Category: brand

leadership dot #5043: penny pinching

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Shonda Rhimes is one of the most successful television show producers, creating for ABC a lineup of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder. She earned them billions with her shows.

Rhimes’ contract included free Disneyland tickets for her family. When her sister wanted to take Rhimes’ daughter to the park, Shonda called ABC and asked for an additional pass. Allegedly, she was told, “Don’t you have enough already?” After the insult, Rhimes ended her contract with ABC and moved to Netflix, where she produced Bridgerton, another wildly successful series that earned millions.

The short-sightedness of an ABC executive cost the network (b?)millions, whereas a free pass to Disneyland (worth only $150) would have cost them nothing. It was a really dumb move.

Stars have options, and the confidence to exercise them. Don’t penny-pinch with your best customers or employees. Happily giving them the ticket is the best investment you can make.

Thanks, Meg!

Source: The Real Oshow

leadership dot #5041: as designed

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The home improvement store Menards is known for its frequent “11% Rebate on Everything.” It’s a good gimmick that seems to get people into the stores.

It works well for Menards — but think about it from the consumer perspective. They make people save their receipts and postal mail them in with a rebate form. This creates a double barrier that undoubtedly reduces the number of rebates they provide. The next barrier: the rebate now comes “disguised” as junk mail. If I hadn’t seen a warning about this online, I would have tossed it, thinking it was nothing but a sales flyer. And finally, people need to save the paper rebate they inconveniently cut out of the oversized flyer, remember to bring it, and use it in the store, likely making even more purchases — so the cycle continues.

Menards could just reduce its prices by 11%. They could offer a cash rebate instead of a merchandise credit. They could allow for electronic submission of receipts/rebate forms. They could provide the rebate electronically or as a card, making it more portable and likely to be used, or at least mail the rebate clearly marked as such. But Menards has designed a system that accomplishes exactly what it is designed to do — increase sales and reduce redeemed rebates.

Any time you see something that isn’t working, look at the system and consider who benefits from it as is. More than likely, it means the system was intentionally created that way.

The only indication that the rebate is inside this folded and glued-together advertising flyer is a small corner notice

leadership dot #5033: a new use

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If you’ve ever been in a store that sells Crocs, you know the Jibbitz used to decorate them have become an integral accessory. Little plastic add-ons come in every shape and style imaginable, letting people personalize their shoes in a way that is impossible with other footwear.

I hadn’t seen them anywhere besides shoes, but recently I have seen notebooks and lunch boxes designed to hold Jibbitz or their knockoffs. That makes sense, since many kids have plenty of them, and the ability to make their items unique is more appealing than generic products.

Jibbitz wasn’t designed by Crocs, though. A mom realized that colorful materials could be attached to the holes in the shoes, and a business was born. (Crocs later purchased the business for $10 million.) Now other companies are capitalizing on Jibbitz’ pervasiveness to boost their bottom lines.

Take a lesson from them and consider whether someone else has created something that could benefit your organization. You don’t need to be the inventor of everything — just the one who can implement it in a new way.

leadership dot #5028: this

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Consistency is a key element of establishing both your personal and professional reputation.

If you want to be known as someone who is on top of things, you not only meet the report deadline, but you also show up on time for the parent-teacher conference. Those trying to be seen as innovative provide creative suggestions in a meeting and also experiment with fashion choices. The little things integrate to form a holistic picture of your “brand.”

A big fail in this department is the sign (below) in a fine jewelry store. Instead of being consistently high-end and image-conscious, this store negated that impression with a handwritten sign on a piece of bent cardboard. I’ve seen flea markets that give more attention to their signs.

If you send signals that you are “this” or “that,” the overriding takeaway is that you are the least desirable trait. To earn a solid reputation, you need to be “this” consistently.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #5014: in-between

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We fritter away so much time on our own, but when others make us wait, it seems like a travesty. Organizations have tried all kinds of tricks to reduce the psychological burden of waiting, including artwork, interactive displays, and winding paths to the destination. Delivery services let us track our merchandise every step of the way, so we know when that pizza or package will arrive at our door instead of constantly checking for it.

Logan Airport in Boston found a novel way to help passengers forget the wait for their luggage by installing a free nostalgic arcade in baggage claim. The hours flew by when my brother and I were in heated Pac-Man battles in the 1980s, and it is presumed that the same suspension of time would occur while waiting for the carousel to start rotating.

If you know that your audience will have to wait — whether for an appointment, entertainment, or their luggage — consider the wait time as an integral part of the overall customer experience. The smoother you can make the in-between, the better people’s overall perception of your organization will be.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #4998: void

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I’ve always been a big fan of the hot dogs at Portillo’s, the Chicago-based restaurant known for its wieners and Italian beef. For many years, the chain had only a handful of local locations. Consequently, there was always a line, maybe a wait for tables, and it was always a beehive of activity. Attendants would call out order numbers with little sayings: “One zero three, come see me,” or “Three ninety-two, I’ve got food for you.” The whole vibe just created energy.

And then Portillo’s expanded—fast and furious, far out of Chicagoland —with seemingly as many franchisees as they could sign. I was in one of those out-of-state locations at the peak of the lunch hour, high noon. There were barely any other people there. No little ditties to call out my order. No lines, and I had a whole section to myself. It just wasn’t the same. The food was still good, but the experience wasn’t.

It was a reminder that the culture is as important as the product, and you need to pay attention to both. Expanding beyond a culture you can replicate does more harm to your brand than good.

leadership dot #4994: askew

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The construction office for a multi-million-dollar building project has trailer skirting that is askew. It doesn’t line up properly, and a piece of the edging is hanging loose.

If I were the building owner, this sloppiness would not inspire confidence in me. If they are unable, oblivious, or uncaring about how their own facility looks, why should I believe they will pay attention to the details and integrity of what they are building?

Your brand message is everywhere, even when you don’t mean it to be. Pay extra attention to the small ways you show up in the world.

leadership dot #4993: wizardry

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In an amazing use of technological wizardry, Delta now allows you to scan your boarding pass to receive personalized connecting gate information. It also somehow shows this information only to you, even though others may be looking at the screen. No more scanning the giant flight information boards to find your flight, or wondering which direction to walk and how much time it will take you to get there. It’s now all laid out, just for you, even in your preferred language.

Technology can be wonderful for handling complex tasks and calculating massive amounts of data, but it also has valuable applications in producing micro-results from that process. Think about how you can narrow down what information you share and target the message to just what the person wants to know.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #4979: failures

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I ordered a pair of Keds, and this is how they arrived: the box was torn and bent, one shoe was unlaced, and plastic bags were at the bottom of the box. They had obviously been returned — and also obviously had failed the quality inspection process.

It would be a perfect prop for a training seminar on the proper process for handling returns. Someone might not think it matters, but these shoes did not even look new and definitely could not be given as a gift.

If you have something that goes wrong — a bungled return, a misprinted piece, a customer complaint, or a defective product — save the evidence for future onboarding or training. Seeing the error is much more powerful than hearing about it.

leadership dot #4978: so yesterday

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This summer, Dunkin’ introduced the Barbie Sip Spotlight, a drink with pink strawberry foam. If this beverage had been promoted two years ago, when everything Barbie was everywhere, it would have been a great tie-in to the movie. But today? It seems so yesterday.

Timing of everything — your advertisements, your request for help, your proposals, or your news about change — makes all the difference in how it is received. Consider it one of the most important elements in your messaging, and ensure that your communication lands in the spotlight, not after the show has ended.

Thanks, Meg!

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