Branding Blog

Vacation Notes

We traveled to Texas for a week so my two oldest daughters could become full-blown Wizards. (no, this was not in response to receiving messages via Owl.)

One of the things we noticed on the trip was that as you head into the Bible Belt, the number of Adult Video Superstores increases at about the same rate as churches. What's up with that?

We did our share of tourist activities with stops at The Alamo, Schlitterbahn, Outlet Stores and the like and totally stuffed ourselves not once, but twice at The Salt Lick in Driftwood.

We borrowed a friend's Magellan RoadMate 700 GPS computer and it was useful and provided us with some comic relief at times. We nicknamed it "Maggie" because it rhymes with naggie. Overall, she provided very good instructions for getting anywhere we wanted to go, but when you leave your assigned route she becomes a bit of a nag telling you to make a u-turn and then recalculating your route. All in a humorous way. If you were really lost, she'd be a godsend. An AMAZING device, really.

On the CD player we had Nellie McKay, Peter Nevland, Paul Finley and a host of classic rock collections.

Other than my near-2nd-degree sunburn (I think my kids handed me bbq sauce instead of sunblock) it was a near perfect vacation.

Here's a note to hotels:

If you don't offer anything other than dial-up internet access, don't even bother saying you offer internet because in my book, you don't. And to the Holiday Inn in Wichita; How do you get your wireless signal to stay inside a 12x12 glassed-in room? Amazing. I couldn't get access 20 feet away in the air conditioned lobby and instead had to sit in the "business center" sweatbox to download some email.

A Brand Called Ralph

It was a rough week. We put a good man to rest. He was well-liked by just about everyone who ever met him. If he couldn’t make you smile, he’d just try harder. He was a great communicator, yet most underestimated his great intelligence. His career started out in entertainment and he ended up in politics. His ability to make friends and develop relationships was legendary in the circles he moved in.

You might think I’m talking about President Ronald Reagan. Guess again.

Ralph Olsen’s funeral was a standing-room-only affair. The crowd included small children, senior citizens and everyone in between.

What a trip!

The email message from our Stratford, Ontario partner Steve Rae had "Something to aim for..." as the subject header. It caused a smile for me and all I shared it with.

Something to aim for...

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming...
"F*ck, what a trip!'"
(Author Unknown)

Have a great weekend everyone.

Steve

However, the real belly-laughs didn't roll in until about 10 hours later (due to some kind of time difference between Canada and Australia) with Craig Arthur's response:

Steve, is that why you took me canoeing down white water rapids on a freezing Texas winter's day?

I’ll always remember the crusty old guy behind the counter at the canoe hire company. When I asked him how much the sunscreen was he said, “If you’re crazy enough to go canoeing today you can have the sunscreen for free. Just don’t fall in the water, you’ll die.” With those reassuring words ringing in my ears we set off down stream. My friends, the rapids were ANGRY that day. (not really but hey this is my story)

I do remember arriving at our destination, sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out, wet, cold and saying "F*ck, what a trip!”

It was a brilliant experience.

Thanks Steve.

Ps If you have never been canoeing ask Steve to take you out next time you’re both in Buda. It’s a great experience. Truly!

I love working with these guys!

My 10-year-old Photographer

Note to readers: Shameless bragging about one of my kids. Not branding related.

My youngest daughters, Alexandria (10) and Darby (9) decided to pick up some el-cheapo digital cameras the other day. Here's an unedited shot Alex took today of her cousin Jake. Not bad for a 10-year-old with a cheapo camera!

Equal time for Darby....

Now That's Branding!

Sometimes, when you're searching for branding stories you find the most interesting things. My mom was raised on a cattle ranch in the sandhills of Nebraska, so I came pretty close to living an entirely different kind of "branding" life.

This is a news story about taking a bunch of foreign exchange students to a working cattle ranch and showing them the ropes, so to speak. They branded and castrated calves and learned about an important part of Americana.

Here's a key quote:

Naoko Okano of Japan ate a Rocky Mountain Oyster, as the cuttings from the males are called when cooked. There was a grill along the back fence at the corral to the northeast of the Dunphy exit off Interstate 80.

"It was good. It's just meat, you know," she said.

Elko Daily Free Press

A Spoonful of Sugar

(Editor's note: This is a reprise of one of Roy H. William's Monday Morning Memos lifted from the secret archives. Copyright belongs to Williams Marketing.)

A Monday Morning Memo from The Wizard of Ads

The cozy melody rises to greet you like a familiar friend and its lazy, carefree meandering takes you away to a quiet place, reminding you of the warmth of a peaceful afternoon in the Tom Sawyer summer of your childhood. You are listening to the theme song from M.A.S.H.

Scobleizer's Sock Drawer

Famous Microsoft blogger Robert Scoble has another blog that he calls his aggregator blog. He posts all the stuff he finds that he likes but isn't worthy or salient enough for his Scobleizer blog.

When I was doing the research for my book (mainly lurking in other people's blogs), I didn't really have a blog where I wrote posts and kept to a topic. I started a blog that I call "Dave's Cybercloset." Its purpose is identical to Scoble's. I put the cool things there. I have friends that prefer it to the BrandingBlog.

You're welcome to come visit. Just don't expect me to clean up.

Scobleizer: Microsoft Geek Blogger

When you seek differentiation and innovation, don't expect to find it by sniffing around at your competitors.

I came across a story in the Bradenton Herald that offered branding advice from a local advertising guy. He suggests "...differentiating yourself from the competition is essential. But how can you find out enough about your competition to accomplish this? Are there ways to harvest valuable data from your competitors without resorting to deception? First, hang out where your competitors schmooze - at industry trade associations. Not surprisingly, your competitors are more likely to be forthcoming with information at association meetings, conventions and social events."

Let me beg to differ. Hanging out at industry trade associations is like hanging out with a pack of (please forgive the metaphor) butt-sniffing dogs. All you're likely to find out is who is the biggest, baddest dog in your industry. Don't expect to find ideas for innovation or differentiation from people who are attempting to do the same thing as you. If you copy from them, are you differentiating? No. Are you likely to get fresh ideas? No. The best you can hope for is for some ideas on processes and practices that might make you more efficient. But, ideas to make you stand apart from your competition? Forget it. They won't be shared.

You'd be much better off seeking the convention of an entirely different industry that shares some characteristics with your own. If you're a chiropractor, look for a service industry that shares some characteristics with yours. How about a plumber's convention? We only call plumbers (and chiropractors) when we need them. Most of the time we need to see them right away. And the plumbers will be delighted to share information with you, because you are NOT a competitor.

Henry Ford did not get the idea for the assembly line from visiting with other automobile manufacturers. He visited a meat processing facility and witnessed an un-assembly line.

The story from Bradenton also suggests that you obtain information about your publicly traded competitors from their SEC reports. Again, I suggest that you'll find little useful information about innovation and differentiation here. Most public companies got big through innovation, but when Wall Street starts putting pressure on, the innovation slows down. What's more likely to happen if you start poring over 10Q and 10K reports, is that you develop a severe case of paralysis by analysis.

If you're a small, entrepreneurial business looking to differentiate yourself from the competition, focus on the ONE asset you have that NONE of your competitors have: YOU! Do YOUR best. Be the greatest YOU can be. And, make sure your customers know that you care about them. Let the butt-sniffing dogs have their meetings.

It all started at Wal-Mart

It started with the purchase of a $5 watch at Wal-Mart yesterday. My 9-year-old daughter, Darby, wanted a watch like mine, so she bought one. Little did we know that the alarm on the watch was set for 4:00 a.m.

When the alarm sounded, it awoke both Darby and her 10-year-old sister/bunkmate Alexandria. Darby can not figure out how to shut off the alarm and yells up the stairs for me to help her. Meanwhile, Alex decides to head to the bathroom. She shuts the door and finishes her bathroom business. After flushing, she notices a spider which, from its tactical position in front of the door, is now blocking Alex’s exit from the bathroom. Alex is now screaming for help. Darby is now screaming through the door trying to help her sister. The watch alarm is now drowned out by the sound of two girls screaming in the night.
Dad to the rescue. Using my keen fatherly instincts to determine that the situation is not going to work itself out, I grab my robe and head for the stairs.

Our fat, old dachshund, Hank, using what’s left of his own instincts, comes to the same conclusion (or he just wants to know what the heck is going on) and heads for the stairs at the same time as me.

As God is my witness, I did not know that Hank was just a step ahead of me as I made the corner in the dark. He has just started down the stairs when my foot connects with his hind end as I rush to the scene of the spider emergency. There is dim light at the bottom of the stairs and the unforgettable vision of a fat flying furry black wiener dog making a rough carrier-landing in the night is now forever etched on my guilty conscience.

The dog hitting the wood floor takes all of the excitement out of the spider emergency. By this time, the girl’s older sister, Whitney, awakened by the screams, has opened the bathroom door and dispatched the tiny spider to the arachnid after-life.

Hank is now traumatized from his brief flight. He stands up, pees on the floor and then limps into the girl’s bedroom where he pees again. I feel so bad about kicking him down the stairs that I ignore the pee. He is more shaken up than injured. Julie, my wife, has now joined us in comforting Hank. Five of our six family members are gathered in the hallway at 4 o’clock in the morning. Courtney, who complains of being a light sleeper, is soundly sleeping through the entire event.

Hank seems to be ok now. A couple of treats cheer him up noticeably. I reset the alarm to go off at 10:00 a.m.

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably wondering what this has to do with branding. Nothing. Except this: We usually feel best about the people and brands we know the most about. If you’re a regular reader of the Brandingblog, you know that I’m interested in brands. Now, you know a bit about me and my family as well. Your brand is built in a series of conversations with your customers. Your time spent here is part of my conversation with you. When you need branding help, I’d like you to think of me and feel good about me. Part of feeling good about someone is knowing that they are a fellow human.

This true event happened at 4:00 a.m. today. My family thinks it was God’s April Fool’s joke on us. I agree.

Christ as a Brand

Jesus Christ is now the star of a blockbuster movie. His name endures forever. Many of my best friends would have a hard time with me comparing Jesus to a marketing brand. I hope they get over it.

Here’s another warning: I’m going to use the word “cult” in this story. Please understand this is a word that describes the adherents of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices. A cult is not necessarily destructive.