The Brands We love and Why!

Two of my favorite brands are Starbucks and Apple Store. In the book titled "The Power of Co-Creation" the authors talk about how these two brands (and others) have embraced a concept of co-creation to build huge successes.

Starbucks, an experience wrapped in a cup!

I first became a fan of Starbucks not because of the coffee but because of a segment on a Sunday morning show about how they treat their partners (employees) with respect and dignity. They are one of the most progressive employers in the U.S. and that really matters to me.

In 2008 Starbucks had to deal with "the perfect storm." The economy collapsed and the competition became fierce. They didn’t take it lying down. In 2008 they went interactive launching MyStarbucksIdea.com where everyone was invited to help "co-shape" it’s future. In the first year, 65,000 ideas had been submitted and 658,000 votes were cast. In 2009, 50 of the ideas had been approved and began launching. Then, they used their power to do good by launching "Pledge 5.starbucks.com" (ok it didn’t hurt PR either) where fans were asked to donate their time to community service. The result, by fall 2009, 1 million service hours were pledged. No one can say for sure but I believe these initiatives helped them turn a corner and in 2010 they returned to profitability.

The Apple Store, delighting our inner child!

Just step inside any Apple store and observe the level of positive energy. It’s no accident, Apple stores were designed to make customers feel comfortable; to play with the toys, interact with staff or just read their email. During a visit to Atlanta during the holidays, I had a great conversation with my cousin who has always loved Apple products. He was the first person I knew to purchase an iphone, he waited on line for 7 hours to get it and Apple served everyone breakfast (talk about putting a positive spin on a long wait). When the ipad was launched, he stood in line again. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that when he semi-retired from his successful career he decided to work part-time at an Apple store just for fun. Yes, I said fun! His excitement is contagious as he shares the relationships Apple creates with employees, and the meaningful two-way interactions it fosters with its clients.

Impressively, according to Ramaswamy and Gouillart "Apple embraced co-creation to enhance the speed and scope of its innovation, generating over $1 billion for its App-Store partner-Developers in two years." Not bad!

So, what have I taken away from Starbucks' and Apple’s roaring success? For me, it’s working to create a culture where staff and clients can comfortably interact, learn and even disagree. In the end it’s all about everyone flourishing.

Do you have a story about your favorite brand, please share.

–Ann Byne, Principal, The Byne Group

What's Your Brand Story : Why the Promises Our Firms Make Matter

“Brands are stories, containing a promise to perform, at every possible contact point. These stories are accepted or rejected by consumer audiences based on performance.” –Neal Mendelsohn, Chief Experience Officer at Fourth Wall, LA

I agree with Neal, stories matter. It’s the way potential clients are engaged, acquired and retained. In my years helping firms with branding and marketing I sometimes see a gap between the promise a clients story makes and the experience people might have. What I try to stress moving forward with them is the importance of an honest message. Hiding our real capacity from other people will eventually lead to diminish our capacity for real. This is not about lying, it’s about being transparent. And once you cross the line it becomes a slippery slope becoming impossible to ever catch up!

Whenever I give seminars on branding and social media I use a great definition Howard Levy, Principal of Red Rooster Group shared with me.

Promise + Experience = Brand

I like it because it’s such a simple way to understand that an experience that doesn’t live up to a firm or organizations promise impacts how their brand is seen not to mention their bottom line. The lesson that keeps resonating with me is something a mentor shared with me years ago, “under promise and over deliver.” It sounds so simple and so logical that we almost take it for granted. And now with social media and ambient awareness, it’s a big, virtual world out there and whether you like it or not, people are talking about you! Every time you can give more than promised it’s like giving a little present that people aren’t expecting.

*Oh, and by the way Neal Mendelsohn is my very talented cousin. (My dads brothers left NY to follow their dreams in California in the 60s and their kids never looked back) Visit his blog: staytruetoyourbrand.com

–Ann Byne, Creative Director/Principal of The Byne Group

Are you resting on your brand?

Like most in the marketing and advertising world, I do a lot of reading about what’s going on in all different types of companies. 2009 has brought many a story of the failures of businesses of all kinds, sizes and ages, for-profit and not-for-profit alike. Not so much about success. Maybe it’s not as big a draw as failure but if you’re like me, I want to learn how businesses are succeeding in what has been termed ‘the worst time since the Great Depression'.

So, why are some businesses doing well (notice I’m not saying great) and others are just plain out of business? There is no one answer however I do think success relies on vision, ingenuity and optimism, along with an evolving business plan.

Remember the , “As General Motors goes, so goes the nation”. Phew! Glad that’s no longer the case, or is it? I will give GM the benefit of the doubt that they make a decent car (I’m not a GM owner). However, their recent failure had as much to do with their lack of vision and ingenuity than everything else.

AND, quite frankly, they rested on their Brand! They assumed the GM name and all it has stood for since 1906 would continue by rote. If we build it they will come! Instead of keeping up with trends and the competition, they rested on what the GM Brand used to stand for and not what was needed to evolve into for today’s economic and consumer environment. Even the bigger than life Brands must keep up or be left behind.

A few companies, off the top of my head have been extremely proactive, including Apple, Walmart, Martha Stewart and FaceBook.

Locally, the United Way of Westchester and Putnum County (UWWP) is being extremely proactive, as is the national headquarters. Recognizing that United Way is a very recognizable Brand but must always keep up with the times and changing demographics. What to do? First, they formed a marketing group made up of community members, of which I am a proud member, and asked them dissect what UWWP is doing and then recommend what they should be doing to achieve their new objectives, i.e. reach a younger demographic. While I am not going to divulge any secrets, by having non-associated eyes and minds participating, wonderful, heretofore unheard of, ideas were offered up and will be acted upon.

Is your organization resting on its Brand? What are you doing to keep up to stay ahead? We love to hear success stories!

Deanna Gould, New Business Development Manager, The Byne Group