We all agree that education is broken, its something we all slip into conversation every now and then, but why do we all agree on something and no one does anything about it? Rather silly if you ask me.
In Seth Godin’s words:
I don’t like it, I want to change that.
The Regina Volleyball Club hasn’t been the Volleyball powerhouse that I thought it would be. We’re trying to change that. We (along with three other awesome coaches) are coaching the youngest age group in the boys category possible, we’re trying to get kids involved early. Our theory is if we get them playing and loving Volleyball at a young age, they’ll keep with it, play more and more and grow into talented Volleyball players.
Each year for the past four years we’ve coached two teams together, we practice together but go to tournaments as two different teams. My team looked great the first day of provincials, we went undefeated. Then the second day we were upset the first game in the morning, we lost out. It was devastating, I felt terrible. But, our sister team, the Goats made a run and won provincials. Pretty awesome for those boys!
Moral of the story: on your road to changing the world Volleyball community you’re going to have set backs, don’t let that deter you or make you lose momentum. Use set backs as a sign you’re on to something.
This week on #InTheLab, the Strategy Lab video series, we answer questions from a couple views.
Question 1 from Shalyn: Read more
If you need a logo designed, better call Eddy!
Episode 8 of #InTheLab I get to talk to Eddy Alvaro, a design, dance, and digital professional from Regina who has a brilliant way of looking at designing your next logo. Eddy has a brilliant eye for design. In everything he creates he takes into account who the audience is, what he’s trying to get out of them and determines the minimalist way to get there. He’s a creative mastermind who takes the personality of an organization and captures it in a logo. Read more
The answers simple, social objects. Read more
If you don’t think so you’ve already given up. Read more
I’ve never been to Mexico until two weeks ago. I noticed something peculiar about the restaurants we ate at. They always gave you something to start with. Be it bread, oil, and vinegar, or nachos and salsa or chips and guacamole. We rarely ate a meal where we we’re “given” something to start with. I’m a foody, a fatty at heart, I LOVE that stuff! Making people happy through food, I love it.
Even breakfast at our hotel they would give you toast to start. It was like every place knew how to treat people and they new how to make your experience just a little bit better. I don’t like great service, I LOVE great service!
We hear this a lot; “Our image is our brand!” “Our logo is our brand!” “That ad is our brand!” “Our name is our brand!”
I like Bill Leider’s definition in his amazing book Brand Delusions:
Until communication was put on steroids thanks to the creation of this little thing called the Internet, “your brand” was just a set of beliefs and expectation of what you deliver and how you deliver it. Customers for the most part never talked. There was no Trip Advisor, Urban Spoon or Yelp. Back then your expectations of a product or service could be influenced by commercials, billboards, and other advertisements.
Companies (Brands) could change the way you thought of them based simply on a catchy tune played before a movie or during your favourite sitcom….
“My baloney has a first name…”.
“Everyone loves Marine land!”
“Don’t cha put it in your mouth…”
“Let’s go out to the kitchen…”.
Have you heard an amazingly catchy jingle as of late? Possibly the Charlie Bit My Finger kid or Susan Boyle would be the closest.
Back then it was much easier to get your message out to the masses. You really could create major awareness for your brand or product, and it worked. The problem now is we don’t have one channel we always watch, there’s several hundred. Also, because we’ve been seeing these ads since we entered the world it’s hard to differ the signal from the noise.
Back to the definition of a “brand”.
Everyone else is. Your brand is what people say about you behind your back. Your brand is what I find when I Google you. Your brand is what your customers say about you once they’ve left your store. Your brand is what people think of you whether you like it or not.
You can’t control it. You can only influence it. Customer service can help it (think Westjet), advertising can grow it (think Tim Horton’s), a smart HR policy will enhance it (think Whole Foods), but it’s the combination of every tiny little thing you do. Every time you come in contact with a customer or potential customer they either like you a little bit more or a little bit less. If you still think people can be indifferent to your brand, they probably can, but that’s a recipe for a competitor to come in and steal those customers away from your mediocre organization.
You’re better off creating remarkable experiences with every touch point you have with customers. From answering the phone and e-mailing, to your business cards and promotional items. Everything communication tactic is a chance to show the world what your brand is made of. Hopefully, after coming across your innovative brand several times over, your potential customer says:
“aww shucks, who is this amazing company that keeps making me smile?”. Now you don’t have to sell to them, they already are sold.
