PRESS PLAY>>TO VIEW THIS MONTH’S WELCOME VIDEO

A 2-MINUTE DRILL ON BRANDING

I’ve always been a big football fan. In high school, Friday nights were football game nights.  Later, I became an avid Michigan andMichigan State fan (Wayne State was no football power).  I became a Detroit Lions fan early on and can remember listening avidly to their last NFL Championship team in 1957.  Later on, I was a charter season ticket holder for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and went to every game for 13 seasons until I got tired of losing.  Now…not so much.  Like many others around the country I’m not addicted to NFL football or college football anymore.

What has happened to the NFL that makes millions lose interest.  I think it’s a lack of effective branding.  So far this year, television ratings for the NFL broadcasts are down 6.8% from last year, and 2016 was down 8% from the previous year.  Many believe that this year’s sideline protests against our flag and country are the reason, and I agree that it is a contributing factor.  If the media hadn’t been so infatuated with providing more coverage to the kneeling instead of the playing, I suspect it wouldn’t have been such a big deal, but I don’t think it would have helped the ratings or attendance.  The fact is the NFL brand is boring and  (like Major League Baseball and the NBA )the prospects for growth or a return to the glorious days of yesteryear is not likely.

So, what caused the decline in interest?  Let’s start with over-exposure.  As the league added more coverage to collect TV revenue with Thursday night games, Saturday games (near the season’s end), Monday night double headers, Sunday night games and early broadcasts from London, the fans are getting bored.  The increase in free agency and career ending injuries have made the rosters so temporary that the loyalty of the fans to the players has all but disappeared.  Gone are the days of the Steelers who won 4 super bowls with basically the same lineup on the field every year.  Even today’s perennial champs, the New England Patriots, have done so with the only constants at QB and coach.  Fans like to identify the players as people not just numbers or end zone celebrations.  They want winners and they want to know them on a more personal basis.  The dedication to Sunday game watching in the fall has diminished as players move more and touchdowns become less attractive.

And this lack of interest starts early.  If you’ve been to a high school football game recently, you can see that about the only fans are family members and very few students who aren’t on the field.  Away team fans don’t even bother to come unless it’s a state championship (or it’s one of those towns that have nothing but Friday night high school games to catch their interest).  On the other hand, go to one of the soccer complexes on a Friday night and catch one of 6 or 7 games in progress with kids from age 3 to 13 and more than soccer moms in attendance).  On a Saturday, the club soccer teams take over and again loyal fans make treks all over the state or metro area to catch the games.

Football has long benefited from the free coverage in the media and it continues to dominate the sports channel dialogues.  However, the brand is suffering from increased head injuries, protests, contract hold-outs, drug suspensions, and spouse or child abuse by several players.  All of which turn off the once rabid fans who made the NFL a cult brand for many years.  I still watch the home team games on Sunday (or whenever they are on.  However, I (like most former fans) haven’t been to a game at the stadium for several years now.  It’s simply too much hassle for such a time investment (and money too).  The key is for teams to identify more with their communities and to encourage kids to watch more games and play more touch or flag games in the neighborhood.  I’m tired of hearing “It’s just a business”.  It should be more of a sport that identifies with the home team and its loyal fans.  Just like a successful brand, fans (customers) must have a positive relationship with the product or service.  Football needs to recognize this soon.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.  It’s a great time to be thankful for many things—including great marketing.  Publix food stores does it again with an award winning spot on the importance of family at this time of year.  Take a look:   https://youtu.be/5ztNg7-fxR4

PRESS PLAY>>TO VIEW THIS MONTH’S WELCOME VIDEO

BUILDING A GREAT BRAND…BRICK BY BRICK!

I’ve always been a big fan of LEGO’s.  I enjoyed helping my kids put together all kinds of LEGO kits and models.  Then, the grandkids brought even more elaborate and intricate models.  I am fascinated by the LEGO stores that I’ve visited here and abroad, and recently enjoyed visiting LEGOLAND near Orlando.  I particularly was amazed at the creation of major US and Florida cities at the park which were completely made out of millions of LEGO bricks.  So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that when a LEGO sculpture exhibit (The Art of the Brick) came to Tampa, we had to see what sculptor Nathan Sawaya could do to add magic to these simple bricks that have been the same since 1932.

Sawaya’s quotes which were placed throughout the exhibit and on some of the individual sculptures were as interesting as the art themselves.  His description of the exhibit describes his motivation very well: “This exhibition engages the child in all of us while at the same time highlighting sophisticated and complex concepts. Chances are you probably don’t have a slab of marble or a ceramic kiln at home.  But I bet you have some LEGO bricks.  You can say that again, Nathan.  We find one or two quite frequently around our house and enjoy putting them together as much as the kids.  I’ve also been fascinated by the LEGO brand for years and how it manages to endure and thrive from one generation to another.  It has also grown to a $2.1 Billion brand that is now the world’s largest toymaker by revenue.

Founded in Denmark, the word is derived from the Danish words “lego godt” which means play well.  I also can come from the Latin “lego” meaning “I put together” and marketers can certainly recognize that this brand plays well in the competitive retail market place and that they have put together a brand strategy that endures and continues to grow surpassing brands like Mattel as an all year/all ages brand.

The brand has expanded into the retail world with 36 stores in Europe and over 90 in North America.  There also is another in India and Asian expansion will soon follow.  To reach even more potential customers (and creative sculptors) the company has five LEGOLAND amusement parks in its home city of Billund, Denmark, Carlsbad, CA, Winter Haven, FL, Windsor, England, and Gunzburg, Germany, which are operated by Merlin Entertainment.  We found the park to be fascinating and enjoyed staying at the LEGOLAND Resort Hotel which brings the brand alive not only in the rooms but throughout the property.

LEGO has followed the lead of Hallmark of taking its brand to Hollywood and has made the bricks and their interchangeable characters the stars of animated moves that have been very successful and continue to build the brand both among children and adult audiences as well.  Click on these links to view a couple recent LEGO commercials:  LEGO City:  https://youtu.be/G7W1-R8L1to   and Ninjago Movie:  https://youtu.be/A81QT9GlQ54

What has made LEGO such a successful brand is by sticking to its basic founding product and creative premise while constantly updating it to current trends and interests.  Then, reaching out to its customers in new and different ways to add to the experience of the brand and the fun it provides.

PRESS PLAY>>TO VIEW THIS MONTH’S WELCOME VIDEO

THE BRAND IS…AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION!

I always enjoy attending the National Speakers Association Annual Convention. Not only is it educational and inspiring for those of us who speak professionally, but I’m always impressed at how the principles of talking to an audience is in total sync with branding to customers. The importance of a relevant message, well-prepared, and on-target is critical in an effective, creative presentation. The same holds true with branding a product or service to the right target customer.

One of the critical steps is to make sure that you create an emotional connection with your audience/customer. I always make the point in my branding presentations that unless you have a relationship with your customer, you have no brand. Seems simple and yet it’s so often overlooked as marketers seek to gain or create market share. Walking through some of the few remaining shopping malls verifies this premise as one can pass by store after store without having any emotional feelings (or awareness for that matter) for the store and the products it sells. Many chains believe that all is necessary is to have a prime physical location, a robust website, a mobile app, and product to sell in order to capture market share. That’s why so many of the chain stores in the country are downsizing or disappearing all together. They failed to realize that they have to communicate effectively with their customers in a language that builds a relationship that endures. Bill Bernbach, the advertising agency legend, identified this when he said that “If you stand for something, you’ll find some people for you and some people against you. If you stand for nothing, you’ll have nobody for you or against you.” It’s critical to establish who you are (the truth of the brand) and why your brand will enhance a customer’s life or well-being (the heart of the brand).

As I look at chains like Sears, Circuit City/HH Gregg, Rite Aid, Kmart, Limited, Rue 21 and many others who will soon be forgotten completely, it becomes more apparent that what these brands lack is simply being a brand—they never cultivated a relationship that resonated with their customers. Dr. Leonard Berry of Texas A&M pointed out that you should ask the question “If my brand were to disappear tomorrow, would anyone notice?” If the answer is “probably not”, it’s likely that there never was an emotional connection with the customer in the marketing communications, the experience, the service.

That’s why it’s so critical to constantly reach out to the market and gauge the way customers (potential and existing) feel about you and adjust your messages accordingly to insure they will indeed miss you if you leave. Examples of brands that have always done well in communicating the TRUTH and the HEART of their brands are:
Budweiser—while being challenged by the craft brew craze, Bud keeps communicating in a way that pulls at the heartstrings or the funny bones while still emphasizing its King of Beers positioning. Check out their latest epic spot by clicking on https://youtu.be/huQrvmrJbXk for the best Independence Day message this year.

Hallmark is in the emotional connection business. So, it’s not surprising that the company also has a reputation for marketing that connects as well. Through its Hall of Fame movies, the Hallmark Channel and other specials, the company lives up to it “when you care enough to give the very best”. Check out one of their best spots by clicking on: https://youtu.be/7-eYeiQn5YU.

Subaru has differentiated itself from the other car companies recently with its love campaign. While most other carmakers are shouting about factory rebates, dealer incentives, and “name the brand”-a-thons, Subaru has identified the important events of our lives and how our car is a part of them. Love the family, love the car. Check it out at: https://youtu.be/b_O4CeZ7cmU

Publix is not just a grocery store. To most families in Florida and now the Southeast states, Publix is part of our lives. Where shopping is a pleasure is not just a slogan with a company that goes out of its way to give excellent customer service, clean, organized stores, and messages that hit straight to the heart (while still promoting good prices to compete with Walmart). Here’s one of their best: https://youtu.be/12bw00SoHOE

University of Phoenix has grown to one of the largest educational institutions in the country by not only giving access nationwide to its online programs and courses but also by understanding that many people in the workforce would like to improve their current status in life by gaining more education and a specialty. The marketing doesn’t just state that they have classes and graduates, rather it inspires its prospective students to use their brain and make life more meaningful in the process. The result is stimulating their brain by communicating with their heart.
Click on this link to view one of their messages:https://youtu.be/UabtBNRAc14 

These are just a few of the companies that know that it’s the emotional connection that strengthens their brand position by really “standing for something”.

PRESS PLAY>> NOW TO VIEW THIS MONTH’S VIDEO FROM KEN

As I discovered more than once, breaking away from the corporate world and going independent can be exhilarating and exciting—as well as risky. In branding, it often makes sense to split off a successful (or struggling) brand to breathe new life into the marketing and create that same exhilaration within the organization to sustain growth in market share. Standing at the battlefields of Culloden in the Scottish Highlands recently, it was interesting to learn more about the drive for independence by the Scottish clans in the 18th Century and which is now being revived in the UK.

Sometimes, a brand gets caught up in the internal competitiveness of a major CPG corporation and even though it’s successful, the time comes for a change of venue and management. My first marketing position was in brand management with P&G where I worked on the Folger’s coffee brand. Folger’s had the #1 share in all its markets at that time and I worked on some fo the plans to take the brand national within the next 5 years. The growth continued and Folger’s became the top grocery brand and sustained its growth even as new concepts like Starbucks or aggressive brands like Dunkin’ started to capture more of the coffee drinking market share. Eventually, as they have done many times, P&G spun off its coffee business (this time to Smuckers) and it continues to grow and maintain its position as one of the top promotional, traffic-building brands in the country. With all the change, however, Folger’s marketing has maintained its consistent, quality messages built on flavor and aroma (from those “mountain grown” beans) and is still one of the top brands in any category today. Its marketing has been refreshed many times, but it has stayed true to its loyal customer base by making it “the best part of waking up” again and again.

Red Lobster is another brand that was actually the original brand for Darden Restaurants back in the late ‘60’s. Red Lobster was the original chain of moderate seafood restaurants and continues to grow with marketing featuring product shots that still whet my appetite whenever a TV spot airs. As the company grew with other brands like Olive Garden, Seasons 52, Longhorn Steaks, and Capital Grille. Darden decided that Red Lobster whose growth had stagnated would be spun off and eventually bought out by Golden Gate Capital. Now the brand has been refreshed with new management, a new store prototype modeled after New England fishing towns, updated menus, and a consistent marketing campaign that still features the food, yes the food, presented in mouth-watering spots and messages that have revitalized the chain and the brand.

There are many other similar examples and it isn’t always necessary to break away from the parent company to revitalize a brand. Nor is it a good reason to simply fire your ad agency and hire a new one just for a different point of view. However, it does makes sense to encourage new, independent thinking that will question the past while bringing some perspective to what customer thinks about your brand and your competition.

While, we may not have to roll over the market like Mel Gibson in “Brave Heart”, an independent viewpoint can often bring more market share and excitement to your brand.

KEN BANKS’ BLOG MARCH 2017

PRESS PLAY>>TO VIEW THIS MONTH’S WELCOME VIDEO

BRANDING AT THE STORE

New George Wine Bar
at Disney Springs

For many years now, I have used Disney as a great example of an excellent brand that keeps on improving itself.  Living only 90 minutes from Walt Disney World has not only been convenient but it also affords me the opportunity to visit regularly and observe first-hand how the company improves those things that just don’t seem to work or appeal as well as the standards that we’ve come to expect from Disney.

A few days ago, I decided to visit Disney Springs—the new and improved version of the Downtown Disney area near the Orlando theme parks.  To be sure, Downtown Disney was pretty exciting when it first opened over 20 years ago, but after a couple visits it never seemed to hold the appeal or excitement to warrant a return visit whenever we visited the other attractions at Disney.   Well, welcome to Disney Springs—what an improvement.

UNIQLO Opens at Disney Springs

Disney has not just updated the area, it has re-invented it and made a new destination for central Florida visitors and residents alike.  Great new restaurants, a market place that competes with some of the best in the country, new attractions and plenty of parking make this an exciting stop for a great time and outstanding marketing.  One of the highlights in the Market Place was the UNIQLO store—the Japanese fashion store that has aggressively become one of the top retailers in the world and definitely the largest fashion store of its kind anywhere.

UNIQLO has grown world-wide to almost 1800 stores with over half of them in its home country of Japan.  There are 45 now in the US as

Merchandise Greets You Immediately

the company has moved toward larger stores in larger markets and has grown its sales to over $16 Billion (if my yen/dollar conversion is accurate).  These are exciting numbers, but what’s really exciting is the in-store experience.  UNIQLO’s theme for its Life Wear is “Simple Made Better” and the simplicity of the store is apparent the minute you walk in.  With merchandise displays that make an immediate statement of volume and color that only exceeded by the neatness that is a constant.  The training of employees on how to fold the clothes is legendary and is only superseded by customer service commitment that provides friendly faces who seem to be everywhere straightening and colorizing while helping anyone in sight.

Love Those Quilted Coats in Central Florida

I was surprised and impressed by the overpowering display of foldable winter quilted jackets and coats as I walked in from the Central Florida heat. They came in a variety of colors, they light-weight, warm and fold up easily to fit in one’s purse or backpack.  And…they are priced to make you stop and say how can they do that for such a low price.  Well, maybe it’s world-wide production or maybe the “Made in Vietnam tags”!  I asked one of the staff if they really sold that many of these coats and jackets here in Florida, and she said “Oh yes.  We have a lot of Brazilian and other South American tourists here and they buy them to take back where winter is coming soon.  The company knows its markets and has partnered with its suppliers to develop state-of-the-art fabrics that fit the lifestyles.  I don’t wear many turtlenecks anymore, but when I felt the light-weight, super dry HEATTECH fabric and then looked at the $18 price tag I was sold.

UNIQLO builds its brand at store level every day.  Its flagship stores in major cities, are not just revenue producers but they are brand

Merchandise Folded and ready for the customer

communicators that say a lot about the company’s culture and its strategy.  When CBS Sunday Morning did a feature on the store a few years ago when it opened in New York, the company’s COO demonstrated a mirror that could show you the various colors of whatever garment you were wearing without ever having to take it off.  UNIQLO plans to be at $50 Billion in sales in the near future.  With stores that build the brand and make shopping exciting, there’s no doubt they’ll exceed that and their customer’s expectations.

PRESS PLAY>>TO VIEW THIS MONTH’S WELCOME VIDEO

OUT OF THE ASHES, BUILDING A BRAND….AGAIN..

Usually, my first blog of the year is dedicated to reviewing the holiday marketing efforts and commenting on those who missed the target again.  Again, this year I could focus on the news of closings at stores like Sears, Macy’s, and the latest disappearance of The Limited which for years failed to communicate a reason to shop any of their many branded stores.  Instead, let’s take a look again at what one great company did at the holidays to build its relationship with its customers and communities by going above and beyond promotion and doing something great…and building it’s brand in the process.

Once again, WestJet, the Calgary-based economy airline, took a look around and found a reason to do something really extraordinary at the holidays.  This time it was to bring the spirit of the holidays and send a message that it’s more than  just good business to do the right thing for the people in your markets.  This year, WestJet decided to do something big for the people of Fort McMurray, Alberta, which was devastated by wild fires last spring.  In case you might not remember the tragedy, here’s a summary from Wikepedia on what happened:

“On May 1, 2016, a wildfire began southwest of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. On May 3, it swept through the community, destroying

Record fires destroys Ft. McMurray

approximately 2,400 homes and buildings and forcing the largest wildfire evacuation in Albertan history.^[7][11] It continued to spread across northern Alberta and into Saskatchewan,^[12] consuming forested areas and impacting Athabasca oil sands operations.^[13][14] The fire spread across approximately 590,000 hectares (1,500,000 acres) before it was declared to be under control on July 5, 2016.^[4] It is the costliest disaster in Canadian history.”

WestJet greets citizens

Needless to say,the impact of this disaster on the people of Fort McMurray was indescribable and the holidays would only serve to remind them of their losses– both physical and emotional.  WestJet and its employees decided to make this Christmas special in the town and created an event that its citizens would remember.  The stories that they recorded from some of the townspeople are moving, the personal contribution and spirit of the employees is exemplary, the gift of a free flight for each citizen was above and beyond.  Then the marketing of the event once again proves that a big company can act as a close friend or family in an authentic way.  Take a few minutes to view the story at this link and I think you’ll see what I mean.  Be sure to scroll to the interviews which are best ROI a company can achieve on something like this:

Click on :   https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/about-us/story/christmas-miracle

Employees share gifts

Santa visits Ft. McMurray for WestJet

This isn’t the first time that WestJet has won over the hearts of its cusomters at the holidays and I doubt that it will be the last.  This is a company that gets it.  It’s growth continues by running a good airline but its brand is stronger by being a good citizen.  The companies that have downsized or closed failed to realize that branding is a culture that must be sustained and nurtured all year with every transaction and through every communication.  With that kind of commitment, we can all look forward to a great 2017.

PRESS PLAY>>TO VIEW THIS MONTH’S WELCOME VIDEO

Season’s Greetings from Cincinnati, Ohio.  Being back in the Queen City on the Ohio River, brings back memories of my first career job  in brand management on Folger’s Coffee.  Back then, going to work at P&G was comparable to getting your doctorate in marketing and the strong foundation for a career in branding.  One of the first things I learned was that SHARE OF MARKET was the most important measurement of a brand’s success.  In my time on Folger’s, we never looked at a sales report like I did when I moved to retail a few years later.  It was all about share and analyzing Nielsen reports every other month by market, by brand, by product and then analyzing what we did that worked to improve share or what the competitors did to take away share.  Did a special promotion work?  Did a change in campaigns have a positive effect? (Although we never change our ad strategy in my time there.)

Looking at all of the holiday campaigns that have broken this past couple weeks makes me wonder whether anyone is watching their market share or is all about the next big promotion.  I’ve talked about Black Friday the past few years, and I won’t waste any time going into that debacle.  Nor will I spend any time lamenting the thick sale inserts in the Thanksgiving day newspapers which have less readership than the papers themselves these days.  Rather let’s look at a couple examples of companies that still believe that the key to holiday sales is to make this time of year truly special and that visiting their stores is a special experience.

Macy’s continues to run its BELIEVE campaign for the ninth straight year and it’s better than ever.  If you’ve been reading my blogs for a while, you know that I’m not a big fan of any department store marketing for quite some time.  However, Macy’s still has a commitment to making its store an important part of their customer’s holiday season.

The benchmark of the campaign is its Make a Wish program where the company donates a dollar for each letter to Santa that’s mailed at special store mailboxes. Yes, Virginia, they’re doing it again and it’s just as special as the first year with driving home the true meaning of Christmas giving and benefiting the community at the same time.

But that’s not all that makes Macy’s special during the holidays. Of course there is the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade which continues to be must viewing every Thanksgiving morning around our house and millions of others around the country.  Still a tradition that makes the store special.  Then, there is their Macy’s Santa Land in select stores that warrant a special trip by families who could easily go to the mall nearby, but there’s nothing special about that.  In Philadelphia, Macy’s continues the city’s 50-year tradition of the Christmas Light Show with tree lightings and story-telling. In Chicago, there’s Breakfast with Santa throughout the holidays while in Dalls, Texas Montly teams with Macy’s for a Holiday Fashion Party on Friday, December 2.  Add to these events, New York’s Holiday Fireworks Spectacular, Philadelphia’s Dickens Village,  San Francisco’s Winter Walk Holiday Entertainment on Union Square,  New York’s Holiday Window Unveiling, and a Hanukkah Celebration as well.

In short, Macy’s gives us a reason to make the season special besides their one-day sales, 12 hour sales, holiday specials, etc.   It’s all part of the Macy’s Brand that would hold true for any major department store as was the case in Christmas’s gone-by.    Let’s hope this tradition continues!

There are other companies that have the Christmas spirit as well.  Subaru’s LOVE campaign compliments their ongoing brand strategy and helps them stand out from the other car companies.  Bass Pro continues its Santa’s Wonderland which brings in large crowds every day to the store for more than just good gift ideas.    By adding special events to the Christmas advertising not only builds traffic but also enhances the brand all year long.

Have a Merry Christmas!

PRESS PLAY>> TO VIEW THIS MONTH’S WELCOME MESSAGE FROM KEN

Walking through the crowded aisles at the brand new Earth Fare store that just opened near me last week, I was impressed first by the amount of customers and then by the selection of organic and home grown products that were offered. It reminded me of my first trip to Trader Joe’s several years ago on the west coast or more recently to my initial visit to a Whole Foods in Detroit a few years ago, interesting, exciting, a sense of discovery. Not that we’ll shift our food shopping from our favorite Publix store, but this new store was a refreshing change in the shopping experience. Even though the store’s outdoor sign said it was established in 1975, the concept is new and refreshing and it capitalizes on the major trend in consumer preferences for natural and organic products in an innovative environment.

I was particularly impressed by the number of branded products lining the shelves and the coolers that I had never heard of before. Food stores have long been the home to Consumer Packaged Goods that have dominated the marketing media in the battle for market share. However, here the selection was based more on innovation and niche product benefits that the customer will seek out once they have loyalty to the store brand and what it stands for. In my branding articles and books, I always stress the need for communicate the products unique value and benefits in order to create a successful brand. However, sometimes you can’t afford the expense necessary to build awareness or be able to communicate your unique selling proposition. That’s when it becomes important to seek an established brand to help your brand by association.

Just as soft drink companies sign long term contracts with fast food restaurants to build their brands, lesser known brands seek preferred status in distribution. Certain wineries seek to be on the wine lists and popular restaurants to build awareness and preference. Electronics companies, like Infinity, supply the multi-media equipment in popular auto models. Bedding companies tie in with major hotel chains to add value to their brand as well as the hotel owner’s. In my drug store days, we sought out the support of Good Housekeeping to put its seal on our private label products to add credibility and value. JetBlue enhanced its service reputation by adding Dunkin Donuts brewed coffee on all their flights. Nike built its brand by sponsoring major sports teams and golfers to insure that their swoosh logo was visible with an implied endorsement.

This is what’s happening in Earth Fare where hundreds of homeopathic drugs and supplements line the shelves with the only sales pitch being “try this because we sell it here. So it must work.” We are reliant on the store to substantiate our choice of certain products. If this brand, that I believe and trust, sells it, then it must be good.

As the brands grow and develop a loyal customer base, the complementary benefits work both ways and the brands continue to grow successfully together.

When I started this blog some 12 years ago, my goal was to replicate the many Monday morning quarterback sessions by phone with a select number of my peers in the retail, ad agency, and supplier worlds.  Once the Monday am executive meetings were finished, there was always time for a call or two to get their insights on what was happening in our industry. We would talk about a new everyday pricing strategy at Sears, an acquisition by Saks, quarterly results for Walgreens, or what were they thinking with that spot on Super Bowl?

On many of those calls, was my good friend, Ed Carroll, CMO at Boston Store, Carsons, Saks, and BonTon at various times throughout the years.  Our conversations were always lively and insightful and there was always a good laugh as well news updates on our similar families.  We lost Ed last month after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer and I immediately felt an emptiness after so many conversations and good times.  Our industries should also feel an emptiness for a true leader who set the standards high in a retail industry that didn’t always pay attention to branding while searching for the next best promotional event.  To pay tribute to this great guy, I think that there are some real parallels to the keys to a successful branding strategy and to what Ed Carrol stood for over four decades in the industry.

Key #1 CREATE A VISION.  Ed was always a big picture guy looking beyond the current hot trends to try to predict what was going to effect his company’s business 5 or 10 years down the road.  He did this because of his insatiable interest in the industry and trends and his understanding of the various market segments and what was going to happen to his customer bases-whether they were baby boomers or millennials, male or female, one ethnic group or another.  He’d always quote a recent article or study that gave some unique insights and then he was able to present it in such a way that it moved from opinion to fact-based predictions.  I saw this on a number of the trade association boards that we sat together on over the years.  He always had great questions for the presenter and always could start a good, lively conversation when the agenda had hit a lull.  Yet, he did all this while still making next week’s 3-Day white Sale more exciting than last weeks.

Key #2 DO THE RESEARCH.  Ed Carroll did research that many larger organizations had never even hear of and often knew more about their customers and how they shopped their stores as well as his, than they will ever know in time to make an impactful decision.  He wasn’t a numbers guy any more than I was, but he sure knew how to find value that would have an ROI by understanding what those numbers meant and having smart people around who would provide the analysis.  In our years on the National Retail Federation (RAMA) board, Ed was a champion to conduct membership studies so we could learn what attendees liked, didn’t like or just what they really wanted to know more about.    The result of his dedication led to growth there just as it did at his home store in gaining market share.

Key #3 COMMUNICATE YOUR VALUE WELL.  All of this led to some of the best retail advertising in the business.  Sure there were daily ROP’s, the weekly inserts, but they were supported by creative executions that reached both the heart and the wallets of their customers.  He figured out ways to develop ongoing programs that benefits the communities where the stores were located that continued to be successful even after the promotions had faded away.  He always said: “Sometimes you just have to do the right thing!” His soft spoken demeanor belied his passion for excellence and also his creative spark for coming up with really “wow” events and messages.  Yet, he was practical and knew that there was an important balance between price promotion and brand development.  His presentations at many industry events were always well done, concise, humorous, and dead on with the point he was trying to make.

Key #4   IMPLEMENT YOUR PLAN EFFECTIVELY.  With his passion for the preceding steps, Ed was a master planner and his teams reflected that efficiency at all his management positions He clearly knew where the “Desired Future State” was and what they needed to do to get there effectively.  He was organized not so much on the details, but more on the key steps that needed to be done and that helped prevent many of the distractions that come into the retail marketing offices on an everyday basis.  He always took the helicopter view and could make big things happen with small distractions.  Working with him on some media taskforces over the years, his value the groups was always to bring clarity to what needed to be accomplished and insure that it was done before we went out enjoyed some of the fun of those retreats.  If someone got off track, he wasn’t afraid to let the meeting organizer know that they missed the point on that one or it would have been better if…

Key #5 LIVE UP TO THE BRAND EVERYDAY.  Consistency is the key to a successful retail brand so that whenever a customer comes in your store, you store, its associates, its selection and its service are disappointed that you couldn’t deliver on what your marketing promised.  Ed worked as key member of management bring his expertise to everything from Human Resources and Training to Logistics and Supply Chain accounting.  As a successful executive, Ed Carroll had a brand to live up and he did that without exception.  His relationships with his organization, his agencies and suppliers, his trade organization and his friends, was consistent and without exception that of one who enjoyed his craft, share his expertise, led by example and made life enjoyable.

The industry lost one of its icons last month.  I lost a friend and I’ll miss his inspiration more than anything.