1. .BIZ BUILDERBUILDING YOUR BUSINESS WITH INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONSJuly/Aug 2012Branding Issue THE OLYMPIC BRANDING GAMES - GOING FOR GOLD?In This Issue:Olympic Gold - GE Grows Its Corporate Branding FAQ:What Can Olympic TeamsGlobal Brand as LondonYes, There Is More to It ThanTeach Business Leaders?2012 Olympics Sponsor You Think

2. Get to Your Destination Smarter & Quicker with JetBlue + CommPRO.biz Enter to win a free JetBlue flight*CorporateCommunications InvestorsAgency Investor Management MediaRelationsCrisis Television CommunicationsPrintPublic RelationsAdvertising MeasurementMobile Digital & Evaluation MarketingJoin CommPRO.biz, the destination for marcombusiness knowledge. Register now - its FREE. Plus,youll be entered to win a free JetBlue domestictravel voucher ($600 value). JetBlue Airways offersflights and tickets to more than 75 destinations.* View details on Commpro.biz 3. Welcome.BIZ Builder Vol. I, Issue 2 JULY/AUGUST 2012Welcome to this issue Snapshot. Published by: CommPRO.bizContent with convenience. Editor-In-ChiefIts our calling card and our commitment to you. Brian PittmanWere here to serve and to help you become moreChief Creative Officer / Designersuccessful. One way we do that is by making it EASYTodd Fabacherto consume and share the latest, greatest content Publishercovering whats new and whats working to grow yourFay Shapirobusiness using integrated marketing andcommunications.Chief Strategist Bruce MerchantThats why were offering the latest issue of .BIZBuilder Magazine in manageable bites. Whether youre Contributorsa reader, partner, contributor or even advertiser, we.BIZ Channel Partnersthink youll nd our issue preview Snapshot to be a Critical Now: From Critical Mentionquick and engaging way to consume and share the Social Video: From Latergycontent we bring together for the thousands of Digital Visibility: From Zog Digitalmembers of our growing community PR ROI: From PRIME Research .BIZ BloggersIn this edition, we explore two timely billion-dollar IR Therefore I Am - Gene Marbachtopicsboth of which are widely misunderstood: The Social Media Zone & The Pulse - VickiOlympics & Branding. Exclusive features range from an Flaugherinterview with GEs Olympic Sponsor President PeterFoss and an article by UTAs Laurence Vincent.BIZ Blog Contributorsrevealing Hollywoods branding secrets, to a list of Top Marco Bertini, London Businessbrands on Twitter and a How-to Branding Guide for Schoolbusiness. Mark de Rond Christina Houghton, Siegel+GaleEnjoy! And share!! Michele Adelson, The PhelpsGroup Laurence Vincent, UTA Joey Sargent, BrandSprout Donetta Allen: Hunter PR Mark Brock, Wray Ward Brian Pittman CommPRO.biz, LLC 222 East 34th Street Suite 1201 New York, NY 10016 View our Media & Sales Kit 4. Click here to learn more about branding issues thatmatter to you. 5. 7 TableContents of Olympic Infographic: The Evolution of Olympic Coverage in Print, TV and Social Media {4 - 5} Olympic Gold: GE Grows Its Global Brand as London 2012 Summer Olympics Sponsor {6 - 11} U.S. Olympic Hall of Shame: Hard Charging Olympic Athletes Who Have Faced Charges {12 - 14}16 Londons Burning: Controversy Heats Up Over Protecting the Olympic Brand {16 - 18} What Olympic Teams Teach Business: The Truth about 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 the 2012 Olympic Games {28 - 31} What Hollywood Teaches Business: How to Find Your43 Brand Story {33 - 37} Social Media Cocktails? Aligning Your Brand with Relevant 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 Brand Through Social Media {50 - 52} Olympic Buzz: McDonalds Demonstrates Owned-Media56 Prowess 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 a Branding Agency (and More) {71 - 82} 6. Olympic Gold GE Grows Its GlobalBrand as London 2012Olympics SponsorBrian Pittmans exclusive interview with GE Olympic Sponsorship President Peter FossAny company must carefully alignpartnerships, while helping to reinvent GEsponsorship opportunities with its as a truly global brand. Before thecorporate valuesand recognize its allBeijing Olympics, Foss illustrates, theabout growth at the end of the day, saysChinese thought GE was GM and that wePeter N. Foss, President, Olympicwere in the car business.Sponsorship and Corporate Sales at GE.If you cant nd a link to drivingNot only has GEs brand awareness incompany protsdont do it! warns China skyrocketed since the BeijingFoss, who in addition to coordinatingOlympics in 2008, but GE has alsoGEs global Olympic Sponsorship also ramped up its Olympic sponsorshipmanages the companys Sales Forceinitiativesand the London SummerEffectiveness program. Olympic Games are no exception. Here, Foss shares key metrics underscoringIn our case, GEs values are all aboutGEs Olympic sponsorship ROI, what hesintegrity and so are those of themost looking forward to in the LondonOlympics, he explains. Whats more, the Games and his quick tips for businessescompany has driven hundreds of billionsseeking greater visibility via marketingof dollars in infrastructure projects andsponsorships of any size or type:sales abroad through its Olympic 6 7. Why did GE decide to sponsor the In terms of return onGames? investment, GEs generalGEs partnership with the Olympicawareness prior to theGames aligns with our global growthOlympic Games was lessstrategy by opening doors to new sales than 10%. After theand marketing opportunities in all of theGames, it was 50%.host countries. GE is uniquely suited tomeet the infrastructure needs required to big areas of potential growth outside ofstage the worlds largest sporting event, the U.S.but we just werent knownas well as the healthcare needs tothere. The biggest interest was in Beijing,provide quality care to the athletes. Our because China was a big market for GE.continuedinvestment in the Olympic We were doing close to $5 billion a yearGamesis part of our commitment tothere. They thought GE was GM and thatdeliver world-class infrastructure andwe were in the car business. We sawhealthcare solutions that leave a Olympics as a brand that we couldsustainable legacy to future generations. saddle up and ride in with.We are proud to be associated with theIt was a great way to build relationshipsOlympic Games, as the values of thiswith key individuals in China as they builtglobal, trusted brand match GEs. Our up the Olympics and announced theysponsorship provides funding forwere spending $50 billion on itdoubleathletes that would otherwise not bewhat was normal. Beyond that, otherable to participate in the Olympicinfrastructure projects were more likeGames. We are very proud of that. $200 billionincluding transportation,power, water, lighting and all the thingsWhen did GEs sponsorship begin and we do as a big infrastructure company.what were the goals?We announced our sponsorship in 2003, We realized the head of the Olympicand it was at same time NBC was organizing committee in China wasbidding for 2010 and 12 broadcast LiuQi, and that party secretaries andrights. As part of that, we went in as GE mayors served on committees, as well. Ifto put in a bid to be a TOP (The Olympicwe built a strong relationship with them,Partner) Program Sponsor. This startedwe could demonstrate our capability andwith the 2006 Olympics in Torino andability to be a good partner onthen in Beijing, Vancouver and London.infrastructure projects. They were goingThose were the four in our rst package.to start at a given time and we needed todeliver.The thinking was the company wasbecoming more global. When I started, That gave us a great opportunity. We got95% of sales were in U.S., but it was to know them and ultimately built greatprobably 60% ten years ago. There wererelationships with them. GEs generalawareness there prior to the Olympics7 8. In China, we saw a +31% ground: our revenue team (sales), our PRrise in favorability afterteam, our marketing team, and ourthe Olympic Games. In hospitality team.Canada, we saw a +92%rise in favorability afterHow do the Olympic values align withthe Olympic Games.GEs?From a brand value perspective, wewas less than 10%. After the games, ithave a code of ethics in the companywas 50%. That was good for us. We alsoand the spirit of the letter is that integritydid a lot of advertising in the country,comes rst of all. The Olympics valueswhich helped. are all about striving for truth, integrity,spirit, team building and sportsmanship.Next came the announcement that the There is nothing there that doesnt alignSummer Olympics were to be held inwith our own values. Integrity is numberRio. That was another great opportunity one for us. One strike and youre out.for us as an infrastructure company togrow into a thriving economy. We areHow have you leveraged the power ofnow signed up through 2020. So overall, the Olympic rings to enhance GEsit has turned into a very nice opportunitybrand?to build stronger relationships in areas of We have Brand Tracker studies thatthe world that are important to us. show our brand awareness grew by 1/3from 2005 to 2010. We also look atCan you touch upon what GE provides things like unaided awareness aroundthe Olympics? specic campaigns. For example, we ranOur Olympic Green program in Beijingads and launched initiatives tied toand also in London includes providing healthcare around the Vancouver gamesmore energy efcient sport lighting,and awareness of GE as related toelectrical infrastructure and more. Wehealthcare certainly grew.also built health clinics for athletes withdiagnostic imaging equipment. So, itWe integrated efforts across traditionalruns the gamut of all of our productmedia, digital and PR to drive results. Aslines. The IOC actually said GE stands a result, we saw signicant impactfor Generally Everything.across key brand measures in China(2008) and Canada (2010). Specically:We were their rst infrastructure sponsoras opposed to consumer companies like In China, we saw a +31% rise inSamsung or Visa. Those companies favorability.interests were a year out from the gamesbeing heldbut we are there on the In Canada, we saw a +92% rise inground to help with infrastructure thefavorability.moment the host city is announced. Weimmediately put four teams on the8 9. What has been the commercial impact functioning trauma center and operatingof GEs involvement in the Olympicsroom) and more.any hard metrics?Well, we placed GE technology in allIn London, we have:competition and non-competition venues 120in Beijing, Vancouver and London. GEsinvolvement with the Olympics helped usinfrastructuredene commercial process to more Projectseffectively address large-scale projects. Notable projects include a fullSpecically, we created a centralized range of diagnostic imaging equipmentteam to respond to all Olympic-relatedfor Polyclinic (hospitals for athletes andinfrastructure opportunitiesand to workOlympic ofcials), three Jenbacher CHPacross GEs diverse lines of businesses.engines installed in the Olympic Parkenergy center, 120 EV charging stationsIn Beijing, we saw: installed to support London 2012 electric400 vehicle eet, GE lighting technologyinfrastructureacross a number of the Olympic venues(Olympic Main Stadium, Aquatics,ProjectsBasketball, Field-Hockey, etc.), and aNotable projects included a partnership to re-lamp Tower Bridge with wind farm outside of Beijing toenergy efcient LED technology.Thisprovide renewable power for the games,resulted in a 45% energy savings overa rain water capture system for Bird current street lighting applications.Nest stadium (main stadium), and a Beyond that, legacy projects include GElighting and electrical distribution fordonating4.8m of advanced healthcaremultiple stadiums and arenas. equipment to Homerton Hospitalincluding fetal monitors, incubators andIn Vancouver, we saw: magnetic resonance scanners, toHomerton University Hospital in120 Hackney, East London.infrastructureProjectsAlso important was that we were able toshowcase GEs contributions tocustomers from around the world.ForNotable projects included a range ofexample:diagnostic imaging equipment for twoPolyclinics (hospitals for athletes and In Beijing, we hosted over 2,500Olympic ofcials), CT, MR, X-Ray, customers.Ultrasound, ECG and Healthcare IT, aMobile Medical Unit (MMU) in Whistler In Vancouver, we hosted over 1,000(an 18-wheel trailer that served as full- customers9 10. In London, we will hostvaluesand recognize that its all aboutapproximately 1,300 customersgrowth at the end of the day.You also oversee corporate salesWe looked at Olympichow has the Olympics sponsorship sponsorship as a way tocontributed to sales force create revenue. But weeffectiveness? also learned that it helpsOne way to answer that is to look at our with brand building.Decathlon Challenge, which was aninternal program to help drive sales withI dont understand some sponsorships.our team and distributors. It involved a We get two to three calls a week forseries of training contests tied to sales. things that dont t. I dont get it. WeResearch showed that this programdont do it if its not a t. The Olympicshelped drive $190 million in revenue were our rst global sponsorshipandgrowth in 2007 and 2008).were a 140-year company! So, be careful.Whats your advice to otherbusinesses regarding picking big I dont understand things like puttingevents or even smaller community your name on a stadium. What does thatevents to sponsor? do for you? If you are Citibank naming aI think when you consider a sponsorship, baseball eld, maybe that helps becauseyou have say, What is my strategy for youre reaching consumers. But if we putgrowth and how does this help me? our name on a stadium, they wont beAny decision should be based on howbuying a jet engine tomorrow. Thesuch an opportunity helps your company consumer piece at GE is less than fourgrow revenues. If you cant nd a clearpercent of our business-and its all aboutlinkagethen dont do it!light bulbs and appliances. Its small, so we wouldnt pursue a sponsorship likeFor us, we could measure things like: 1. that.Revenue (we were selling goods thathelped build venues), 2. brand Where are you getting the most onlineawareness, and 3. client and prospectand media buzz as related to GEsrelationships. All of those t into oursponsorship of the Olympics?strategic objectives.A few weeks ago, we launched a Healthy Share Facebook application asIf you are a consumer company like part of our movement to integrate healthCoke, its different. You get involved within a consumer way. This is part of ourit just for the exposure and brand Healthy Imagination program. Thebuilding. They are 80% non-U.S. in focus is tness and using the games toterms of global revenues. And their last inspire people to improve their healththree CEOs were all international. Again,based on athletes experiences. As partyou must align with your company of this program, we developed10 11. challenges people can take to be like the measures body composition to seeathletes. For example, soccer playerwhich side has more muscleAlex Morgan provided a program wheredevelopment. He had that done earlier inyou can stretch and do things he does inthe fall.his training. This program has beengenerating a lot of media buzz. We didHow is golf like business?the activation at Rockefeller Center, I have played golf since I was eight yearswhere Olympic swimmer Summerold. I am a big proponent of golf andSanders hosted a class to take herbelieve in getting youth involved in it. Itschallenge.a lifelong sport and teaches great corevalues. It builds character andWhat are you most looking forward toemphasizes integrity and honesty. Golf isduring the Summer Olympics in a game where there are a lot of judgmentLondon? calls you have to make. Nobody isThe Summer Olympics offer so much tostanding there telling you what to do andsee and do. I try not to miss swimming, how to do it every step of the game.for starters. It has become so exciting,Being a student of the rules of golf helpsfrom seeing Mark Spitz to now, Phelps you in business and life, I think. What They are extraordinary. That will beyou learn about sportsmanship, honestythe hottest ticket in town. I enjoy that. and judgment carries through your life.Watching Usain Bolt run is also alwayscool. Track and eld is never boring. Final parting words about the value ofBeach volleyball is fun, like a party. AndGEs Olympic sponsorship?it will be held at a neat place, in the The biggest pieces I take away from thishorse parade area. I will even go watch are that we were a stodgy old industrialtable tennis one day. company that never sponsoredanything. We looked at it as way toWhat are your thoughts about golf create revenuebut learned it helpsbeing back in the Olympics, startingbrand building. Also important are thewith Rio? legacy gifts we leave in Olympic cities.Im very excited about thatgolf is Those things make me feel the bestimportant to me. Im not good enough to about our Olympics involvement. We arecompete. I play on weekends. I live inproud of not only being a greatCharlotte and there is good golf here. Icompany, but also a good one.play on Saturday and Sunday morningsView on CommPROwhenever I can. Brian PittmanWe are a marketing partner of the PGAis a partner attour and our player just won the U.S.CommPRO.biz, where heOpen (Webb Simpson). Hes involved infocuses on editorial andan extension of our health initiatives. He content while helping towas scanned by our DEXA machine that build the community. 11 12. U.S. OLYMPIC HALL OF SHAME:Gold Winner Tonya Harding, Conspiracy and Domestic Violence (2x Wiener)World-class brands often want to bebigger, stronger, faster. They always wantto be better. For better and worse andoccasionally for best and worst, the twofrequently get together to do business.Before, during and immediately after majorsporting eventsnone more major than theOlympic Gamesthese whirlwindpartnerships between winning brands andmedal winners are formed in the face oferce competition due to the mutual drive toSilver Winnersucceed. Unfortunately, they are oftenKobe Bryant, Sexual Assaultfueled and fail by the mutual need for speed. Charles Barkley, Aggravated BatteryThe sponsoring spokespeople dash for thecash while their golden glow still attractsclients, kudos and cameras. By Larry Thomas, President, Latergy 13. Hard Charging Athletes Who HaveFaced Hard Charges Bronze Winner Marion Jones, Dope Jennifer Capriati, DopeyMichael Phelps. DoperEvery now and then, the athletes foul outleaving the brand to serve the penaltyfor guilt by association. Here are a few US Olympians who looked like winnerscrossing the nish line (or hitting the jump shot), but who lost their way (at leasttemporarily) when the crowds dispersed.You can expect the volume of falls from grace to rise along with the popularity ofonline video and social media. Even IF a seemingly disproportionate amount ofpampered athletes subscribe to the Its not wrong if you dont get caught" theory,more will be caughton cameraand their reputation and earning potential willdrop like a puck at center ice.Whether via strip search or stripped medal, brands that align themselves withathletes gone bad can no longer sever ties, apologize, pull commercials, hire anew spokesperson and wait for it to go away. In the socially fueled, video-centric, long-tail-wagging world we live in 13 14. ...content never sleeps. And even if itIf Phelps acquires goldoccasionally falls off pace, it never fadesand stirs national prideaway. Even if you pull the video from TV again this summer, helland all things digital, the visual be back. Nothingassociation of your brand with a goldengenerates gold like aboy or girl in handcuffs lives on viagood comeback story.online video clips of sporting events, talkshows and conversations. Old news is agony of defeat. The associationold news until someone Googles it. between a brand and an athlete has long made marketers ecstatic and nervous atIn due time, a ne product and swift the same time. We know that theaction will help the public forgive and euphoria from a quick spike in brandforget both the brand and the athlete. recognition and market share can endKelloggs knows that, so they quickly quickly with one failed drug test, onedisqualied the smoked sh in hot water violent episode or one corny ake of aand went back to the serial cereal kid with a fondness for water (pipes).business. Unfortunately for the snap,crackle and pop family, the relationship It may not end it forever. If Mr. Phelpshasnt crossed the nish line yet. 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. Watch Video on YouTube View on CommPROWhether driven by quarterly results orLarry Thomas is president ofone quarter of a second, participants inLatergy, a video servicesboth worlds compete ercely for fameboutique that providesand fortune. The breakneck speed andmultimedia content strategy,the thrill of victory occasionally lead toproduction, distribution andhasty decisions and, ultimately, themeasurement services.14 15. Londons Burning:Controversy Heats Up Over Protectingthe Olympic BrandBy Marco Bertini, Assistant Professor of Marketing,London Business School 16. The Olympic Games in London areLicensing rights refer to the use ofofcially kicking off, providing us theOlympics logos and trademarks on itemsopportunity to witness the worlds mostranging from stamps and coins to t-prestigious sporting event. As Olympic shirts and stuffed animals. This year inathletes descend upon London, localLondon, Adidas emerged as a Tier Onebusinesses are nding ways to capitalize Partner, allowing the sportswearon the moment. company to receive marketing and licensing rights in addition to other perksBut theres been debate around some(game ofcials, volunteers and staff willcompanies many say are oversteppingall be donned in Adidas sportswear).their bounds, using the Olympic symbolsOther tier-one partners for this yearwithout permission. For instance,include BMW, BP, British Airways, BT,Bloomberg BusinessWeek interviewed EDF, Lloyds TSB.Dennis Spurr, a butcher in Dorset whodepicted the Olympic rings as sausageBut once the sponsorships and licensinglinks and was confronted by ofcials rights are in place, its important tofrom the Olympics. And The Daily Mailexamine the ow of revenue.reported that Londons cake stores arebeing told not to use any Olympic logosWhere Does the Money Go?on cakes due to copyright. The revenue from the principle sources is allocated to: The International OlympicLondon is one of the premier cities in the Committee (IOC), National Olympicworld. It has its own recognizable appealCommittees, International Federationsand brand. Thus, it would make sense and Organizing Committee for thethat others would try to capitalise on it. Olympic Games (OCOG).So whats the big deal and is it really allthat harmful for local companies to useIn the case of the Sydney Olympics, thethe Olympic logos in a creative way? major beneciary was the host city OCOG, which used the funds to stageTo fully understand this issue, lets rst the Games. Historically, 50 to 60 percentlook at the economics of the Olympic of the revenue from broadcast rights andGames and points of protability.international sponsorships, plus 100 percent of the revenue from ticketing,How Does It Work?domestic sponsorship and licensingBy almost any measure, the Olympicsrights, went to the OCOG.are big business. For instance, the 2000Sydney Games generated $2 billion in Of the remaining revenue, the IOC kept arevenue from ve sources: broadcastportion to cover its administrative andrights, international sponsorship, operational costs and allocated the restticketing, domestic sponsorship andto the 205 National Olympic Committeeslicensing rights.of the IOCs member nations and to the17 17. International Federations of the sports ofThis is a brand name the IOC wants tothe Olympic Games.make sure grows in stature. But this iscomplicated in that the brand isWho is Responsible to Monitor and borrowed to host cities. That is, theControl Logo Use? IOC owns the brand in a sense, but theOf the ve sources of revenue, the IOC host is the one who manages it in thea non-prot organization based in running of the event.Lausanne, Switzerland is responsiblefor negotiating and managing theI can understand that local Londonbroadcast rights and internationalbusinesses feel some sense of sharedsponsorships, while the host citys ownership. After all, the Games are heldOCOG is in charge of ticketing, domesticin their town and they paid their share forsponsorship and domestic licensing. the construction of the infrastructure.But irrespective of this feeling, the factAccording to a report in The Guardian,remains that the Organising CommitteeLondon already has a range of legal has nal ownership of the brand. Theprotections in place, but the IOC since store owners will likely still benet fromthe Sydney Games in 2000 requires anthe increased trafc in London from Julyadditional layer of legal sanction. In fact,through August. But those running thethere are laws in place that are meant to event have the obligation to make sureprevent non-sponsors and non-licensed (a) their name is represented accuratelybusinesses from employing images or and positively, and (b) that the rights ofwording that might suggest too close athose corporations that have paid goodlink with the Games.money to be formally associated withthe Games are respected and upheld.So as you marvel at the Olympics thisyear, you might also think about all of thestrategy that is behind the scenes. Andwhile many might become frustratedwith the IOCs strict regulation, you cantdeny that theyve kept the Olympicbrand shining year after year.The Danger of Non-LicensedBusinesses Using the Olympics LogoView on CommPROThe Olympics are no different than anyother business. Most companies spend Marco Bertini is a professorgood money on building their brands. of marketing at LondonWhile few would question the right ofBusiness School. He focusesthese businesses to protect this asset,on consumer/managerialthe same has to be the case for thedecision-making, and theGames. behavioral aspects of pricing & promotions. 18 18. What Can Olympic TeamsTeach Business Leaders? By Mark de Rond, Ph.D., Author, There Is an I in Team: What Elite Athletes and Coaches Really Know About High PerformanceOver the next few weeks, the worldscrews of four are forced to race eachbrawniest athletes will lock horns in other. After the rst race, two rowers,pursuit of sports biggest prize: anone from each crew, swap places. TheOlympic title. The worlds number one race re-starts, with the goal of isolatingTaekwondo star, Aaron Cook, wont bethe effect of a single rower on a crew in aone of them. Controversially, he wasreal boat on actual water. The processpassed over in favor of world number 59,continues until coaches have sufcientLutalo Muhammed, in only the latest of adata on each oarsmans ability, and theseries of high-prole selection disputesrelative speed of different combinationsin the Great Britain camp.of rowers. This seat racing shoulddeliver an objective ranking of the bestTo avoid just such confrontations,boat movers.selection decisions are typically basedon the most objective grounds possible: While peerless on paper, seat racing ishaving athletes compete against eachnot always straightforward in practice.other for a place on the team. A good Occasionally A beats B who beats Cexample of this is rowing, where twowho in turn beats A, which leaves 20 19. coaches with more questions than Also, teams are characterized byanswers. Sometimes, oarsmen andparadox: They mobilize tensions that pullcoaches choose to downplay objective members in contrary directions. Theresults as they push for inclusion of an most obvious are cooperation andathlete who, by virtue of his social skillscompetition, where individuals continueis considered able to raise performanceto compete for resources, reputation andlevels overall for the crew. After all, it iscareer prospects with others, even asthe combination that matters.effectiveness hinges on coordinating with them. The temptation is often toThe lesson to business: Teams in downplay or disallow competitivesports and business benet from variety. tensions for the sake of harmony. TheIt matters greatly to have differences inassumption is familiar: The better peopletalent and in personality, and even in pay get along, the better they will perform.within teams. It is only by combiningindividual differences that one creates aBut studies show that harmony is moregenuinely effective team.likely the consequence of, not condition for, performance. Few things bond moreWhat else can we learn about businessstrongly than a shared accomplishment.teams from sports? Following are threelessons based on my extensive eldwork What to do: The best way to build awith teams over the past 15 years, and team is to set them a work-relatedrecent results from the experimental labschallenge and give them something toof Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, feel good about collectively. In addition,Chicago and Cambridge: dont try to weed out rivalry in the interest of harmony. This is only likely to1. High performance teams aredrive it underground. As a result, people will continue to compete by belittling thenot easy places to be. efforts of those around them.We glamorize teams, but life on theinside often feels slightly off-balancefor much of the time. It is important not 2. The best team is often notto confuse what things feel like withmade up of the best individuals.what they really are like, given there aretwo natural causes for this: What this means is that we may sometimes sacrice competence forFirst, the individuals you work with are likability. As alluded to in the seat racinggood, but the qualities that make them example, it occasionally makes sense toso can make them difcult to tolerate as compromise on technical skill if whatteam members; overcondence can be one gets in return improves the overallalienating, restlessness exhausting, performance of the team. As a recentintelligence intimidating. study points out, if people are actively disliked, their technical competence is21 20. often irrelevant to team selection. UnlessStudies of hospitalthey can be put to work on their own, teams are replete withothers are unlikely to seek them out forexamples, often with graveadvice or to share information. consequences. In one study,a team of researchers phonedWhat to do: Focus on nding the right 22 nursing stations, pretendingcombination of individual highto be a hospital physician andperformers not only in terms of skillsasking for 20mg of a new drug to bebut also personalities. There is evidence given to a patient. They were keen tothat levels individual performance arend out how many nurses wouldstrongly inuenced by social context (oradminister the drug that had not beenwho else is in the team). You wouldntapproved for use there, that was twicewant a team of lovable fools, but it canthe recommended dose, and that hadpay dividends to select a socially gifted been ordered by physician unknown toindividual over one more competent to the nurse. In 21 cases, researchers hadallow the team to handle disagreement to intervene and stop the nurse frommore effectively and raise their overalloverdosing the patient. In this case,level of performance. nurses self-censor by deferring toauthority.Finding the right combination may relyon objective performance data. DespiteIn my experience, the Abilene Paradox isthe availability of such analytics, it is alive and well, and teams the worse forunlikely the optimum combo is found byit. I wish people would spend as muchusing numbers alone. Characteristicsmoney and effort making theirsuch as how people react underorganizations psychologically safe aspressure, how they respond to failure they do on getting people to work inand how they behave when not beingteams. I suspect that if one gets thewatched are important but unlikely to beformer right, the latter will comecaptured by numbers alone.naturally. People are pack animals theirdesire to work together only stymied by3. Problems in teams can arisetheir fear of being found out.not because there is conictbutWhat to do: Ask yourself: How safe isbecause there isnt any.my team psychologically? How likely is itthat team members self-censor for fearKnown as the Abilene Paradox, teamof being considered negative, incapable,members self-censor for fear of being needy, unsupportive or unintelligent, andseen as negative or subversive, ashow do you know? Many teams sufferlooking silly or incompetent, or for fear offrom lack of safety. As a team leader,destroying any existing team spirit.might you be the problem? Would it beworthwhile bringing in an externalfacilitator to nd out? 22 21. and worry about.Further, might it be useful to implement adonkey question rule, where everyoneAs we watch the worlds nest, there isis expected to ask at least one donkey one nal lesson to be had: Sportsquestion a week, or the kind of question teams have clarity of purpose missingto which the answer probably should in most organizations. Individuals knowhave been obvious, just to make sure allwhy what they do is important, whatsbases are covered and all assumptions expected of them and when, and howsmoked out. what they do matters to the rest of theteam. To get this right in our own teamsRemember that when team members may well be our most difcult, yet alsoprovide explanations of why things aremost rewarding, challenge. the way they are, these explanations arefar more useful in clarifying whatView on CommPROmatters than what happened. Peopleuse facts selectively. Their Mark de Rond, Ph.D., is explanations for team a Fellow of Darwinperformance can differ College at the University strongly. These variationsof Cambridge Judge are useful because they Business School. He has can help shed light onconsulted execs at IBM,the things they care KPMG, Shell and others.Champions ofIntegratedMarketingCommunicationsIMC 123 23 22. 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+GaleHideous. Just strengthens thecase for Scottish Independence! I bet that Stella McCartneyBritain is neither great nor united. Olympic pajama suit isnt ame proof and would go oooosh if you got the ame near it!! 24 23. One of the most widely televised eventsprovider of Team USAs Olympic gear.in the world, the Olympic Games, For Laurenwhose clothing is alreadyprovides unprecedented visibility forregularly emblazoned with the Americanathletes from Argentina to Zimbabwe. agthis project is a natural (andThese performers promise to create immensely successful) task. The boldmoments of great national prideor,red, white and blue color paletteembarrassmenton a global scale. leverages American pride, which is synonymous with Ralph Lauren. As aIn this environment, presentation is result its brand visibility and sales soar.paramount. Enter the crme de la crmeof couture. Every two years, top fashionhouses are tasked with creating theircountrys national uniform. And just likethe athletes who wear them, theseuniforms are scrutinized through the lensof national pride and achievement.In the best of cases, designing anOlympic uniform can create a uniqueopportunity for a brand whose coredesign principles are already aligned 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. Rootswith the essential tenets of a nationaldistinctive jackets, rst created for thecharacter. Take Ralph Lauren, for1998 Winter Olympics in Japan, drewexample, a brand that has long been thewidespread attention and praise. ThisSTEEEELLLLLLAA ... the GB ag is REDwhite and blue, NOT AAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!blue, grey and blue ...25 24. global visibilityprompting the likes of designing for an Olympic team one mustPresident Bill Clinton, Prince Charles channel the pride of her nation and allowand actor Robin Williams to don Rootsthe small, creative ourishes to livegearhelped catapult the brand towithin a national rubric of success. Ininternational success. other words, do not interpret your countrys beloved national ag in such aYet, this charge can also presentway that prioritizes aesthetics oversignicant hurdles. Stella McCartney national symbolism.recently unveiled her designs for theBritish Olympic team. EvenRegarding her recently unveiledthough her brand is belovedOlympic kit, McCartney said shein the UK and abroad, wanted to take the iconic imageBritish citizens reacted toof the Union Jack andher work with outrage. Thedismantle it to make it moreIndependent hailedfashionable. Unfortunately,McCartneys designs as this approach led to herarguably the worst kit inembarrassment.history and Facebook fansberated McCartney in aWith Ralph Lauren designing forpublic forum. With the ease Team USA and Prada for theof information-sharing Italian Sailing Team, many topenabled by social media and thebrands appreciate the internationalInternet, news of the brands perceivedvisibility the Olympic platform delivers.failure has been broadcast far and wide. As long as these designers nd an alignment between their brand essenceThe different reception that these brandsand the esprit du corps of the nation forhave received begs the question: Whatwhich they are designingas their mostrisks do designers run when they important prioritythe relationshipengage in this kind of international between high fashion and the Olympicchallenge? Why have Brits reacted with Games can be brilliant indeed.such ire to Stella McCartneys designs? The lesson is clear, national pride shouldTo nd an answer, one could look to thenot be underestimated. When brandingheart of the criticism, which stems from national icons, proceed with care.McCartneys creative interpretation ofthe Union Flag. I would argue that thisView on CommPROreproach brings to light a sort ofunspoken rule: namely, that winning aChristina French Houghton isbid to design Olympic gear does notan associate strategist atgive fashion houses artistic license toSiegel+Gale, where she solvespush creativity to its limits and presentbranding problems for some offresh, unexpected designs. Rather, whenthe most interesting companies worldwide.26 25. BrandingChampionP&Gs Winning Sponsorship of the 2012 Olympic GamesBy Michelle Adelson, Chief Brand Ofcer, The Phelps GroupCorporations invest millions of marketingrolled out through TV, spread virally bydollars in sponsorships in an effort toconsumers, reinforced at point-of-impact awareness and brand perception. purchase in retail and in the end, realizedA prime example is how brands hope tothrough corporate social responsibility.win glory and consumer afnity with theThe result is a truly aligned campaignOlympic Games. However, to drive that is consistent, recurrent at eachmaximum return for such sponsorships,touch point and most importantly,companies must connect their brand tocredibly ties into P&Gs brand DNA.the sponsorship in a relevant andmeaningful way. So how exactly do youdo that?Proctor and Gambles sponsorship of theLondon 2012 Olympic and ParalympicGames highlights the best practices ofintegrating a brand with a sponsorshippartner.Consistent MessagingP&G began with a consistent messageThe campaign story includes 28 athletesthat ties to the overarching brand and from Team USA and breathes new lifealigns with each of its product groups into the companys longstanding positionwhile emotionally connecting to the core that has transcended generations toaudience of moms (or mums, as they support moms for the past 175 years.say in London). From there, an The creative platform reinforces P&Gsintegrated campaign was developed andbanner philosophy as a Proud Sponsor28 26. of Moms and expands it to include notor being mothers themselves, the Thankonly the mothers of Olympic athletes,You, Mom message traverses thebut those around the world and in theproduct brands while connecting at thefuture. Thank You, Mom acknowledgescorporate level.the critical contribution of the mothers ofathletes and celebrates their enduringefforts to raise young Olympians. Thecampaign is a continuation of one P&Grst launched for the Vancouver 2010Winter Games, with plans to run through2020. Since it was rst unveiled, P&Gssponsorship has evolved to a largerinvolvement with more athletes, deeperalignment with its brand promise andfurther assimilation into its portfolioproducts.The Olympics are seamlessly woven into the message. P&G Beautys line of products including Secret and CoverBrand AlignmentGirl 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, therecognizable identity that mirrors anOlympic medal is prevalent andconsistent across all consumer touchpoints, providing an evocative iconicrepresentation that allows consumers toconnect with a now familiar symbol.Drilling deeper into the product lines, themessage prevails as the overarchingbrand communication. Since many ofP&Gs multi-product consumers share acommon admiration as having mothers29 27. The mom story has both a unique andemotional angle and P&G invites Social Media Engagementconsumers to explore each brandsOlympic story as it comes to life.Through a dedicated section on itswebsite, consumers can understandhow products help moms in theireveryday lives. This connection links toretail where the P&G-Olympicspartnership is center stage in storeaisles. P&G showcases the sponsorshipthrough impressive activations includingdramatic displays, in-storedemonstrations and more than 600 Speaking of emotive, P&G launched theOlympic-themed products on shelves foundational component of itsthat provide strong visibility for P&G. 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.A notable example belongs toPampers and its limited edition TeamUSA printed diapers and wipes. The at-retail experience engages consumersand sparks an enduring kinship to theconnected brands. The company haspartnered with its top retailers to executethe installations through to the end of theGames and P&G has placed close toone million displays nationwide, thelargest retail campaign in its history.30 28. P&G further empowers consumers toshare in the sentiment and thank theirmoms with a Facebook app that has Develop a brand, messagingbeen used to honor more than 30,000 and communications strategymoms and counting. There is also athat aligns core values:charitable component where theConnect your corporate valuescompany commits to helping moms with the values of yourraise the next generation of athletes sponsorship partner.through the creation of its P&G/TeamUSA Youth Sports Fund. Consumers are Relate to your audience andinvited to support through social connect emotionally:engagement, donations and participation Sponsorships should be treatedin brand programs from products suchas general campaigns withas Pampers, Tide and Gillette.creative platforms that resonateThrough its sponsorship of the Olympicwith your core audience toand Paralympic Games, P&G has beenensure your partnerships matterfaithful to its brand promise ofto them.supporting the work and promoting Be consistent and integrate:respect of mothers everywhere. Thatsbecause it: For maximum impact, integrateone core message across all cohesively connects toyour consumer touch points toallow your message to break target audiences,through and be memorable. aligns its products,Explore multiple channels fromretail, online, social, public and and integrates the Olympiccommunity relations. message with authenticity and eloquence.View on CommPROThe seamless implementation inspires Michelle Adelson isthe audience to root for moms and forChief Brand Ofcer atthe awe-inspiring Olympiads well watch. Santa Monica-basedWe feel that much more connected withintegrated marketingP&Gs brands for the goodwill andcommunications agencymaking our lives that much easier. The Phelps GroupTips for Leveraging Your Sponsorship: 31 29. WhatTeaches Business How to Find Your Brand Story By Laurence Vincent, Director of Theremember watching the second World Brand Studio, UTA, Author, Brand Real Trade Center tower fall on the television and Legendary Brandsnewscasts of 9/11. Nearly everyone raised a hand. Yet, Dr. Fraser pointed out I am cursed with a career-limiting visual that our memory never happened. impairment. Its called eye rolling. Lately,People will tell you they can remember this malady has embarrassed mewhere they were standing and what they whenever someone tells me they help were doing when that terrifying footage brands tell stories. When the phraseappeared on their televisions moments were in the brand storytelling businessafter the rst tower fell. The fact of the rolls off their tongue, my eyes roll away matter is that footage of the second to the corner of the room.tower falling wasnt broadcast on any television network for nearly 24 hours. Curiously, I do believe that brands tell stories. I just think most people who talkThe mental magic that compels us to about brand storytelling dont know whatlayer familiar personality traits onto a it means. The simple fact is that story istotal stranger or remember things that how consumers connect brands to their didnt happen in our personal history is lives. If your eyes are rolling right now,the same machinery that empowers let me explain. brands to tell stories. A brand tells a story by providing an archetype of a Our brain is a strikingly effective character we feel we know, and computing device that works hard to providing experiential cues that push our help us understand our world by narrative minds to complete the story. articially closing gaps in our knowledge. When information is missing, There are nearly always three stories it makes a best guess. The guessescued by a brand: create linear order that allows us to follow the story. Expert witness Dr. ScottBrand Story 1: Fraser illustrated this phenomenon in a The Origin Story 2012 TEDxUSC speech when he asked The rst story cued by a brand is a how many people in the audience could pseudo-historical story of the brand33 30. itself. This is the story of recordtheabout the brand they inevitably constructorigin of the brand, its recent behaviora story that borrows from the larger(i.e., new product introductions ornarrative genre of chocolate. They speaknewsworthy events) and its reputation. of indulgence, decadence, sweets,Mention Hewlett-Packard in Silicon passions and romance. Godiva hasValley and tech nerds will play back the positioned itself to tell the story of itsorigin story of inventors in a garage. competitive eld.They will recount the controversies ofthe brands recent history. The story of But the category story can also be usedrecord is backward looking, and its not as a fulcrum. Sometimes, a brandalways accuratebut its a story, and it deliberately plays against theoften resonates with audiences because conventions of its category. Forof our fondness for nostalgia. example, Virgin America rarely tells the conventional story of airline travel. It Action item: Ask yourself ifinstead frames its story in the vernacular of club culture. Every cue leads you to someone were to tell therecall the story of a sexy disco. You are history of your brand, what greeted with house music, mood lighting, premium amenities and sexy would it be and who are ight crews. Each cue sets expectations the pivotal characters andbased on a story in another category plot points? What feelingswhich constructs a differentiated story for the Virgin America brand. does it evoke?Brand Story 2:Action item: Ask yourself ifThe Category Storyyour customers engaged inThe second story is the story of thea conversation with othersbrands category. For example, its hardto think about Godiva without thinkingabout your brand category,about chocolate. This strong associationwhat genre of storieswith the story of the category haswould they tell? What roleallowed Godiva to extend into adjacentcategories such as spirits. Despite its would your brand play inpoetic references to the naked lady onthe narrative, if it appearsthe horse, when you talk to consumersat all?34 31. they embody deep-rooted beliefs andBrand Story 3: foundational values.The Consumer Story Some years ago, I interviewed a womanThe third story is the story of thewho described her loyalty to a fashionconsumer. Many psychologists use brand. She said the clothes made hernarrative therapy to re-script a patients feel she was getting closer to the personlife. It works because each of us live inshe wants to be, using words likewhat author Neal Gabler refers to as The successful, sophisticated andLife Movie. Our life story is unfoldingsmart. She had connected with theevery minutesome of us have multiplebrand when she was in college, butlife stories. These include our owncouldnt afford to buy it often. As shehistory, but they also include our progressed in her career, she made apossible selfthe person we hope to be.habit of occasionally splurging to buyMost of us think of the future when we clothes from this label. The act ofthink of our self-concept, and a majoritypurchasing, wearing and saving up forof us envision a positive outcome. Wethe next cycle (or paying off the lastaspire to be someone and that aspiration cycle) were all part of her story. Theis wrapped up in a ctional story that webrand was an extension of her identity,hope to make very real. To keep that and it was a symbol of the person shestory from eeting, we seek cues fromaspired to be.life that were on our way. Notsurprisingly, brands are often involved.Action item: Ask yourself ifWhen a woman slips into a pair ofyou were to psychoanalyzeChristian Louboutin heels, she has cued your best customer, howup a story about herself. The same canwould your brand factorbe said of the scientist who insists uponusing Molecular Probes in his into their life story?groundbreaking research. The brandsare linked to a part of a personal identityBrand Story 4:a story about who that person is andThe Community Storywhat they value. Those brandssometimes cue a story that we mightTheres a fourth story thats becomingconsider to be rather shallow andmuch more relevant. In 2004, Jamessocially conspicuous, but just as oftenTwitchell wrote a humorous and35 32. insightful piece for the Journal ofConsumer Research entitled An EnglishAction item: Ask yourself ifTeacher Looks at Branding.there is a communityTwitchell opens with a story from his around your brand? If so,college teaching experience, and hiswhats the story thathorror at how students linked theirknowledge of brands to missing linesconnects that community?from nineteenth century poetry. HeHow does the communitysurmised that brand stories havebecome modern sagas, a collectivecontribute and share theunderstanding rooted in a story thatstory?picks up and discards subplots andcharacters as it is being continually problems of such a culture (clearly, it isreformed for new audiences.wasteful and intellectually shallow forstarters), but it may prove to be more fairJust a few years after this piece was and democratic that what has comepublished, social media exploded andbefore.the never-ending brand epic found anew channel in which to morph and Why It Matters: Show, Dont Tellconnect with audiences who, in turn,evolve the narrative yet again. Last year, McCann Worldgroup releasedThe Truth About Youth, a fascinatingBrand narratives are an epidemic cultural study of more than 7,000 young peoplecurrencya shorthand that representsaround the world. This new generation ofattitudes, beliefs and values ofconsumers value community, justice,communities of people.and authenticity above all else. Theycrave brands of substance that areTwitchell notes that, The ability to enter wrapped in a meaningful story. Mostthese communities depends not onimportant, they want their brands to belucky birth, skin color, religious afliation,credible. If they arent, 90% of thoseor a host of other attributes usually surveyed said they would make a pointinstalled at birth but a desire to consumeof telling friends about unjust behaviorboth objects and their ctions. He from a brand.closes with a warning and a ray of hope:I have glossed over the obviousThis nding alone takes me back to my 36 33. eye-rolling disorder and leads me to themost important lesson of brandstorytelling: Brands are naturalstorytelling devices, and brandmanagers can bring the brand story tolife by serving up cues that tease thestory out in the consumers head.However, the story must always be oneof truth, not ction. Suggest a storythats pure ction in order to misleadconsumers, and I guarantee yoursuccess will be short-lived.Some brands may extend theirstorytelling prowess into motionpictures, television and immersive onlineexperiences. These can be brilliantchannels for the brands story to takecenter stage.But even these stories must be based ona foundation of credibility. It has toconnect with what the consumer valuesand what the brand actually stands for. Abest advice that has been doled out tobrand exists to set an expectation. It storytellers everywherefor centuries:gains value when experiences with theShow, dont tell.brand meet or exceed this expectation.The degree to which any brand canView on CommPRObecome a rock star storyteller will vary,but the story roots of every brand are Larry Vincent heads Theendowed from the moment of creationBrand Studio at Unitedand brought to life through actions, not Talent Agency. He isshowmanship. author of Brand Real. See his presentationUltimately, the best way to make thattitled On the Subject ofstory known is to follow the oldest andBrand Narrative here.37 34. Social Media Optimization:The Cocktail Party AnalogyAligning Your Brand with Relevant or Popular ConversationsBy Jeff Herzog, CEO & Founder, ZOG decide thatDigital TM social media really isnt forSocial media is evolving and Socialus or that its notMedia Optimization (SMO) is becoming a the right time tonew business requirement. This process allocate more budgetto improve the effectiveness and to social media.visibility of online content ensures yourbrand is visible when prospects areWhen in Doubt, Take a Cueinterested in your product or service. from a Cocktail PartyBy optimizing for technical and strategicSuccess in social media is similarcomponents for networks, content,to succeeding at a cocktail party. Ifimages and video, brands see increased you sit around yammering abouttrafc referrals from social networks, yourself, anyone unfortunate enough tohigher engagement and are able toenter your sphere of inuence will makeobtain valuable consumer data in the a polite exit. However, if you look nice,process. A large part of SMO is aligning listen intently to others and then steeryour brand with relevant or popularthe conversation to what others areconversations online; essentially, the interested in, youll likely be a hit. Thegoal is to be the conversational hit of thelogic behind social media optimization isproverbial cocktail party. very similar to the latter.Where Do Brands Go Wrong?In social, a brands audience is interested in discussing themselves andToday, most brands suffer from what we topics of interest to them. Mostcall the me syndromedevoting much consumers arent interested in companyof their online content to talking about changes that do not directly affect them.the intricacies of their own business. Themore time brands spend doing this, the Its Not About Me, Me, Meeasier it is to lose perspective on thecontent that will be successful. WhenA big part of SMO isthis happens, brands fall into the me understanding who yoursyndrome trap. They often come across customer is, and thenas at on social media platforms, then aligning your brand38 35. conversation in such a way that it addsgas pricesand recommended thatvalue to what they care about. Shiftingwe create content around that topic. Toyour outreach approach to a more accomplish this goal, we createdconsumer-centric perspective is the rst content in the form of a widget, whichfoundational step to begin to credibly was designed so that it could spread speak in the social environment.organically. This widget allowedThis allows your consumers to see the least expensivemessage to begas prices in their area. heard and embraced. The content is designed for an individual in a brands prospect demographic to If youre derive value from it, and perhaps evenreading this asshare it or forward it to a friend. Thisa dominant aligns the brand to say, We know youre consumer packaged concerned about gas prices, we aregood (CPG) brand likelistening to you, and want to help easeCoca-Cola, or as a famousthe burden on your pocketbook, by celebrity like Lady Gaga, thencreating content you may nd useful. chances are youre probably not going to need SMO to increase and The more value a brand can add and engage your fan base, because yourshow theyre listening, the more likely a fans are likely already brand fanatics. consumer will want to do business withBut if youre like the other 98% ofthat brand. Conversations beginbrands in the space, working to be relationshipsand relationships growheard, or are a lower involvementbusiness.company, then chances are you arelooking to increase these successCocktail Talkmetrics. As a Facebook user, how oftendo you like (and also want others to There are several other simple ways toknow youve liked) your utility companyalign your brand with popular onlineor your favorite brand of dish soap? conversations. They require the ability to sift through libraries of social data toBuild Simple Tools to Allowbetter understand the online behaviorsConsumers to Interactwith Topics of and preferences of your demographic.InterestAgain, this is like a cocktail party: While all participants have a central connector,We were tasked to align an autothere will always be many sub-groups orinsurance client with popularconversations at each party. content topics to increasetheir popularity in social This knowledge allows brands tomedia. To do this, weleverage content in two ways:identied a trending theme39 36. identifying conversations that are asharing, in line with popular natural t for your brand; andconversations, and still created to be identifying ways to insert your relevant for the brand. Companies that brand into popular or timelyutilize these themes, even those in low- conversations.involvement industries, will be able to see vast increases in keyword ranking,In the case of identifying conversations social post engagement, qualied trafc,that are a natural t for your brand, its and social impressions.likely that a cable company, for example,will want to talk about new shows, The beauty of the SMO cocktailseason premiers, and newly releasedparty strategy, when donemovies or programming available oncorrectly, is thatdemand. These topics are both brands can berelevant, as well as a logical way for a the hitlower involvement brand to insertofthemselves into conversational topics. the party,When looking to leverage popular ormakingtimely conversations, a brand must havenewthe ability to act quickly to capitalize onfriendsthese opportunities. Examples of this(qualiedare: potential customers), and producing content around trending establishing online topics or news (on socialthemselves in new platforms or news outlets); orcircles (to gain producing trendy content, additional visibility). including photo and video memes. These topics, trends and memes might not be central to your core View on CommPRO content themes, but they do allow you to insert your brand into Jeffrey popular conversations, that in-turn Herzog is increase your exposure to new CEO of audiences and send trafc to your ZOG Digital TM, a brand by driving additional visibility. search & social marketing technologyQuantify the Results company in Scottsdale, AZ.These content themes are created insuch a way that makes them ripe for40 37. 5Myths ExposedBrand-BustingBy Joellyn Joey Sargent, Principal,BrandSprout LLCWWith business moving at an ever-accelerating pace, branding is both a hottopic and a moving target. In spite of therequired to nd the intersection where abrand comes to life.buzz, not all conventional wisdom isMyth 2: Branding Isaccurate. Lets debunk some majormyths about branding to clear the way Expensivefor a more focused and fruitful approachLooking at the huge brand advertisingto branding your business:investments of companies like CocaCola, Visa and Ford, I can understandwhy many think branding is expensive.Myth 1: A Brand Is a PromiseThe truth is, it doesnt take millions toWhile a brand promisethe essence ofbuild a brand. Even the largest brandswhat a company offers its customersisstarted small. Unrelenting dedication toan important element of brand strategy, branding helped themthe idea that a brand is a promise fallsgrow. Their big budgetsshort. Promises get broken, forgotten are a result ofand sometimes are made without anysuccessful branding,intention of being kept. Thats hardly thenot a catalyst for it.kind of relationship you want with your The real price of acustomers.strong brand is notInstead, a brand is an intersection. Its monetary. Its athe point where brand promise meets commitmentcustomer permission, where perception to investmeets reality. The nexus depends as more thanmuch on your customers willingness tobuy into your brand message as it doeson your carefully crafted brand vision. Abrand does not become great on itscash.own. Stakeholders all need to accept thebrand promise. Dialog and agreement is 42 38. Companies that create strong brandsunderstanding what makes your brandfocus time and energy on:unique, what customers expect, what Understanding customers andvalue you offer and how its delivered.marketsDesign follows strategy, communicating Delivering brand value in everybrand attributes and messages that haveinteractionbeen established through a thorough process of evaluation and discovery. A Consistently reinforcing brand cohesive brand image helps express amessages companys positioning, establishing a Embodying the brand in all aspects offramework for aspirational themesthe business associated with its value proposition.How you interact with customers andemployees, the products you offer andhow you deliver services are criticalMyth 4: Rebranding Fixesstrategic decisions. Integrate these Everythingelements into your business and you will Ive been involved in a lot of rebrandingestablish a rm foundation for your projects over the years, and itsbrand before you spend a dime on interesting to see the reasonsadvertising. companies cite for making a change. Often, rebranding is seen as a quick x for larger business issues. Its not.Myth 3: A Logo Is a Brand Rebranding signals change within aAs the most visible element of a brand business, but it doesnt create change.platform, a logo represents but it is notthe brand. Logos and brand identity areOrganizational evolution must alwaysimportant because imagery can invoke come rst or the rebranding effort will failan immediate visceral response, creating for lack of substance.a strong connection with customers.The time to rebrand is when yourWhile a consistent and appealing look organization has adopted fresh ways ofand feel can cement brand awareness,thinking. Changes such as an updated logo design is only a piece of thebusiness model, entering new markets branding process. and dramatically improved productBefore you start designing offerings are fundamental shifts thatlogos, sites, packaging, ads logically lead to a brand makeover. or point of sale displays,Resist the temptation to rebrandremember these thingsbecause sales are down or competitionare all just ways of is heating up. Rebrand when yourillustrating what your response to these challenges requires brand stands for. Creatingyou to show the market that youra brand image rst requires43 39. company has changed and your brand is In response, companies must connectevolving in a positive way. with customers, listening andresponding in new ways. Successfulbranding cultivates relationships built onMyth 5: We Control Our Brandinuence and authenticity, using brandadvocates for social proof andThe days when businesses controlled responding to issues that might havetheir brands are over.been ignored in the past.Organizations used to unilaterally deneThe social voice can be powerful,their brand messages and dictatingmaking brands accountable forwhere those messages appeared.unpopular policies and poor decisions.Customers shared brand experiences, At the same time, passion for smallbut companies essentially controlled thebrands can turn into a groundswell ofmessage.support, catapulting new businesses toTechnologyand social mediaturnedthe forefront of their industries.the tables, giving power to the peopleIn this environment, companies mustand making brands more dynamic than accept that the era of control hasever before. Customers can be vocal evolved into a tide of inuence. Moldadvocates or detractors of a brand, customer perceptions by carefullymanipulating messages and shaping shaping brand messages and activelybrand perceptions on their own. managing things you can control, suchas how your company interacts withcustomers and the way in which you respond to problems.Your brand has a life of its own. It willgrow and change over time as themarket shows you what resonates with customers and what does not. Embrace this feedback, using thesesignals to continually improve theessence of your brand. View on CommPROJoellyn Sargent isprincipal of BrandSproutLLC, a consulting rmthat turns dauntingbusiness challenges intosuccess stories. 44 40. BrandHow to Masterthe ScienceBeneath the ArtBy Mark Weiner, CEO, PRIME ResearchA common misconception is that branding is a purely creative endeavor based onclever phrasing, brilliant visuals and edgy disruptive execution. While creativitycertainly plays an important part, successful branding is as much science as art; andthe required sciencewhich can be called brand engineeringactually enhancesthe creative process by focusing resources on those branding opportunities with thehighest potential.Brand engineering is a systematic, target audiencebased process of developingbrand, 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 marketersaugment the creative process. The optimal branding strategy-development processmust enable the marketer to reach the following decisions:46 41. 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 eventualperformance evaluation are most reliably and successfully achieved through a brandengineering research process consisting of ve stages, the rst of which drives therest: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.2. The second step is the survey stage. This stage is one in which the twenty- 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.47 42. 3. The third step is a formal analysis designed to explore the three or fourmajor drivers revealed during the second step. This is done to uncover thederivation and intensity of the prospects needs, and to get a clear picture of thecompetitive environment.4. The fourth step in the brand strategy development process is to conducta content analysis of traditional, digital and social mediaoriginating in those media with the highest penetrationamong the target audience. The purpose is to determinethe extent to which the three or four winning brandattributes are delivered by your company and yourcompetitors. Smart brand planners give the highest priorityto those attributes that are important to the targetaudience, viewed as favorable aspects of the sponsoringcompany, and are not associated favorably with competitors.5. The fth step is evaluation to drive incremental learning andcontinual improvement. Similar to Steps 1-4 in miniature, evaluationshould be continuous and consistent to ensure that past decisionsremain effective in the constantly evolving marketplace. Periodic pulse-checks provide useful input for tactical execution to ensure thatinvestments made in branding continue to yield positive results over time,versus competitors and in light of best-practice. Attributesimportant toAttributes not the protable associated with competitors customerOpportunityCredible attributesfor your brand 48 43. Once research uncovers your brand landscape, invest your tactical resources onthose activities that deliver the best return on investment.Branding MythsWhile people speak of branding, its denition, application and understanding are notuniversal. In such an environment, there is a danger for conventional wisdom to takehold without question. Avoid the following traps when you approach brand investmentdecisions: Its better to be approximately right than absolutely wrong: The resources for eventhe biggest companies are limited, but smaller organizations are more severely cappedin 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 canquantify brand performance with a single question. While theanswer 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. Dont skip steps: Focus groups can be helpful and inexpensivebut, at the end of the day, they represent only the opinions of a dozen orso strangers. The focus group is a way to test hypotheses, explore brandpossibilities and to learn about how the consumer thinks about yourproduct, service or brand. Follow the focus group with quantitative research to ensure reliable and projectable intelligence to avoid risk and optimize returns. Branding doesnt equal Advertising: The truth is that branding weaves itselfthroughout the entire organization, not just across the traditional marketing mixincluding advertising, price-promotions, social and digital, in-store and tradepromotions, and public relationsbut spanning accounting, shipping, and everydimension which touches the customer either directly and indirectly.Given the importance and disproportionate amount of resources devoted to marketingand 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 CommPRO Mark 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. 49 44. Brand Ambassadors Needed!How to Build aBrand Through Social MediaBy Donetta Allen, Social & Digital Media Practice Leader, Hunter Public Relations50 45. Consumers are showing they are willingto engage with the products, companiesFrom time to time, humor and a well-and brands that inuence their day-to-timed social media response can alsoday purchasing decisions. A survey by turn critics into fans, which will in turnLab42 found that more than 30 percent help build a brand. Recently, Smart Carof Twitter users follow 1-5 brands on the smartly responded to this critical remarkplatform, but just 10 percent dont followon Twitter: Saw a bird had crapped on aany brands. Another survey by HubSpot Smart Car. Totaled it. Smart Car tookshowed that of Facebook users who that comment, did some calculationsfollow brands, more than 50 percent and responded with an infographicfollow between 2-5 brands, with another about how much bird crap it would20 percent following between 5 to 10. actually take to total a Smart Car. Thisresponse, as covered here, cleverlyClearly, social media is an increasinglyreminded consumers about the Smartimportant part of building a brand. ItCars Tridion Safety Cell, a key safetyoffers an opportunity for brands to feature for the automobile.participate in conversations about theirservices that consumers previously hadWhen introducing a new brand in 2012,only among themselves. When choosingit would be irresponsible to not includeto build a brand through social media,social media in the launch plan, asyoull need to embrace the idea that youconsumers expect to nd your brand inare entering an on-going dialogue, not amultiple places. For more establishedmonologue, with your consumers. brands, consider pairing the launch of asocial media program with a new adIt also lets you further build a personalitycampaign or public relations program.for the brand that has been established When you decide to embark on a socialthrough advertising or years of service.media program to help build your brand,Known for your customer service? Utilizewhether internally or with the assistancethat when building your social mediaof an agency, consider these steps toplans to connect with your customers. establish a social media presence:Brands like Comcast and JetBlue havefound consumer relations success in 1. Listensocial media as they troubleshoot The rst step is to listen to your mostconsumer problems through Twitter.active consumers. Spend the time tosearch for your brand on various socialBrands who embrace social media alsomedia platforms and see what theseknow that ongoing communication withbrand ambassadors are already sayingtheir core fans can turn a fan into anabout you. Conversations amongambassador. These fans elect to interactmembers of your marketplace happenwith your brand, which means that whether you like it or not, says expertpaying attention to their comments, their Seth Godin. Good marketinglikes and dislikes is critical. 51 46. encourages the right sort of Think visually and gather photos, videosconversations.and other suitable content for theThe takeaway is to nd these existingplatform. Also, identify upcomingconversations and then to enhance andholidays that would be brand-contribute to them as you build your appropriate to mention, as these providebrand through social media.an opportunity for brands to participate in general conversation or make a2. Choose a Platform statement. The recent Oreo Pride cookieThis initial listening phase will help you is a prime example. And nally, considerdetermine which platforms you should a few key things that consumers areutilize to help build your brand through looking for from brands, such as deals,social media. While it can be tempting tocontests and product information, andstart with a Facebook page since its thebuild some of these into your plans.largest platform, there really is no onesize ts all program for brands.4. Share the NewsIf youre nding that people are Once youve established a presence andconstantly posting pictures about your created a content plan, you need to letproduct, then a visual strategy focusing your consumer base know that you areon Pinterest and Instagram might benow on social media! Tell everyone youright for your brand. If people oftenknow and ask them to help spread therecommend your brand while shopping, news. Add social media buttons to yourperhaps Twitter or FourSquare are thewebsite. Send out a notice to yourright places for your brand. You might existing e-mail distribution list andnd that one platform is enough for your consider a limited media buy on theconsumers, but many nd that two orplatform to help drive awareness duringthree platforms are helpful for creating a launch. Youre on your way to buildingstrong branded social media presence.an engaged community that will help build your brand for the future!3. Create a Content PlanWhile actually setting up a presence onView on CommPROsocial media sites is relatively easy, youshould put some serious thought and Donetta Allen is a partnerplanning into the strategy behind theand social/digital mediacontent that you will be sharing on thepractice leader at Hunterplatform. Determine the tone of voicePublic Relations, a New(fun, playful, serious?), style of speakingYork City-based marcom(eloquent, txt spk, punny?) you intend tofirm that partners withuse and the visual strategy (photos, many of the nations mostgraphics?).iconic brands.As you outline your brand content,consider the story your brand will tell.52 47. Click Here to Learn More 48. Olympic BuzzMcDonalds DemonstratesOwned-Media Prowess onEve of London OlympicsBy Dave Armon, President, Critical MentionMcDonalds will score Olympic-size buzz hell does my Quarter Pounder within mainstream media and on social Cheese look better in the ads than itnetworks as an ofcial sponsor of the does at the restaurant? Within three2012 Summer Games. The juxtapositionshort weeks, more than 6 million peopleof the worlds largest McDonalds knew the answer.restaurant next to athletes with zerobody fat could make for some interestingFor those who have not clicked on theTweets.But if a recent owned-media Play button, you missed hearing a foodsuccess from McDonalds Canada is any stylist explain how pickles must beindication, the brand is well prepared formoved so they are not hidden underthe challenge.sesame seed buns, and that syringes areemployed to make mustard and ketchupIn late June, Hope Bagozzi, marketing drip down a seared beef patty in just thedirector for McDonalds Canada, right way to get mouths watering.uploaded avideoto YouTube thatanswered a question that had been Its no secret that mega consumersubmitted by a Twitter user: Why the brands like McDonalds draw plenty of 54 49. criticism. Social media has giveneveryone a megaphone, so its brilliantthat Bagozzi and her team seized theopportunity to transform the doubt of apotentially cranky customer intocredibility for the brand.Companies likeHowcastandeHowhavebuilt successful web businesses aroundanswering common questions through Critical Mentions Syndicastervideo, with some of the webisodesplatform is used by a third of all U.S.generating thousands of views. network television afliates andKudos to McDonalds for guring out200+ newspapers to aggregatethat a journalist-style video produced byvideo from professional reporters ina brand can be entertaining and shared the eld and citizen journalists. Onlyamong friends and foes alikeespeciallythe newsroom has the authority towhen the crowd suggests the topics thatreview, edit, title, tag and publish theare tackled. content, so we think this brand-safe approach to video curation will workWe think brands of all varietiesfromwell with companies and PR rms.not-for-prots and small businesses to the biggest global B2B companies and Youll be hearing more in cominggovernment agencieswill start askingweeks and months about how weretheir employees, customers, online rolling Syndicaster out so moresocial communities and other enterprises can start acting likeconstituencies to contribute video.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 ofCritical Mention, and a self-described media exec embracingdisruptive technology and the socialweb. Follow him on Twitter:Click to View Video @daveyarmon.55 50. Whats Your Brand EQ? EAn Engagement Quotient Questionnaire for Business QBy Sam Ford and Emily Yellin,Peppercom Strategic CommunicationsMost businesses are built on interactingBrand: a name, term, design, symbol, orand connecting with their customers.any other feature that identies oneBut even the most audience-centricsellers good or service as distinct frombrands can become disconnected from those of other sellers.*the audiences they seek to engageoften because customers have been Brand engagement: a term looselyreduced to mere data points on a spread used to describe the process of formingsheet.an attachment (emotional and rational)between a person and a brand.**Thats bad news. Its often the rootcause behind failed marketing Brand Engagement Quotient: acampaigns, communications initiatives subjective, non-scientic guideline of athat produce low engagement, andcompany or clients brand engagementbrands that just fall at. Ultimately,levels based on a self-reportbrands with low brand engagementquestionnaire (see next page)quotients (EQs) lose customer loyalty,and eventually, market share. *Source: Dictionary.com**Source: Wikipedia.org 56 51. Test Your Brand: Theamong marketing,communications, sales, customerEQ Questionnaireservice, and other front-facingparts of the company to make sureall are in sync with the entireHere is our checklist of questions to helpexperience your audiences haveyou diagnose how well you are keeping with your company?your ngers on the pulse of youraudiences: Does the question, What servesour audiences best? regularly Do you regularly go beyond talkingfactor into your calculations ofabout audience data orROI?segmentation proles, and actuallyobserve and talk in person with thepeople you are seeking to engage? Do you rely on anything more than Whats Your Brand EQ?results from surveys and focusgroups, and data from other So how did you do? Heres a quickcompany-controlled situations, to answer key to help you gauge whethermonitor how your customers feel your brands engagement quotient is upand what they say about yourto speed:company? Do you shop for and use your ownAll Yeses Congratulations! You areproducts or services on a regular your customer. Your company is sobasis?customer-centric that you couldprobably teach us all a thing or two. Do your online monitoring efforts Keep it up.consist of anything beyondtracking mentions of your 1 or 2 Nos Youre on your way tocompany and its products andbeing customer-centric, but redoubleservices? your efforts and pay attention to theplaces where you could improve. Is everyone in your companytalking daily in your meetings3 or more Nos You might haveabout what your audiences might the best intentions, and lots of goodthink, or how they might feel, andreasons why you cant become morefactoring that into every businesscustomer-centric now. But yourdecision? customers are going to bail if youdont change course soon. Do you have regular internalconversations and collaborations 57 52. Tips: How to BoostYour Brand EQRepeat This is not just a one-time activity.If you didnt score all yeses, dont worry.Only if you consistently considerHere are three steps to start the simple every communication andbut concerted effort needed to address business decision from yourthat:audiences perspective, will you be better able to engage them. Listen and Make sure everyone at your companyCollaboratebecomes an advocate for your key audiences, and communicates thatPay attention to conversations attitude to them. Then, watch the ROI ofthat you dont control or prompt. all this effort grow, as your customersBecome a regular part of the become not only more loyal but alsoonline and ofine communities your strongest advocates in thethat your audiences join. Foster marketplace.two-way communication, not justone-way marketing pushes.View on CommPROEngage and be pro-active abouttheir needs, not just reactive totheir complaints.Sam Ford is Digital Strategy director at Peppercom Strategic Go NativeCommunications and author of SpreadableDont only go out in the eld with Media: Creating Valueyour sales team, sit in your call and Meaning in acenter, or query people aboutNetworked Culture.what they think about your latestcampaign. Get out of yourcompanys bubble, and spend real Emily Yellin is a formertime in the places your key NYT contributor andaudiences inhabit. What is author of Your Call Iseveryday life like for them? What (Not That) Important todo they care about, beyond your Us. She partners withcompany? And how do the Peppercom onproducts, policies and messagesAudience Experience.that you see from the companysperspective look and feel to yourtarget audiences?58 53. By Mark Brock, Director of Public Relations, Wray WardCorporate Branding FAQ Yes, There Is More to It Than You Think60 54. Unfortunately, many companiesthe alignment, or lack thereof, of theseregardless of sizedont see corporateelements is a true measure ofbranding as complicated. Their thinking effectiveness with corporate branding.seems to be, Develop a logo, standardPMS colors, brand standards manual, Q. How are vision, perceptionand a statement of vision, mission andvalues and voilayou have a brand. and culture dened and whyis alignment important?As important as these elements are tobrands, this is not the stuff from whichVision is a statement from executivestrong corporate brands emerge. Thismanagement of an organizationsFAQ sets the record straight and arms essence at the highest level; it is bothbusinesses with a better understandingaspirational and attainable. Perception isof what branding isand how to go how the organization is viewed by its keyabout building a great brand: stakeholdersprimarily, its customers.And nally, culture is the actual day-to-Q. What is the stuff that great day environment of a company asexperienced by employees. Only whenbrands are made of? you align vision, perception and culturedo you achieve a strong corporateA team of researchers from Harvardbrand. Misalignment of these factorsexamined this question in a study causes confusion in the marketplace andpublished several years ago. They a weak or negative brand image.examined a large number of globalcompanies to determine how greatbrands are achieved. Two conclusionsQ. Why is alignment soemerged from the study: Companies difcult?with strong brands perform better thanothers, and effective branding is the Again, the visual elements around aresult of the alignment of three factors brand logo, colors, brand standardsvision, perception and culture. manual are relatively easy. You providegood input to a creative team, theyQ. What did this studydevelop options and you select the onethat wins the beauty contest. For anconclude about vision,executive team to articulate a vision andperception and culture? then assure that perceptions by themarketplace and culture within theThe conclusion of the study was twofold organization all align requires a level of that these three elements (vision,introspection that can be extremelyperception and culture) are critica