes sent out by employees to their friends, neighbors, relatives, etc creates a compounding effect on the image of the company.
The pride the employee shows to be working for an organization itself speaks volume about the company. The manner in which employee behaves itself portrays or communicates something about the image of the company. It can be either positive or negative. So how do we go about the internal branding? How do we harness this hidden power?
First Step:
To be able to harness this power, there needs to be a synergy between the organization and the employee, a bonding, or you can say an environment in which the individual can thrive and bring out his best for the company. Every organization has a different culture and every individual a different temperament, this should match. I hope I have made the point now. So lets move ahead
The whole process starts with recruiting, recruiting people who can gel in with the organization. Any Employee joining the organization or selected to join the organization needs to be evaluated in terms of his personal characteristics.
What about existing employees??
In case of existing employees they need to be conditioned to behave or exhibit certain characteristics as deemed fit. All this is possible only with the motivation of the individual and Focus.
In a company the employees are the first customers of the brand and the brand should be able to fulfill their promises. Brand is also the outcome of all the company employees’ efforts; so they need to give in their best to the brand.
Who is responsible for Internal Branding?
Internal Branding is the responsibility of the Top management/Leadership or the Brand Manager in charge of the particular brand. Alternatively the best solution is to have a team of Marketing, Admin and Finance guy to form an internal branding team.
Some tactics to internalize the brand:
1. Brand the atmosphere
The workplace atmosphere affects the way the person works. Put on the posters of the brand and its promise or attribute visible to everyone. The brand promise visibility in the office should be exceptional.
For eg: Put up a notice board and highlight every day some news about the brand progress or send an email to everyone on the update or the progress made by the brand or by the executive working on the product. (I don’t mean a formal email stating simple fact what has been done, an email, which evokes passion, smile and motivate. Some time an email with good intentioned criticism also helps to push people, personal notes by leaders inspire staff)
2. Team Involvement:
Ask for suggestion, start in a forum where ideas can be discussed openly without the fear/hesitation of organization hierarchy, but make it clear who the decision maker is. Keep everyone informed. Keep the buzz on don’t ever give the guys time to slack down. Keep them charged, keep them interested
3. Responsibility, Credit & Incentive:
Give out Responsibility and authority to carry it out and give credit where it’s due.
There is nothing like incentives, which can really motivate people along with appreciation. Give out a ” Champs of the month” in various functions for the brand like marketing, admin, customer service, sales, merchandising, etc.
4. Brand Training
You might have heard of product training, but brand training is different and unique. Educate, Reinforce and inculcate the attributes that really make the brand stand out amongst the other competitor in the employees.
If necessary, Spoon-feed the staff on the behavior that compliments the brands, especially the staff that will come in contact with the outside world.
In simple terms each of your employee has to be a brand ambassador. Let everyone hear the facts and things that need to be projected for the brand.
5. Brand Culture Development
Create & promote the culture of the brand in your organization, as most of the brand guru has said LIVE THE BRAND. Develop the culture in your organization that reflects the brand nature.
Once done, you might have single brand but 100 to 200-brand ambassadors (depending on the number of employees) projecting your brand everyday to the world. If I summarize, Internal Branding can create salesman out of every employee and who ever comes in contact with your employee will be influenced by the brand.
Santosh Pania
visit http://www.marketingbuff.blogspot.com
Why is it that Coke can market all kinds of mutated varieties such as Diet Coke,
Cherry Coke, Diet Vanilla Cherry Coke, etc., and consumers literally drink it up? But
when Mercedes came out with a low end version of their car, the “real” Mercedes
owners were horrified? To discover the answer requires identifying a company’s
“pivot point.” The pivot point of your brand is that inherent promise you have made,
(wittingly or unwittingly), with your customers. And while you can move your brand
in any number of directions, that one pivot piont, that key element of trust, must
remain steadfastly in place. Want proof? Ask yourself, hypothetically, which of the
following would be more accepted in the marketplace…
• Rolex announcing that it was coming out with a very high end clothing line?
• Rolex announcing that is was going to sell a $10 version of its watches at Wal-
Mart?
Rationally it would make more sense that Rolex would extend itself further in the
watch category. But Rolex really isn’t in the watch business, it’s in the prestige
business. That’s the pivot point, or position, it owns in the customer’s mind. To
create a cheap, widely available watch would seem more like a betrayal than a brand
extension. It’s obvious once you really think about it, but how many times do
companies believe they are in the business of the product they make?
Since I’ve positioned Tungsten Marketing as a source for brilliant branding, it would
be more acceptable if I next offered brilliant public relations vs. a bottom-of-the-
pile discount naming warehouse. If I were to do that, I would need to create a whole
new brand or identity so as not to cloud my current positioning… one of providing
clarity and brilliance.
A client of mine was at a loss on how to grow his tuxedo business. It was post 9-11
and the mood was anything but festive. When I asked him what business he was in,
he was flabbergasted, “Tuxedos of course!”. In fact he was the second generation of
tuxedo sellers. But then I prodded him again. “Do men really want to wear heavy,
tight-fitting, expensive tuxedos?” He thought for a moment and finally replied no.
As he sat confused, I asked him again, “What business are you really in… what do
that makes customers love you?” His eyes widened and he replied “We make men
look good!”
He has discovered his “pivot point”.
Making men look good brought with it all kinds of new possibilities. He could gather
his customer’s email addresses while they shopped for tuxedos, and then send them
thoughtful reminders before loved ones birthdays and anniversaries, with
recommendations on the perfect jewelry, flowers or chocolates. He could make a
commission on these products all while making his male customers “look good”. He
could extend his product line to include business suits, since he would no longer be
just a “tuxedo” shop, but a place where men could come to look good in the eyes of
others. See how important that subtle distinction can be? Instead of being stuck in
a dead end industry, the world was suddenly full of possibilities. That’s powerful
stuff.
So in looking at your business, what is your pivot point? What is it about your
business that makes your core customers love it, use it, and spread the word about
it? It’s probably not the goods themselves but the way in which you deliver them.
And that’s what customers are truly buying. That’s your pivot point. Find it and you
can move your business in entirely new, and profitable, directions!
Phil Davis, President of Tungsten Marketing, has over 20 years of national naming and
branding expertise to his credit. Phil has written for Entrepreneur.com and other
leading business publications on the importance of naming, branding and strategic
positioning. His work can be view at http://www.PureTungsten.com
Look around today, labels are everywhere. With tighter regulatory rules, better labeling is becoming compulsory. Labels should provide the end user with useful information to them. A great label can also make your company or product stand out. Walk down any isle in a grocery store or pharmacy, and you can see many brands for every product. How does the consumer choose? One way is the packaging. A sharp, professionally designed label can increase the chances that your product will be the one selected. Study after study shows that the packaging can increase the likelihood of selection from 20 to 65% among undecided shoppers.
Do your labels save you time, effort, and money? Do they make your company look good and help you sell more? Do they adhere well, look beautiful, and last as long you need them? Or do they just stick? Discover everything your labels can do for you. You invest a lot in your labels–shouldn’t they do a lot for you?
Nearly every industry uses labels. They perform a broad range of functions, including identification, merchandising, marketing and transferring information. But not all labels are the same, nor will just any label meet your company’s unique needs. Find a label supplier with expert knowledge of label materials, adhesives, protective coatings, printers and more. By understanding your needs and wants, this will lead to a more successful label. Use employees who are specially trained in label design, including the finer elements of selecting the right face stock and adhesive for your stickiest label applications.
If you buy labels, you should know that many factors affect the success of these products. Next time you order labels, be prepared to answer questions about the surface the label will be adhered to (wood, glass, painted), the texture of the surface (rough, cylindrical, flat), the expected usage period (days, months, years), the temperature at application and the method of imprinting (ink jet, ion deposition, laser printer, handwritten). In addition, talk to others in your company to determine if the label will be exposed to any harsh conditions, such as direct sunlight or abrasives.
Why should I buy custom labels?
Stock labels may be adequate for internal usage, such as inventory tracking, but you’ll probably want to order a custom label for any applications that your customers will see. Consider a label, such as a shipping label, an extension of your company’s image and an important advertising vehicle. Incorporate your logo, corporate colors and your company’s Internet address. Labels in custom sizes or with custom die cuts will make vital information stand out. Ask for design ideas (such as custom perfs or bar codes) that will help your operation run more efficiently.
Distinguish Your Company with Unique Labels. If your company is using plain shipping labels, warning and instruction labels, information labels, and price labels, you’re missing out on viable marketing opportunities. Shouldn’t your company have more of a presence than just a name on a UPS label? The use of 4-color product labels, shipping labels and more, featuring your company’s name, logo, slogan and contact information. Personalized labels will improve your company’s image and reach. Once you put thought into the whole process of designing and usage of your labels, the returns spent on this label will certainly outweigh any of the costs. It’s not what you put in that’s important but rather what you get out.
Good luck with your next label!
About the author:
Steven Schneidman
Solutions Ink
www.solutionsink4u.com
Steven Schneidman has taught finance at a Canadian University, worked at the head office of a National Canadian Bank, and owns a successful printing and promotional product company.
Learn to question your label supplier and if they can’t help with your next label project, feel free to email me at steve@solutionsink4u.com or visit my web site for some fresh ideas for your next project at http://www.solutionsink4u.com
Microsoft… IBM… Wal-Mart… Nike… Adidas… Time Magazine
Six of the largest public companies in the world…leaders of their respective industries… innovators and creators of products, services, and information…
You know who they are. You study their growth, their balance sheets, their risks, their failures. You even go out and buy their respective entrepreneur’s biographies hoping to discover that one secret strategy that put his or her company over the top.
Well I’m here to tell you that there’s one thing all of these companies have in common that is so blatantly obvious it’s often overlooked.
I’ll make a bet with you. Even if you were the finest linguist in the world I’m challenging that you couldn’t write more than a few sentences to describe the logo of each of the companies I listed above. I mean how much can you write about a logo that’s one color, one symbol, without shadows, embossing or flashy graphics?
I’m often amazed when I’m contacted by a potential client who is starting a business and asks me to design a logo for them that is flashy, multi-colored, layered, spinning, exploding… “that stands out.” I mean doesn’t anybody conduct basic research anymore? You think Bill Gates called in a graphic design team and said, “Hey guys I’m thinking Microsoft should have a logo that spins and flashes with 15 colors that shows how bold and crazy we are…” Do you really think Jack Welch called for a multi-colored General Electric logo?
The Face of Your Company
What will be the face of your company? When you grow it won’t be the owner, the employees, or even the product or service you provide. It will be the logo. So how do you want to project your company to the world? In the case of each business above the chosen logo is one that is bold, clean, and simple.
What that achieves is fairly straightforward, but as I mentioned, is often overlooked. A clean and bold logo projects stability and reliability, the two keys to success for any business. Time Magazine Inc. is recognized as a leader in the journalism industry, an industry that relies on credible information and trustworthy reporting. The strong and crisp logo emits such a sentiment.
The same goes for computers. IBM Thinkpad laptops have long been regarded as some of the most reliable and durable portable computers. The all-capital-letter IBM gives off a sense of strength and persistence.
The bottom line is that your logo, above all else, has to reflect a sense of strength, stability, and trustworthiness. If it’s just a pretty graphic it’s useless. So when you’re in search of a graphic designer for the perfect logo to represent your soon to be “world-conquering corporation” make sure to remember who came before you. I say if it’s good enough for Microsoft, Nike, and Time Magazine… it’s probably good enough for you.
Derek Falvey is the owner of Acuvar Web Design and Creative Development http://www.acuvar.com . He has helped numerous small businesses from lawyers to home builders and even a small farm create internet business strategies that guarantee success. Specializing in graphic design, web site development and creative e-marketing strategies.
The concept behind the Holiday Inn Express brand certainly should be “smart.”
Customers are supposed to feel an increased sense of intelligence after staying at
Holiday Inn Express because they have recognized and capitalized upon good
quality for a great price. With the reputation of Holiday Inn’s quality for reasonable
prices backing the brand, Holiday Inn Express should have a win-win status in the
mindset of the consumer and should also boost the efficacy of the Holiday Inn
parent brand. Does the current messaging for Holiday Inn Express accomplish this
status? We think not.
Many brands use messaging that makes the customer feel smart and as though he
has made the right choice. Wal*Mart and Target are examples of brands that ensure
the customer that if he shops at their stores; he is avoiding the embarrassment of
overpaying and not finding what he wants/needs. Customers not only like to know
that their purchases matter; they like to know that their choices matter. Brands that
give customers real affirmation that they have “done the smartest thing” will
succeed. This affirmation must be evident through effective brand execution, which
also includes marketing and advertising. The message must be both clear to the
customer and clearly shown by the brand.
Does Holiday Inn Express have a sure-fire brand message? Yes. Does Holiday Inn
Express convey and execute this message properly? According to our brand model
at Stealing Share, it comes up a short. In fact, if you read how the “Stay Smart”
campaign began, the brand is more superficial than it even appears. According to
customer questionnaires conducted before the campaign, the two reasons why
customers felt more savvy for staying at an HIE were free breakfast and free local
calls. Perhaps these two elements created a little more of an advantage for HIE over
other limited-service establishments, but these kind of table stakes are not what
fuels real brand. Clearly the right questions were not asked. The customer’s
connection to the brand should go deeper than cinnamon rolls.
Furthermore, the commercials for the “Stay Smart” campaign contribute to the
shallow continuum of brand execution for HIE. For example, one commercial opens
on a group of scientists hovering around a microscope, observing a strain of the
Ebola virus. The man standing in front of the microscope explains the
characteristics of the virus and proceeds to knock the sample off of the table,
assuring the group that it was not airborne. When his colleague asks him how long
he has been studying the virus, the man responds, “Well, I’m not actually a scientist.
But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.”
Several other commercials followed in a similar pattern. One commercial showed a
man who had not graduated past the seventh grade winning Jeopardy because he
stayed in a HIE the night before. While the commercials are humorous and
borderline ridiculous, they demonstrate a rather narrow interpretation of the brand.
Although the commercials are effective for short-term brand awareness and
recognition, this brand execution is overall unsatisfactory because the customer will
not consider the brand a serious option. If anything, the brand has become more of
a joke among consumers because of the blatantly ignorant people portrayed as
customers in the commercials. The brandface, or the customer’s perception of
himself when he uses the brand, is not one of intelligence. In fact this brandface
mocks intelligence rather than reinforcing it. This failure to execute is more at the
fault of brand management than advertising creation. Unfortunately, in all
industries, one directly influences the other.
Humorous commercials are memorable and entertaining, but does the brand
directly reflect the customer and benefit from this type of execution? In the case of
Holiday Inn Express, we argue against this method. The brand execution began with
category benefits rather than the belief systems of the customers. The advertising
had to rely upon a general campaign focus of “Stay Smart” without knowing what
being smart really meant to the target audience. In order to correct this problem,
Holiday Inn Express would need to take a few steps back, observe what their
customers want/need from their brand and challenge their brand to accommodate
these expectations. They would need to get a full outside-in perspective from the
market.
The “Stay Smart” campaign was effective in getting HIE’s name out in the market,
but that is where the effectiveness remains. Real brand success goes beyond the
reiteration of a funny punch line. The “Stay Smart” messaging does not reinforce the
brand as a tangible option for the customer. The humor, in this case, actually
creates distance between the brand and the customer.
Overall, Holiday Inn is all about quality for a sensible price, and Holiday Inn Express
can make that message work as well. Holiday Inn Express needs to convey this
message with a little more honesty and customer perspective in order to own real
estate in the mind of the customer looking for reasonable hotel accommodations. In
short, “smart” needs to be more about intelligence of the customer than the
cleverness of the business and its agency.
Molly Sunderdick
Brand Strategist
Stealing Share, Inc
Our experience as customers offers great instruction into the concept of branding. Come with me on a recent “experience” and you’ll see what I mean. Here’s the situation:
I want to order an 800 number. On my AT&T bill is a customer services number. I call it. A voice mail gives four options. None of which I want. Just TRY to get a representative. I am instructed to dial another number. I am given three options. Hit 0 for operator and the disembodied voice says I have called after hours. The hours are 7am - 10-pm Monday- Fri. Eastern Standard Time.
Fine. It is now 4am Monday in California. They should be open. By 4:30am in CA I have called repeatedly and punched in all the prompts until I am ready to punch someone. I am still told by a disembodied voice that the offices are closed. I try another number. This time, I reach a computer voice.
Computer: “I’ll try and help you. Tell me in your own words what you want.”
Me: “Toll free service.”
Computer: “I’m sorry. I did not understand. Let me tell you what services we offer…”
Me: “I want a person”
Computer: “Tell me, in your own words, what you want.”
Me: “Toll free service!”
Computer: “I am sorry. I do not understand what you want.”
Me: (screaming) “I want a person.”
Computer: “I am sorry. I…”
SLAM!!!!
I call 00 in frustration. “Operator!!”
Operator: “How can I help?”
Me: “I have been trying without luck to get someone in customer service. I have been caught in a voice mail hell with an atavistic voice. How do I talk to a person?”
Operator: “I am sorry you are having problems. You can talk to a supervisor.”
Supervisor: “Can I help you?”
Me: (heatedly) “I want to ask about a toll free number. I have dialed three numbers and cannot get in. It says the offices open at 7am and now it’s almost 8am EST!”
Supervisor: “Oh, sometimes they forget to turn off that message so the phones can ring through. We have to call and tell them.”
Me: (incredulously) “You mean the PHONE company has employees who do NOT know their first order of business is to turn on phones to answer customers!”
Supervisor: (calmly) “I am sorry. Let me give you a different number than the one you have been calling. You need to call the office for AT&T 1-800 Easy Reach.
“Easy Reach?!??!?” Who are they trying to kid! I call this “Impossible to Reach”.
Branding Lesson #1: Your name sets up an expectation. Live up to it or suffer.
There is a promise established in what we advertise and name things. Southwest Airlines had thought to create a baggage claim delivery time slogan. Then they realized that due to the configuration in a few of their terminals, to quote such a time was almost impossible. They dropped the campaign even though it would have been true in MOST of their sites.
Branding Lesson #2: Your business sets up an expectation. If you don’t deliver for yourself how can you deliver for the customer?
A phone company that doesn’t answer the phones is a scary thought. We’d expect it of any other business, but the phone company!! If you own a paint store and your store is in sorry need of paint, what does that say? If the waiters in a restaurant cannot tell you about food on the menu because they never get to eat it, what does that say? Look at your business with critical eyes. Would you do business with you?
Branding Lesson #3: The past never counts. The present creates the brand.
It is the actual in-the-moment experience that creates a brand in a customer’s eyes. Brand is a living entity that is re-earned, renewed, or revoked with every interaction. Advertising only creates awareness. I am convinced the very best, most unique, most competitive maker of a “brand” is the well-trained, empowered employee who can disregard systems and procedures in order to continue a human interaction. As more organizations substitute technology for people, the company that answers its own phone and get humans connected in short order will win the day.
About The Author
Eileen McDargh is founder of McDargh Communications, a consulting and training company specializing in inner and interpersonal skill development for the purpose of improving the life of a business and the business of life. Visit Eileen at http://www.EileenMcDargh.com or www.theresilientspirit.com.
© 2003, McDargh Communications. All rights reserved.
Reprints are appreciated and must include byline, contact information and copyright.
McDargh@aol.com
Well not everyone is aware that McDonalds also owns several other bands such as Boston Markets; 650 stores in 23 states, Chipotle Mexican Grill; 230 stores in 10 states, Donato’s Pizza 200 stores in 10 states, Pret a Manager 140 stores in 4 countries, Fazoli’s 400 units in 32 states and two countries. Of this the company derives 2 Billion in annual sales, this is not even counting McDonalds. Many people are unaware of this because McDonald’s has not connected the dots. However other franchise companies which franchise and have multiple brands have.
The question shall always be to you co-market to the same customers or serve separate niches. It depends, McDonalds seems to be targeting different customers althoguh if you consider in the US people eat major meals 2-3 times per day and there are 7 days a week, we are talking about 14-21 opportunities to feed them, now obviously other than single males, most of our population will eat the majority of meals at home. However how many of those meals will be eaten out side the home and of those visits to QSRs how many can McDonalds pick up.
Apparently after considering the additional 2 billion a year in sales, quite a few and remember McDonals is in 141 countries thus far so perhaps the cannibalization discussed in the franchising industry is a US thing for McDonalds and is not affecting it’s other brands here yet or all of it’s overseas markets for it’s stead fast Micky Ds Brand. Think about it Pizza, Chicken, Tacos, Italian and Pretzels? Oh yah that Hamburger thing will never work? Sure, that is what they told Ray Kroc in the beginning, guess they were wrong.
Are you sure it is just about the Real Estate? Or did you just quote someone in a Speech one day?
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
This may come as a surprise… to you, but Branding is more than just Logo and Business or Product Name recognition.
Branding is “The total emotional and intellectual involvement your prospects and customers have with your business and products.”
This article addresses 5 basic problems and questions about Branding:
How Are Brands Created ?
=> Branding by “Personal Experience”
This creates the strongest bond between your customers and your business and products.
Your customer service, front and back end offers must be of high quality, in order to create exceptional “Personal Experience”. This starts a virtuous cycle.
Exceptional “Personal Experiences” lead to general public and market acclaim spread by word of mouth and other publicity. In turn, this feeds into a still stronger Brand, starting the cycle all over again.
However, always remember it is easier to create a negative Brand than it is to create a positive one, by offering low or poor quality and value products, services and customer support.
=> Branding by “Indirect Experience”
For many direct marketers, “Personal Experience” Branding is difficult and not easily achieved because sales that lead to “Personal Experience” are not easily made !
The “Indirect Experience” strategy relies on creating a consistent, repeating association to the product in your prospects mind.
Marketers use a variety of tactics to achieve this aim.
* Jingles in audio visual media
* Using Slogans
* Advertising through classifieds, display, press releases, and give away products and information.
* Sponsorship of media, cultural, sporting and other events
Brand Building On The Internet - The Issues
The Internet has re-defined Branding models of the past because it has levelled the playing field, for both consumers and businesses.
Prospects and customers are more involved with businesses and products than they were in the past.
Research of products and services, before purchase is easier.
Consumers have so much choice now they are no longer easily “taught” loyalty to a particular Brand.
Consumers are less willing to form bonds or create “loyal” associations with products and businesses.
On the other side of the coin, businesses have much more competition and must be more customer focussed than ever before.
Companies that thrive and stay in business recognise building lasting relationships with existing customers is more profitable, than always trying to find new customers.
A World of stronger consumers who by-pass your direct and indirect experiences with a click of the mouse, is difficult for Brand builders.
On the Internet those that succeed make profits, the rest fail.
The Cost And Value Of A Brand.
Brand building has a cost in time, money and effort.
The cost of Brand building is easily quantified in Dollar terms.
The value of a Brand is harder to establish because it involves measuring emotional and intellectual associations that might not necessarily translate into cash sales.
Not understanding the value, but clearly understanding the cost of Branding, some marketers decide to get round this problem by competing solely on price.
This is a short sighted tactic because it invites “price wars”, and if you get involved in a “price war” against an opponent with deeper pockets you are bound to loose.
A better strategy is to compete on high product value and build quality Brand recognition over time.
Brands Are Not Eternal
Brand building is an ongoing Business strategy.
The emotional and intellectual associations and recognition that together make up Brand loyalty wear off if not re-energised frequently.
Brands are subject to fashion, fads and change, and understand recognition is not the same as popularity.
Your market may recognise your Brand, but that may not translate into sales if the association is unfashionable.
The temptation, in such circumstances, is to spend less on Branding, cut prices, or , drop the business line altogether.
These are knee jerk reactions to uncontrollable events when taken in the short term. A measured initial response is to re-invent the Brand, freshen it up and market it to a new generation of consumers.
Many businesses re-invent, and re-brand themselves and go on to achieve new consumer acclaim.
Strategies For Brand Building
Here are a few short to medium term tactical measures you can start using today to kick start your Brand building program.
* Get a professional web site with customised headers, footers and logos - Make your “visitor experiences” happy ones.
* Advertise regularly using paid channels where you can. If money is a problem, use f’ree advertising, but advertise regularly !
* Write useful articles and publish regularly. Invite visits to your site through your resource box.
* Syndicate your articles and build personal name recognition using a tool such as Name Branding Syndicator available from http://www.highprofitsoftware.com/syndicator/
Visit http://www.simplyeasier.com/mbd to see how you can get this tool for F’ree as part of a product bundle.
* Brand your business by associating and complimenting other succesful products - Develop a quality reciprocal link and partnership strategy.
Try products like Zeus (http://www.cyber-robotics.com/) and Arelis (http://www.axandra.com/index.htm) for this tactic.
* Use a good autoresponder service and communicate frequently with your customers and prospects giving useful, and personal information.
There are many good tools for this tactic, but try Getresponse (http://www.getresponse.com) or Aweber (http://www.aweber.com) for a start.
* Use Zip Brander available from Russell Brunson of http://www.zipBrander.com/ to put your products, affiliate programs and other offers in front of your purchasers easily and frequently.
Branding your business and products is a key part of your success strategy.
You want people to associate your business name and products with high quality, and high value.
Successful Brands make money - just ask Microsoft, Levi, Ford, Coke.
Start Branding your business and products today, and generate maximum lifetime customer values.
(c) 2004 Charles Kangethe
About The Author
Charles Kangethe of http://www.simplyeasier.com is a leading new wave Netpreneur and a published author from England. The “Simply Easier” brand name is your guarantee of high value, quality Marketing Products, Services and Resources.
charles@simplyeasier.com
When we initially started our businesses, we had to decide how we were going to market ourselves. Kind of an obvious statement - every business has to do that. But, we had an added challenge. We were new to the area. So, our goal was to get to know as many people as possible.
We did that by becoming “promiscuous networkers”. We attended and joined any and every association we could afford. This was GREAT for meeting people. After a few months, we could walk into a room and just about everyone would recognize us. They knew us as the Johnsons, that young couple in business.
But, it wasn’t so great for actually getting business. They remembered us, but often didn’t have a *clue* about the services we offered. You see, we had missed a key part to networking, and all forms of marketing for that matter. We hadn’t defined our market and therefore weren’t attending events where our market was likely to be. Had we done that, people would have remembered us AND our services.
If you’re a Micro-Business owner, you are the face of your business. People also may recognize you as soon as you walk into a room. After that, they should make an automatic connection to your services or products. Now, people seem to know us as “press release girl” and “database guy”. Even though we offer other services, these are very good connections in our eyes.
What is the automatic connection that comes to mind when people see you? Is this the connection that you want? If not, what can you change to make sure that others know you for your services or products?
Leila Johnson co-owns Data-Scribe(tm), along with her husband, Brett. The New Mexico-based firm provides database, writing, and software training services to Micro-Businesses and government agencies. To get more tips like this, visit their E-Library or sign up for their Micro-Business Gazette at http://www.datascribe.biz