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July/Aug 2012Branding Issue

THE OLYMPIC BRANDING GAMES - GOING FOR GOLD?

In This Issue:Olympic Gold - GE Grows Its Global Brand as London 2012 Olympics Sponsor Corporate Branding FAQ: Yes, There Is More to It Than You Think What Can Olympic Teams Teach Business Leaders?

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Welcome

.BIZ Builder Vol. I, Issue 2 JULY/AUGUST 2012 Published by: CommPRO.biz Editor-In-Chief Brian Pittman Chief Creative Officer / Designer Todd Fabacher Publisher Fay Shapiro Chief Strategist Bruce Merchant

Were here to serve and to help you become more successful. One way we do that is by making it EASY to consume and share the latest, greatest content covering whats new and whats working to grow your business using integrated marketing and communications. Thats why were offering the latest issue of .BIZ Builder Magazine in manageable bites. Whether youre a reader, partner, contributor or even advertiser, we think youll nd our issue preview Snapshot to be a quick and engaging way to consume and share the content we bring together for the thousands of members of our growing community In this edition, we explore two timely billion-dollar topicsboth of which are widely misunderstood: The Olympics & Branding. Exclusive features range from an interview with GEs Olympic Sponsor President Peter Foss and an article by UTAs Laurence Vincent revealing Hollywoods branding secrets, to a list of Top brands on Twitter and a How-to Branding Guide for business. Enjoy! And share!!

Contributors.BIZ Channel Partners Critical Now: From Critical Mention Social Video: From Latergy Digital Visibility: From Zog Digital PR ROI: From PRIME Research .BIZ Bloggers IR Therefore I Am - Gene Marbach Social Media Zone & The Pulse - Vicki

Flaugher.BIZ Blog Contributors

Marco Bertini, London Business School Mark de Rond Christina Houghton, Siegel+Gale Michele Adelson, The Phelps Group Laurence Vincent, UTA Joey Sargent, BrandSprout Donetta Allen: Hunter PR

Mark Brock, Wray Ward

Brian Pittman

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TableContents ofOlympic Infographic: The Evolution of Olympic Coveragein Print, TV and Social Media {4 - 5}

Olympic Gold: GE Grows Its Global Brand as London 2012Summer Olympics Sponsor {6 - 11}

U.S. Olympic Hall of Shame: Hard Charging Olympic

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Athletes Who Have Faced Charges {12 - 14}

Londons Burning: Controversy Heats Up Over Protectingthe Olympic Brand {16 - 18}

What Olympic Teams Teach Business: The Truthabout High Performance Organizations {20 - 23}

Olympic Fashion Flubs: Lessons from Ralph Lauren,Roots and Stella McCartney {24 - 26}

How to Be a Winner: P&Gs Winning Sponsorship of the2012 Olympic Games {28 - 31}

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What Hollywood Teaches Business: How to Find YourBrand Story {33 - 37}

Social Media Cocktails? Aligning Your Brand withRelevant or Popular Conversations {38 - 40}

Busted! Five Brand-Busting Myths Exposed {42 - 44} Brand Engineering: The Science Behind the Art {46 - 49} Brand Ambassadors Needed: How to Build a BrandThrough Social Media {50 - 52}

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Olympic Buzz: McDonalds Demonstrates Owned-MediaProwess on Eve of Olympics {54 - 55}

Whats Your Brand EQ? A Questionnaire {56 - 58} Branding FAQ: What You Must Know {60 - 62} Funny Business: Buzzwords That Hurt Brands {64 - 65} Twitter Winners: Most Engaged Brands Online {67 - 72} BONUS BRANDING GUIDE: How to Work with aBranding Agency (and More) {71 - 82}

Olympic GoldGE Grows Its Global Brand as London 2012 Olympics SponsorBrian Pittmans exclusive interview with GE Olympic Sponsorship President Peter Foss

Any company must carefully align sponsorship opportunities with its corporate valuesand recognize its all about growth at the end of the day, says Peter N. Foss, President, Olympic Sponsorship and Corporate Sales at GE. If you cant nd a link to driving company protsdont do it! warns Foss, who in addition to coordinating GEs global Olympic Sponsorship also manages the companys Sales Force Effectiveness program. In our case, GEs values are all about integrity and so are those of the Olympics, he explains. Whats more, the company has driven hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure projects and sales abroad through its Olympic

partnerships, while helping to reinvent GE as a truly global brand. Before the Beijing Olympics, Foss illustrates, the Chinese thought GE was GM and that we were in the car business. Not only has GEs brand awareness in China skyrocketed since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, but GE has also ramped up its Olympic sponsorship initiativesand the London Summer Olympic Games are no exception. Here, Foss shares key metrics underscoring GEs Olympic sponsorship ROI, what hes most looking forward to in the London Games and his quick tips for businesses seeking greater visibility via marketing sponsorships of any size or type:6

Why did GE decide to sponsor the Games? GEs partnership with the Olympic Games aligns with our global growth strategy by opening doors to new sales and marketing opportunities in all of the host countries. GE is uniquely suited to meet the infrastructure needs required to stage the worlds largest sporting event, as well as the healthcare needs to provide quality care to the athletes. Our continuedinvestment in the Olympic Gamesis part of our commitment to deliver world-class infrastructure and healthcare solutions that leave a sustainable legacy to future generations. We are proud to be associated with the Olympic Games, as the values of this global, trusted brand match GEs. Our sponsorship provides funding for athletes that would otherwise not be able to participate in the Olympic Games. We are very proud of that. When did GEs sponsorship begin and what were the goals? We announced our sponsorship in 2003, and it was at same time NBC was bidding for 2010 and 12 broadcast rights. As part of that, we went in as GE to put in a bid to be a TOP (The Olympic Partner) Program Sponsor. This started with the 2006 Olympics in Torino and then in Beijing, Vancouver and London. Those were the four in our rst package. The thinking was the company was becoming more global. When I started, 95% of sales were in U.S., but it was probably 60% ten years ago. There were

In terms of return on investment, GEs general awareness prior to the Olympic Games was less than 10%. After the Games, it was 50%.big areas of potential growth outside of the U.S.but we just werent known there. The biggest interest was in Beijing, because China was a big market for GE. We were doing close to $5 billion a year there. They thought GE was GM and that we were in the car business. We saw Olympics as a brand that we could saddle up and ride in with. It was a great way to build relationships with key individuals in China as they built up the Olympics and announced they were spending $50 billion on itdouble what was normal. Beyond that, other infrastructure projects were more like $200 billionincluding transportation, power, water, lighting and all the things we do as a big infrastructure company. We realized the head of the Olympic organizing committee in China was LiuQi, and that party secretaries and mayors served on committees, as well. If we built a strong relationship with them, we could demonstrate our capability and ability to be a good partner on infrastructure projects. They were going to start at a given time and we needed to deliver. That gave us a great opportunity. We got to know them and ultimately built great relationships with them. GEs general awareness there prior to the Olympics7

In China, we saw a +31% rise in favorability after the Olympic Games. In Canada, we saw a +92% rise in favorability after the Olympic Games.was less than 10%. After the games, it was 50%. That was good for us. We also did a lot of advertising in the country, which helped. Next came the announcement that the Summer Olympics were to be held in Rio. That was another great opportunity for us as an infrastructure company to grow into a thriving economy. We are now signed up through 2020. So overall, it has turned into a very nice opportunity to build stronger relationships in areas of the world that are important to us. Can you touch upon what GE provides the Olympics? Our Olympic Green program in Beijing and also in London includes providing more energy efcient sport lighting, electrical infrastructure and more. We also built health clinics for athletes with diagnostic imaging equipment. So, it runs the gamut of all of our product lines. The IOC actually said GE stands for Generally Everything. We were their rst infrastructure sponsor as opposed to consumer companies like Samsung or Visa. Those companies interests were a year out from the games being heldbut we are there on the ground to help with infrastructure the moment the host city is announced. We immediately put four teams on the8

ground: our revenue team (sales), our PR team, our marketing team, and our hospitality team. How do the Olympic values align with GEs? From a brand value perspective, we have a code of ethics in the company and the spirit of the letter is that integrity comes rst of all. The Olympics values are all about striving for truth, integrity, spirit, team building and sportsmanship. There is nothing there that doesnt align with our own values. Integrity is number one for us. One strike and youre out. How have you leveraged the power of the Olympic rings to enhance GEs brand? We have Brand Tracker studies that show our brand awareness grew by 1/3 from 2005 to 2010. We also look at things like unaided awareness around specic campaigns. For example, we ran ads and launched initiatives tied to healthcare around the Vancouver games and awareness of GE as related to healthcare certainly grew. We integrated efforts across traditional media, digital and PR to drive results. As a result, we saw signicant impact across key brand measures in China (2008) and Canada (2010). Specically:

In China, we saw a +31% rise in favorability. In Canada, we saw a +92% rise in favorability.

What has been the commercial impact of GEs involvement in the Olympics any hard metrics? Well, we placed GE technology in all competition and non-competition venues in Beijing, Vancouver and London. GEs involvement with the Olympics helped us dene commercial process to more effectively address large-scale projects. Specically, we created a centralized team to respond to all Olympic-related infrastructure opportunitiesand to work across GEs diverse lines of businesses. In Beijing, we saw:

functioning trauma center and operating room) and more. In London, we have:

120 infrastructure Projects

400 infrastructure Projects

Notable projects included a wind farm outside of Beijing to provide renewable power for the games, a rain water capture system for Bird Nest stadium (main stadium), and a lighting and electrical distribution for multiple stadiums and arenas. In Vancouver, we saw:

120 infrastructure ProjectsNotable projects included a range of diagnostic imaging equipment for two Polyclinics (hospitals for athletes and Olympic ofcials), CT, MR, X-Ray, Ultrasound, ECG and Healthcare IT, a Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) in Whistler (an 18-wheel trailer that served as full-

Notable projects include a full range of diagnostic imaging equipment for Polyclinic (hospitals for athletes and Olympic ofcials), three Jenbacher CHP engines installed in the Olympic Park energy center, 120 EV charging stations installed to support London 2012 electric vehicle eet, GE lighting technology across a number of the Olympic venues (Olympic Main Stadium, Aquatics, Basketball, Field-Hockey, etc.), and a partnership to re-lamp Tower Bridge with energy efcient LED technology.This resulted in a 45% energy savings over current street lighting applications. Beyond that, legacy projects include GE donating4.8m of advanced healthcare equipment to Homerton Hospital including fetal monitors, incubators and magnetic resonance scanners, to Homerton University Hospital in Hackney, East London. Also important was that we were able to showcase GEs contributions to customers from around the world.For example: In Beijing, we hosted over 2,500 customers. In Vancouver, we hosted over 1,000 customers

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In London, we will host approximately 1,300 customers You also oversee corporate sales how has the Olympics sponsorship contributed to sales force effectiveness? One way to answer that is to look at our Decathlon Challenge, which was an internal program to help drive sales with our team and distributors. It involved a series of training contests tied to sales. Research showed that this program helped drive $190 million in revenue growth in 2007 and 2008). Whats your advice to other businesses regarding picking big events or even smaller community events to sponsor? I think when you consider a sponsorship, you have say, What is my strategy for growth and how does this help me? Any decision should be based on how such an opportunity helps your company grow revenues. If you cant nd a clear linkagethen dont do it! For us, we could measure things like: 1. Revenue (we were selling goods that helped build venues), 2. brand awareness, and 3. client and prospect relationships. All of those t into our strategic objectives. If you are a consumer company like Coke, its different. You get involved with it just for the exposure and brand building. They are 80% non-U.S. in terms of global revenues. And their last three CEOs were all international. Again, you must align with your company10

valuesand recognize that its all about growth at the end of the day.

We looked at Olympic sponsorship as a way to create revenue. But we also learned that it helps with brand building.I dont understand some sponsorships. We get two to three calls a week for things that dont t. I dont get it. We dont do it if its not a t. The Olympics were our rst global sponsorshipand were a 140-year company! So, be careful. I dont understand things like putting your name on a stadium. What does that do for you? If you are Citibank naming a baseball eld, maybe that helps because youre reaching consumers. But if we put our name on a stadium, they wont be buying a jet engine tomorrow. The consumer piece at GE is less than four percent of our business-and its all about light bulbs and appliances. Its small, so we wouldnt pursue a sponsorship like that. Where are you getting the most online and media buzz as related to GEs sponsorship of the Olympics? A few weeks ago, we launched a Healthy Share Facebook application as part of our movement to integrate health in a consumer way. This is part of our Healthy Imagination program. The focus is tness and using the games to inspire people to improve their health based on athletes experiences. As part of this program, we developed

challenges people can take to be like the athletes. For example, soccer player Alex Morgan provided a program where you can stretch and do things he does in his training. This program has been generating a lot of media buzz. We did the activation at Rockefeller Center, where Olympic swimmer Summer Sanders hosted a class to take her challenge. What are you most looking forward to during the Summer Olympics in London? The Summer Olympics offer so much to see and do. I try not to miss swimming, for starters. It has become so exciting, from seeing Mark Spitz to now, Phelps They are extraordinary. That will be the hottest ticket in town. I enjoy that. Watching Usain Bolt run is also always cool. Track and eld is never boring. Beach volleyball is fun, like a party. And it will be held at a neat place, in the horse parade area. I will even go watch table tennis one day. What are your thoughts about golf being back in the Olympics, starting with Rio? Im very excited about thatgolf is important to me. Im not good enough to compete. I play on weekends. I live in Charlotte and there is good golf here. I play on Saturday and Sunday mornings whenever I can. We are a marketing partner of the PGA tour and our player just won the U.S. Open (Webb Simpson). Hes involved in an extension of our health initiatives. He was scanned by our DEXA machine that11

measures body composition to see which side has more muscle development. He had that done earlier in the fall. How is golf like business? I have played golf since I was eight years old. I am a big proponent of golf and believe in getting youth involved in it. Its a lifelong sport and teaches great core values. It builds character and emphasizes integrity and honesty. Golf is a game where there are a lot of judgment calls you have to make. Nobody is standing there telling you what to do and how to do it every step of the game. Being a student of the rules of golf helps you in business and life, I think. What you learn about sportsmanship, honesty and judgment carries through your life. Final parting words about the value of GEs Olympic sponsorship? The biggest pieces I take away from this are that we were a stodgy old industrial company that never sponsored anything. We looked at it as way to create revenuebut learned it helps brand building. Also important are the legacy gifts we leave in Olympic cities. Those things make me feel the best about our Olympics involvement. We are proud of not only being a great company, but also a good one. View on CommPRO

Brian Pittmanis a partner at CommPRO.biz, where he focuses on editorial and content while helping to build the community.

U.S. OLYMPIC HALL OF SHAME:

Gold Winner Tonya Harding, Conspiracy and Domestic Violence (2x Wiener)

World-class brands often want to be bigger, stronger, faster. They always want to be better. For better and worse and occasionally for best and worst, the two frequently get together to do business. Before, during and immediately after major sporting eventsnone more major than the Olympic Gamesthese whirlwind partnerships between winning brands and medal winners are formed in the face of erce competition due to the mutual drive to succeed. Unfortunately, they are often fueled and fail by the mutual need for speed. The sponsoring spokespeople dash for the cash while their golden glow still attracts clients, kudos and cameras.

Silver Winner Kobe Bryant, Sexual Assault Charles Barkley, Aggravated Battery

By Larry Thomas, President, Latergy

Hard Charging Athletes Who Have Faced Hard Charges

Bronze Winner Marion Jones, Dope Jennifer Capriati, Dopey Michael Phelps. Doper

Every now and then, the athletes foul outleaving the brand to serve the penalty for guilt by association. Here are a few US Olympians who looked like winners crossing the nish line (or hitting the jump shot), but who lost their way (at least temporarily) when the crowds dispersed. You can expect the volume of falls from grace to rise along with the popularity of online video and social media. Even IF a seemingly disproportionate amount of pampered athletes subscribe to the Its not wrong if you don't get caught" theory, more will be caughton cameraand their reputation and earning potential will drop like a puck at center ice. Whether via strip search or stripped medal, brands that align themselves with athletes gone bad can no longer sever ties, apologize, pull commercials, hire a new spokesperson and wait for it to go away. In the socially fueled, videocentric, long-tail-wagging world we live in

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...content never sleeps. And even if it occasionally falls off pace, it never fades away. Even if you pull the video from TV and all things digital, the visual association of your brand with a golden boy or girl in handcuffs lives on via online video clips of sporting events, talk shows and conversations. Old news is old news until someone Googles it. In due time, a ne product and swift action will help the public forgive and forget both the brand and the athlete. Kelloggs knows that, so they quickly disqualied the smoked sh in hot water and went back to the serial cereal business. Unfortunately for the snap, crackle and pop family, the relationship hasnt crossed the nish line yet.

If Phelps acquires gold and stirs national pride again this summer, hell be back. Nothing generates gold like a good comeback story.agony of defeat. The association between a brand and an athlete has long made marketers ecstatic and nervous at the same time. We know that the euphoria from a quick spike in brand recognition and market share can end quickly with one failed drug test, one violent episode or one corny ake of a kid with a fondness for water (pipes). It may not end it forever. If Mr. Phelps acquires gold and stirs national pride again this summer, hell be back. After all, nothing generates gold like a good comeback story. When Michael dives back into the swimming and business pools this summer, he will be going for more than just gold (or is that just more gold?). The moral of the story: Be wary of whom you run (shoot and swim) with, because branding is a marathonnot a sprint. And, the players are in the public eye and mind long after the race is over. View on CommPRO Larry Thomas is president of Latergy, a video services boutique that provides multimedia content strategy, production, distribution and measurement services.

Watch Video on YouTube Whether driven by quarterly results or one quarter of a second, participants in both worlds compete ercely for fame and fortune. The breakneck speed and the thrill of victory occasionally lead to hasty decisions and, ultimately, the

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London's Burning:By Marco Bertini, Assistant Professor of Marketing, London Business School

Controversy Heats Up Over Protecting the Olympic Brand

The Olympic Games in London are ofcially kicking off, providing us the opportunity to witness the worlds most prestigious sporting event. As Olympic athletes descend upon London, local businesses are nding ways to capitalize on the moment. But theres been debate around some companies many say are overstepping their bounds, using the Olympic symbols without permission. For instance, Bloomberg BusinessWeek interviewed Dennis Spurr, a butcher in Dorset who depicted the Olympic rings as sausage links and was confronted by ofcials from the Olympics. And The Daily Mail reported that Londons cake stores are being told not to use any Olympic logos on cakes due to copyright. London is one of the premier cities in the world. It has its own recognizable appeal and brand. Thus, it would make sense that others would try to capitalise on it. So whats the big deal and is it really all that harmful for local companies to use the Olympic logos in a creative way? To fully understand this issue, lets rst look at the economics of the Olympic Games and points of protability. How Does It Work? By almost any measure, the Olympics are big business. For instance, the 2000 Sydney Games generated $2 billion in revenue from ve sources: broadcast rights, international sponsorship, ticketing, domestic sponsorship and licensing rights.

Licensing rights refer to the use of Olympics logos and trademarks on items ranging from stamps and coins to tshirts and stuffed animals. This year in London, Adidas emerged as a Tier One Partner, allowing the sportswear company to receive marketing and licensing rights in addition to other perks (game ofcials, volunteers and staff will all be donned in Adidas sportswear). Other tier-one partners for this year include BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF, Lloyds TSB. But once the sponsorships and licensing rights are in place, its important to examine the ow of revenue. Where Does the Money Go? The revenue from the principle sources is allocated to: The International Olympic Committee (IOC), National Olympic Committees, International Federations and Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG). In the case of the Sydney Olympics, the major beneciary was the host city OCOG, which used the funds to stage the Games. Historically, 50 to 60 percent of the revenue from broadcast rights and international sponsorships, plus 100 percent of the revenue from ticketing, domestic sponsorship and licensing rights, went to the OCOG. Of the remaining revenue, the IOC kept a portion to cover its administrative and operational costs and allocated the rest to the 205 National Olympic Committees of the IOCs member nations and to the

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International Federations of the sports of the Olympic Games. Who is Responsible to Monitor and Control Logo Use? Of the ve sources of revenue, the IOC a non-prot organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland is responsible for negotiating and managing the broadcast rights and international sponsorships, while the host citys OCOG is in charge of ticketing, domestic sponsorship and domestic licensing. According to a report in The Guardian, London already has a range of legal protections in place, but the IOC since the Sydney Games in 2000 requires an additional layer of legal sanction. In fact, there are laws in place that are meant to prevent non-sponsors and non-licensed businesses from employing images or wording that might suggest too close a link with the Games.

This is a brand name the IOC wants to make sure grows in stature. But this is complicated in that the brand is borrowed to host cities. That is, the IOC owns the brand in a sense, but the host is the one who manages it in the running of the event. I can understand that local London businesses feel some sense of shared ownership. After all, the Games are held in their town and they paid their share for the construction of the infrastructure. But irrespective of this feeling, the fact remains that the Organising Committee has nal ownership of the brand. The store owners will likely still benet from the increased trafc in London from July through August. But those running the event have the obligation to make sure (a) their name is represented accurately and positively, and (b) that the rights of those corporations that have paid good money to be formally associated with the Games are respected and upheld. So as you marvel at the Olympics this year, you might also think about all of the strategy that is behind the scenes. And while many might become frustrated with the IOCs strict regulation, you cant deny that theyve kept the Olympic brand shining year after year. View on CommPROMarco Bertini is a professor of marketing at London Business School. He focuses on consumer/managerial decision-making, and the behavioral aspects of pricing & promotions.18

The Danger of Non-Licensed Businesses Using the Olympics Logo The Olympics are no different than any other business. Most companies spend good money on building their brands. While few would question the right of these businesses to protect this asset, the same has to be the case for the Games.

What Can Olympic Teams Teach Business Leaders?

By Mark de Rond, Ph.D., Author, There Is an I in Team: What Elite Athletes and Coaches Really Know About High Performance

Over the next few weeks, the worlds brawniest athletes will lock horns in pursuit of sports biggest prize: an Olympic title. The worlds number one Taekwondo star, Aaron Cook, wont be one of them. Controversially, he was passed over in favor of world number 59, Lutalo Muhammed, in only the latest of a series of high-prole selection disputes in the Great Britain camp. To avoid just such confrontations, selection decisions are typically based on the most objective grounds possible: having athletes compete against each other for a place on the team. A good example of this is rowing, where two20

crews of four are forced to race each other. After the rst race, two rowers, one from each crew, swap places. The race re-starts, with the goal of isolating the effect of a single rower on a crew in a real boat on actual water. The process continues until coaches have sufcient data on each oarsmans ability, and the relative speed of different combinations of rowers. This seat racing should deliver an objective ranking of the best boat movers. While peerless on paper, seat racing is not always straightforward in practice. Occasionally A beats B who beats C who in turn beats A, which leaves

coaches with more questions than answers. Sometimes, oarsmen and coaches choose to downplay objective results as they push for inclusion of an athlete who, by virtue of his social skills is considered able to raise performance levels overall for the crew. After all, it is the combination that matters. The lesson to business: Teams in sports and business benet from variety. It matters greatly to have differences in talent and in personality, and even in pay within teams. It is only by combining individual differences that one creates a genuinely effective team. What else can we learn about business teams from sports? Following are three lessons based on my extensive eldwork with teams over the past 15 years, and recent results from the experimental labs of Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Chicago and Cambridge:

Also, teams are characterized by paradox: They mobilize tensions that pull members in contrary directions. The most obvious are cooperation and competition, where individuals continue to compete for resources, reputation and career prospects with others, even as effectiveness hinges on coordinating with them. The temptation is often to downplay or disallow competitive tensions for the sake of harmony. The assumption is familiar: The better people get along, the better they will perform. But studies show that harmony is more likely the consequence of, not condition for, performance. Few things bond more strongly than a shared accomplishment. What to do: The best way to build a team is to set them a work-related challenge and give them something to feel good about collectively. In addition, dont try to weed out rivalry in the interest of harmony. This is only likely to drive it underground. As a result, people will continue to compete by belittling the efforts of those around them.

1. High performance teams are not easy places to be.We glamorize teams, but life on the inside often feels slightly off-balance for much of the time. It is important not to confuse what things feel like with what they really are like, given there are two natural causes for this: First, the individuals you work with are good, but the qualities that make them so can make them difcult to tolerate as team members; overcondence can be alienating, restlessness exhausting, intelligence intimidating.

2. The best team is often not made up of the best individuals.What this means is that we may sometimes sacrice competence for likability. As alluded to in the seat racing example, it occasionally makes sense to compromise on technical skill if what one gets in return improves the overall performance of the team. As a recent study points out, if people are actively disliked, their technical competence is21

often irrelevant to team selection. Unless they can be put to work on their own, others are unlikely to seek them out for advice or to share information. What to do: Focus on nding the right combination of individual high performers not only in terms of skills but also personalities. There is evidence that levels individual performance are strongly inuenced by social context (or who else is in the team). You wouldnt want a team of lovable fools, but it can pay dividends to select a socially gifted individual over one more competent to allow the team to handle disagreement more effectively and raise their overall level of performance. Finding the right combination may rely on objective performance data. Despite the availability of such analytics, it is unlikely the optimum combo is found by using numbers alone. Characteristics such as how people react under pressure, how they respond to failure and how they behave when not being watched are important but unlikely to be captured by numbers alone.

Studies of hospital teams are replete with examples, often with grave consequences. In one study, a team of researchers phoned 22 nursing stations, pretending to be a hospital physician and asking for 20mg of a new drug to be given to a patient. They were keen to nd out how many nurses would administer the drug that had not been approved for use there, that was twice the recommended dose, and that had been ordered by physician unknown to the nurse. In 21 cases, researchers had to intervene and stop the nurse from overdosing the patient. In this case, nurses self-censor by deferring to authority. In my experience, the Abilene Paradox is alive and well, and teams the worse for it. I wish people would spend as much money and effort making their organizations psychologically safe as they do on getting people to work in teams. I suspect that if one gets the former right, the latter will come naturally. People are pack animals their desire to work together only stymied by their fear of being found out. What to do: Ask yourself: How safe is my team psychologically? How likely is it that team members self-censor for fear of being considered negative, incapable, needy, unsupportive or unintelligent, and how do you know? Many teams suffer from lack of safety. As a team leader, might you be the problem? Would it be worthwhile bringing in an external facilitator to nd out?22

3. Problems in teams can arise not because there is conictbut because there isnt any.Known as the Abilene Paradox, team members self-censor for fear of being seen as negative or subversive, as looking silly or incompetent, or for fear of destroying any existing team spirit.

Further, might it be useful to implement a donkey question rule, where everyone is expected to ask at least one donkey question a week, or the kind of question to which the answer probably should have been obvious, just to make sure all bases are covered and all assumptions smoked out. Remember that when team members provide explanations of why things are the way they are, these explanations are far more useful in clarifying what matters than what happened. People use facts selectively. Their explanations for team performance can differ strongly. These variations are useful because they can help shed light on the things they care

and worry about. As we watch the worlds nest, there is one nal lesson to be had: Sports teams have clarity of purpose missing in most organizations. Individuals know why what they do is important, whats expected of them and when, and how what they do matters to the rest of the team. To get this right in our own teams may well be our most difcult, yet also most rewarding, challenge. View on CommPRO Mark de Rond, Ph.D., is a Fellow of Darwin College at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. He has consulted execs at IBM, KPMG, Shell and others.

IMC

Integrated Marketing Communications

Champions of

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Olympic Fashion Catapults Brands to International Success - or Sinks Them:Business Branding Lessons from Ralph Lauren, Roots and Stella McCartneyBy Christina French Houghton, Associate Strategist, Siegel+Gale

I bet that Stella McCartney Olympic pajama suit isn't ame proof and would go oooosh if you got the ame near it!!

Hideous. Just strengthens the case for Scottish Independence! Britain is neither great nor united.

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One of the most widely televised events in the world, the Olympic Games, provides unprecedented visibility for athletes from Argentina to Zimbabwe. These performers promise to create moments of great national prideor, embarrassmenton a global scale. In this environment, presentation is paramount. Enter the crme de la crme of couture. Every two years, top fashion houses are tasked with creating their countrys national uniform. And just like the athletes who wear them, these uniforms are scrutinized through the lens of national pride and achievement. In the best of cases, designing an Olympic uniform can create a unique opportunity for a brand whose core design principles are already aligned

provider of Team USAs Olympic gear. For Laurenwhose clothing is already regularly emblazoned with the American agthis project is a natural (and immensely successful) task. The bold red, white and blue color palette leverages American pride, which is synonymous with Ralph Lauren. As a result its brand visibility and sales soar.

with the essential tenets of a national character. Take Ralph Lauren, for example, a brand that has long been the

Roots, a Canadian apparel company, has a similar history of success. Like Ralph Laurens ties to American culture, Roots rustic aesthetic, replete with emblems of canoes and iconic Canadian wildlife, ts perfectly within a Canadian self-image of being in touch with the natural environment. Though it took two years for the brands owners to secure the contract to clothe the Canadian Olympic team, the effort paid off. Roots distinctive jackets, rst created for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan, drew widespread attention and praise. This

... the GB ag is RED white and blue, NOT blue, grey and blue ...

STEEEELLLLLLAA AAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

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global visibilityprompting the likes of President Bill Clinton, Prince Charles and actor Robin Williams to don Roots gearhelped catapult the brand to international success. Yet, this charge can also present signicant hurdles. Stella McCartney recently unveiled her designs for the British Olympic team. Even though her brand is beloved in the UK and abroad, British citizens reacted to her work with outrage. The Independent hailed McCartneys designs as arguably the worst kit in history and Facebook fans berated McCartney in a public forum. With the ease of information-sharing enabled by social media and the Internet, news of the brands perceived failure has been broadcast far and wide. The different reception that these brands have received begs the question: What risks do designers run when they engage in this kind of international challenge? Why have Brits reacted with such ire to Stella McCartneys designs? To nd an answer, one could look to the heart of the criticism, which stems from McCartneys creative interpretation of the Union Flag. I would argue that this reproach brings to light a sort of unspoken rule: namely, that winning a bid to design Olympic gear does not give fashion houses artistic license to push creativity to its limits and present fresh, unexpected designs. Rather, when26

designing for an Olympic team one must channel the pride of her nation and allow the small, creative ourishes to live within a national rubric of success. In other words, do not interpret your countrys beloved national ag in such a way that prioritizes aesthetics over national symbolism. Regarding her recently unveiled Olympic kit, McCartney said she wanted to take the iconic image of the Union Jack and dismantle it to make it more fashionable. Unfortunately, this approach led to her embarrassment. With Ralph Lauren designing for Team USA and Prada for the Italian Sailing Team, many top brands appreciate the international visibility the Olympic platform delivers. As long as these designers nd an alignment between their brand essence and the esprit du corps of the nation for which they are designingas their most important prioritythe relationship between high fashion and the Olympic Games can be brilliant indeed. The lesson is clear, national pride should not be underestimated. When branding national icons, proceed with care. View on CommPROChristina French Houghton is an associate strategist at Siegel+Gale, where she solves branding problems for some of the most interesting companies worldwide.

BrandingChampionCorporations invest millions of marketing dollars in sponsorships in an effort to impact awareness and brand perception. A prime example is how brands hope to win glory and consumer afnity with the Olympic Games. However, to drive maximum return for such sponsorships, companies must connect their brand to the sponsorship in a relevant and meaningful way. So how exactly do you do that? Proctor and Gambles sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games highlights the best practices of integrating a brand with a sponsorship partner.

P&Gs Winning Sponsorship of the 2012 Olympic GamesBy Michelle Adelson, Chief Brand Ofcer, The Phelps Group rolled out through TV, spread virally by consumers, reinforced at point-ofpurchase in retail and in the end, realized through corporate social responsibility. The result is a truly aligned campaign that is consistent, recurrent at each touch point and most importantly, credibly ties into P&Gs brand DNA.

Consistent MessagingP&G began with a consistent message that ties to the overarching brand and aligns with each of its product groups while emotionally connecting to the core audience of moms (or mums, as they say in London). From there, an integrated campaign was developed and28

The campaign story includes 28 athletes from Team USA and breathes new life into the companys longstanding position that has transcended generations to support moms for the past 175 years. The creative platform reinforces P&Gs banner philosophy as a Proud Sponsor

of Moms and expands it to include not only the mothers of Olympic athletes, but those around the world and in the future. Thank You, Mom acknowledges the critical contribution of the mothers of athletes and celebrates their enduring efforts to raise young Olympians. The campaign is a continuation of one P&G rst launched for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, with plans to run through 2020. Since it was rst unveiled, P&Gs sponsorship has evolved to a larger involvement with more athletes, deeper alignment with its brand promise and further assimilation into its portfolio products.

or being mothers themselves, the Thank You, Mom message traverses the product brands while connecting at the corporate level.

Brand Alignment

The Olympics are seamlessly woven into the message. P&G Beautys line of products including Secret and Cover Girl use messaging that reinforces power and condence, common themes that resonate with women and athletes. The range continues with Duracells commitment to powering devices and powering athletes through messages of motivation that will display in the Olympic stadium. P&G illuminates components of its sponsorship in a natural progression across its brands in a way that doesnt feels forced, while staying true to each products offering.

Looking at the brand platform, the recognizable identity that mirrors an Olympic medal is prevalent and consistent across all consumer touch points, providing an evocative iconic representation that allows consumers to connect with a now familiar symbol. Drilling deeper into the product lines, the message prevails as the overarching brand communication. Since many of P&Gs multi-product consumers share a common admiration as having mothers29

The mom story has both a unique and emotional angle and P&G invites consumers to explore each brands Olympic story as it comes to life. Through a dedicated section on its website, consumers can understand how products help moms in their everyday lives. This connection links to retail where the P&G-Olympics partnership is center stage in store aisles. P&G showcases the sponsorship through impressive activations including dramatic displays, in-store demonstrations and more than 600 Olympic-themed products on shelves that provide strong visibility for P&G.

Social Media Engagement

A notable example belongs to Pampers and its limited edition Team USA printed diapers and wipes. The atretail experience engages consumers and sparks an enduring kinship to the connected brands. The company has partnered with its top retailers to execute the installations through to the end of the Games and P&G has placed close to one million displays nationwide, the largest retail campaign in its history.30

Speaking of emotive, P&G launched the foundational component of its sponsorship, Thank You, Mom, around Mothers Day with a two-minute lm called Best Job that was shared online and via YouTube. The lm proles mothers in different countries helping their children along their collective journeys to reach the pinnacle of health, talent and athleticism at the Olympic Games while engaging in practices that require P&G products, such as washing the dishes and doing laundry. Best Job was repurposed into formats appropriate for television spots and viral sharing and has been viewed by almost 13 million consumers around the world.

P&G further empowers consumers to share in the sentiment and thank their moms with a Facebook app that has been used to honor more than 30,000 moms and counting. There is also a charitable component where the company commits to helping moms raise the next generation of athletes through the creation of its P&G/Team USA Youth Sports Fund. Consumers are invited to support through social engagement, donations and participation in brand programs from products such as Pampers, Tide and Gillette. Through its sponsorship of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, P&G has been faithful to its brand promise of supporting the work and promoting respect of mothers everywhere. Thats because it:

Develop a brand, messaging and communications strategy that aligns core values: Connect your corporate values with the values of your sponsorship partner. Relate to your audience and connect emotionally: Sponsorships should be treated as general campaigns with creative platforms that resonate with your core audience to ensure your partnerships matter to them. Be consistent and integrate: For maximum impact, integrate one core message across all your consumer touch points to allow your message to break through and be memorable. Explore multiple channels from retail, online, social, public and community relations.

cohesively connects to target audiences, aligns its products, and integrates the Olympic message with authenticity and eloquence.

View on CommPRO Michelle Adelson is Chief Brand Ofcer at Santa Monica-based integrated marketing communications agency The Phelps Group

The seamless implementation inspires the audience to root for moms and for the awe-inspiring Olympiads well watch. We feel that much more connected with P&Gs brands for the goodwill and making our lives that much easier. Tips for Leveraging Your Sponsorship:31

What

Teaches BusinessHow to Find Your Brand StoryBy Laurence Vincent, Director of The Brand Studio, UTA, Author, Brand Real and Legendary Brands I am cursed with a career-limiting visual impairment. Its called eye rolling. Lately, this malady has embarrassed me whenever someone tells me they help brands tell stories. When the phrase were in the brand storytelling business rolls off their tongue, my eyes roll away to the corner of the room. Curiously, I do believe that brands tell stories. I just think most people who talk about brand storytelling dont know what it means. The simple fact is that story is how consumers connect brands to their lives. If your eyes are rolling right now, let me explain. Our brain is a strikingly effective computing device that works hard to help us understand our world by articially closing gaps in our knowledge. When information is missing, it makes a best guess. The guesses create linear order that allows us to follow the story. Expert witness Dr. Scott Fraser illustrated this phenomenon in a 2012 TEDxUSC speech when he asked how many people in the audience could33

remember watching the second World Trade Center tower fall on the television newscasts of 9/11. Nearly everyone raised a hand. Yet, Dr. Fraser pointed out that our memory never happened. People will tell you they can remember where they were standing and what they were doing when that terrifying footage appeared on their televisions moments after the rst tower fell. The fact of the matter is that footage of the second tower falling wasnt broadcast on any television network for nearly 24 hours. The mental magic that compels us to layer familiar personality traits onto a total stranger or remember things that didnt happen in our personal history is the same machinery that empowers brands to tell stories. A brand tells a story by providing an archetype of a character we feel we know, and providing experiential cues that push our narrative minds to complete the story. There are nearly always three stories cued by a brand:

Brand Story 1: The Origin Story

The rst story cued by a brand is a pseudo-historical story of the brand

itself. This is the story of recordthe origin of the brand, its recent behavior (i.e., new product introductions or newsworthy events) and its reputation. Mention Hewlett-Packard in Silicon Valley and tech nerds will play back the origin story of inventors in a garage. They will recount the controversies of the brands recent history. The story of record is backward looking, and its not always accuratebut its a story, and it often resonates with audiences because of our fondness for nostalgia.

about the brand they inevitably construct a story that borrows from the larger narrative genre of chocolate. They speak of indulgence, decadence, sweets, passions and romance. Godiva has positioned itself to tell the story of its competitive eld. But the category story can also be used as a fulcrum. Sometimes, a brand deliberately plays against the conventions of its category. For example, Virgin America rarely tells the conventional story of airline travel. It instead frames its story in the vernacular of club culture. Every cue leads you to recall the story of a sexy disco. You are greeted with house music, mood lighting, premium amenities and sexy ight crews. Each cue sets expectations based on a story in another category which constructs a differentiated story for the Virgin America brand.

Action item: Ask yourself if someone were to tell the history of your brand, what would it be and who are the pivotal characters and plot points? What feelings does it evoke?Brand Story 2: The Category Story The second story is the story of the brands category. For example, its hard to think about Godiva without thinking about chocolate. This strong association with the story of the category has allowed Godiva to extend into adjacent categories such as spirits. Despite its poetic references to the naked lady on the horse, when you talk to consumers34

Action item: Ask yourself if your customers engaged in a conversation with others about your brand category, what genre of stories would they tell? What role would your brand play in the narrative, if it appears at all?

Brand Story 3: The Consumer Story The third story is the story of the consumer. Many psychologists use narrative therapy to re-script a patients life. It works because each of us live in what author Neal Gabler refers to as The Life Movie. Our life story is unfolding every minutesome of us have multiple life stories. These include our own history, but they also include our possible selfthe person we hope to be. Most of us think of the future when we think of our self-concept, and a majority of us envision a positive outcome. We aspire to be someone and that aspiration is wrapped up in a ctional story that we hope to make very real. To keep that story from eeting, we seek cues from life that were on our way. Not surprisingly, brands are often involved. When a woman slips into a pair of Christian Louboutin heels, she has cued up a story about herself. The same can be said of the scientist who insists upon using Molecular Probes in his groundbreaking research. The brands are linked to a part of a personal identity a story about who that person is and what they value. Those brands sometimes cue a story that we might consider to be rather shallow and socially conspicuous, but just as often35

they embody deep-rooted beliefs and foundational values. Some years ago, I interviewed a woman who described her loyalty to a fashion brand. She said the clothes made her feel she was getting closer to the person she wants to be, using words like successful, sophisticated and smart. She had connected with the brand when she was in college, but couldnt afford to buy it often. As she progressed in her career, she made a habit of occasionally splurging to buy clothes from this label. The act of purchasing, wearing and saving up for the next cycle (or paying off the last cycle) were all part of her story. The brand was an extension of her identity, and it was a symbol of the person she aspired to be.

Action item: Ask yourself if you were to psychoanalyze your best customer, how would your brand factor into their life story?Brand Story 4: The Community Story Theres a fourth story thats becoming much more relevant. In 2004, James Twitchell wrote a humorous and

insightful piece for the Journal of Consumer Research entitled An English Teacher Looks at Branding. Twitchell opens with a story from his college teaching experience, and his horror at how students linked their knowledge of brands to missing lines from nineteenth century poetry. He surmised that brand stories have become modern sagas, a collective understanding rooted in a story that picks up and discards subplots and characters as it is being continually reformed for new audiences. Just a few years after this piece was published, social media exploded and the never-ending brand epic found a new channel in which to morph and connect with audiences who, in turn, evolve the narrative yet again. Brand narratives are an epidemic cultural currencya shorthand that represents attitudes, beliefs and values of communities of people. Twitchell notes that, The ability to enter these communities depends not on lucky birth, skin color, religious afliation, or a host of other attributes usually installed at birth but a desire to consume both objects and their ctions. He closes with a warning and a ray of hope: I have glossed over the obvious36

Action item: Ask yourself if there is a community around your brand? If so, whats the story that connects that community? How does the community contribute and share the story?problems of such a culture (clearly, it is wasteful and intellectually shallow for starters), but it may prove to be more fair and democratic that what has come before. Why It Matters: Show, Dont Tell Last year, McCann Worldgroup released The Truth About Youth, a fascinating study of more than 7,000 young people around the world. This new generation of consumers value community, justice, and authenticity above all else. They crave brands of substance that are wrapped in a meaningful story. Most important, they want their brands to be credible. If they arent, 90% of those surveyed said they would make a point of telling friends about unjust behavior from a brand. This nding alone takes me back to my

eye-rolling disorder and leads me to the most important lesson of brand storytelling: Brands are natural storytelling devices, and brand managers can bring the brand story to life by serving up cues that tease the story out in the consumers head. However, the story must always be one of truth, not ction. Suggest a story thats pure ction in order to mislead consumers, and I guarantee your success will be short-lived. Some brands may extend their storytelling prowess into motion pictures, television and immersive online experiences. These can be brilliant channels for the brands story to take center stage. But even these stories must be based on a foundation of credibility. It has to connect with what the consumer values and what the brand actually stands for. A brand exists to set an expectation. It gains value when experiences with the brand meet or exceed this expectation. The degree to which any brand can become a rock star storyteller will vary, but the story roots of every brand are endowed from the moment of creation and brought to life through actions, not showmanship. Ultimately, the best way to make that story known is to follow the oldest and37

best advice that has been doled out to storytellers everywherefor centuries: Show, dont tell. View on CommPRO Larry Vincent heads The Brand Studio at United Talent Agency. He is author of Brand Real. See his presentation titled On the Subject of Brand Narrative here.

Social Media Optimization: The Cocktail Party AnalogyAligning Your Brand with Relevant or Popular ConversationsBy Jeff Herzog, CEO & Founder, ZOG Digital TM Social media is evolving and Social Media Optimization (SMO) is becoming a new business requirement. This process to improve the effectiveness and visibility of online content ensures your brand is visible when prospects are interested in your product or service. By optimizing for technical and strategic components for networks, content, images and video, brands see increased trafc referrals from social networks, higher engagement and are able to obtain valuable consumer data in the process. A large part of SMO is aligning your brand with relevant or popular conversations online; essentially, the goal is to be the conversational hit of the proverbial cocktail party. Where Do Brands Go Wrong? Today, most brands suffer from what we call the me syndromedevoting much of their online content to talking about the intricacies of their own business. The more time brands spend doing this, the easier it is to lose perspective on the content that will be successful. When this happens, brands fall into the me syndrome trap. They often come across as at on social media platforms, then38

decide that social media really isnt for us or that it's not the right time to allocate more budget to social media. When in Doubt, Take a Cue from a Cocktail Party Success in social media is similar to succeeding at a cocktail party. If you sit around yammering about yourself, anyone unfortunate enough to enter your sphere of inuence will make a polite exit. However, if you look nice, listen intently to others and then steer the conversation to what others are interested in, youll likely be a hit. The logic behind social media optimization is very similar to the latter. In social, a brands audience is interested in discussing themselves and topics of interest to them. Most consumers aren't interested in company changes that do not directly affect them. Its Not About Me, Me, Me A big part of SMO is understanding who your customer is, and then aligning your brand

conversation in such a way that it adds value to what they care about. Shifting your outreach approach to a more consumer-centric perspective is the rst foundational step to begin to credibly speak in the social environment. This allows your message to be heard and embraced. If youre reading this as a dominant consumer packaged good (CPG) brand like Coca-Cola, or as a famous celebrity like Lady Gaga, then chances are you're probably not going to need SMO to increase and engage your fan base, because your fans are likely already brand fanatics. But if youre like the other 98% of brands in the space, working to be heard, or are a lower involvement company, then chances are you are looking to increase these success metrics. As a Facebook user, how often do you like (and also want others to know youve liked) your utility company or your favorite brand of dish soap? Build Simple Tools to Allow Consumers to Interactwith Topics of Interest We were tasked to align an auto insurance client with popular content topics to increase their popularity in social media. To do this, we identied a trending theme39

gas pricesand recommended that we create content around that topic. To accomplish this goal, we created content in the form of a widget, which was designed so that it could spread organically. This widget allowed consumers to see the least expensive gas prices in their area. The content is designed for an individual in a brands prospect demographic to derive value from it, and perhaps even share it or forward it to a friend. This aligns the brand to say, We know youre concerned about gas prices, we are listening to you, and want to help ease the burden on your pocketbook, by creating content you may nd useful. The more value a brand can add and show theyre listening, the more likely a consumer will want to do business with that brand. Conversations begin relationshipsand relationships grow business. Cocktail Talk There are several other simple ways to align your brand with popular online conversations. They require the ability to sift through libraries of social data to better understand the online behaviors and preferences of your demographic. Again, this is like a cocktail party: While all participants have a central connector, there will always be many sub-groups or conversations at each party. This knowledge allows brands to leverage content in two ways:

identifying conversations that are a natural t for your brand; and identifying ways to insert your brand into popular or timely conversations.

In the case of identifying conversations that are a natural t for your brand, its likely that a cable company, for example, will want to talk about new shows, season premiers, and newly released movies or programming available on demand. These topics are both relevant, as well as a logical way for a lower involvement brand to insert themselves into conversational topics. When looking to leverage popular or timely conversations, a brand must have the ability to act quickly to capitalize on these opportunities. Examples of this are:

sharing, in line with popular conversations, and still created to be relevant for the brand. Companies that utilize these themes, even those in lowinvolvement industries, will be able to see vast increases in keyword ranking, social post engagement, qualied trafc, and social impressions. The beauty of the SMO cocktail party strategy, when done correctly, is that brands can be the hit of the party, making new friends (qualied potential customers), and establishing themselves in new circles (to gain additional visibility). View on CommPROJeffrey Herzog is CEO of ZOG Digital TM, a search & social marketing technology company in Scottsdale, AZ.

producing content around trending online topics or news (on social platforms or news outlets); or producing trendy content, including photo and video memes. These topics, trends and memes might not be central to your core content themes, but they do allow you to insert your brand into popular conversations, that in-turn increase your exposure to new audiences and send trafc to your brand by driving additional visibility.

Quantify the ResultsThese content themes are created in such a way that makes them ripe for40

5Myths ExposedBrand-BustingBy Joellyn Joey Sargent, Principal, BrandSprout LLC

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With business moving at an everaccelerating pace, branding is both a hot topic and a moving target. In spite of the buzz, not all conventional wisdom is accurate. Lets debunk some major myths about branding to clear the way for a more focused and fruitful approach to branding your business:

required to nd the intersection where a brand comes to life.

Myth 2: Branding Is ExpensiveLooking at the huge brand advertising investments of companies like Coca Cola, Visa and Ford, I can understand why many think branding is expensive. The truth is, it doesnt take millions to build a brand. Even the largest brands started small. Unrelenting dedication to branding helped them grow. Their big budgets are a result of successful branding, not a catalyst for it. The real price of a strong brand is not monetary. Its a commitment to invest more than

Myth 1: A Brand Is a PromiseWhile a brand promisethe essence of what a company offers its customersis an important element of brand strategy, the idea that a brand is a promise falls short. Promises get broken, forgotten and sometimes are made without any intention of being kept. Thats hardly the kind of relationship you want with your customers. Instead, a brand is an intersection. Its the point where brand promise meets customer permission, where perception meets reality. The nexus depends as much on your customers willingness to buy into your brand message as it does on your carefully crafted brand vision. A brand does not become great on its own. Stakeholders all need to accept the brand promise. Dialog and agreement is42

cash.

Companies that create strong brands focus time and energy on:

Understanding customers andmarkets

understanding what makes your brand unique, what customers expect, what value you offer and how its delivered. Design follows strategy, communicating brand attributes and messages that have been established through a thorough process of evaluation and discovery. A cohesive brand image helps express a companys positioning, establishing a framework for aspirational themes associated with its value proposition.

Delivering brand value in everyinteraction messages

Consistently reinforcing brand Embodying the brand in all aspects ofthe business How you interact with customers and employees, the products you offer and how you deliver services are critical strategic decisions. Integrate these elements into your business and you will establish a rm foundation for your brand before you spend a dime on advertising.

Myth 4: Rebranding Fixes EverythingIve been involved in a lot of rebranding projects over the years, and its interesting to see the reasons companies cite for making a change. Often, rebranding is seen as a quick x for larger business issues. Its not. Rebranding signals change within a business, but it doesnt create change. Organizational evolution must always come rst or the rebranding effort will fail for lack of substance. The time to rebrand is when your organization has adopted fresh ways of thinking. Changes such as an updated business model, entering new markets and dramatically improved product offerings are fundamental shifts that logically lead to a brand makeover. Resist the temptation to rebrand because sales are down or competition is heating up. Rebrand when your response to these challenges requires you to show the market that your

Myth 3: A Logo Is a BrandAs the most visible element of a brand platform, a logo represents but it is not the brand. Logos and brand identity are important because imagery can invoke an immediate visceral response, creating a strong connection with customers. While a consistent and appealing look and feel can cement brand awareness, logo design is only a piece of the branding process. Before you start designing logos, sites, packaging, ads or point of sale displays, remember these things are all just ways of illustrating what your brand stands for. Creating a brand image rst requires43

company has changed and your brand is evolving in a positive way.

Myth 5: We Control Our BrandThe days when businesses controlled their brands are over. Organizations used to unilaterally dene their brand messages and dictating where those messages appeared. Customers shared brand experiences, but companies essentially controlled the message. Technologyand social mediaturned the tables, giving power to the people and making brands more dynamic than ever before. Customers can be vocal advocates or detractors of a brand, manipulating messages and shaping brand perceptions on their own.

In response, companies must connect with customers, listening and responding in new ways. Successful branding cultivates relationships built on inuence and authenticity, using brand advocates for social proof and responding to issues that might have been ignored in the past. The social voice can be powerful, making brands accountable for unpopular policies and poor decisions. At the same time, passion for small brands can turn into a groundswell of support, catapulting new businesses to the forefront of their industries. In this environment, companies must accept that the era of control has evolved into a tide of inuence. Mold customer perceptions by carefully shaping brand messages and actively managing things you can control, such as how your company interacts with customers and the way in which you respond to problems. Your brand has a life of its own. It will grow and change over time as the market shows you what resonates with customers and what does not. Embrace this feedback, using these signals to continually improve the essence of your brand. View on CommPRO Joellyn Sargent is principal of BrandSprout LLC, a consulting rm that turns daunting business challenges into success stories.44

BrandHow to Master the Science Beneath the ArtBy Mark Weiner, CEO, PRIME Research

A common misconception is that branding is a purely creative endeavor based on clever phrasing, brilliant visuals and edgy disruptive execution. While creativity certainly plays an important part, successful branding is as much science as art; and the required sciencewhich can be called brand engineeringactually enhances the creative process by focusing resources on those branding opportunities with the highest potential. Brand engineering is a systematic, target audiencebased process of developing brand, issue, or corporate positioning based on research. Heres how to get started:

Brand Engineering: Questions You Must AnswerThe science of branding requires a systematic process by which brand marketers augment the creative process. The optimal branding strategy-development process must enable the marketer to reach the following decisions:

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Engineering

Who is the most protable target audience? What motivates the target to act? How well does our brand proposition match the target audiences priorities and reality in terms of credibility, relevance, sustainability and youre your own protability? How well does our competition or opposition perform against the same criteria? Does the brand strategy align with the objectives of the organization? Is our branding consistent across all channels? Does the brand resonate as strongly among internal audiences as well as it does in the marketplace? Do we understand our audience, our brand and our competitive environment well enough to bring our brand alive in communications, logo and creative?

The Branding Engineering ProcessThe answers to these questions, the subsequent brand decisions and the eventual performance evaluation are most reliably and successfully achieved through a brand engineering research process consisting of ve stages, the rst of which drives the rest:1. The initial step in brand engineering uses qualitative research. This research

comes in the form of a focus group to generate a multitude of propositional attributes and benetsbranding opportunitiesincluding future options as well as current approaches. Once the list is developed, the group decides on which possibilities are the most likely to succeed, selecting twenty-ve or so to test through quantitative research. ve attributes and benets of the brand are scientically tested using a survey to interview no fewer than three hundred but no more than one-thousand respondents.

2. The second step is the survey stage. This stage is one in which the twenty-

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3. The third step is a formal analysis designed to explore the three or four

major drivers revealed during the second step. This is done to uncover the derivation and intensity of the prospects needs, and to get a clear picture of the competitive environment.4. The fourth step in the brand strategy development process is to conduct

a content analysis of traditional, digital and social media originating in those media with the highest penetration among the target audience. The purpose is to determine the extent to which the three or four winning brand attributes are delivered by your company and your competitors. Smart brand planners give the highest priority to those attributes that are important to the target audience, viewed as favorable aspects of the sponsoring company, and are not associated favorably with competitors.5. The fth step is evaluation to drive incremental learning and

continual improvement. Similar to Steps 1-4 in miniature, evaluation should be continuous and consistent to ensure that past decisions remain effective in the constantly evolving marketplace. Periodic pulsechecks provide useful input for tactical execution to ensure that investments made in branding continue to yield positive results over time, versus competitors and in light of best-practice.

Attributes important to the protable customer

Opportunity

Attributes not associated with competitors

Credible attributes for your brand48

Once research uncovers your brand landscape, invest your tactical resources on those activities that deliver the best return on investment.

Branding MythsWhile people speak of branding, its denition, application and understanding are not universal. In such an environment, there is a danger for conventional wisdom to take hold without question. Avoid the following traps when you approach brand investment decisions:

Its better to be approximately right than absolutely wrong: The resources for even the biggest companies are limited, but smaller organizations are more severely capped in their branding efforts. This reality may suggest that one dispense with brand engineering altogether but even a limited approach is better than nothing.Beware of overly simplistic brand measures: A recent wave of

distilled market assessment led markets to believe that one can quantify brand performance with a single question. While the answer may provide a simple pulse-check, it cannot tell the market what can and should be done as a result which is, after all, what everyone needs to know.

but, at the end of the day, they represent only the opinions of a dozen or so strangers. The focus group is a way to test hypotheses, explore brand possibilities and to learn about how the consumer thinks about your product, service or brand. Follow the focus group with quantitative research to ensure reliable and projectable intelligence to avoid risk and optimize returns.

Dont skip steps: Focus groups can be helpful and inexpensive

Branding doesnt equal Advertising: The truth is that branding weaves itself throughout the entire organization, not just across the traditional marketing mix including advertising, price-promotions, social and digital, in-store and trade promotions, and public relationsbut spanning accounting, shipping, and every dimension which touches the customer either directly and indirectly.

Given the importance and disproportionate amount of resources devoted to marketing and branding in light of an extraordinarily disruptive period in marketing history, branding serves as both a sword and a shieldit pays to get it right. View on CommPROMark Weiner is the CEO of PRIME Research, a global communications research and consulting rm based in New York City He is the author A Contrarians Guide to Marketing and Communication, published by John Wiley & Sons. He can be reached at mailto:weiner@prime-research.com.

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Brand Ambassadors Needed!

How to Build a Brand Through Social MediaBy Donetta Allen, Social & Digital Media Practice Leader, Hunter Public Relations

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Consumers are showing they are willing to engage with the products, companies and brands that inuence their day-today purchasing decisions. A survey by Lab42 found that more than 30 percent of Twitter users follow 1-5 brands on the platform, but just 10 percent dont follow any brands. Another survey by HubSpot showed that of Facebook users who follow brands, more than 50 percent follow between 2-5 brands, with another 20 percent following between 5 to 10. Clearly, social media is an increasingly important part of building a brand. It offers an opportunity for brands to participate in conversations about their services that consumers previously had only among themselves. When choosing to build a brand through social media, youll need to embrace the idea that you are entering an on-going dialogue, not a monologue, with your consumers. It also lets you further build a personality for the brand that has been established through advertising or years of service. Known for your customer service? Utilize that when building your social media plans to connect with your customers. Brands like Comcast and JetBlue have found consumer relations success in social media as they troubleshoot consumer problems through Twitter. Brands who embrace social media also know that ongoing communication with their core fans can turn a fan into an ambassador. These fans elect to interact with your brand, which means that paying attention to their comments, their likes and dislikes is critical.51

From time to time, humor and a welltimed social media response can also turn critics into fans, which will in turn help build a brand. Recently, Smart Car smartly responded to this critical remark on Twitter: Saw a bird had crapped on a Smart Car. Totaled it. Smart Car took that comment, did some calculations and responded with an infographic about how much bird crap it would actually take to total a Smart Car. This response, as covered here, cleverly reminded consumers about the Smart Cars Tridion Safety Cell, a key safety feature for the automobile. When introducing a new brand in 2012, it would be irresponsible to not include social media in the launch plan, as consumers expect to nd your brand in multiple places. For more established brands, consider pairing the launch of a social media program with a new ad campaign or public relations program. When you decide to embark on a social media program to help build your brand, whether internally or with the assistance of an agency, consider these steps to establish a social media presence:

1. Listen

The rst step is to listen to your most active consumers. Spend the time to search for your brand on various social media platforms and see what these brand ambassadors are already saying about you. Conversations among members of your marketplace happen whether you like it or not, says expert Seth Godin. Good marketing

encourages the right sort of conversations. The takeaway is to nd these existing conversations and then to enhance and contribute to them as you build your brand through social media.

2. Choose a Platform

This initial listening phase will help you determine which platforms you should utilize to help build your brand through social media. While it can be tempting to start with a Facebook page since its the largest platform, there really is no one size ts all program for brands. If youre nding that people are constantly posting pictures about your product, then a visual strategy focusing on Pinterest and Instagram might be right for your brand. If people often recommend your brand while shopping, perhaps Twitter or FourSquare are the right places for your brand. You might nd that one platform is enough for your consumers, but many nd that two or three platforms are helpful for creating a strong branded social media presence.

Think visually and gather photos, videos and other suitable content for the platform. Also, identify upcoming holidays that would be brandappropriate to mention, as these provide an opportunity for brands to participate in general conversation or make a statement. The recent Oreo Pride cookie is a prime example. And nally, consider a few key things that consumers are looking for from brands, such as deals, contests and product information, and build some of these into your plans.

4. Share the NewsOnce youve established a presence and created a content plan, you need to let your consumer base know that you are now on social media! Tell everyone you know and ask them to help spread the news. Add social media buttons to your website. Send out a notice to your existing e-mail distribution list and consider a limited media buy on the platform to help drive awareness during launch. Youre on your way to building an engaged community that will help build your brand for the future! View on CommPRODonetta Allen is a partner and social/digital media practice leader at Hunter Public Relations, a New York City-based marcom firm that partners with many of the nations most iconic brands.

3. Create a Content PlanWhile actually setting up a presence on social media sites is relatively easy, you should put some serious thought and planning into the strategy behind the content that you will be sharing on the platform. Determine the tone of voice (fun, playful, serious?), style of speaking (eloquent, txt spk, punny?) you intend to use and the visual strategy (photos, graphics?). As you outline your brand content, consider the story your brand will tell.52

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Olympic BuzzMcDonald's Demonstrates Owned-Media Prowess on Eve of London OlympicsBy Dave Armon, President, Critical Mention

McDonalds will score Olympic-size buzz in mainstream media and on social networks as an ofcial sponsor of the 2012 Summer Games. The juxtaposition of the worlds largest McDonalds restaurant next to athletes with zero body fat could make for some interesting Tweets.But if a recent owned-media success from McDonalds Canada is any indication, the brand is well prepared for the challenge. In late June, Hope Bagozzi, marketing director for McDonalds Canada, uploaded avideoto YouTube that answered a question that had been submitted by a Twitter user: Why the54

hell does my Quarter Pounder with Cheese look better in the ads than it does at the restaurant? Within three short weeks, more than 6 million people knew the answer. For those who have not clicked on the Play button, you missed hearing a food stylist explain how pickles must be moved so they are not hidden under sesame seed buns, and that syringes are employed to make mustard and ketchup drip down a seared beef patty in just the right way to get mouths watering. Its no secret that mega consumer brands like McDonalds draw plenty of

criticism. Social media has given everyone a megaphone, so its brilliant that Bagozzi and her team seized the opportunity to transform the doubt of a potentially cranky customer into credibility for the brand. Companies likeHowcastandeHowhave built successful web businesses around answering common questions through video, with some of the webisodes generating thousands of views. Kudos to McDonalds for guring out that a journalist-style video produced by a brand can be entertaining and shared among friends and foes alikeespecially when the crowd suggests the topics that are tackled. We think brands of all varietiesfrom not-for-prots and small businesses to the biggest global B2B companies and government agencieswill start asking their employees, customers, online social communities and other constituencies to contribute video.

Critical Mentions Syndicaster platform is used by a third of all U.S. network television afliates and 200+ newspapers to aggregate video from professional reporters in the eld and citizen journalists. Only the newsroom has the authority to review, edit, title, tag and publish the content, so we think this brand-safe approach to video curation will work well with companies and PR rms. Youll be hearing more in coming weeks and months about how were rolling Syndicaster out so more enterprises can start acting like media companies. We look forward to seeing what crowd-sourced media tricks McDonalds has ready to roll at Londons Olympic Park. View on CommPRODavid Armon is the president of Critical Mention, and a selfdescribed media exec embracing disruptive technology and the social web. Follow him on Twitter: @daveyarmon.

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Whats Your Brand EQ?

An Engagement Quotient Questionnaire for Business

By Sam Ford and Emily Yellin, Peppercom Strategic Communications

Most businesses are built on interacting and connecting with their customers. But even the most audience-centric brands can become disconnected from the audiences they seek to engage often because customers have been reduced to mere data points on a spread sheet. Thats bad news. Its often the root cause behind failed marketing campaigns, communications initiatives that produce low engagement, and brands that just fall at. Ultimately, brands with low brand engagement quotients (EQs) lose customer loyalty, and eventually, market share.

E Q*Source: Dictionary.com **Source: Wikipedia.org 56

Brand: a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identies one sellers good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.* Brand engagement: a term loosely used to describe the process of forming an attachment (emotional and rational) between a person and a brand.** Brand Engagement Quotient: a subjective, non-scientic guideline of a company or clients brand engagement levels based on a self-report questionnaire (see next page)

Test Your Brand: The EQ QuestionnaireHere is our checklist of questions to help you diagnose how well you are keeping your ngers on the pulse of your audiences: Do you regularly go beyond talking about audience data or segmentation proles, and actually observe and talk in person with the people you are seeking to engage? Do you rely on anything more than results from surveys and focus groups, and data from other company-controlled situations, to monitor how your customers feel and what they say about your company? Do you shop for and use your own products or services on a regular basis? Do your online monitoring efforts consist of anything beyond tracking mentions of your company and its products and services? Is everyone in your company talking daily in your meetings about what your audiences might think, or how they might feel, and factoring that into every business decision? Do you have regular internal conversations and collaborations57

among marketing, communications, sales, customer service, and other front-facing parts of the company to make sure all are in sync with the entire experience your audiences have with your company? Does the question, What serves our audiences best? regularly factor into your calculations of ROI?

Whats Your Brand EQ?So how did you do? Heres a quick answer key to help you gauge whether your brands engagement quotient is up to speed: All Yeses Congratulations! You are your customer. Your company is so customer-centric that you could probably teach us all a thing or two. Keep it up. 1 or 2 No's You're on your way to being customer-centric, but redouble your efforts and pay attention to the places where you could improve. 3 or more No's You might have the best intentions, and lots of good reasons why you can't become more customer-centric now. But your customers are going to bail if you don't change course soon.

Tips: How to Boost Your Brand EQIf you didnt score all yeses, dont worry. Here are three steps to start the simple but concerted effort needed to address that:

Repeat

Listen and

This is not just a one-time activity. Only if you consistently consider every communication and business decision from your audiences perspective, will you be better able to engage them.

CollaboratePay attention to conversations that you dont control or prompt. Become a regular part of the online and ofine communities that your audiences join. Foster two-way communication, not just one-way marketing pushes. Engage and be pro-active about their needs, not just reactive to their complaints.

Make sure everyone at your company becomes an advocate for your key audiences, and communicates that attitude to them. Then, watch the ROI of all this effort grow, as your customers become not only more loyal but also your strongest advocates in the marketplace. View on CommPRO Sam Ford is Digital Strategy director at Peppercom Strategic Communications and author of Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture. Emily Yellin is a former NYT contributor and author of Your Call Is (Not That) Important to Us. She partners with Peppercom on Audience Experience.

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