The New Business Paradigm demands Great Communicators. Your clients and customers expect you to be active on all platforms.  It creates a picture of trust more easily.

Communication stopped being a one-way street on the day that you posted your first Facebook or Twitter update.  Thus, these are Top 5 Habits of a Great Communicator in The New Business World.

           1.   Trust matters

Results come only after your team, customers and clients trust you. Sadly, the majority of businesspeople trust others only after success is achieved. People need to feel and believe that you are available to them now,  and that you will always be there when they need you. Want to show that you listen in the New Business World?  Try being the Bearer of Treats. The next time you walk into a meeting, take coffee with you, selected because you’ve memorizes what flavors the attendees enjoy. This demonstrates the insight you have into the person, that you’re an observer of people, and the coffee is a vehicle to encourage a relationship of open and effective communication.

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It’s out there for everyone to see: Apple has a problem.  Maybe lots of them.

This week, Apple again showed why investors think that the company is a perennial performer.  By creating a brilliant smoke screen for investors, Apple bought time at its annual Product Unveiling to, well, actually do something innovative somewhere down the road.

This is the oldest trick in the Book of Sales as written by John Q. Huckster. When profit projections show consumers are getting over you and doubting your future, you hide it from investors with flash and slight of hand.  True, your developers have no new ideas. True, you lack the secrecy and security required for The Big Buzz to support you.  True, you are struggling over the loss of the operational and sales heart and soul of your organization.  So, you need one little pill that hides those symptoms when you face the public.

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First, it’s important to know what a brand isn’t.

Usually marketers start with logo, brand colors, byline, mission statement, etc., but those don’t make a brand. These are an execution. Time may change them and they may evolve as the brand follows its product curve. They may represent a brand, but they are not the brand.

A brand owns good foundations beyond the obvious.

Product Perception.  How do consumers see themselves interacting with the brand? What makes the brand special in the consumer’s opinion?

Product Philosophy drives consumers to the product, so what conversation are you leading with your customers?  What is your tonality? The voice you use may impact brand perception.  Imagine the most recent Heineken ads, were Neil Patrick Harris to yell at you about the brand, instead of the cool, somewhat awkward, sell?

Product Past engages consumers through previous positive interaction. Like a human, a brand has only one chance to make a first impression. Don’t blow yours on unnecessary fluff or hype.  Fact-based storytelling usually will win the day, especially with Millennials who seek quality and long-term brand integrity.

Product Promise offers your consumer an opportunity to positively label your brand. When properly presented, your brand promise is a guarantee of quality and integrity that is certain to last you the consumer’s lifetime.

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It’s easy to claim your product, service or program is the best. I’m also sure you can prove it. But what if your target doesn’t care about how well you do your job?

In my opinion, the best approach is to create a link between what your brand stands for and the positive emotions of the target. Instead of overstating your greatness, find out who uses your work of art, where they use it, and why.

It sounds easy, but it’s quite challenging. Before you identify those emotions, equip yourself with correct data and always conduct proper research.

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Consumers are like chickens. They have a pecking order – and a picking order – of brands in their mind. Where are you on the brand hierarchy for your product category, and how do you improve or maintain your current position – so that people will pick (and not peck) you?

Are you the first in people’s minds? Then you’ll have an easy ride. Brands who get there first have the leading advantage over followers for a long time. A classic example is the soft drinks category / cola subcategory, where Coca-Cola is still number 1 and Pepsi is still number 2. After more than a century of Cola Wars, Coke (established 1886) still has a bigger share than its rival (introduced 1898 as Pepsi-Cola). If you’re a leader, your brand name might even become the category name. Has anybody ever asked you for ‘a facial tissue’? Probably not, right? People might ask you for ‘a tissue’, but many will refer to ‘a Kleenex’. Some of these generic trademarks are being used as verbs. If you’re searching information online, it’s normal to say: ‘I’ll google it’, even if you would (also) use Yahoo or another search engine. I’ve never understood why some brands discourage the use of generic trademark verbs – I think it’s the best compliment (and free marketing) you can get!

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That’s the hard part. Doing the homework. At The MBMI Companies, we do our homework for every product and service we are engaged to develop. We make every effort to learn from the bad experiences of others to ensure that you don’t. That’s why we’ve created a list that you can use to grade your own homework. Allow us to demonstrate to you Branding Made Difficult in 10 Steps.

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It might seem that branding would be a first nature function of hospitality management, but all too often MBMI Maximized Brand Marketing consultants find the exact opposite to be true. If you manage any business that serves the hospitality sector, we offer these simple Core Branding Qualities for your review. Feel free to put them to work or pass them along to someone who needs them. (more…)

I used to be an iPhone guy. I had the original iPhone and I fed my habit over and over, all the way through the 4S series (Siris?).

Then I wasn’t an iPhone guy anymore. I have stayed true to all my other Apple products because of their design, functionality and, yes, “cool” factor. The iPhone 5 and 5C in their rainbow colors, though? I said keep ‘em, even as my then eleven year-old begged for a 5C.

My wife gave in to his big eyes and “I need a smartphone so you can text me at school, Mom” argument. He got his coveted iPhone 5C and I bailed for the comfort, connectivity and customization of the Samsung Galaxy Note II. Game on, Grasshopper.

His first 5C failure came in the form of a faulty screen. Apple Care to the rescue. Replaced. Next, two non-functioning Home Buttons on consecutive units. Ta DAAAA. “Thanks for making me get Apple Care, Dad.” Then came the overheating and, now, back to the Home Button issue, but this time on the 5S he chose after he reached his melting point. In all, five…count them…four 5C’s and a 5S.

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That’s why what you do when your brand experiences a drought is so important.

The broadcast pioneers of old knew how to deal with audience drought, and it had nothing to do with magic. Reversing down trending audience numbers is a matter of executing detailed analysis of available information and then using elbow grease to provide consumers with what they really want.

This article details everything that you should do, from the moment you receive ratings or brand information until the point that you act upon that knowledge. (more…)

You remember Cult Branding; Entice your consumer to love you so much that they and others would buy the product or service, fanatically endorse it to friends and family, and become followers.

Cult Branding was treated as the Holy Grail of marketing.

Gradually, new fads and fashions came and went, and the venerable cult branding became only one facet of larger and, forgive the intended pun, more communal marketing plans. During that time, the marketers who were, themselves, fanatical about this approach to their products have seemingly faded away, now espousing the benefits of Google advertising or product placement in the latest shoot ‘em up video game.

So why bring up Cult Branding in a 2014 blog? (more…)

It’s funny what sticks in our minds. We can remember an unkind word from Marie Jones in the fifth grade but have a harder time recalling something nice said last week.

The guys in the white lab coats say there is a reason for this. I’m told that a negative experience is immediately stored in our brain’s long term memory, while a positive experience needs to rattle around for more than twelve seconds before checking in to that part of the brain. The reason for this dates back to the prehistoric days at the rock quarry so that Fred and Barney would know when a tarantula was about to sneak up on them! “Fight or flight” is the plot of any well-written cartoon, don’tchaknow! (more…)

Think Big. Before you contemplate changes that may affect your content, ask yourself a few simple and enlightening questions:

• Why is change necessary?
• How does the station’s history affect today’s expectations?
• Does the audience have any attachment to the current content?
• How does my coverage area affect my competitive ability to change?
• What is my audience profile?
• Does my music meet and exceed audience expectations and do I execute it perfectly?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of my presenters?
• What result should my marketing plan create, and do I have the resources to execute that plan flawlessly?
• How will my competitors react to my planned changes?
• Where does the new content fit into the mix of already available radio products?
• How will the new content alter my audience?
• How do the changes fill an audience or advertiser need?
• How large is the opportunity for the change? (Don’t do it if the opportunity is too narrow.)
• Is there new and reliable research available that may confirm my plans or change my mind?
• What is the experience level of the management team?
• Is the management experience suitable to the challenge of change?
• What will define a win, and how does it look and feel to my team, the advertisers and the audience?

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