Marketing Chief

Ramblings from an Opinionated Marketer

http://marketingchiefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cropped-cropped-Atlanta-Skyline.jpg

Leadership Lessons from Gap and Starbucks

Posted by admin on February 4th, 2011

My experience is that people rally behind a vision.

Behind hope.

Behind a purpose bigger than themselves.

One of my favorite quotes—which is applicable to leaders (and societies for that matter) of all types— is this:

“Without a vision, the people perish”.

Let’s look at how this principle is revealed in recent developments in the business world.

The Gap’s “Vision”

Several months ago, clothing retailer Gap changed their company logo. The marketing, advertising and social media communities were aghast. The vocal minority challenged and questioned how the Gap could do such a horrendous thing. “We, the people”, cried the vocal minority, “own your logo and your brand. We, the people, decide what is good for you. And this is not good”.

It was an emotional reaction to a subjective viewpoint of their logo (which, subjectively, was really ugly by the way).

Soon after, this post appeared on the Gap’s Facebook page:

“Thanks for everyone’s input on the new logo! We’ve had the same logo for 20+ years, and this is just one of the things we’re changing. We know this logo created a lot of buzz and we’re thrilled to see passionate debates unfolding! So much so we’re asking you to share your designs. We love our version, but we’d like to see other ideas. Stay tuned for details in the next few days on this crowd sourcing project.”

By stating that they’ve “had the same logo for 20 years” makes it appear as though they were just tired of it. We don’t know why or for what purpose. Maybe just because of the fact that it’s 20 years old. And, oh by the way, “this is just one of the things we’re changing”. Huh?

I doubt that this statement on Facebook was part of their original corporate communications plan.

In public comments, the CEO quickly retreated from the new logo and stalled for time as they decided what to do next. Interestingly, comments from the CMO were not as prevalent. Their next move: the team shelved the ‘crowd sourcing idea’ and went back to their original logo. Public outcry stops. The story ends…..or does it?

Starbucks Communicates Their Vision

More recently, another well-known company, Starbucks, embarked on a similar project, revealing significant changes to their logo which included deleting the words “Starbucks Coffee” from their mark. The vocal minority repeated their outcry and demand for change.

But Starbucks responded quite differently.

Instead of retreating from their decision and crowd sourcing their new logo design, the CEO of Starbucks posted a video blog explaining the future vision of the company, hinting that there would be more changes as they celebrate their 40th anniversary, and inviting consumers to join them. The CEO knows that the future of the company is bigger than the logo design and the new mark better represented their long-term strategic vision for the company as a whole. And he shared a portion of that vision to his constituents (consumers included).

If you were the Chief Marketing Officer, which company would you rather work for? The one where the CEO “forgot” the months of discussions, the consumer research, and the rationale behind their decision and immediately turned tail at the first outcry? Or the CEO who stood by their decision because it was in the best long-term interest of their company? A CEO who could effectively articulate a vision that consumers, employees and shareholders could support, even while some disagreed?

The Leadership Lesson

To be a leader you must have a vision. You must articulate the vision. You must sell the vision. And you must discern when to be flexible and adjust to external pressures –and when to hold firm to unpopular decisions that you believe are right for the business.

When Leaders Lack Vision, Indecision is Rampant.

Decisions are made. Then changed. Then remade. It’s like the movie, GroundHog Day. Things keep repeating themselves…sometimes with the same result and sometimes different. But there’s no rhyme or reason.

And without a decision-maker and a vision-maker, whomever has the leader’s ear (at that time) is likely to get their way. It’s an exercise more in the political winds of the time (and covering one’s derriere in the process) than bringing about real insight and change to move a business forward.

The funny thing is that I’ve been thinking about writing this post ever since Starbucks changed their logo a month ago. But a headline I saw this week put a little relevant urgency to the topic.

In A Series of Major Changes, Gap Names New Global CMO, taps Ogilvy as New Agency

North American President Leaves

Surprised? I’m not.

Without a vision, the people perish.

“We All Fall Down”

Posted by admin on December 8th, 2010

General Motors recently aired a television spot titled “We All Fall Down” that has been receiving a lot of commentary in advertising and social media circles.

When I first heard the spot, I was multi-tasking and not really paying attention to the television. The impactful music score, a piano rendition of “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”, immediately captured my attention. Once I turned toward the visuals, I did not look away.

I saw slow motion images of defeat and failure, mostly nostalgic and familiar.

And they were telling a compelling story (sans announcer).

But then halfway into the spot —this was brilliantly scripted as a :60 which is still one of my favorite uses of the medium— failure gives way to hope.

Evel Knievel gets up from a horrible crash and the crowd cheers in the background. Animal House’s Bluto gives the rally speech “I’m not going to take this”. Harry Truman smiles as he holds up the Chicago Daily Tribune with the incorrect headline that screams “Dewey Defeats Truman”.

And some simple type:

We all fall down.

Thank you for helping us get back up.

Then the GM logo.

And…after a slight delay…”Since 1908″.

It was a subtle reminder that this was a company that had been around for more than 100 years fueling the dreams of many Americans. A company that had been a part of our country’s fabric and is as familiar as to us as baseball and apple pie. An icon of our shared history.

You can argue all day long whether we (via the U.S. Government) should have bailed them out. Whether it’s appropriate for GM to consider themselves “our brother” as if it’s our responsibility to pick them up. Or if “we all fall down” trivializes the decisions that led the company to a Chapter 11 reorganization.

But what is not arguable to me is that it’s nice to be appreciated.

And a heartfelt “thank you” is always a welcome gesture.

Missing the Magic

Posted by admin on September 28th, 2010

This week Disney Parks launched their new advertising campaign, “Let the Memories Begin”, based partly on a new industry survey that shows nearly half of family travelers have posted vacation photos to a social media site.

Memories are powerful. And memories made at Disney Parks with loved ones are milestone events. Who can’t recall their child’s face the first time they saw Cinderella’s castle or met Mickey Mouse?

The idea of ‘memories’ is a cornerstone from which a strong advertising campaign can be built—-especially for a theme park resort.

What makes this unique, however, is that Disney’s campaign utilizes content generated from their consumers to sell this idea. On the surface, capturing real consumers with genuine emotions would appear to be desirable. Their custom YouTube page is a great place for this initiative. Yet it is a mistake for this iconic brand to highlight user-generated content on national television.

Here’s why.

The manner in which they present their story overwhelms the content of the story. Their application of user-generated content cheapens the quality. I’m watching somebody else’s experience vs. picturing myself in a fantasy vacation of my own.

There’s a lack of real emotional connection.

When I plan my Disney vacation, I want to believe the experience will be filled with perfect days and lifelong memories. I know better. But it helps justify the expense of a Disney vacation (not an inexpensive venture with daily park-hopper tickets priced at $136 per day per person).

Disney has built their brand on compelling stories. They have built their brand on the impossible coming true.

The Beast gets the beautiful girl.

The slipper fits.

The Prince delivers the life-saving kiss.

Engage me in the story. Romance me. Let me get a mental picture of the ‘ideal’. Not the reality of poor home videos.

Utilize the associations that the brand already owns with families:

Wonder. Fascination. Fantasy.

And bring the magic back.

Tiger, Earl Woods and Nike – An Odd Combination

Posted by admin on April 10th, 2010

Has enough been written about Tiger Woods and his behavior? Probably.

But when Nike came out with a tv ad this week, new questions surfaced. And, for me, while a bold move on Nike’s part, I think it was off strategy.

Awkward is exactly how I felt.

I am not comfortable with using his deceased father’s voice. It is just completely odd to me. Very odd.
His dad says: “I am prone to be more inquisitive” and wants to know “What your thinking was, what your feelings are and did you learn anything?” This is hardly a line of questioning that gets PAST the events but rather underlines the fact that he has left many questions unanswered. In fact, it invites MORE discussion which sounds like to me that Tiger’s marketing guys and PR guys aren’t on the same page.

Overall, the content was off strategy, the medium was a bad choice AND it shouldn’t have been a message delivered via your sponsor.

And one more thing (comment added after original post): Earl had a history of extramarital affairs during Tiger’s youth. So who is he to give advice to his son on this subject?

Earl: “I want to know what your thinking was”—
Tiger: “Just trying to follow your example, Dad”……

If I’m Nike, I can show support for him in a more appropriate way.

If tv is the medium of choice, show slow-mo shots of him in various tournaments with a voice-over that says:

“Winners know when they’re out of bounds.
Winners take responsibility for their errors.
Winners know the road to overcoming adversity is a long one…but one worth traveling.
To us, Tiger, you’ll always be a winner.
-Nike”

OK, I’m not a copywriter but the bigger points are this:

Nike can show support for him without making light of or minimizing his transgressions
They can be honest in their communication that he can’t sweep it under the rug (i.e. it’s a long road)
They can express faith that he can overcome this

At least with that approach, I believe the take-away message is simple and clear.

I’m not sure what the take-away is on the current spot. If it is just to generate publicity (with the thought that all publicity is good publicity—not a mantra I agree with, by the way), then they have been successful. I would say that more than 2 million hits on their YouTube video in the first 48 hours would be classified as success.

What do you think? Good or bad for Nike and Tiger?

Undercover Boss – The Reveal

Posted by admin on March 29th, 2010

Undercover Boss has now aired featuring the president and CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment, Joel Manby.

Probably the biggest question I get is this:

Is Joel really that nice? Caring? Compassionate?

Yes, yes and yes.

He’s the real deal. Herschend Family Entertainment is lucky to have him at the helm.

Traveling together for the several days of taping Undercover Boss, I can tell you that the emotions captured on the screen were real. Joel’s heart was clear. He is compassionate about those that are put in his charge and he takes that responsibility seriously. At one point, he said on screen “it’s frustrating because we just can’t help everybody”. And that is so true.

And the reason that it’s frustrating to him is because in his heart, he would love nothing more than to help everyone.

I think what was most impactful to me about being a part of the process was the thought and energy that went into helping each employee and their situation. Joel had a real compassion for those he worked next to and wanted to do things to help them individually. But he also felt a very real responsibility to ALL employees of the company.

One thing that stood out to me was the way Joel made organizational change in addition to addressing the needs of the individual employee:

For Richard (Silver Dollar City) and Mercedes (Adventure Aquarium), their immediate needs were addressed through an employee assistance fund. Not shown on TV: Joel has made it a priority to ensure that ALL employees are aware of — and APPLY for— funds through this program. This item is also re-emphasized on an employee-wide video slated for distribution in April.
Because of the issues brought forth job shadowing Jennifer (Showboat Branson Belle) and Mercedes, the needs of single parents (especially child care funds) have been addressed by making these items newly eligible through the employee assistance program.
The company already has existing tuition assistance programs. But because of Albert’s (Silver Dollar City) story, a new scholarship fund has been established to be awarded annually to one employee. This includes tuition reimbursement and continuation of wage benefits. While Albert is the first recipient, there will be many other benefactors down the line.

The taping process was tiring and long—I think our shortest day working was roughly 13 hours and the longest about 18 hours. But seeing the reactions and responses of the employees when Joel revealed his true identity and gave them the good news was worth it all.

There wasn’t a dry eye to be found.

And truth be told, even when I knew what was coming, it was hard to keep those darn eyes dry watching the episode on CBS. And by the comments I read on Twitter, I wasn’t alone there.

That’s what happens when people’s lives are changed for the better.

So what did you think of the episode? Feel free to leave your comments below.

[Disclosure notice: In keeping with contractual commitments signed long ago, the content in this post has been reviewed and approved by CBS. Nothing material to the author was altered].