Oliver's Personal Brand - a Letter to Gillian

All of the cutting-edge social networking in the world pales in comparison to the effect that a thougthful, personalized one-to-one interaction can have on your personal brand. Nothing illustrates that more clearly than this wonderful, true story I’m about to share with you. To begin this story, allow me to introduce you to the characters:

Glenn is a personal friend of mine, a college classmate. We attended West Virginia University (WVU) together in the mid-1980′s.

Gillian is Glenn’s 10 year old daughter, a sixth grader.

Oliver Luck is the newly-hired athletic director at WVU. He also starred at quarterback at WVU in the early 1980′s. Oliver went on to play in the NFL. His playing days were followed by a successful career in sports management, notably with the NFL – Europe league.

Now, let’s proceed with the story. Glenn is a great father. He frequently takes his daughter and son on road trips for fun and education. He is especially fond of exposing his children, who presently reside in New Jersey, to his former “stomping grounds” in West Virginia.

Recently, Glenn and Gillian took a trip to Morgantown to visit WVU. Following this trip, his daughter was left with a question. As Glenn explained:

My daughter is convinced that she is going to WVU even though she is just going into the 6th grade. She plays pretty competitive travel softball. I pointed out to her that WVU currently does not have a softball team, and she asked why. I explained that a university-level sports team is very expensive to run and she asked me who she should talk to about the university getting a team. I told her to write a letter to the new Athletic Director, Oliver Luck. So she did… and he responded!

Who knows if she will keep playing or ever play at the college level. But I think an awful lot of Oliver Luck for taking the time to draft a very detailed response, and for him to offer her up advice on her future. Pretty cool!

Now, here’s the good part. The following is the text from a personal letter that Athletic Director Oliver Luck sent in response to Gillian:

Dear Gillian:

Thank you very much for your letter of July 22. I congratulate you for taking
the initiative to send a letter to me–that’s very impressive for a 10-year
old. Regarding your issue and women’s softball; I can tell you that I would love
to add a number of sports to the WVU Dept. of Athletics, including softball. It
would be a great step for us to be in a position to add sports like men’s and
women’s golf and men’s and women’s lacrosse as well as the sports that we
eliminated a few years ago – men’s tennis and men’s track and cross country.

I am sure that you understand the financial implications involved in
adding additional sports. We estimate that any additional sport will involve at
least $1 million in operating costs and of course there would be significant
capital costs required to build a new field, locker rooms, etc.

West Virginia University prides itself on having a financially
self-sufficient Dept. of Athletics, one of only a dozen schools in the nation to
make the claim. My predecessor, Ed Pastilong, did an incredible job of
maintaining this “fiscal independence” and I am determined to continue this
under my watch.

Gillian, as I learn more about the Dept. of Athletics and the overall
University, I will begin the process of looking at the possibility of additional
sports being added. Will we add any in the future? The short answer is I don’t
yet know. But I can tell you we will look at the possibility.

Please allow me to give you one last bit of advice, something which I have
shared with my four kids, including my oldest children who are competing in
college athletics: choose a school primarily for academics, not athletics. You
want to come out of college as prepared as you can to enter the work force
(or perhaps attend graduate school). Your academic success is going to be the
key to your success in life. Don’t get me wrong – athletics is tremendous and
you will learn a good bit about yourself as you compete in junior high and high
school. But you should always focus on your academics.

Thank you again for your letter and I hope to see you enroll at WVU in the
Class of 2022!

Sincerely,

Oliver Luck – Director of Athletics

How is Oliver Luck’s personal brand trending these days? No job is without challenges, but Mr. Luck’s reputation is certainly strong and rising, in light of this story and (presumably) many others like it. In conclusion, I will share with you the fact that Glenn distributed this letter to 200 of his friends via e-mail. Without a doubt, he and Gillian have shared this story–and sung the praises of Oliver Luck–with hundreds more.

Incidentally, I met Oliver Luck at a summer football camp at WVU in the early 1980′s; I was impressed with then–now, even more so!

This post first appeared on the Brand-Yourself Blog on August 27, 2010.

Avoid Mixed Messages in Your Holiday Communications

Right before Thanksgiving, I received this beautiful e-card. It was adorned with a lovely seasonal photo--fall colors, a pumpkin, some squash. You've seen it.

Then, there's a beautiful message. Something to the effect of:

"Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving."

So far, so good. Thoughtful, tasteful and clever. (Yes clever. How many companies send Thanksgiving cards ... how many send Christmas cards? So, they stood out--in a good way.) Oh, if only it had ended right there.

But the card didn't stop there. As I scrolled down a bit, they proceeded to urge me to remember them for all my labor and staffing needs. Then this: "Did you know that we also offer seminars and training workshops?" Another scroll and I found yet another paragraph of sales language. "Click here for our special ..." Yada yada yada.

Is it a card... or sales literature?Are you really sending me a thoughtful message? Or are you using Thanksgiving as an excuse to hit me with your unsolicited sales pitch?

C'mon people. Employ some degree of restraint and find a measure of good taste. Admittedly, this is a pet peeve; bugs me big time. And it's a way-too-frequent faux pas. Invariably, I'll notice it around the Fourth of July ... and then again around the Thanksgiving to Christmas season.

Marketing geniuses: I urge you this holiday season to avoid such mixed messages. Keep things simple. Keep things separate. Don't mix a heartfelt wish with a sales message.

Best of Marketing Genius: Repairing a Damaged Reputation

Repairing a Damaged Reputation
[first published here April 2008]

Rehabilitating a damaged public image. This is one of the most popular topics that I am asked to address. From time to time, whenever controversy arises (and that seems to be more frequently, doesn't it!) the question is presented: how does one rehabilitate or repair a damaged image? How can someone rebuild his or her reputation?

It takes time to rehabilitate one's image: such a matter does not lend itself to a quick fix. Many people hope that if they say the right thing at the critical moment all will be made good. That's just not how the world works.

We, as human beings, form perceptions about other humans over time. This is the basis of reputation. If a person has made a major blunder, it equates to a big, negative hit against his or her reputation. This cannot be overcome with one press conference. No, the perfect statement at the perfect time will not wipe the slate clean. Instead, those in the audience will watch and observe, most likely in a cautious manner at first. Some will be inclined to forgive; others may become embittered permanently toward the person who made the major mistake. Over time, most people in the audience will adjust their assessments of the person in question.

So if the perfect words will not do the trick, what can rebuild a tarnished reputation? One word: actions.

As we've all heard, actions speak louder than words. Once a person has made the gargantuan gaffe, the best thing he or she can do is to consistently do good and do right. According to the laws of communication theory, 93% of the information that human beings process and learn from is related to non-verbal signals or cues. By contrast, words account for only 7% of that which we process and upon which we form perceptions. With this fact in mind, it is easy to see why actions are so much more important than words in regard to mending one's reputation.

With the clear understanding that (1) rehabilitating a reputation takes time and that (2) actions speak louder than words, let's shift the focus toward the public relations strategy. What are the right tactics to use in a situation where a person has made a career-threatening mistake?

I would advise my clients and anyone else to adhere to the following ABC principles:

A - Apologize
Admit your mistake and ask for forgiveness. Demonstrate that you have a contrite heart. This is done by speaking in a humble manner and expressing remorse.

B - Be genuine
Show some emotion. No one will forgive an over-rehearsed, stiff emotionless robot. Speak from the heart and use natural, appropriate hand gestures and other non-verbals. Obviously, we don't want to see a blubbering basket case, but genuineness and emotion can be very helpful.

C - Compassion
Show compassion. The root of the word "passion" is "suffer." To show compassion is to demonstrate that you are suffering with the person (or parties) who were affected. The audience will identify with compassion and respond favorably to it. Perhaps no one understood this better than Bill Clinton who repeatedly emphasized: "I feel your pain."

Remember that non-verbal communication is crucial. People in the audience are watching, more than listening. Therefore, the speaker's emphasis should be placed upon apologizing, being genuine and demonstrating compassion. It may be acceptable to speak briefly about one's past track record (which may have been glowing and heroic) but only in the context of remarks about future plans to atone for this incident. Specifically, the speaker may want to briefly discuss specific plans about rehabilitating himself, through counseling, clergy, medical care, training or community service, to demonstrate that he is focused on atoning for his actions and preventing future blunders.

All in all, the majority of the positive impact, or image rehabilitation, will come in the weeks and months that follow the initial episode. Sorry ... there simply is no quick fix.

Accordingly, we would work with our client to establish an ambitious, pro-active outreach plan to lead them through this subsequent phase. Ultimately, the key to successfully rehabilitating a reputation is consistently repeating good deeds, rightful and helpful acts, over an extended period, in a manner that reestablishes trust.

Repairing a Damaged Reputation

Rehabilitating a damaged public image. This is one of the most popular topics that I am asked to address. From time to time, whenever controversy arises (and that seems to be more frequently, doesn't it!) the question is presented: how does one rehabilitate or repair a damaged image? How can someone rebuild his or her reputation? Given such popularity, I am reposting this article from last year with the hope that you'll again find it useful.

It takes time to rehabilitate one's image: such a matter does not lend itself to a quick fix.

Many people hope that if they say the right thing at the critical moment all will be made good. That's just not how the world works.

We, as human beings, form perceptions about other humans over time. This is the basis of reputation. If a person has made a major blunder, it equates to a big, negative hit against his or her reputation. This cannot be overcome with one press conference. No, the perfect statement at the perfect time will not wipe the slate clean. Instead, those in the audience will watch and observe, most likely in a cautious manner at first. Some will be inclined to forgive; others may become embittered permanently toward the person who made the major mistake. Over time, most people in the audience will adjust their assessments of the person in question.

So if the perfect words will not do the trick, what can rebuild a tarnished reputation? One word: actions.

As we've all heard, actions speak louder than words. Once a person has made the gargantuan gaffe, the best thing he or she can do is to consistently do good and do right. According to the laws of communication theory, 93% of the information that human beings process and learn from is related to non-verbal signals or cues. By contrast, words account for only 7% of that which we process and upon which we form perceptions. With this fact in mind, it is easy to see why actions are so much more important than words in regard to mending one's reputation.

With the clear understanding that (1) rehabilitating a reputation takes time and that (2) actions speak louder than words, let's shift the focus toward the public relations strategy. What are the right tactics to use in a situation where a person has made a career-threatening mistake?

I would advise my clients and anyone else to adhere to the following ABC principles:

A - Apologize. Admit your mistake and ask for forgiveness. Demonstrate that you have a contrite heart. This is done by speaking in a humble manner and expressing remorse.

B - Be genuine. Show some emotion. No one will forgive an over-rehearsed, stiff emotionless robot. Speak from the heart and use natural, appropriate hand gestures and other non-verbals. Obviously, we don't want to see a blubbering basket case, but genuineness and emotion can be very helpful.

C - Compassion. Show compassion. The root of the word "passion" is "suffer." To show compassion is to demonstrate that you are suffering with the person (or parties) who were affected. The audience will identify with compassion and respond favorably to it. Perhaps no one understood this better than Bill Clinton who repeatedly emphasized: "I feel your pain."

Remember that non-verbal communication is crucial. People in the audience are watching, more than listening. Therefore, the speaker's emphasis should be placed upon apologizing, being genuine and demonstrating compassion. It may be acceptable to speak briefly about one's past track record (which may have been glowing and heroic) but only in the context of remarks about future plans to atone for this incident. Specifically, the speaker may want to briefly discuss specific plans about rehabilitating himself, through counseling, clergy, medical care, training or community service, to demonstrate that he is focused on atoning for his actions and preventing future blunders.

All in all, the majority of the positive impact, or image rehabilitation, will come in the weeks and months that follow the initial episode. Sorry ... there simply is no quick fix.

Accordingly, we would work with our client to establish an ambitious, pro-active outreach plan to lead them through this subsequent phase. Ultimately, the key to successfully rehabilitating a reputation is consistently repeating good deeds, rightful and helpful acts, over an extended period, in a manner that reestablishes trust.

Talladega Days and Nights Post 2: Marketing 24/7

The title of this post is inspired by my observations here at Talladega Superspeedway.

As marketing professionals, wouldn't it be great if we could speak to our audience every hour of the day?

Well, judging from what I've seen on my trip to Talladega, NASCAR and some of its sponsors appear to be doing just that.

As I got closer to the speedway, I notice businesses were crowded and parking lots were full. Gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores - all had large crowds before the sun came up.

These were all parts of the activation strategies of NASCAR sponsors. Events with show cars, giveaways, autograph sessions, concerts in the early morning hours – every event was designed to further brand each product in the eyes of their customer.

Can customers link to your brand? Even at 3:00 a.m.? Think about it.

Posted by Emily Bennington on behalf of Jim Nester

Marketing’s Magic Bullet?

To follow-up on Skip’s post below, too often businesses look for the magic bullet when it comes to marketing. Executives want the “one trick” that will have people lining down the block to buy whatever it is their organization is selling.

The real trick, however, is knowing there’s no such thing. Like the YMCA, many businesses will hemorrhage funds and chase their tails for years before realizing that successful marketing requires a layered approach.

From the church that wonders why one postcard mailing didn’t fill the pews, to the retail business owner who learns the hard way that “word of mouth” is not a communications strategy, business’ graveyard is filled with tales of single-tactic marketing “plans.”

So kudos to the marketing geniuses at the Y, and to Skip, who no doubt was among the architects of their triumphant, multi-layered campaign.