I am pleased to announce that Behr Strategies has merged with Creative Producers Group. Behr Strategies has enjoyed great success over the past two years in working with CEO’s, entrepreneurs and business leaders to align vision and strategy with marketing and branding to fuel growth and change within numerous organizations. Creative Producers Group (CPG) has enjoyed over two decades of success working with business and organizational leaders on engaging audiences and getting them to act. They focus on B2i, or Business to internal, building brands from the inside out. They help companies, franchises, and not-for-profits tell their stories through integrated marketing, communications and events focused on internal audiences such as employees, sales forces, investors, and franchisees. Clients include industry leaders such as BMW, Panara Bread, H&R Block and Curves.
I began conversations with Keith Alper (CPG’s co-founder and CEO) several months ago and felt the merger would be a great marriage and good strategic move for both companies. I am now part of CPG’s management team and lead strategy and business development efforts focused on B2i. The Behr Strategies brand will not carry forward but the Big Picture Thinking approached which I have developed and utilized with numerous clients for strategic planning around marketing initiatives will be incorporated at CPG.
For me, I now have access to an incredible team of producers, writers, designers, developers, and project managers that I did not have access to before and limited the growth potential of my company. CPG gets a proven strategic planning methodology for marketing initiatives and brand platforms, an expanded network of resource partners, and the talents and contacts that I bring to the agency.
One thing that helped influence my decision to merge with CPG was their track record of creating and investing in innovative ways to reach and engage audiences through storytelling. Technology and how we communicate has changed dramatically over the years and CPG has always been ahead of the curve. The most recent example is Vidzu, a turn-key web based TV platform for corporations. Check it out at Vidzu.tv. Also check out CPG at getcreative.com
My new contact information is:
mbehr@getcreative.com
314.367.2255
Showing posts with label branding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label branding. Show all posts
5/29/09
Strategic Planning and Brand Strategy: Can you do one without the other?
Does your corporate brand influence and inform your strategic planning efforts? If your answer is NO then in my opinion, have a major opportunity in front of you. If you want to align your organization, create clear focus, and open up your team to a new platform that will generate innovative ideas, then take the time and effort to establish a corporate brand platform.
A corporate brand should align your entire organization around a common core purpose and set of values. To take Jim Collin’s lessons a step further it should also help you develop your organization BHAG and thus lead to a strategic plan around growth or change (Yes I really drank the ‘Good to Great’ and ‘Built to Last’ Kool Aid).
In every strategic planning engagement I undertake in my practice we always start with getting the leadership team to clearly define the company as they see it today being as specific as possible. We’ll outline # of employees, revenue, client mix, products & services, position in the market, competitors and so on. Then they are charged to define the ideal vision of the company in 5 or 10 years in very broad terms followed by those same measures we outlined in the today version of the company. Once we have defined a clear picture of the organization today and a clear ideal future I then ask “Now what is the core purpose of your organization; your North Star or guiding principal that informs everything to decide to do as an organization. I’m surprised at how often I either hear silence or several different answers from the team.
How can you define your strategy for growth or change without basing it on the organizations fundamental reason for existence. At that point, if its clear we don’t have an agreed upon corporate brand strategy, we back up a step and change our focus on defining a clear purpose, outlining the company's core values, their differentiators and brand promise. I do this “backwards” approach deliberately. The reason is that many business, not-for-profit and regional leaders do not see the many business and cultural benefits of a corporate brand and this helps to bring them into the right frame of mind. Most senior marketing execs get it but often the other leaders in the organization do not so we have to put it into a context they understand – strategic business terms. Just because you have a logo and tagline, doesn’t mean you have a brand.
Once you have that clear core purpose and values, its amazing how it can create a platform for better and more focused strategic planning. The mission (or core purpose) of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) for example is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Knowing this gives them a clear barometer for whether or not they should do or not do some major initiative. The question that Arnold Donald (former President & CEO of JDRF) used to always ask was “Does this get us closer to a cure?” It made it much easier to make strategic decisions with that simple question in mind. It also helped to inform the entire staff and board and keep everyone focused on the same over arching objective in everything that they did.
Also, if a clear core purpose is defined in a way that it outside of typical corporate speak, it opens minds up to more innovative ways to achieve that clear purpose. Do you think your employees are motivated and inspired by “creating shareholder value?” UPS shifted from delivery company to a global logistics company. Do you think they would have made that strategic shift if their mission was to be the best delivery company? The client centric “What can Brown do for you?” would have never been born.
So can you develop strategies without a solid brand platform? Sure but I think that is one of the differentiators between average and exceptional and inspired organizations.
I could go on also about the BHAG and infuse some thinking from Dan and Chip Heath who wrote “Made to Stick” but I’ll save that for another post.
A corporate brand should align your entire organization around a common core purpose and set of values. To take Jim Collin’s lessons a step further it should also help you develop your organization BHAG and thus lead to a strategic plan around growth or change (Yes I really drank the ‘Good to Great’ and ‘Built to Last’ Kool Aid).
In every strategic planning engagement I undertake in my practice we always start with getting the leadership team to clearly define the company as they see it today being as specific as possible. We’ll outline # of employees, revenue, client mix, products & services, position in the market, competitors and so on. Then they are charged to define the ideal vision of the company in 5 or 10 years in very broad terms followed by those same measures we outlined in the today version of the company. Once we have defined a clear picture of the organization today and a clear ideal future I then ask “Now what is the core purpose of your organization; your North Star or guiding principal that informs everything to decide to do as an organization. I’m surprised at how often I either hear silence or several different answers from the team.
How can you define your strategy for growth or change without basing it on the organizations fundamental reason for existence. At that point, if its clear we don’t have an agreed upon corporate brand strategy, we back up a step and change our focus on defining a clear purpose, outlining the company's core values, their differentiators and brand promise. I do this “backwards” approach deliberately. The reason is that many business, not-for-profit and regional leaders do not see the many business and cultural benefits of a corporate brand and this helps to bring them into the right frame of mind. Most senior marketing execs get it but often the other leaders in the organization do not so we have to put it into a context they understand – strategic business terms. Just because you have a logo and tagline, doesn’t mean you have a brand.
Once you have that clear core purpose and values, its amazing how it can create a platform for better and more focused strategic planning. The mission (or core purpose) of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) for example is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Knowing this gives them a clear barometer for whether or not they should do or not do some major initiative. The question that Arnold Donald (former President & CEO of JDRF) used to always ask was “Does this get us closer to a cure?” It made it much easier to make strategic decisions with that simple question in mind. It also helped to inform the entire staff and board and keep everyone focused on the same over arching objective in everything that they did.
Also, if a clear core purpose is defined in a way that it outside of typical corporate speak, it opens minds up to more innovative ways to achieve that clear purpose. Do you think your employees are motivated and inspired by “creating shareholder value?” UPS shifted from delivery company to a global logistics company. Do you think they would have made that strategic shift if their mission was to be the best delivery company? The client centric “What can Brown do for you?” would have never been born.
So can you develop strategies without a solid brand platform? Sure but I think that is one of the differentiators between average and exceptional and inspired organizations.
I could go on also about the BHAG and infuse some thinking from Dan and Chip Heath who wrote “Made to Stick” but I’ll save that for another post.
5/27/09
Finding a Hook: Uncovering Powerful Insights that Differentiate and Deepen Brand Connections
By guest blogger Sarah Dow
Anyone with responsibility in sales or marketing has extensive knowledge of customer wants and needs. Ultimately, are you leveraging that knowledge to connect with them better than your competitor? The deeper the connection, the more valuable they are to your brand, as a repeat buyer or advocate to others. Typically we develop a target profile, listing relevant facts and concluding why this type of customer buys our product or service. This is all great. However, whether your brand is new, young or mature, you can take further steps to uncover a compelling, leveragable insight that can dramatically deepen the connection with your target.
I love learning about niche industries, and this is one I had not given much thought to. Elevator interior companies fabricate and install anything from wood, steel, or glass into an OEM cab shell, made by Otis, Schindler or Kone to name a few. These custom materials are installed in new building cabs or remodeled ones, for a cost of roughly $15,000 to $100,000+ per elevator.
When I first began working with Travertine Elevator Interiors, it was clear the owners were already focused on good service. It would have been legitimate and easy to recommend a “good service” positioning and immediately begin to develop communications material. I asked to conduct one hour long phone interviews with several OEM customers (such as Otis or Schindler) who were already fans of Travertine. I heard a lot of great, passionate responses about the sales people, the responsive service, the high quality products, etc. But I needed a way to differentiate Travertine from the other companies who I was told also provided good service. I needed a hook to make a deeper connection.
During one interview I uncovered a key fact. Installing the elevator interiors was the very LAST item to be completed in a new or remodeled building. The building owners were essentially using them as freight elevators, literally hours or minutes before the scheduled "grand" (re)opening. So for many projects, sometimes requiring months or years in the sale process, Travertine's installation timeline was often the victim of typical construction delay after delay. This put Travertine and its' OEM customer in the risky position of holding up the building opening. Countless instances of great performance could be erased just one foot from the finish line.
Yet time and time again, Travertine delivered and never missed one of these make or break deadlines. This insight held all the tension, magic and emotion Travertine needed to distinguish itself among others. It beautifully answered the one question customers inherently ask when evaluating brands - - - "what's in it for me?" A Travertine Never Misses A Deadline positioning was also the kind of bold, raise the bar idea the owners longed for, and, it was relevant for every stage of the buying process, from initial estimate to schematic drawings to installation. In addition, it gave every member of the organization a role in fulfilling this promise, and a clear goal to live up to.
The tagline Travertine's agency developed was "Consider It Done", giving OEM customers the peace of mind that only comes with hiring Travertine.
Every brand communication implicitly has an insight, but the question is whether it’s has the power to deepen bonds with customers. It’s always a good time to uncover a powerful insight.
Sarah Dow is an indepenent marketing and brand strategist
Anyone with responsibility in sales or marketing has extensive knowledge of customer wants and needs. Ultimately, are you leveraging that knowledge to connect with them better than your competitor? The deeper the connection, the more valuable they are to your brand, as a repeat buyer or advocate to others. Typically we develop a target profile, listing relevant facts and concluding why this type of customer buys our product or service. This is all great. However, whether your brand is new, young or mature, you can take further steps to uncover a compelling, leveragable insight that can dramatically deepen the connection with your target.
I love learning about niche industries, and this is one I had not given much thought to. Elevator interior companies fabricate and install anything from wood, steel, or glass into an OEM cab shell, made by Otis, Schindler or Kone to name a few. These custom materials are installed in new building cabs or remodeled ones, for a cost of roughly $15,000 to $100,000+ per elevator.
When I first began working with Travertine Elevator Interiors, it was clear the owners were already focused on good service. It would have been legitimate and easy to recommend a “good service” positioning and immediately begin to develop communications material. I asked to conduct one hour long phone interviews with several OEM customers (such as Otis or Schindler) who were already fans of Travertine. I heard a lot of great, passionate responses about the sales people, the responsive service, the high quality products, etc. But I needed a way to differentiate Travertine from the other companies who I was told also provided good service. I needed a hook to make a deeper connection.
During one interview I uncovered a key fact. Installing the elevator interiors was the very LAST item to be completed in a new or remodeled building. The building owners were essentially using them as freight elevators, literally hours or minutes before the scheduled "grand" (re)opening. So for many projects, sometimes requiring months or years in the sale process, Travertine's installation timeline was often the victim of typical construction delay after delay. This put Travertine and its' OEM customer in the risky position of holding up the building opening. Countless instances of great performance could be erased just one foot from the finish line.
Yet time and time again, Travertine delivered and never missed one of these make or break deadlines. This insight held all the tension, magic and emotion Travertine needed to distinguish itself among others. It beautifully answered the one question customers inherently ask when evaluating brands - - - "what's in it for me?" A Travertine Never Misses A Deadline positioning was also the kind of bold, raise the bar idea the owners longed for, and, it was relevant for every stage of the buying process, from initial estimate to schematic drawings to installation. In addition, it gave every member of the organization a role in fulfilling this promise, and a clear goal to live up to.
The tagline Travertine's agency developed was "Consider It Done", giving OEM customers the peace of mind that only comes with hiring Travertine.
Every brand communication implicitly has an insight, but the question is whether it’s has the power to deepen bonds with customers. It’s always a good time to uncover a powerful insight.
Sarah Dow is an indepenent marketing and brand strategist
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