Shakespeare on work and life

"There are no small parts, only small actors."

Business is like a movie or a play where every person can make or break the performance. Picture yourself lost in the stirring production of a Broadway musical when suddenly one of the bit part performers (tongue planted firmly in cheek) slips totally out of character.

You can't believe your eyes and ears. You slowly shake your head in disgust. You readjust your position in your seat. You begin to feel uncomfortably warm. What has happened? You've suddenly been snapped out of your suspension of disbelief. You've lost the feeling of the play . . . of the brand. And you've been quickly transported back to the realm of rationality, where $340 for two tickets was a huge extravagance and a bad decision.

The same thing happens with your audience, albeit on a different scale. When one of your customers is treated poorly (this is subjective, remember), they begin to wonder whether your rates are too high and whether their decision to select you was a poor one.

February 27, 2004

John Bradshaw on Zen

"Children are natural Zen masters; their world is brand new in each and every moment." Which reminds me of a great Zen maxim: "Great Doubt: great awakening. Little Doubt: little awakening. No Doubt: no awakening."

What's this have to do with business today? Everything. Because societal (and technological) change drive business change. If you don't have GREAT doubt that your present business approach is wanting, then you are slowly - but surely - going to sleep. Just like KMart, Vlasic, Chiquita, Sunbeam, Owens Corning, Bethlehem Steel, TWA, Polaroid, FAO Schwarz, Excide, et. al.

Wake up! Building a great business - a great brand - is like producing a great film. It must fit the evolving spirit of the times. The old ways of static brand building through top of mind awareness are DEAD. You can advertise the hell out of a new movie, but if it stinks it will never provide a decent return. Today, like great actors and producers, you're only as good as your latest work. Your brand is nothing more than the background presence behind your series of new innovations. Unfortunately, good enough is no longer good enough!

February 26, 2004

Scott Bedbury on brands

"Brands are sponges for content, for images, for fleeting feelings. They become psychological concepts held in the minds of the public."

Sometimes I wonder if the media truly understand the power it wields in the making and braking of brands. It's often the fame achieved in the news that makes a brand successful. Think Oprah promoting a book or The Journal touting a startup. Think also about the Democratic primaries. John Kerry's brand charisma is being driven by his perceived success in the media. Nothing more.

Success and failure stories have a powerful effect on our feelings. Consider the JetBlue articles in yesterday's post (below). I'm sure that JetBlue is following the news and trying desperately to manage its story. Because they know full well that if the news goes negative on JetBlue, so goes JetBlue the brand.

February 25, 2004

Tom Asacker helps professionals, companies, educational institutions, government agencies, and not-for-profit organizations transition from being "economically-driven" to "emotionally-driven," so that they can increase revenues without increasing costs. It requires a new mind-set and involves analyzing every activity an organization does to make it a growth activity. Visit Tom's Web site at www.sandboxwisdom.com.