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The Grind.

In the midst of the day-to-day grind, do you feel lost in the shuffle of it all, or do you see the purpose in the small things?

Over the past year or so, I’ve been observing processes. The pieces of the whole, the elements that make up a project, the steps involved to get to success. ..And I’ve been realizing that seemingly mundane items sometimes hold the most significance.

The tasks you complete for your business, day in and day out, may be monotonous on some level , but these tasks are the very tasks that make your business run.  Do you take the time to investigate all the keywords in your Google ad campaign? Do you go the extra mile with customers every day?

Endeavoring  to do your very best can really impact your company’s growth, profits, and reputation. Yet, sometimes the smaller tasks are the hardest to complete. They feel Sisyphean, and they cause you to feel like the end is never in sight, that the goal is far away.

But, observing processes, I’ve seen how everyone’s contribution impacts the team, how every piece is intertwined with all the others to deliver end products. When small things are done well, a project thrives. When small things are overlooked or ignored, the project stumbles with errors that could have been overlooked.

Next time you can’t see the forest for the trees, keep in mind that the forest would be nothing without them. All of the elements and tasks that make your business work are important. The grind can really wear you down, but nothing good comes easy, and it’s easier to deal with when you have the right perspective.  A couple tips for getting through the grind:

-Keep morale up by letting every member of your team know that they are important.

-Benchmarks towards a goal, and highlight all of the milestones.

-Celebrate little successes, and acknowledge the small things

Remember, living in the grind, getting your hands dirty, pushing past the barriers to success make all of the small things worth it in the end.

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Quietly Brilliant? Please. On HTC (Part II)

How do you maintain your brand’s identity in a saturated market, with a sea of popular names?

It’s easy to lose sight of what made your company great, what set it apart. Losing sight of this can lead to monumental identity problems as you try to push your brand forward, which also leads to serious communications issues with potential customers.

In 2009, HTC, one of Asia’s biggest phone companies, splashed onto the tech scene with a great marketing campaign and quality android smart phones. Enter 2012, where HTC finds itself at a crossroads: Either be drowned out by other major players in the smart phone market, or find a way to edge back into the game.

As of third quarter 2012, the outlook is disheartening; stock has declined by nearly fifty percent in 2012, and sales forecasts estimate a drop of over twenty percent in Q3 (Bloomberg 2012). More importantly, increased competition from big-name players like Apple and Samsung with strong iPhone sales and the debut of the much-anticipated Galaxy SIII are increasingly looking like the biggest threat to the Asian tech giants.

What went wrong?

·         Large players, large phones. Apple’s iPhone continues to thrill techies and general consumers alike. Samsung’s Galaxy SIII was highly anticipated, and did not disappoint. Sales for the new Galaxy have surpassed the iPhone 4S- a huge feat.

·         Loss of a touchstone brand campaign. The focus has been on churning out products at HTC. They seem to have lost sight of the elements that made the “You” Anthem campaign so popular- they lost the storytelling and the edge of their 2009 marketing campaign

How to get it right….

HTC is a giant in Asia, and has the resources to push through the noise of a saturated market and find a way back. There are several ways to get back into the fight:

·         Find the new “You.” The 2009 marketing campaign was the perfect storm for HTC, and the popularity of HTC in the years following underscore this fact. HTC needs to find it’s “You” campaign again. Research of consumers is critical. The intersection of this research and emphasis on the ways HTC is still working to create the devices that make life fulfilling will allow the brand to find a sweet spot with consumers again. The “You” campaign had heart. It had an edge. It had a sleek and sharp way of making a point. HTC should dust off the ad archives and take a look.

·         Walk softly, carry a big stick. HTC debuted as the “Quietly brilliant” smart phone company. It’s a great mantle to carry, but in the current market, a tech company cannot afford to be quiet without being brilliant. Instead of churning out numerous models without major buzz, HTC should adopt Apple and Samsung’s strategy of debuting a new model after a ground-swell of anticipation has built. Have a key product whose entry into the market can be dubbed as revolutionary. Samsung and Apple are certainly focusing on this approach quite successfully. HTC should do the same.

Finding the brand’s identity again will be key to creating a new campaign for a new phone to take on the current Samsung and Apple giants. Here's hoping HTC will once again be "Quietly Brilliant" in 2013.

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Quietly Brilliant? Yes. On HTC (Part I)

What do you look for in a commercial?

Something that will make you laugh? Something that will make you think? Or something that you can relate to? For me, it’s the latter. Every once in a while I stop and evaluate the commercials I’ve seen lately. I try to name the brand and see if I can explain why a particular commercial made an impression on me. Usually I remember a commercial due to an interesting concept, or a good narrative, or images that draw me in. While there are some good commercials live right now, nothing compares to my favorite commercial in recent years for the smart phone company, HTC.  

In 2009, HTC’s ad agency, Deutsch, created the HTC You are Different from You (Anthem) commercial, and to this day, it is one of my all-time favorites. In one commercial, Deutsch was able to capture every reason you need a good phone to stay connected with a sleek vignette format that shows people from all over the world having moments of joy, sadness, isolation, and companionship- the feelings we feel every day.

HTC’s tagline is “Quietly Brilliant,” and when it’s You are Different from You campaign began, it was clear to me that the tagline fit. Out of nowhere, I felt compelled to have an HTC phone. I felt it was a company that understood the populace…that understood me.  In fact, when I decided to make the switch from a standard phone to smart phone, my first stipulation was that the phone be HTC. That’s successful marketing. So how did they do that?! We all know it’s a difficult task to cut through saturated markets, find our purpose, and cultivate a voice for ourselves that can cut through the noise and show consumers what we’re really about.

So what really captured my attention?

1.They spoke directly to me. The recurring theme in the original commercial is “You..” Its repeated often , and applied to many different people. You’ll find yourself in at least one of the vignettes. Are you trying to remember her? Are you trying to forget him? Or are you just wanting to hear your favorite band as you walk through a park?

2.Sleek cinematography. At times, this commercial looks more like a movie trailer. With sleek visuals, it captures moments of energy and moments of quiet.

3.A good beat. The pulsing rhythm gets your attention right from the start.

In the end, HTC and Deutsch truly made a statement. In follow up posts, I’ll look beyond HTC’s first campaign and toward some of their current struggles. But for right now, how about we just savor the moment that a company found a way to make themselves known in an already cluttered industry, and found a way to compete with some of the largest smart phone makers in the world? Check out the original commercial after the jump. HTC made a name for itself by finding a voice and showing it understood the people who would buy their phones. You don’t find that kind of “quiet brilliance” every day. 

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HTC You Are Different From You (Anthem). || Deutsch 2009

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Come Together!

Watching the closing ceremony of the 30th Olympiad, I felt an amazing sense of community. Looking at the athletes coming out to celebrate a successful Olympics, seeing the musicians performing hits, watching nations mesh and seeing the intersection of culture, music, fashion, and history - every aspect coming together to celebrate this world event really took my breath away. And it hit me that the Olympics is truly a time to break down the barriers that separate us, and find commonalities in our strengths. 

Are you a lone wolf or a team player? As with everything in life, it is important to be your own person, but are you cultivating others on your way to the top? Are you supporting colleagues in daily tasks? Or are you a silo of knowledge, keeping information that would help other flourish to yourself?

At times like this, I realize how important it is to remember others; engage in every aspect of life and break down the walls that separate you from community, from being as strong as you can be with a team to support you. The old adage is true- there is strength in numbers!

At work, keep an eye out for weak areas in your company. Be vigilant, make suggestions, “be the change you wish to see.” No matter where you are, be an information-giver. Too often, we keep ideas, tips, and knowledge to ourselves thinking that it will benefit us to hold information close to the vest. The opposite is true. Be a source of knowledge, be a resource that people can go to for information about any topic; give your information freely and your whole community will benefit from it.

 …Just some food for thought in this Olympic afterglow.

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Greatness.

Have you been watching the Olympics?

If you’re anything like me, you love competition, seeing the world come together, and watching all of the sports that you know exist, but don’t pay attention to until the Olympiad comes around.  These last few days have been eye-opening; athletes have faced some of the harshest tests and pushed their bodies to the limit. Some have achieved amazing feats, and some have fallen short. Yet, even making it to the Olympics is a sign of greatness. This begs the question, how do you foster talent? And how do you push past all of the barriers you face and stretch yourself to be the very best? It’s a question that is appropriate for individuals and for businesses of all sizes. Check out some of the below to get started on finding your greatness

1. Look for talent in your organization. Maybe someone is great with Visio, and hasn’t been given the opportunity to shine. Maybe you are good at bringing parties together, but have never worked in negotiations. Whatever you look for, make sure you take the talent you find seriously, and find ways to use it.

2. Be consistent. An Olympian isn’t created overnight. Push yourself to be persistent. Since you’ve found your gift, find ways to foster it, and push yourself to learn skill sets around your talents. If you like graphic design, why not take an infographics class? If you are in sales, why not attend a sales conference to hone your skills? It’s important to use the talent you have.

3.Push yourself. Find ways to distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack! Your greatness is there for a reason; show it off! Whatever your skill is, whatever your organization does best, use it as a point of differentiation.

Sometimes, we watch people around the world doing great things, and we believe these great things are reserved for a small few. The opposite is true. Every person, every organization has a way to be great, its just a matter of finding your talents, your gifts. So try these tips, and get going! Oh, and watch the Nike Commercial, Greatness, after the jump. It will motivate you for sure!

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Inspiration: On the benefits of being Indie

I spent this past weekend up in Sedona, Arizona- a beautiful place on the map where I soaked up inspiration from all around me. Many of the people there have this independent, rugged spirit that really gets you feeling like you can go anywhere and create anything from the most basic instruments and turn your life into art. All of this got me thinking...if we were more true to ourselves, our dreams, and our inspiration, our daily activities would be a lot more authentic and the world we create would be much more unique. Noone has the exact same inspiration-where would we be if that was the case? Similarly, it doesn't make sense for a company to operate as an exact replica of another- differentiation is the key to success as industries are continually being saturated by numerous brands.

But differentiation being the key, how do you get to that thing that makes a brand special? Inspiration and an indie spirit. By indie, I'm refering to that spirit of independence from the mainstream, the status quo, the mundane. What really sets your brand apart? And how can you show that you're different? 

One of my favorite examples of a brand that found their inspiration and used it to solidify a place in an industry is Dove. Dove understood that the heart of their product was making real women feel good about their bodies.This was their inspiration, and in a world where beauty product are pushed by size zero models and screen-ready movie stars, Dove decided to use real women in their marketing. It was a brave move for a beauty and skincare company, but Dove took their inspiration and honed it into unique and  independent point of view.

So how do you find that inspiration? Write down everything that you hope your brand will be, and research ways to get there. Update that blog or that website, cut areas that don't align with you vision to make room for areas that do. Find that indie you've been hiding deep down. Find people who are passionate about the same things, and find the tools that can take you to the next level (contact us-we can help!) Take time to think things through, and maybe, just maybe take a little trip to Sedona, Arizona. You'll be well on your way.

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We're All Just Looking for a Friend - Why We Need Online Communities

You see it everywhere you look; colleagues meeting over lunch, friends meeting over coffee, strangers connecting in the checkout line...and suddenly, this thing starts... this meeting of ideas, sharing of interests, exchanging of information. Every once in a while, you see all of this take place, and you realize just how powerful these connections, planned or unplanned, really are. 

In this age of hi-speed capabilities, rapid technological growth, and remote access to things that once weren't even imaginable, it can sometimes seem that technology is causing us to become increasingly isolated. Yet, there's an innate need in all of us to connect with others, give as well as get information, soak in advice, and seek feedback. We seek each other out because we know the power of collaboration, the power of meeting, the power of exchange, the power of community.

Just as we see conections taking place as we go about our daily lives, these exchanges are also taking place in a powerful way online. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, online forums, and niche message boards create places of exchange, where connections are made over a myriad of interests,  queries, and topics. Essentially, we are making friends online, and creating communities that cover every topic imaginable.

Companies and brands utilizing the social tools above are creating some of the most powerful lines of communication and connecting directly with communities built around them. A tech company will benefit from joining a forum built to voice concerns about a new app upgrade. A clothing company will benefit from responding to a customer review of a new outfit, be it bad or good. A non-profit organization will benefit from answering a question about the next neighborhood donation drive posted on its Facebook page. 

With every one of these online exchanges, a company is engaging those interested in its products, building a community, and building its online voice and brand. 

And that's powerful in a world where everything is moving so fast. It's like sitting down with a friend in a coffee shop and having them give you advice to a question. As competion grows more vigorous and products aren't as differentiated as they were, turning to community building creates leverage over competition. Its about connection. It's about that friend they were looking for, that little bit of community that sometimes goes missing in all the hustle and bustle.

As people continue to connect with Facebook, Twitter, and other online platforms, there is a growing need for good brand communities that connect with consumers and prioritize community engagement. It's a powerful tool that should never be overlooked.