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Preston Tucker And The Future.

1/29/2019

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During a neighborhood walk with friends several mornings ago, we got talking about Preston Tucker and his innovative automobile from the late 1940s. Thirty years ago, I had written a client speech on the subject, so went searching through basement files (the old paper kind) ‘til I found it. The subject seemed just as fresh today as it did back then.   

It was just after World War II when Preston Tucker, a former policeman, car salesman and engineer/tinkerer, grabbed the future by its collar and shook it. New cars hadn’t been produced since 1942, and the fresh-from-Detroit 1946 models were warmed-over prewar designs. Tucker, however, imagined something radically different, an innovative design that would turn heads and help build the fortune that had always seemed to elude him.  His vision of tomorrow’s automobile took shape in the barn back of his house in Michigan, which housed the Ypsilanti Machine & Tool Company where Tucker had designed (but never could bring to market) an armored car,  an innovative tank turret and a fighter plane.

What eventually would become known as the Tucker Torpedo for its daring new shape was a revolutionary car.  A safe car.  A fast car.  A fuel-efficient car.  A car that could stop on a dime.  A car that knocked your eyes out.  

The Tucker ‘48 was incredible. Nobody had ever seen (or imagined) anything like it. His car was built low to the ground and shaped like the future. It had a windshield wide as a picture window that was designed to pop out in a crash, saving the driver and passenger from popping it out with their heads. It had a third headlight in the center, which pivoted for a better view of the road as the car turned. The engine was in the back. It was fuel-injected and there was a double transaxle to drive the rear wheels. It wasn't clunky looking like most other post-war cars. And wasn't slow, either.  The Tucker Torpedo could go 120 mph - with handling and endurance to match. A prototype Tucker ran around a test track for 24 hours and got 25 miles per gallon. When the car was rolled over at 95 mph to prove how safe it was, the driver walked away from the wreck unscathed, and the car was driven away after one tire change. The windshield popped out, just as planned.

People loved the Tucker Torpedo and wanted to buy them (priced at $2,000, when the average new car cost around $1,200). Crowds surrounded the car everywhere Tucker went. Over time, he raised enough money to put together the people and facility to manufacture and market the car, and although his future seemed assured, the Tucker was a failure. Preston Tucker's dream to produce the finest automobile ever made never got to spread its wings, partly because of his own business and financial limitations but also because of crushing political pressure said to have been engineered by the Big Three American auto manufacturers, who perceived the Torpedo as immediate threat to their future. Only fifty-one Tuckers were ever produced.

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The "competition” may have helped assure a lack of his cars in our future, but Preston Tucker had something to say about that future. It was a sharp warning for America.

“If big business closes the door to the little guy with new ideas,” he said (quoted in a 1988 film about his life and dream), “we might just as well let the Japanese and the Germans walk in here and tell us what to do. We’re going to wake up one morning and find ourselves at the bottom of the heap instead of being king of the hill. We’ll end up preferring things from outside the country to things that Americans build right here. There will probably come a day when we’ll be buying our cars and radios and appliances from our former enemies.” 

People laughed at Preston Tucker’s predictions. They had no concept of a time when American-made automobiles, radios and televisions would nearly be overrun by well-designed, well-made products from Japan and Germany. All they could think about was now. The war was over and heretofore scarce consumer goods had begun reappearing on American shelves. There was a huge demand for new cars as a promising future reached toward the second half of the century. With the demise of Tucker Motor Company, American automakers knew exactly what their near future could have looked like had Tucker’s “car of tomorrow today” succeeded. 

There’s a scene in the film where Tucker is in the barn trying to convince his small development team that there was just about enough steel in a tank turret prototype they had laying around from which to build an automobile prototype.

“Can anybody look me in the eye and say we can’t do it?” Tucker challenged.

The prototype did get built, despite Detroit's scheming, and so did fifty more Tuckers. Forty-seven are said to survive today, at least one of which sold not long ago for close to $3-million. The company didn’t make it, however, and the reasons for that remain controversial, but the car was ahead of its time before it left the sketchpad. The mere reason that Preston Tucker tried and almost succeeded gives us reason alone to admire this man who looked fifty years into the future and got to work making things happen.

 
Note: This reflection on Preston Tucker and the Tucker Torpedo was adapted from a 1989 client business presentation about Future Perfect Thinking.    © 2019 by Brian E. Faulkner

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Communicating Powerful Product Benefits.

9/2/2015

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Picture- Images © 2015 by Brian E. Faulkner -
I was brought up short in the supermarket the other day by a bag of pretzels, which is not typically on my radar.  Last time I had a pretzel probably was some time in 1978.

But this bag of pretzels intrigued.  Yes, it had snappy packaging, done up in colors to attract the eye.   What was more intriguing, however – and more important in convincing me to stop for a closer look, was the product’s prominent positioning. 

The first word that caught my eye was “UNIQUE” – equal in weight to the product’s name: Splits.  A banner at the top of the bag proclaimed “The Original Split-Open Pretzel.” 

Since I’d never heard of a split-open pretzel and had no idea whether being split-open was a marketable pretzel attribute, I read on.  Further down the package, three prominent arrows pointed to a big pretzel, along with a few short lines of text for each benefit:

Bubbles: Bursting with Tantalizing Flavor.
Deep Grooves: Packing a Serious Pretzel Crunch
Beneath The Surface: Hollow Pockets Create a Crisply, Flavorful Bite.
It’s abundantly clear from their key message that Unique Splits Pretzel Bakery of Reading, PA has decided that slightly bulging surfaces, grooves and tiny pockets of air buried in their pretzel would make them more crunchy and appealing.   True or not, they got my attention!  And the taste test later at home convinced me that they had a good pretzel, although the added value of the benefits they cited were lost on me, although I’m ready to admit that a pretzel aficionado may have picked up on them immediately.

The benefits don’t stop there.  The Splits package also proclaims that their product has more flavor, fewer ingredients (no sugars, malts, preservatives, colors, trans fats) … and smarter baking.

“The Spannuth Family started baking hard and soft pretzels back in the late 1800s,”according to their Web site and a blurb on the back of the package.  “The demand for our hard pretzels increased rapidly because of our ‘Unique’ baking process” that allowed the raw pretzel to “burst open,” creating bubbles and crevices that are “crispy, yet crunchy, and filled with flavor.”  Which is why they started calling them “Splits”. 

Splits come in multitudinous varieties, too: multi-grain, extra dark, unsalted, chocolate covered (yum!) and my future favorite, Bacon Cheddar Flavor Shocked “Shells” (they’re hollow, which makes them more like a potato chip than a pretzel).

If the pretzel itself isn’t the non plus ultra of pretzels (at least for me), the company’s positioning and benefits presentation -- their product story -- is close to perfect and certainly approach “UNIQUE”.  

TakeAway:  Don’t be hesitant about stepping forward with your product benefits – especially if they clearly set your offering apart from competitors. 

Content © 2015 by Brian E. Faulkner   

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Car Insurance Seen in a Whole New LIght.

7/27/2015

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For some time now, I've been aware of -- and impressed by -- Liberty Mutual's Whole New Light TV campaign.  Every time I see one of their spots, which feature everyday folks musing by a shoreline with the Statue of Liberty in the background, I pay attention. The ads work because of their simplicity, because of  story, because of the “real” talent they’ve chosen and because each spot presents a common insurance frustration that viewers can identify with immediately:

“You’re driving along, having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pickup truck slams into your brand new car.  One second it wasn’t there, and the next second – BOOM! – you had your first accident.  Now you have to make your first claim.  So you talk to your insurance company, and – BOOM! – you’re blindsided for a second time: They won’t give you enough money to replace your brand new car. 


        (pregnant pause)

Don’t those people know you’re already shaken up?”

I love the reference to “those people”.  We all know who they are.

The story goes on:  Liberty Mutual not only replaces the new car but also includes the value of depreciation.  Another spot in the series offers to replace a policyholder’s older car with one a whole model year newer. 

“You should feel good about your choice of insurance,” Liberty Mutual’s Web site informs us.  “That’s why our new campaign aims to shine a light on this otherwise confusing category.”

Amen to that! Insurance, whether auto, health, homeowner or life, all too often seems like a costly crap shoot, despite the assuring words used to sell us our policies.  So it’s refreshing to see a straight-talking sales pitch based on credible slice-of-life situations – without yammering on so much about price (the up to $423 you can save to switch is slipped in toward the end of the spot -- frosting on the cake compared to the main benefit). 

If I hadn’t experienced such consistently good customer service from my State Farm agent over the years, which is a personal rather than corporate competitive appeal, I’d be tempted to give Liberty Mutual a shot at my business because of their common sense advertising – but would be less likely to change companies for a 15% price difference, even if offered up by a cute green gecko. 

Pure and simple, Liberty Mutual has done a superb job of communicating their competitive advantage.  Their tagline is so strong that price may not even matter: car insurance seen in a whole new light. 

TakeAway:  Create an authentic and credible competitive advantage.  Then, present it in terms that people can rally around; they will be more likely to want to buy your product or service.

Content © by Brian E. Faulkner



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Why Airline Travel Should Be More Like Ben & Jerry's.

6/11/2015

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- Images © by
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Brian E. Faulkner -
Tags:  NetJets, Yahoo News, IATA, Ben & Jerry's, American Airlines, United Airlines, FlyersRights.org, Delta, Southwest, Jet Blue, Spirit Airlines

I hate flying.  Not the soaring, free kind of flying that dreams are made of.   I’m talking about public conveyance, the cramped kind of flying: commercial airline travel, where you’re imprisoned in a long aluminum tube with your fellow inmates for an insane number of hours.   Which isn’t really flying at all but more a kind of suffering you have to endure to get from one place to another without spending days or weeks doing it.
 "Flying commercial” brings up all sorts of mind pictures, most not all that appealing:

* waiting in lines
    - ticket agent lines
    - security lines
    - gate agent lines
    - boarding lines
    - baggage line
    - lines to get in other lines
* overbooking
* carry-on hassles
* cramped aisles
* cramped carry-on space
* cramped seats
* the seatmate crap shoot
* quarrels over seat backs
* make believe food
* bad air
* restrooms that are anything but restful
* weather delays
* crew delays
* tarmac delays
* late arrivals
* missing connections
* sleeping in the terminal

And that’s assuming the technical part of flying goes perfectly – all the doors get closed, the wings are securely fastened and somebody checks to see if there’s gas in the tank.

If I had a NetJets budget, I wouldn’t be concerned about such things.  But I don’t.  And most of us don’t.   Which made me perk up and take notice of this headline on Yahoo News:

           Airlines struggle to please the modern passenger.

According to the article, here are some of concerns expressed during this year’s meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade group for airline execs – keeping in mind that these weren’t complaints from passengers but observations and comments by the execs themselves:
  • More passenger info is needed, especially on mobile devices.  One suggestion was to “offer passengers a behind-the-scenes view of their suitcase as it moves through the airport machinery,” although methinks that could create more concern than certainty.
  • Give people a “nice, reliable experience at a normal price,” one exec said.  Another added: “Make my life easy,” which sounds great except that airlines appear to staff for ordinary flying conditions in a world filled with extraordinary events, the least of which these days is the weather.
  • “Don’t give me a vanilla experience”, one panelist told the IATA gathering.  But is that so bad?  Because  when I buy a pint of Ben & Jerry’s vanilla ice cream, my expectations are met every single time.
  • Another exec spoke of “managing” expectations, which seems like an especially worthy goal – as in no surprises!    Just over half of meeting participants thought the airlines weren’t “doing a good job meeting passenger demands.” 

What are passengers demanding?   Here’s how a reader named Mike put it in the comments section:
“The only issue is how stupidly uncomfortable the experience is.                                                                                 You’re stuck in a tiny seat from which you can’t get up most of the time."  
“THE DAMN SEATS ARE TOO SMALL,” agreed Mr. B (dramatizing his frustration by writing in all caps), “and the answer isn’t smaller carry-ons,” even as the IATA proposes new industry-wide standards for carry-on bags.   The small places in which we now are asked to stow our carry-ons seem to be getting more restricted while people are becoming more frustrated (sometimes even rude) as they seek a spot to stow their briefcase or backpack, often rows away from their seat, causing that much more confusion when it comes time to get off the plane.   And as dissatisfaction increases, seat room and restroom room appear to be shrinking.  

It seems absurd, but perhaps not altogether illogical,that “the two most profitable airlines — American Airlines and United Airlines — have abysmal customer service satisfaction scores,” according to a recent Forbes article, quoting Kendall Creighton, spokesperson for FlyersRights.org , which advocates for air travelers.   “An airline’s customer satisfaction levels appear to be inversely related to profits,” she says.  “The higher the profits, the worse the scores.  The more modest the profits, the higher the customer satisfaction.”   And now the government is proposing new emissions standards for aircraft, which would put additional pressure on price and profit.

According to the Forbes article, Jet Blue has the highest passenger satisfaction scores and the lowest profit margin.  Spirit Airlines, whose ironic tagline is Less Money. More Go, had the highest margin and lowest customer satisfaction, while “Delta and Southwest have managed to strike a balance between profits and happy passengers.”

I have a suggestion:  In the interest of communicating clear competitive advantage, each airline could post a simple graphic at critical passenger touch points, from ticketing through to the baggage carousel.  The graphic would consist of ten stacked rectangles, one each for the top 10 measures of airline customer satisfaction.  Each rectangle’s color would change as customer satisfaction ebbs and flows, from angry red for poor performance through shades of yellow to leafy green for superior performance.  Data could be gleaned from in-flight customer surveys taken every day, on paper, through passenger devices or even later online.   The information should include date of service, flight number / seat number and accumulate over time.

I challenge each of these airlines, in fact the entire airline industry, to put their heads together and create what might be called the Airline Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a numerical way of communicating the same info the colored rectangles do.   Perhaps the IATA will choose to lead the way.  Such measures surely will be more effective in raising airline industry expectations – and performance -- than making “standardized” carry-on bags even smaller!

TakeAway:  If your business, brand or product satisfies – even delights – customers, let the world know about it.  

Content © by Brian E. Faulkner

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TaglineS 101: Nobody Says It Better Than Dr. Hansen.

6/1/2015

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Picture- Image © by Brian E. Faulkner -
Tags:  Carolina Men's Clinic, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Camel cigarettes.
Driving north from Charlotte on 1-77 last week my ear caught a radio commercial for The Carolina Men’s Clinic, which is said to be unusually effective at helping men overcome their E.D. issues.  I listened all the way through the spot because I was too tired to reach over and change the station -- stuck in the predictable afternoon clot of traffic where lanes constrict from three to two, an event so normal that the traffic reporters pretty much ignore it.   

I find E.D. commercials particularly irksome, whether on radio or TV, especially since I’m not in the market for release from this particular misery.  But what grabbed my attention this time was the clinic’s claim that “even urologists trust Dr. Hansen to fix their E.D.” 

What a great line, akin to a shoe store bragging about how many podiatrists shop there.   I liked the line so much that I laughed out loud and began listening for the clinic’s spot during subsequent trips to Charlotte.

I have no idea how well the good doc’s treatment works (they claim a 92% success rate vs. a substantial failure rate for the branded pills hawked on TV) and remain mystified how a board certified family practice physician with a background in osteopathy established a clinic to treat men with sexual dysfunction in the first place.   It may be as simple as finding a need and filling it; the need certainly seems to be there.

Another thing I liked about his spot was the promise of a non-intimidating experience -- plus proof in the pudding: treatment guaranteed to work or you get your $199 fee back.  Dr. Hansen may be effective (or not), but either way there’s a lesson here to learn about communicating competitive advantage: 

     (1)  Understand what sets your product or service apart from everybody else’s.

     (2)  State your difference in a few compelling, memorable, authentic words.

     (3)  If possible, have your tagline tell a story.

When I was a young teen being led astray by the tobacco industry, an R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company ad claimed that doctors preferred smoking Camel cigarettes.   I ended up smoking them, too, lured in part by my parents’ example and by RJR's compelling ad, even though their proposition made no sense.  But lots of people smoked in those days; it was socially acceptable – even expected.   So how bad could it be if More Doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette (according to a nationwide survey)?   T
he toughest guys and most elegant women in the movies all smoked ...

I don’t know how well Dr. Hansen’s bit of clever copywriting is working for him, but the lesson here is clear:  his radio spot DID get my attention and DID make me remember what sets the Carolina Men’s Clinic apart, thanks to a handful of ear-catching, memorable words.     

Dr. Hansen doesn’t use the “urologist” claim as a formal tagline, but dontcha think he should?

TakeAway:  A tagline that tells a solid strategic story gathers ears and changes minds.


Content © by Brian E. Faulkner

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Don't Mess With Your Brand Story.

4/29/2015

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PictureImage © by Brian E. Faulkner
Tags: Microsoft, NPR, George Zimmer, Men’s Wearhouse, Joseph Abboud, Jos. A. Bank, Ford Motor Company, GM, Cadillac, Buick, Ford, Lincoln, Apple, Coca-Cola, New Coke
Every brand, company, product or service has a story – just like people.  People’s stories are a combination of image and reputation, which can be anything from well focused to wildly irresponsible.   Some businesses may be well-positioned (in a controlled, strategic sense) while others cast their reputation to the wind, allowing the marketplace to define who they are and what they represent.   Call it default positioning.   The example that most often comes to my mind is Microsoft, which hasn’t done a great positioning job.  There are many “Microsofts” out there, depending on who's doing the talking.  

Heard an interview with George Zimmer on NPR this morning.  His topic was paying people more, even at the expense of company profits.  But what grabbed my attention was his distinctive gravelly voice, the one he used on television when he was boss of The Men’s Wearhouse – you know the one:  

“You’re going to like the way you look. “I guarantee it!”  

Every spot had a story, and as leader-spokesperson, Zimmer was deeply imbedded in the Men’s Wearhouse image -- along with that famous tagline.  I can’t help but notice that the Men’s Wearhouse strategic positioning has become less distinctive since Zimmer was forced out, supposedly because of management disagreements.  Something’s missing from their advertising, and it’s not just Zimmer.   Despite the few recent Men’s Wearhouse spots featuring signature suit designer Joseph Abboud, their marketing seems focused more on price, like their long-time competitor, Jos. A. Bank, which Men’s Wearhouse purchased early in 2014 after a turbulent takeover battle.   

The takeaway here is that a strong brand story should not be discarded so readily, although I’m sure the Men’s Warehouse board thought long and hard about the strategic consequences of dumping Zimmer.   I find it discouraging, however, that they’ve fallen back on price advertising after such success with set-apart positioning, although it must be working or they wouldn’t do it.  But I’ll bet their margins aren’t as good as when Zimmer was hawking the wares, because price was hardly mentioned in his spots and, as I recall, Wall Street liked the stock.

I have several friends and acquaintances, each with a business in the same retail category.  Two of them ride a high-price wave supported by a brand story that's more than 150 years old.  They don’t have to sell on price and, as a result, get high margins.  Another friend sells the same type of high-end merchandise at market prices, although different brands.  His business story has been established for well over 50 years; customers seek him out because of his quality reputation.  Still others I know in that same business always seem to be wrestling with price.  They don’t command the margins they could because their business stories are indistinct.  They don’t have a Marketable Truth© to stand on. 

Both Ford Motor Company and GM currently are wrestling with their image stories.  GM is in the latter stages of rebooting its Cadillac brand to compete with the best German luxury performance sedans; they've had enough success that Cadillac is no longer seen as exclusively for oldsters seeking a luxury nameplate and plush ride.   Buick, another GM brand that used to have a fuddy-duddy image, is experiencing a surprising sales renaissance driven by rising demand in China, where the brand has become a status symbol.  Different time, different story.

Ford also is into a bit of image retooling of late.  Lincoln (finally!) is thinking about abandoning its confusing alphabet soup model designations in favor of real names like Continental and possibly even Zephyr.   All while Ford grapples with a negative quality blip brought about in recent years by a dashboard communication and entertainment system that has proven troublesome and hard to use – so much so that auto enthusiast Web sites are recommending that people wait ‘til a redesigned system comes out on the 2016 models later this year to purchase their new Fords and Lincolns.   

When I think of brand image, however, I think most often about Apple.  They were an upstart at first, but gradually built a business, operating system and reputation that out-shined the king of personal computers at that time, the venerable IBM.  Will gutsy moves into new product categories like luxury watches and even automobiles sour Apple’s reputation?  Not likely, because they’ve told and retold their brand story so well – and so long – that they’re as close to invincible as any business or brand out there.

Even so, in this day of social-driven media, there are new voices everywhere, and some percentage is quick to broadcast bad news.  One exemplary misstep marketers are quick to recall is the New Coke debacle of 1985, when Coca-Cola almost lost its way -- and that was before the Internet became so widely available.  This very day, April 29, 2015, online rumblings are afoot about a second brand of listeria-laden ice cream and a major beer maker’s label that seems to make light of rape.

Reputation or image -- call it what you will -- can bite you in the backside any minute … but also can help lead you to greatness.  All the more reason to consider whether your brand, business, product or service is solidly positioned in today’s uber-competitive, uber-critical world.

 TakeAway:  Shape your strategic position carefully.  And guard your brand story for dear life.

Content © by Brian E. Faulkner        
Marketable Truth © by Brian E. Faulkner




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MCdONALD'S & aPPLE uP tHEIR eXPERIENCE.

3/31/2015

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PictureImage © by Brian E. Faulkner
Years ago, when McDonald’s first started its march to fast food dominance, during the days when you could buy a burger, fries and a drink and still get change back from your quarter, consistency was the company’s stock in trade (yes, the price was under 25-cents, about the cost of a gallon of gas back then).  Another plus – and a critical success cornerstone – was that you could get the same McDonald’s fare about anywhere.  Eventually, the price of a Big Mac even became a statistical measure for global economic well being because of their international availability.

These days, Ray Kroc’s golden-arched vision has come up against a new reality.  Fast food customers expect more in the way of service, décor and food quality.  In short, the same old McDonald’s experience will no longer do, even though the neon glow red and yellow plastic has been gone for several years now after a major restaurant re-do.  But more change is underway and down the road.  Food quality is on the upswing, driven both by consumer demand for fare unsullied by artificial ingredients and by fast casual competitors like Chipotle Mexican Grill that are upping the dining experience, forcing change upon the entire quick serve category.

McDonalds’ new CEO, Steve Esterbrook, calls himself an “internal activist.”  Which means he's all about the business of change.  A Brit, he's known for simplifying the McDonald’s menu and turning the business around, in a world where the company’s business generally is declining. 

“This is where McDonald’s is headed,” Esterbrook said, referring to their  stylish new 500-seat restaurant at the Frankfurt airport, where you can order at the counter or use a number of kiosks that fall easily to hand as you enter the store.  There’s even a sit-down ordering option, thanks to a waiter with a tablet – and your food is brought to you so you don’t have to waste time milling around the counter. 

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McDonald’s isn’t the only iconic business that sees change in its immediate future.  Apple, too, is upping its customer experience to accommodate the more upscale presentation demanded by luxury watch buyers.   The Apple Watch hits stores in about three weeks and reportedly may be had  for as little as $349 (with a sapphire crystal screen) or in 18k at upwards of $10,000 (as rumor has it).  But some marketing mavens are cautioning caution as the brand evolves.  Can Apple stretch itself into the luxury category without losing its everyman base?  Probably not without this store redesign, which – Apple Watch aside -- can’t come too soon for those serious Apple technology buyers who have tired of having to cut through the gadget gawkers to get serious attention – even out here in the burbs.
 
Customer experience is inextricably entwined with brand.  Brand impression, a critical strategic distinction not so readily established, can be sullied in an instant by a buying or service experience that doesn’t match.

As for me, I’d be more inclined to check out McDonald’s given the new décor and ordering options exhibited in their Frankfurt airport store.   However, I’m not in the market for a watch at any price (haven’t worn one in well over 30 years), although I have been conversing with myself about a MacBook Pro purchase for some time (not to mention the iPhone 6 my family keeps after me to buy) and would genuinely appreciate a less carnival-like, more “considerate”  atmosphere in which to make up my mind.

TakeAway:  Where does your product or service stand?  Does your customer experience match the brand impression you’ve created?  

Read about my iPhone 6 dilemma here:
www.brianefaulkner.com/blog/you-gotta-get-an-iphone-dad
Content © by Brian E. Faulkner   

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A Powerful Brand Can Help Increase Your Sales.

1/30/2015

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Tags:  GM, General Motors, Starbucks, Steinway, Nike, BMW
Some years ago, an auto dealer client approached my small marketing communication company with a challenging problem: how to sell more GM parts to other GM dealers.  The dealers were falling behind on repairing their customers’ cars because they couldn’t get parts from GM quickly enough.  Our client discovered that by stocking fast moving parts in depth and shipping them overnight at a slight price premium, they could beat General Motors to the punch, help dealers get their customers’ cars out the door faster and make more efficient use of their service bays. 

“You’re not selling parts to these dealers so much as you’re selling time,” we suggested.  And recommended creating a brand focused primarily on time rather than the parts themselves. 

The brand logo was designed to look like a packing crate stencil.  And it worked.  It wasn’t long before the GM zone manager told my client, “I see your Quik-Ship stickers wherever I go!”  Their powerful brand with its built-in competitive story helped them earn millions and millions of incremental dollars over the years, which is precisely what a powerful brand should do. 

Brand As Promise:

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A brand is more than a catchy phrase or attractive logo. 
It may include both of these, of course, but at heart a brand is a promise.  A promise you make to your customers.

Starbucks promises a predictable mix of coffee concoctions and social context.  They're so well known that they no longer even include  "Starbucks" in their logo. 

Brand As Song:

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A brand is like a song.  And the marketer’s job is to create a brand with a melody the customer wants to hear -- like when some tune sticks in your mind and won’t let go.
 
The right “brand-song” helps your business, product or service stand out against other brands.  Steinway is a great example. 

Brand As Persona:

A properly positioned brand embodies the qualities and values people think of when they see or hear about your brand. 

It’s a lot like thinking about someone you like – or even how you see yourself.  A personality comes to mind, perhaps not in so many words, but (hopefully) as a good feeling.  Which is why Nike's famous "swoop" works so well.
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Brand As Filter:

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Your brand should attract qualified prospects and filter out the rest.  If I have $20,000 to spend on a new car, I won’t be showing up at the BMW store.  Their brand, which promises a blend of German engineering and exhilarating performance at a relatively high price, excludes me but attracts people who want -- and can afford -- the Ultimate Driving Machine. 

Brand As Story:

A successful brand tells a unique competitive story.  It carves out a “blue ocean” of fresh strategic mindspace, uncontested by others and unique to you.  It speaks with a clear, definitive voice, whether your business is your brand or whether you make / market / sell branded products or services.   It connects you to your customers, clients, patients, students, etc. in a personal way ... and helps make your business sing.

TakeAway:  Does your brand sing a song people want to hear?

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                              Content © by Brian E. Faulkner     Photos © by Brian E. Faulkner 

                              Tags:  GM, Starbucks, Steinway, Nike, BMW

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"Quality" Razor Doesn't QUite Cut It.

1/28/2015

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I’m a sucker for quality.  A finely polished product surface will get me every time.  I love the satisfying sound a car door makes when it closes properly (and the window operators don’t rattle like they did on some older American cars).  Not to mention underwear T-shirts that don’t shrink with their first wash (even using cold water and a low dryer setting).  And razor blades that glide smoothly over your face while effortlessly removing that morning’s growth.

So I was pretty excited to hear about Harry’s Razors.  They’ve been around going on two years and have popped up recently online.  Read their well-crafted ad copy and you’d think you’ve found shaving Nirvana:

Like most of you, we’ve long had to choose between over-priced,
over-marketed razors that disrespect your intelligence,
and low quality, cheap razors that disrespect your face.
We knew there had to be a better way,
so we created Harry’s as a return to the essential:
a great shave at a fair price.
I wanted one - right away.  Problem is I no longer shave, thanks to a 5-year-old beard I trim once a week – if that.   But during my many decades of shaving, I mostly used the cheap blue grocery store blades that lasted about three days before they reared up and tried to bite my face off. 

So the Harry’s ad caught my eye.  It had a quality look and made quality promises:
We spent over a year meticulously crafting our first Harry’s line.
Our blades are made by German engineers with decades of experience honing high-grade steel.
Our handles were designed to blend timeless simplicity and modern ergonomics.
Our shaving cream comes from the same chemists who make creams for high-end brands.
The result: a set of modern shaving products made with respect for the tradition of a good, clean shave.
Since I was not going to try them myself, I consulted razorpedia.com for Harry’s Razor reviews.  

Some men liked them and credited Harry’s for eliminating razor burn.  Others did not like the product for reasons that ranged from “dull after three days” to rust on the blades, slippery handles and poor value compared to products available at retail – not to mention Harry’s shave cream, which nobody seemed to like.

I, too, was disappointed – that so many of the reviewers were disappointed.  Because I like Harry’s sell.  It's creative, credible and makes you want to try the product.   But as one reviewer opined, the company seems “more concerned with marketing brand association and identification than with how their razor works.”

Harry’s differentiation is threefold:  (1) a great shave, (2) a fair price, and (3) direct sales.  Unfortunately, razorpedia reviewers suggest that the product needs refinement and isn’t always the best value.  That leaves direct selling as the lead dog pulling this sled, which likely will be enough to establish a market beachhead for Harry’s while they improve the product. 

I hope so.   Because I want to see these entrepreneurs succeed.

As for me, I’m still on the lookout for an underwear T that won’t shrink with that first wash!  Don’t you just hate how they ride up on your tummy?

TakeAway:  Don’t make a quality claim unless your product absolutely, positively lives up to it.
     
Content © by Brian E. Faulkner 
 

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When Your Small Business Has a Song to Sing, Sing It!

11/28/2014

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PictureImage © by Brian E. Faulkner
Thirteen years ago I was part of a small business that interviewed three marketing and public relations agencies about developing a new product launch campaign.   Each PR firm had its strengths, but one stood out. 

The principal of that firm had traveled 750 miles to make her pitch – a second agency likewise.  The third was local.   Each recognized the potential of our product, launch of which soon got snakebit by the dot com bust of 2001 and by the kind of internal struggles that all too often mark the beginning of the end for some small business start-ups.

Sorting through an old file box on this slow after-Thanksgiving day, I came upon my notes from discussions with the agency we selected and decided to see what I could learn from them.  A quick review reaffirmed my 2001 choice of this firm over the others.  Even so, something surprising jumped out at my 2014 eyes from the notes and the agency’s promotional materials: 

They did not have a tagline that communicated their competitive advantage in a succinct, strategically compelling way. Which is unfortunate, because their strengths (as I noted them at the time) were considerable:

“The only reason to hire us is to build sales and create success.”
“We are dogged, ferocious, persistent and persuasive.”
“We are scrappy and move like a gazelle.”
“We are fiercely client loyal.”
“We are fabulous at PR.”


Adding to these pluses was the fact that their product-specific and media suggestions were right-on.   They were the single source option for everything we needed (except perhaps interpersonal counseling).   But the attractive brochure they left behind didn’t clearly communicate their competitive advantage.   Like many “creative” providers, it talked about the tools they used vs. how they make a difference with those tools.

I did a rough count today of the words used in their 2001 brochure text:

us words (we, our, company name):                                           27
you words:  (you, your, client, customer)                                  10
power words (success, strengths, expectations)                        3
difference words  (difference, competitive advantage)            0

There were more than twice as many us words as you words, words that focused more on the firm's capabilities than client needs.  They didn't communicate their competitive advantage nearly as well on-paper as they did in-person.  Why?   I don’t know, although you may recall the  story about the cobbler’s children having no shoes.

Even so, their web site must have spoken of competency for us to have invited their pitch in the first place.   But their personal presentation made all the difference.  The agency principal set her company apart from competitors with similar services (without knowing which other potential providers we were interviewing) – including the local firm, whom we personally liked very much, and the New York area one that had impressive, more narrowly focused capabilities.

So here’s my two-cents worth of tagline suggestions for this agency as it presented itself to us in 2001 (keeping in mind that they position themselves as a strategic marketing firm with PR capabilities rather than only a PR specialist):

AGENCY NAME:
“Persistent, persuasive and fiercely devoted to client marketing success.”

AGENCY NAME:
 “The Great Results Marketing and PR Agency.”

AGENCY NAME:
 “Fabulously successful small business marketing.”


Please note that these words are lifted directly from my conversation with the agency principal, not from experience using their services.   I just arranged them in strategically compelling ways -- perhaps you could use the same words to come up with an even better tagline around which the firm could have built an effective positioning / capabilities presentation.

What about today?  The agency's current online pitch isn't as strong as the compelling competitive story presented to us by their leader in May of 2001.   And still ... no tagline.

TakeAway:  Sing your song to the world with a powerful tagline that arises from your Marketable Truth
©, creates belief and once and forever sets your business apart from competitors.  Then get busy telling the world about it, using your tagline as the strategic foundation for marketing communication.

Tags:  small business marketing, public relations agency, PR firm, competitive advantage, powerful tagline, Marketable Truth 
Content © by Brian E. Faulkner       Marketable Truth © by Brian E. Faulkner




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    sample blog:

    This is a sample blog  for writer Brian E. Faulkner.   It presents stories about brands that do a good job communicating competitive advantage. Stories are gleaned from the business press, personal experience and occasional interviews. Updates are made from time to time, and every so often there will be a post of general interest -- about things like success, passion, social trends, etc. 

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    Brian Faulkner is a writer and strategic communication consultant who helps business clients explain their competitive advantage in compelling and enduring ways.
     
    He also is a five-time Emmy award winning Public Television writer & narrator for a highly-rated and well-loved magazine series.

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