The End of Longevity?

Why brands without a competitive edge will fail.

Citing poor holiday sales, Sears Holding Corporation this week announced plans to shutter about 115 Sears and Kmart stores nationwide.

Not wishing to pile on to an unfortunate situation, but we can’t help but wonder if we’re seeing a failure of brand here — or more specifically, the failure to keep two venerable brands updated and relevant.

After all, what’s Kmart? A discount store, certainly, but what differentiates it from the world’s largest discount seller? Walmart is not only the world’s largest retailer, they sell more TVs, groceries, toys, guns and diamonds than any other company in the world. What has Kmart done to compete with that? And if they can’t compete, how do they distinguish themselves?

And Sears, founded in 1886, is one of our oldest retailers. Their history is long, storied and honorable. But are they modern? Are they competitive? When was the last time you shopped at Sears?

Longevity is enviable, but it’s nothing without competitiveness and relevancy. Lacking those vital components, longevity can cease at any time.

The C4:

1. Longevity requires a strong brand.
2. A strong brand requires differentiation.
3. Differentiation requires competitiveness.
4. Competitiveness requires a desire for longevity.

Stand & Deliver

Are you ready to do what it takes?

These days, a company's continuing existence is testament to its adaptability. If you're still standing, that means you've rolled with every technological landslide and demographic shift that recent history has thrown at you.

Which is good, because all that has just been practice for your biggest challenge yet: The fundamental transformation of the American consumer's psyche.

The Great Recession of 2007–2009 left a more pessimistic consumer. One who's holding less debt, less purchasing power and who is far more thoughtful — maybe downright adverse — to all but the most basic purchases.

Consumers will continue to demand the utmost in service and value, while things like brand loyalty will mean less and less. Far fewer dollars will be spent, and there will be economic casualties. There will be winners too, though, consisting of those players willing to beat their competition in giving the consumer what he or she wants.

That's the line we plan on being in. Hope to see you there.

The C4:

1. If you're still standing, congrats — you're a testament to adaptability.
2. Now begins the process of changing consumers' mindsets — but it won't be easy.
3. Consumers' demands are high, but their attitudes are challenging.
4. Those who want to keep standing will give the consumer what they want.

What You Should Know About Measuring Social Influence

It’s no doubt that Klout created a niche market for measuring social influence. But constant criticism regarding privacy issues and calculation methods also set the stage for a host of new competitors to step into the limelight and steal the attention of Klout’s audience.

In the above image from AdWeek, the sudden availability of many new influence measurement tools presents quite a selection of options to choose from when seeking to determine the reach of your social media activities.

Klout. Kred. PeerIndex. PROskore. SocMetrics. Traackr. TweetLevel. Twitalyzer.

Wait — we’re not done yet.

Argyle Social. CrowdBooster. Empire Avenue. My Web Career. PostRank. Sprout Social. TweetGrader. TweetStats. Twenty Feet. Twitaholic. Twitter Counter. Twylah. Who Say.

OK. Now that we have a good — but still incomplete — list going, which one is right for you?

Most of these platforms give some sort of score or idea of your reach. Some just let you compare yourself against other industry users. But each takes different bits of information into account when calculating. Past job titles. Audience size. Tweets, retweets, favorites, likes, tags, etc.

The list of criteria goes on.

But as organizations spread out over all these platforms and begin using their services, the facts and figures that come from each start to lose their importance. Does a Klout score of 54.8 (rounded up to 55) stand up against a Kred score of 548? This presents some problems for organizations that sell social media services, or for social media specialists that are required to provide metrics regarding the impact of their endeavors.

So, which influence measurement tool should you choose?

Any of them, really. Sure, some will come under fire for how they calculate social influence. They always will. Whether it’s from competition or social watchdogs, these tools will continue to be scrutinized. And they’ll continue to defend themselves because they have a product to sell.

But your role in this mayhem is to keep moving forward. Using Klout? Aim to improve your score. Engage more and share more. Using Kred? It’s the same situation — just keep building up your organization’s social presence.

And if anyone shuns your Kred score with their Klout score, just ask them what their scores or metrics are for each of the 21 influence measurement tools mentioned above. All 21 of them — one by one.

The C4:

• Many social influence measurement tools are available, and each offers scoring or measurement in either similar or vastly different ways.
• Choosing the right tool for you depends on how you're going to use it.
• You must determine the value of having a measurement tool — what does this information mean to you and what will it mean to those you serve?
• Comparing scores from different tools is pointless; instead, compare what you hear back from your audience. That will determine who's doing things right.

Image Source: http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/million-little-klouts-137032

Physics, Cigars & Marketing

What happens when two brands attempt to occupy the same space? 

An elemental explosion, probably. We'll find out if the U.S. normalizes relations with Cuba. Will different groups of companies attempt to lay claim to the same brand identities?

Well-respected international cigar brands like Montecristo, Cohiba and Romeo y Julieta were established long before Castro came, then split them into separate entities after the fall of Batista.

Sixty years later, and all those sets of separated twins have grown their own way, on either side of the Caribbean Iron Curtain.

The forced separation could end at any time — at the stroke of a political pen.

Then somehow two organisms must vie for the right to sell you your Cohiba. Will this be the mother of all copyright battles, or will we witness some Berlin-style reunifications?

Aficionados of stogies and lovers of courtroom drama should stay tuned.

The C4:

1. Your unique position will help your brand occupy that space — alone.
2. If you're not assertively copyrighting and protecting your intellectual property, someone else will.
3. Politics and marketing are sometimes intrinsically and inextricably interwoven.
4. A brand is a brand, but a cigar's a smoke.

All About Process #1: Listen Intently

Certainly, you’ve been in a situation where your ability to articulate something important to you, to another person or group, has been put to the test. You want this expressed in such a way that it does justice to or captures the passion behind it, but wonder if those being presented to will “get it.”

Apprehension may then decide to take residence within you, as whatever you are trying to get across may be well laid out in your mind but when it comes time to transform those ideas into words, some of them get lost in translation.

As if the internal struggle of expressing something wasn’t enough, this inevitable question may arise: “Are they even listening to me?” Surely, your audience may be nodding in agreement or seem to be engaged, but a part of you most likely wonders if they really care about what is being said.

You’ve put a lot of time and effort into creating what you want to say, so it would only seem natural that the audience would be actively engaged in what was important to you. However, this assumption can prove to be false more often than not, and not because of malice or disregard for your time, but simply due to a lack of active listening.

This scenario is not solely reserved for an individual, as organizations can be subject to this when dealing with an agency. An organization may be passionate about their identity but enlists an agency’s help to better express it. While the agency likely has the organization’s best interest in mind, they might unknowingly don a set of ego-laced earmuffs that muffle what is being said, so they can present what they’ve already decided was best. They may be aware of the ideas the organization has, but remain steadfast in what their vision is, and instead of listening they only hear enough to seem engaged.

Fortunately, the Caler&Company team lends far more than just an ear — we provide the undivided attention a client deserves. It is not a coincidence that our process of delivering client service begins with the phrase Listen Intently, as this is where we distinguish ourselves by becoming an extension of our clients rather than a separate entity.

We listen first and then act accordingly, harnessing client’s passion as the driving force behind everything we do. Need someone to listen? Contact us today.

Huh?

"Walk with me. You've gotta meet this guy with the LMK. He's kinda this entrepreneurial social guru — thinking outside of the box in the green/sustainability space and developing concepts around sort of Web-based social media platform, and he's way past the AI crowd and now in a round two capital raise in the 501(c)(3) space with the people at NDPA sometime in Q1."

How many times have you scratched your head after hearing something like — no — precisely this sentence?

Let's say you miraculously navigate through the first part of the sentence. (You won't, but let's say you do.)

You're still in a brain freeze when you get to that last NDPA acronym. You're thinking NDPA...let's see...National Decorating Products Association? North Dakota Pschological Association? National Diploma in Performing Arts? National Drowning Prevention Association?

This might be amusing if it weren't true. Some business people just don't make sense anymore.

Why not gain credibility, become more productive, make those around you more efficient, and get more joy in your work life by simply looking someone in the eye when you hear one of these verbal log jams and anti-communications assaults and simply state to the perpetrator, "I don't have a clue of what you just said to me."

Steady at The Helm

A tsunami in Asia can bring us to the brink of recession, and a rumor of agreement among European financiers can send our markets soaring. An odd side effect of our global interconnectedness is that so much of our economic fate seems beyond our control.

Maybe so. But that's no excuse for us, as businesspeople, to take our hands from the tiller. Fair winds or foul may blow from beyond our horizons, yet we remain captains of our own ships.

Or how about a landlubber's metaphor: go ahead and see the forest for the trees, but remember the trees still matter. Tend to your basics: take care of your customers; buy low and sell high.

Global markets will bring the unexpected. Temper that by controlling what you can, and by always applying your best business practices.

Distant gales might still rock your boat, but you'll be better prepared than most to ride them out.

Just Ask The Question

Didn’t close that last selling opportunity? Any idea why?

Chances are, you just plain didn’t ask.

You probably have your pitch honed to perfection. You may demonstrate features, advantages and benefits in your sleep. You know your prospects and you build a convincing case why they should be buying what you’re selling.

But what about that last step? The happy ending? The sealing of the deal?

The biggest hurdle in sales is overcoming common psychological buying resistance. Customers are wary, probably have been burned before, and must be sure they’re investing their money wisely. A convincing pitch only gets you part of the way there.

A good close is the trigger that turns persuasion into action. It gives your prospect permission to accept your promises, and to sign on the dotted line.

There can be as many closing styles as there are selling processes and prospects, but they have one thing in common — they always end with that big question. Next time you sense prospect interest at the end of your presentation, try asking: “How would you like us to proceed?”

After the Cranberry Sauce

Later this week we will partake in two thoroughly American traditions.

The first is a celebration of family and thankfulness; the second is of commerce, consumerism and, just maybe, economic salvation.

Black Friday is the bellwether for the entire Holiday retail season, when sellers will begin securing their year's profits, or reconciling their losses. Black Friday will be their first indication of which way our economic winds are blowing.

Unfortunately, it's also turned into a strange and self-destructive competition among retailers; with earlier and earlier openings, longer hours and ridiculously under-priced loss leaders.

Hints of backlash, even resistance, are starting to appear. Hopefully that means that all of us, retailers and consumers alike, are beginning to regain our Black Friday sanity.

And hopefully we can spend a bit more time on Thursday being thankful for all our blessings, including economic recovery, and a more prosperous, less hectic, Holiday season for all.

Income vs. Profitability

The comedy club reservations manager was seeing dollar signs. Here was a prospective customer setting up a birthday party for her husband; booking dinner, drinks and a show for dozens of friends and family. It was a windfall.

Then came the warning signs. Had any of this group ever been to a comedy club? No, said the prospect, but she was sure they’d love it. Had they heard of the headline act (a recognizable name, somewhat notorious for his blue-very blue-language)? No, but the family enjoyed all sorts of comedy. Especially, said the prospect, her 93-year-old mother-in-law, who would be in attendance. As would be the family’s pastor.

Turning away a customer is never an easy thing to do. Some businesses would never even consider it. Those businesses, however, don’t understand the difference between income and profitability.

Profitability stems from the customer-service mindset; from opting to help customers, rather than simply selling to them. Helping them means recognizing when what you’re selling isn’t what they should be buying.

The comedy club reservations manager thanked the prospect for her time, and gave her the number of a nice local dinner theater. That’s where the birthday party was held, and by all accounts it was a lovely affair.

Sure, our plucky reservations manager lost out on a considerable chunk of income. But in doing so, she was diligently minding her long-term profitability. More importantly, she was giving her best level of service to a prospective customer, who was after all just looking for a pleasant evening.

Think long term. Say no when you must. And always do the right thing for your customers. In the end, that’s always the right thing for you.

Be Epic

Traditionally, an “epic” was a long poem that narrated the deeds of heroes, the rise and fall of nations and the meddling of the gods. But in today’s vocabulary, “epic” is an — often intentionally exaggerated — adjective used to say that something is awesome.

When describing a person, you might say, “That guy was the most epic guitarist I’ve ever seen.” For an event or action, a simple “That was epic.”

You get the idea. But how does “epic” work for organizations? It definitely sounds weird when you talk about them like that:

Adobe is the most epic content authoring, customer experience management and online marketing software developer ever!

Yep, that definitely sounds weird — and a wee bit forced.

Making “epic” work for an organization isn’t easy. In the traditional epic, characters, groups and even entire nations went through a lot of hardship, self-discovery, lesson learning and perhaps even sacrifice to get to where they were going. Sound familiar? That’s probably because you experienced those same things at some point in your organization’s history. Any company that’s still operating in this world knows how hard it can be — and what it had to go through to get to where it is today.

That journey — coupled with your history and culture — makes up your unique story. It’s the tale of how you came to be and the adventures you’ve been on since the beginning. It’s the saga of your relationships with customers and the chronicle of your battles with competitors.

Unfortunately, most organizations aren’t on the same page when it comes to understanding and telling their unique story. Our role is to discover it, dust it off, polish it, package it and tell it in its most favorable light and most memorable way to those who will benefit from hearing it.

And with our team by your side every step of the way, you’ll discover how to make that story epic.

What Is Design? Part 4

Part 4: Design is about the experience that those solutions generate.

In part one, we talked about the importance of research when it comes to brand development. In part two, we discussed how to use that research to identify meaningful solutions to brand challenges. In part three, we covered the creative process used to get to those solutions.

Now we’re going to talk about the experience those solutions generate.

Let’s take another look at our identity work for Winer+Bevilacqua, Inc. Our understanding of that organization’s needs came from discussions with its staff. That information was compiled and analyzed — leading to the development of their new identity.

After that identity launched, a team of eight W+B staff members was appointed and made responsible for ensuring the protection and ongoing development of the firm’s brand, culture and messaging. The team meets weekly to recommend policies, procedures and methods that enhance value for clients and efficiency for the organization.

This team has enabled Winer+Bevilacqua personnel to collectively own their new identity, which helps them better communicate their unique value to other staff members, current and potential clients and the people with whom they interact outside of work.

From the identity sprouted other new staff experiences, such as the development of formal mission and vision statements, a 60-second commercial for the firm, personal 60-second commercials for the staff, new business development incentives and more. These tools present a consistent message from a singular culture, one that digs down deep into what the firm offers and why it matters for those they serve.

Good design must create meaning and transform that meaning into action. In this example, design generated an entirely new experience for the Winer+Bevilacqua staff while simultaneously engaging them in its use, such as the communal, interactive support of the firm’s brand and selling of its services.

The C4:

1. Experiences — both internal and external — are an important part of an organization’s identity and brand.
2. An organization that owns its identity and actively participates in its ongoing development will be more successful.
3. A good identity should be more than just one experience — it has to generate more on different levels.
4. Good design must create meaning and transform that meaning into action.

What Is Design? Part 3

Part 3: Design is about the creative process to get to those solutions.

Thus far, we’ve talked about the importance of research before developing a new identity, as well as the role that design plays with identifying meaningful solutions for organizations’ problems. This week, we’re going to discuss the creative process that leads us to those solutions.

In our industry, clients often tell us that they don’t understand what they’re doing wrong or why something isn’t working. We often reply, “You don’t understand it because you’re in it.” With no objectivity, the solutions may benefit the organization more than its customers. And that’s why people come to us with their branding and marketing challenges. We have the creative horsepower, experience and objectivity to offer solutions from a unique vantage point — plus, this is what we do! Mixed with an equal serving of strategy, of course.

Following the results of our research initiatives, we facilitate a brainstorming process with client leadership teams and decision makers to uncover ideas that may already exist beneath the surface, but haven’t been discovered yet. That process is called Jump Start. We’ve done it for hundreds of organizations across a multitude of industries, and every time our whiteboards are filled up and conference tables covered over with note cards listing ideas that will help shape their new identities. But it doesn’t stop there.

Each design challenge is different, yet remains open to individual muses and group input. Between the Jump Start session and when we deliver the final product, we go through team brainstorming sessions designed to build up a foundation of even more great ideas. Some extract inspiration from within, some build on the thoughts of others and some dig down into the foundations of ideas already ideated. However a person or group finds solution is one thing, but it’s the journey that will shape the result.

Our creative team then takes the results of these brainstorming sessions and applies their knowledge of the client’s needs as well as their specialized expertise. This allows us to create a tailored solution that’s founded in research and safeguarded by objective minds.

The C4:

1. Solutions generated by those “in” the problem won’t help resolve the problem.
2. However, those “in” the problem have a valuable role to play in its resolution when coupled with an objective viewpoint.
3. Each design challenge is different, yet remains open to individual muses and group input.
4. However a person or group gets toward the solution is fine, but it’s the journey that will shape the result.

What Is Design? Part 2

Part 2: Design is about identifying and proposing meaningful solutions.

In the last post, we discussed the need for research before engaging in brand development. To refresh your memory, this research process can be uncomfortable and typically involves all of an organization’s stakeholders, so skipping over it can lead to some pretty serious issues. But what comes next? What do we do with that research? What was the point of it all?

Well, we will tell you and show you.

Caler&Company recently completed a new identity for Winer+Bevilacqua, Inc., a CPA firm specializing in tax and accounting, information technology services, retirement plan services and business valuation services. Prior to developing this client’s new identity, we sat down with the entire staff and asked them a variety of questions ranging from their background to where they felt the firm was headed. These interviews culminated in a revealing breakdown of staff perceptions and called for something bold, evocative and ultimately more marketable within the crowded CPA marketplace.

We took the results of that research and developed a powerfully strategic positioning statement — Nothing Less. These two words communicate an absolute promise to support clients and their financial needs, and also serves as the creative platform through which other messaging may be crafted. This positioning statement also led to the development of a new visual identity (i.e., the design solution) that comprised everything that the firm’s staff felt they needed to push ahead of their competitors, grow their relationships with current and potential clients and position the firm for future leadership. Check it out:

An intensely colorful logo employed quadrants of a plus sign that were arranged into four sections — representing the four partners, the four quarters of the fiscal year and the firm’s four service categories. The quadrants also formed a greater-than symbol that draws the eye upward on a right incline — similar to a chart showing financial gain.

The new identity uses Barmeno — a clean sans serif typeface that brought the firm into currency and consistency yet retained a sense of formality and credibility. A plus sign replaced the ampersand to emphasize that Winer+Bevilacqua pluses their clients’ organizations — along with the obvious connection to their industry. The positioning statement is also cemented into the logo to keep Winer+Bevilacqua’s promise always at the forefront.

Armed with new communications tools and a powerful identity supported by research, Winer+Bevilacqua is in a better position to challenge the financial industry’s typical — nay, stereotypical — design archetype and connect with customers in a more engaging way. This new identity also served as a call for change — both internally and externally, thereby bringing the staff on the same page with what Winer+Bevilacqua is, what it provides and why it matters.

And for Caler&Company, tackling these brand challenges armed with research results enables both deeper and broad-level understanding of our clients’ needs, which then opens the door for more meaningful and advantageous design solutions in their respective markets.


The C4:

1. A design solution is something that addresses the needs of all stakeholders.
2. Research is the first step toward meaningful design solutions.
3. Design solutions must integrate the results of that research.
4. Solutions must have meaning for all stakeholders (leadership, employees, customers, etc.).

What Is Design? Part 1

Some argue over its application while others awe in its power. Throughout multiple industries, it assumes many distinct concrete and abstract forms, but for Caler&Company, it’s both an artistic pursuit and a professional calling.

Our positioning statement, Marketing by Design, captures this ideal best. We view our work as more than just a collection of colors, symbols and type treatments — it’s the foundation for how an organization markets its products or services and differentiates itself from competitors. We see purpose in it. We build strategy into it. We put vision behind it.

Each week, we’ll be covering one of the seven purposes of design according to Mauro Porcini, Head of Global Strategic Design at 3M, whom we feel said it best.


PART 1: Design is about research, analysis, intuition and synthesis.

In our industry, we use design to create or revitalize organizations’ identities, but doing so often requires a detailed look into their people, processes, products, services, history and philosophy — and that’s just the beginning. To design an effective brand identity, we have to consider everything.

This process requires our clients to “look in the mirror” and see the realities of their culture and operations. It’s uncomfortable, and sometimes it’s even painful, but it’s necessary if they want to grow and reach their goals. The result of that research enables our team to harness mystery and convert it into discovery — thereby giving shape to a new creative platform designed with relevance and meaning.

When the YMCA revitalized its brand in 2010 (effectively becoming “the Y”), it marked the culmination of three years of thorough, enlightening research. That enabled the organization to launch a new identity that people quickly connected with because it was rich with diversity, simplified messaging and clearly stated benefits. Since the revitalized brand’s launch, the local Akron Area YMCA has seen an increase in member retention, donor involvement and overall advocacy for their cause.

Conversely, when the clothing store GAP launched a new logo in late 2010 that was unsupported by market research, its customer base led a social media coup d’état — creating a PR nightmare for GAP’s brand managers and leadership. In addition to the lack of research, GAP’s audience was never informed that a need for a new identity existed — it just appeared. Marketing research and consulting firm Artemis Crane said this about GAP’s blunder:

"Valuable lessons can be learned from the short-lived re-branding initiative, particularly in the area of market research. Whenever a company is looking to make branding changes, thorough market research is a necessity — a new direction cannot be pursued on a limb, it has to be supported by research. Stakeholders need to be consulted and their responses need to be carefully quantified and examined. Their input is a crucial part of the decision making process and cannot be ignored."

All in all, research is like a roadmap to a destination — without it, you’re driving blind.

The C4:

1. To design a revitalized identity, one must first look in the mirror.
2. Looking in that mirror is hard — you need to know why you want to do it.
3. Research is the foundation upon which successful identities are developed.
4. An identity founded in research will always bring better results.

The Process of Think

Do you meticulously storyboard your ideas or subconsciously scribble them out? Do you stockpile certain words that you like and blacklist those you don’t? Do you write out every detail or make the story up as you go along? If you repeatedly click your pen as you write, pace a room before you type, tap your toes while you think or throw away numerous quantities of crumpled paper — that just may be your “process of think.”

Some feverishly type in hopes of capturing a stroke of genius, while others are subtle writers who hang onto every idea until the timing is just right. Every writer has his or her way of expression that may eventually lead to an exciting new concept — but great ideas don’t come from staring at the sea of white. They come by making a choice to set out toward a goal, even with a storm looming on the horizon. That’s why we call it the process of think. It goes beyond the compound noun “thought process” because “think” is what you do, and taking action is what matters.

It’s important to remember that all storms have a purpose, whether it be to release electrical charges raging in the heavens or to let loose a refreshing rain upon the land. The storm in your mind has a purpose as well, and each bolt and rumble means you’re getting closer to the result. However, it’s completely up to you to determine how to navigate that storm to best capture or express your idea. Through frustration and the occasional setback, what matters most is that you simply get the idea out. Once it’s on the page or on the screen, think hard about your next move. Will you call it a victory and trim the sails? Or will you follow your idea to where it’s leading you?

The C4:

1. The storm raging inside is a part of the creative process.
2. You may be holding yourself back.
3. Taking action is what matters — get the idea out.
4. Once the idea is free, think hard about your next move.

Welcome to C4

Prepare yourselves for an explosion of ideas — both random and intentional. We'll be addressing everything from design and writing to brand strategy and the challenges of human communication — and perhaps even more things that enter our collective calling.

Some posts will be pretty abstract while others will be right in your face. Either way, we're going to make an impact on your understanding of marketing and brand development for your best advantage.

In each post, we'll be making four powerful points about the topic at hand. No drawn out nonsense. No writing about our feelings. We're going to burn away the BS and get to the core.

So that's that.

Detonation in 3...2...1...