I was asked to create a video answer to this question for Imagine Alexandria.  I figure since I spend almost all day every day flapping my lips about stuff I'd do something a little different. 

This was my answer:



Yeah, it's a bit hard to read, and there was a shadow over the top quarter of the white board... but that's what I get for doing a spur of the moment unscripted piece.

How better to show what creativity is than to attempt to show it on the fly?

HS&P - a respected U.K. marketing firm filled with great thinkers and strategists has designed a new campaign for N&P - a financial institution also located over yonder.  (Note - I use acronyms because that's what they use in the article announcing the change.  And if they think that's okay then... well... Acronyms-away.)

The idea - which I believe is an excellent one - is to convince non-customers that switching banks is easy.  Because, well, it is easy with N&P.  I know of no real details about the promotion, other than it challenges people to make the switch, perhaps with a guarantee or incentive. 

The tagline?

"Switch To N&P Today"

Okay, so... points for clarity.  But does this actually do anything other than tell potential clients what they want them to do?  When was the last time any corporation commanded you to give them money and you actually listened?  No fair referencing "Just Do It" since they definately command, but don't actually specify what they're commanding you to do.

[Ed.: Send Stokefire Money Today. Small Bills Preferred. Lots of them.]

Rather than tell people what to do, wouldn't it be more effective to show them what they'll get out of it, or more overtly indicate the ease with which the change will be made? 

Here's my problem:  The campaign is supposed to suggest ease, but the timeframe indicated (Today) seems to be at odds with the message.  "Today" is a pretty long time, especially if I hear the message in the morning.  So... Great!  I can come in at 9 AM and have a new bank within eight hours!  Good thing I love lightly padded chairs and pens attached to chains."  In our super-digital world we expect things to happen without real effort and without noticeable passage of time.  Today just doesn't cut it.

A better approach?  Why not use the tagline to drive home the challenge - and to make the challenge a challenge to both the customer and N&P? 

I'm not an expert when it comes to Briticisms, but it seems something like "Got a minute? Then you've got a new bank."  or perhaps a more realistic/honest approach like "Your New Bank In Thirty Minutes, Or the Pizza is Free."  (I really should know if Dominos Pizza is across the pond before I suggest that one, of course.  But the tie-ins are stupendous.  What's easier than ordering pizza?  Well... now changing your bank is!)

The current proposed tagline takes no risks and will not be remembered long.  At least that's what my own analysis indicates. I'll be watching with interest to see how the campaign is received by the real world.  And I'll gladly eat crow if I'm wrong.

I love the strategic work that HS&P does - and their approach to projects is admirable too... But in some cases a great brand idea can be hamstrung by the words used to convey it.  I think this will be one of those cases.  Barring amazing creative work and ground-breaking design this is one of those campaigns that may work internally to focus the effort, but that will be almost invisible to the outside world.

Anyone think differently?

Addendum: Forget about "today" as a timeframe.  This site says it can get everything together - for free - so you can change banks on your own... and it'll only take ten minutes. 

I'm off to develop a name that suggests immediacy, talent, femininity, and the ferocious hunger felt by Sloths who constantly lament at their inability to move fast enough to get the best leaves.

Or it was something like that, anyhow...

It's been about three years since I've been in San Diego... I'd forgotten how great it was.  Sure, I'm still a little jet-lagged from my flight in, and my deep-discount hotel room has me with a great view of a cement wall and perhaps a 10 degree slice of sky that hypothetically gives my room sunlight from 3:14 PM to 4:25 PM in the afternoon...  those aren't so great - especially since the guy above me can see the ocean, and talks about it loudly from his balcony...  (I, too, have a balcony, but mine gives me a view of the reception desk, the wall, and a disturbingly verdant hot tub.)

But I'm not in my room except to sleep so it doesn't bother me. 

Much.

Anyhow, I'm here for a presentation on branding and am having a great time catching up with old friends and business contacts from my bi-coastal life.  If you're attending the ASAE annual event and want to say hello just send me a note or give me a call (you can do so via the CONTACT US link at the bottom right of this page) and we can catch up over coffee at one of the 74 vendors inside the beautiful conference center. 

(I suggested that I meet up with someone "at the coffee vendor near registration" today and found out that there are five of 'em within throwing distance.  Evidently we association types have issues maintaining energy.)

Also - my session is entitled "Rebranding Midflight" and I'd love to see lots of you folks there.  It'll be a fun session with three of my clients talking about their own rebranding experiences (all with Stokefire) and the stuff they learned from it.  This isn't a party in Stokefire's honor - it'll be a candid discussion about the sorts of struggles involved with redifining who we are as organizations. 

I'm hoping my firm comes through without too many bruises.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Yep!

I can share with this you because at this point I've been told this twice within twenty four hours by Discover Card representatives, so I'm pretty sure they must believe it is true.

The callers asked for me by name and told me they were calling regarding my Discover Card account.  When I confirmed it was me they launched into a spiel that began with something like...  "Because you've been such an excellent card holder I'm calling to offer you this critical service.  Let me tell you about our..."

I'll stop here, as I am already boring myself... and there's a bit of a problem with the pitch.  Or at least there are some issues with their identification of me as "an excellent card holder."

The list:

1. I have only been a Discover Card holder for about three weeks.
2. I have never paid a bill (on time or otherwise)
3. I have never purchased anything with the card
4. I have never transferred a balance to the card
   
5. I have never signed the back of my card
6. I have never signed any agreement saying that I wanted the card (I went part way through an application online  but never finished it)
7. I have never activated my card

Has the economy tanked so badly that the mere fact that I'm not delinquent qualifies me as an excellent card holder?

I kid, of course.

The real problem with this situation isn't that they're trying to make money off of me and are willing to flatter me to do so... the real problem is that a company with so much data to mine has completely ignored it and is cold calling their clients while they're at work to upsell them products they've already indicated are not needed. 

Discover is in the process of destroying their brand with their sales tactics.  The first day I attempted to get off the phone three times and ended up hanging up while the agent continued talking.

Today's call (just ended) I attempted to end the call five times, very courteously. 

1. I said that the call must have been a mistake because I'd declined the offer twenty four hours earlier.  He responded that the offer was too important to reject.
2. I let him know that I was at work and this was not a great time to talk. He said it would only take a few moments
3. I let him know that I understood his job was to make the sale, but that it just wasn't going to happen.  He responded with something beginning with "Well sir, have you considered..."
4. I interrupted and informed him that I respected his efforts and wished him luck.  I told him I'd worked on phones and know people need to make a living.  I then let him know I was trying to be courteous.  He said "I know sir, but you really need to be protected from..."
   
5. I said "Thank you.  Please don't call me again with this offer. "  He said something like "Sir, I understand that you are wary, but..."
6. I hung up.

When they call next time I'm just going to respond with one sentence until they give up.

"I like pie."

(Liz, please hurry up and get well.  I am really bad at screening my own calls.)

Discover.  The card that calls you back.  Daily.

(Anyone have any idea how long you have to engage with them before their script runs out?)

"[S]uccessful people make a habit of doing things that unsuccessful people don't like to do."

That was said in an interview over on NBC's Olympics Website.  Bob Bowman is coach to the great Michael Phelps.

I love the quote and find it applies to more than just athletics.  People who commit themselves to a task, take the risks, or put in the time needed to succeed are conditioning themselves to achieve much as Phelps has done.

The key is to figure out what things the unsuccessful people don't like to do.  With marketing and branding I'd suggest that it's research.  Everyone loves to be creative, but only those truly committed to the craft begin to find the science behind the art.

Can Bowman's words be applied to marketing, advertising, or branding?

I can't believe it took me 37 years to discover my favorite sentence. 

Until now I did not have one.  Starting today, however, "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" is officially and forevermore my favorite.

In case you were wondering, it does in fact make sense.  And it helps me illustrate to clients that just because something might make logical sense it might not help you communicate your purpose or reach your goal.  (How many of you immediately understood the sentence to mean "Bison from Buffalo, New York, who are intimidated by other bison in their community also happen to intimidate other bison in their community"?  Anyone?)

You can learn more about this truly cool sentence here.  A free Box-o-Hotness goes to whomever can figure out a way to casually use this sentence in conversation.  Bonus points if you capture it and post it to YouTube. 

I almost missed it ...  Page 110 of Associations Now (published by ASAE and the Center for Association Leadership) has a short statement from me in response to the question "What is your most important key to success as a consultant to associations and nonprofits?"

My dollop of wisdom:

"Getting the senior-most decision makers in the room.  Any rebranding without senior representation will be derailed at the last minute. Every. Single. Time."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

(And I didn't.)

I love the fact that everyone else interviewed provided quotes that make themselves look caring, smart, and insightful.  Me?  I'm cold, pragmatic, and I can't. Use. Punctuation. Correctly.

Rock on! 

[Note: Evidently this post is making its way around the Internet.  We've had thousands of hits in the last couple days.  So... welcome!  Feel free to drop a comment if you like what you see - or send us a note to share your thoughts.  We find it eerie that this post is so popular and yet completely devoid of comments...]

Ira Koretsky posted a comment yesterday that prompted me to check on the reprint rights for an article I recently wrote for ASAE.  Apparently I'm in the clear - so here's the article for all to see...


When Good Project Pitches Go Bad

If you have trouble winning buy-in from your board or members, maybe you’re lobbing answers when you should be fieldng questions. Here’s how to get consensus, step by step.
By Tate Linden
 

“To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values, and policies. So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects.”—British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

 
How many times have you developed a promising organizational idea or strategy on your own (or with a small group), only to get shot down when you attempt to get approval from your board of directors or bring it to a membership vote? And what would you give to avoid the rancor, embarrassment, and frustration that too often rewards your most sincere efforts?

What is it about trying to build consensus within groups of people that makes it nearly impossible to get an answer anyone actually wants?
 
Over 15 years of helping corporations and associations develop their brand identities, I’ve been forced to become adept at consensus building. That’s because few things inspire as much passionate disagreement as the prospect of abandoning a brand history or taking a risky new approach to brand strategy. Employees threaten to quit, customers threaten to take their business elsewhere, members threaten the leadership, and leaders threaten to abandon their organizations.

Trying to arrive at an agreement under these circumstances is a little like skydiving in a thunderstorm—neither enjoyable nor productive, with significant safety issues.
 
An unpredictable art

As anyone can tell you who has encountered the tense conditions that require hiring consultants like me in the first place, consensus building often has more to do with politics than with the validity of the ideas presented. Bending the ear of the right board member or gaining access to an influential block of members can work wonders—whether you’re the project manager or someone wishing to stop the process.

The likelihood of successfully using the exact same technique in two different situations is, in my experience, quite low. Consensus building is an art—one whose techniques are constantly being developed, tested, refined, and discarded.

There are certain truths that you can have faith in, but these truths are general, not specific.
 

• First, few people in decision-making roles enjoy being told what to think—and in a membership organization, every member has such a role. If you’ve got the best idea in the world and you tell people that it is, in fact, the best idea in the world, the instinct for many will be to look for reasons why the idea isn’t so great after all.

• When you’re building consensus, an intelligent question is infinitely more valuable than a brilliant statement. If you want to bring minds together, I find that a gentle facilitative leading works better than vigorous prodding. Ask. Suggest. Consider. These are the methods that can lead us to consensus decisions worth making.

 

• It’s important to remember Newton’s Third Law of Motion: every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If you push a group decision vigorously, the natural reaction is what Newton predicts: to push back. This can mean failing to reach consensus—or ensuring that no one in the group gets exactly what they want so that everyone is equally displeased.

 
Not exactly ideal situations. They can be avoided, however.

The secret: Get buy-in first

The easiest and best consensus decisions I’ve facilitated were made possible by spending the time at first to learn the decision makers’ views of the concept’s goals. It is possible to get significant support for a project or decision before you even start discussing it.
 
The quickest way to get stuck with a bad decision-making experience is to come up with a plan based on ideas that are only inside your own head. Without external validation and an attachment to the needs of others, the barriers are very high.
 
Here’s a simplified view of how I’ve done it successfully:
 

1. Never, never start the discussion by proposing a solution—any solution. First, decision makers and influencers must agree on the nature and importance of the problem. Without consensus on the problem and its parameters, you are wasting your time discussing solutions.
2. Forge agreement on the definition of success. Develop criteria against which every proposed solution will be measured. Do this before any analysis or research on solutions begins.
3. Set up a comprehensive, two-way communication channel with everyone whose assent you need in order to decide. Be as transparent as possible. Make sure there’s a way for members to express their concerns and to have a voice at the table. 
4. Be sure to include all staff members whose responsibilities are connected with the topic under discussion, and treat them as valued participants. You’d be surprised how influential staff can be with the membership—and how easy it is for a staffer with a legitimate-sounding gripe to find an audience. These same employees, when given respect within the process, can be your strongest advocates for the project’s success.
5. Get as close to an either/or decision as possible. To obtain a majority decision, it is far easier to vote “yes” or “no” than it is to select from options 1 through 10. 
6. In presenting the “finalist” option(s) for discussion, describe the options considered, the roads not taken, and the reasons why. Reasons should refer clearly to the criteria and view of success developed in Step 2. Again, be free with information. Transparency builds trust; even well-meant opacity reduces it. Without trust, no positive decisions can be made.
7. Once the decision has been made, be generous with praise (and, as appropriate, rewards) for everyone’s efforts. Appreciation builds satisfaction almost as surely as results do.
   

 
Many people believe that knowledge is power—and that hoarding knowledge can lead to great things. When it comes to building consensus, the one who holds the most information closest to the vest loses.