While the amount of advertising in traditional media has gone down in the past couple years, it’s still amazing to see so many ads that appear regularly that don’t seem to have any reason for being other than to fulfill a long-term media contract.
Some of the circulars that run every week—and sometimes twice a week—have about as much subpoena for the customer to read and then shop as the legal notices that still appear in the classified section. The customers have to be bored and I suspect that the advertising staffs at many retailers are bored as well.

This is especially true for the ROP ads that continue to be placed by major department store chains. The ads fill space, but certainly don’t provide any reason to chose one store over another. The item selection isn’t much more interesting and the prices are ho-hum. So why do they run these ads anyway? Sometimes I wonder if anybody at corporate is paying attention!

Case in point is the now famous ad that Macy’s ran in the Miami market the day after the sixth game of the NBA championship series between the Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. The ad congratulated the Miami Heat on their championship and featured team products on sale to celebrate. Only problem was that Dallas won not only that game but the championship. Even if the Heat had won that Sunday’s game, they would still have had to play one more game to decide the championship. Knowing the power of the press, I became skeptical that maybe that was the plan all along and that the media event that ensued might have been exactly what Macy’s wanted. I never checked to see if they ran one in Dallas/Ft. Worth as well. Overall though, it’s just another case of advertising that does nothing to enhance the brand and build a relationship with the customer.

Many of the ads that appear every week—week after week—seem to have as much marketing thought behind them as the signage on some of the windows of the stores. Knowing the cost of these ads, can you image what could be done if they created messages that inspired the customers to like the store and differentiate it from their competitors. Retailers complain about the economy and tight budgets, but then there are wasted media dollars that do nothing but satisfy a contract or fill an already boring ad calendar.

It’s time to start watching our ads and making sure that there is a reason for being in every message. And that reason can’t just be to clear out sports memorabilia for a team that was as inspired as the advertising for the store.

COMING SOON: Robyn Winters and I have just completed a book on branding with a revolutionary point of view. Brain Branding, Activate the Brain—Stimulate Your Brand is in its final edit and will be available on Amazon and your Kindle very soon. Watch this blog for a special introductory offer!!

Standing at the highest point in San Francisco, one can’t help breaking into a chorus of “I left my heart in San Francisco”. I’ve been there many times throughout the years and still get a thrill every time I visit whether on business or for pleasure. I’ve often said that I’d rather go back to the “city by the Bay” 10 more times than take one trip to a third world country. San Francisco is more than a city. It’s a brand. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have a special feeling or relationship with the city. Thinking about it, shouldn’t a store or product have the same time of feeling toward its brand as well. Without a relationship, I always say, there is no brand. This is what the Heart of the Brand is all about. So much of today’s marketing is focused solely on the Truth of the Brand (i.e. the facts, just the facts) that the customer fails to have any feelings (good or bad) about that brand and sees it as just another storefront or product on the shelf.

The other night I decided to watch one of the top rated TV shows and take note of the commercials that ran both on the network as well as the local breaks. During that one-hour program, there were, by my count, 12 commercials and not one of them gave any reason beyond price/promotional deal or product facts for the viewer to consider purchasing the advertised product. So, where’s the branding? It seems like most advertisers have abandoned trying to build an emotional relationship with the customer and give him/her a distinguishable value that would convince them to buy.

There are exceptions and it’s no surprise that the companies that have a message targeted at the heart of the customer are the one’s who continue to grow their market share.

Publix food stores are a great example. First, the company runs really great stores that are clean, efficient, and staffed by generally friendly, helpful people. But when it comes to advertising, the company goes beyond its ongoing BOGO offers to remain price competitive by running commercials and offering mailings that remind us that having dinners and lunches with our families are important. Over Easter, while most food stores hawk their discounts on the Easter hams, Publix ran (for the second year at least) a 60 second spot that celebrates a family dinner and a special relationship between a brother and sister that tugs at your heart and builds a relationship with the brand at the same time.
The company does this all year by tying in important family gatherings with the benefits of shopping at a store that’s part of the family for years.

Crate & Barrel has grown over the years by providing a great shopping environment, with neat and exciting merchandise that translates to the home experience as well. It has assumed the role, over the years, as the contemporary customer’s lifestyle guide and makes one feel at home whenever he/she comes into the store. Their advertising has always been as cool as the stores making the merchandise come alive and relevant to the lifestyle of their customers. While their prices are competitive with all the mass merchants, the company realizes that it’s an emotional choice to shop there and it’s all part of being a welcome guest in our homes.

Walgreen’s recently announced that it was installing charging stations for electric cars in 150 of its Chicagoland stores. This is just one more step in the company’s commitment to providing the convenience that today’s drugstore customer expects when they visit the stores as many as 3-4 times per week. Whether it’s in-store medical clinics (that I have found to be really are professional and caring ) or pharmacy systems that really make filling and re-filling prescriptions almost effortless. To have a pharmacist call you personally to offer to go over all of your medications and give you an assessment and summary has nothing to do with $4 generics, but it has everything to do with keeping you healthy and keeping you as a loyal customer in the future. The stores are as promotional as ever, but when it comes down to it they know that their customers are need driven and they have to meet those needs consistently to reach the heart of the loyal shopper.

Home Depot has gotten back on the track that made it so successful over the years by providing helpful customer service in every aisle. On a recent trip to “just pick up a couple of things”, I was approached by a smiling, friendly orange-aproned associate making sure that I found what I needed and offering to help with any questions that I might have (and who doesn’t have questions when you’re at Home Depot? The company’s support of the Olympic athletes over the year is more than just a good marketing handle, it’s representative of the heart of this brand as a good neighbor and good citizen. The recent rash of tornadoes and floods have moved the local stores to action as the caring company to help you through really tough times.

Chrysler just announced a quarterly profit for the first time in over five years and I don’t think it’s because of their new relationship with Fiat or divorce from Daimler Benz. Besides appealing to its employees and U.S. customers as a Detroit-based company with great American standards, Chrysler has improved its messages in the media with a straightforward approach that gets to the heart of the customer a lot more effectively than another Toyotathon or factory rebate/$100 off factory invoice promotion. The company shed itself of many underperforming brands and dealerships and refined it’s assortment and the stores where they are sold to make it a pleasant experience to buy one of their cars.

McDonald’s is part of most of America’s dining experience every day. However, the recent performance in sales, I believe, is a result of tailoring its menu and service to today’s customer and making it fun to eat there again. From it’s competitive coffee shop offerings to tasty new entrée’s, they have gone beyond fast food to broaden their appeal to various day-parts and lifestyles. However, they continue to go after the heart of their consumers with their ongoing Ronal McDonald Charities and supporting community activities that make them a good neighbor as well.

Kohl’s is as aggressive as anyone with its promotional program that hits the customer 2-3 times a week. While I question sometimes whether this is overkill, their performance seems to justify the reliance on strong promotions. However, when you look at the power of their word-of-mouth advertising, you have to give credit to all of their other activities that go right to the heart of the customers. Kohl’s support of children’s hospital fund raisers and health education has endeared them to young parents who just happen to be their target customers as well. The company has expanded aggressively over the years but it has also made itself a good neighbor on a local basis and it’s paying off at the registers.

There are many examples and it makes you wonder why more advertisers don’t take note and start giving their customers a reason to like them rather than just be aware of the next sale event. Going after the heart of the customer just makes good business sense and is essential for a strong brand position.

COMING SOON. A new way to improve your branding can be found in a new book that I have co-authored with fellow NSA member and communications expert, Robyn Winters. The book is at our publisher and will soon be available on Amazon, Kindle and through our website. In the book we take a look at the four buying styles that all of us use to decide on what brands to shop, buy, and use. Then, we use these styles to help you implement a four-step process to develop a more effective brand. We think it’s a revolutionary way of thinking when it comes to branding and believe you’ll find it helpful in stimulating your brand’s market share.
More information will be coming soon and watch for a special offer to our friends and blog readers.

Best Buy has long been one of my favorites as a retailer who has done an excellent job of developing its brand and growing its market share in the competitive electronics market. It has maintained its #1 share of the category and has out –performed the other electronics merchandisers consistently. I’ve commented on how Costco, Sam’s, and Walmart have really made an impact on the category but it wasn’t until I read an article recently by John Kelly in the Wall Street Journal about how Amazon was really becoming a factor in the category to the point that Best Buy had better watch its back as the company continues to grow.

As its shares have tumbled, Best Buy should note how Amazon has expanded its brand to compete favorably with big box retailers. Certainly, Amazon is a brand synonymous with online book sales. It’s Kindle e-book reader has set the standard for digital reading and now it has taken that lead to expand its sales in electronics and non-media to $18 Billion last year (up 66%). While the brick and mortar retailers continue to fight the price wars and promotions, Amazon has become the resource for information that over 88% of shoppers in this category seek online before they go to the store.

So, how has Amazon built their business beyond the original core strength as a bookseller? It all has to do with branding. Sure, Amazon has been a pioneer in online marketing but it’s what they’ve done for their customers and prospects that have established a brand that is consumer friendly and builds loyalty not simply by making it easy to find what you want, but by understanding their customers, recognizing their shopping preferences and rewarding them for their loyalty by making it easier to buy and offering targeted suggestions to build the incremental sales at the same time. The company has build its brand on a solid platform and has translated its reputation and trust to other categories from toys to flat-screens to fashion pumps. Using its ability to recommend items based on what you purchased as well as what you only considered makes this a highly personal brand that has built a relationship with its customers every time they click on the website.

Compare any page and any category on Amazon with a page in the sale circulars for Best Buy, Kohls, or Macy’s and you see a consistency of message and quality that is only surpassed by the consistency of the purchase transaction. It’s this kind of quality that builds relationships and enhances a brand that endures with its customers.

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So, another Super Bowl has come and gone and I lament the fact that if not for an official’s error, my Buccaneers would have gone to the playoffs instead of the Packers. But that’s Monday Morning stuff. Of course, there’s been more conversation afterward about the commercials again this year and I have to agree that at $3 Million a spot, there should be some buzz afterward. I’m just not sure that the buzz is among the targeted customers as much as the media who cover them. Certainly in this venue, these message must pop and generate a lot of interest. But so do your commercials that run the other 364 days of the year. There were some really creative spots (yes, I thought the VW/Darth Vader spot was one of the cutest ever.) but I have to keep asking the same question for the past XLV years:
“Where is the brand message? Does this motivate me to consider buying this product?)

I use Go Daddy for my web URL’s and have been pleased. Their terrible commercials have nothing to do with my choice nor keeping them as my provider. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure what Go Daddy is saying in their sexist, stupid spots. The Dorito’s spots are great, but do they really convince you that they taste good enough to lick someone’s pants or fingers? Audi must have spent as much as Avatar’s full production cost to contrive a luxury jail spot that wouldn’t convince me to buy an Audi no matter how good they are.

I could go on, but let’s take a look at the Chrysler spot which salutes my home town of Detroit. I thought this not only gave an honest, sincere tribute to Chrysler’s and its workers home. The branding behind this, I thought, was a particularly sound strategy as the company has re-emerged from its financial and sale woes. A company with roots in a city that’s tough, that works hard, that has pride, and has a long heritage in automotive, is about to introduce a new model line that reflects today’s automotive needs and desires. I think this is a sincere effort (even if their agency is not in Portland, Oregon) to get back to the relationship an auto has with its owner. At 120 seconds, the spot really got into the spirit of Detroit and the company and even Eminem seemed sincere. Whether they get their media dollars’ worth will remain to be seen as the new models roll out, but it’s an excellent branding message that many of the other spots failed to even come close to replicating.

It’s interesting that Ad Age’s survey of the best Super Bowl spots of all time had some really great spots and I found that almost all of them had a great branding strategy behind the outstanding creative message. Mean Joe Green’s Coke spot could run today (probably with Packer linebacker, Clay Matthews) and still have the same strong message that was right on about Coke’s being the “real thing”. It was a sincere, well-placed message that said more about the great taste of Coke than the Pepsi Max spots did this year.

Even the NFL’s own spots generated a great brand message that not only promoted the sport and its players and fans, but also it helped offset yet another wasted halftime debacle. Why Bridgestone tires would think that the Black Eyed Peas, Usher and Smash would motivate “younger customers” to consider their tires over the others on the market is beyond me. Let’s get back to great brands with breakthrough creative that wins over the minds and the hearts of the customers.

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Another season of holiday sales and advertising is so quickly coming to an end. It’s often said that this is the most important sales season of the year, and yet so much of the marketing efforts are so predictable–so redundant. Let’s look at some of this year’s efforts …what works and what doesn’t.

BLACK FRIDAY: I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of this sales event that makes more media noise than profits (as in the black). I think that most retailers have just shifted the sales revenues to earlier day parts so that now Black Friday has almost become Black Thursday Night and Friday Dawn. Then again, I started thinking about the successful post-Thanksgiving events of years gone by and remembered that the excitement was all part of the experience of shopping for Christmas presents and being caught up in the stores “dressed in holiday style”. To some extent, Black Friday has recaptured that excitement for many shoppers. Part of the new holiday tradition is to get to the store at the crack of dawn, or earlier (sometimes with the whole family) and take advantage of the super saver items. If more stores put as much effort and budget behind the rest of the holiday season—not to mention the rest of the year—there would be a lot more customers and a lot more revenue.

MACY’S: I have to hand it to the bastion of department store retailing.. From the parade to the multi-media assault every day leading up to Christmas, They really put out an effort to create the glory days of 34th Street. However, they—and Dillard’s, Sears, and the other traditional department stores—just seem to put as much on sale in as many one-day sales events as possible. There just doesn’t seem to be anything exciting to make all of the customers want to go into the store for the experience. The watch catalogue was well done, but boring. The fragrance catalogue was a cacophony of scents that make you want to peel each and every one of the scratch and sniffs just for exercise. But do they make you want to go there instead of Target, Kohl’s , Walmart or any of the specialty chains? I think not. Let’s get back to making the brand an exciting place to go and the gifts with your logo a symbol of something special and not just a one-day sale.

HYUNDAI: I think this is one of the great brand development strategies over the past several years and certainly has made this car one of the new powerhouse brands in the industry. However, this year’s holiday efforts (and a Hyundai would be a nice stocking stuffer) were really quite silly. A bunch of weirdo-looking singers and musicians singing poorly with brief shots of the cars didn’t live up to the new styling and certainly doesn’t compete with the great effort put forth by Lexus this year.

HALLMARK AND FOLGERS: These two brands with everyday products continue to do a great job at Christmas to bring back the traditions and feelings that make the holidays so great. Hallmark’s commercials outshone the 200 holiday movies that were featured on their cable network, and Folger’s spots are so good you can almost smell those mountain-grown beans brewing. Great spots. Well-placed.

KOHL’S AND JCPENNEY: Help save the forests! With all the circulars that fill the paper and mailboxes, it appears to me that these two must have printing subsidiaries that make more profit than the stores. They seem so redundant and I wish they would take some of the dollars spent in print and do something exciting in broadcast. Great stores, but please how about some brand statements to fight the discounters.

GAITHER HOMECOMING: I had the pleasure to attend the final Gaither Homecoming Christmas concert in Jacksonville, FL, last week. It was a moving, exciting experience even if you don’t like gospel music. However, what is most impressive is how Bill Gaither and his family and organization have built a brand that is so consistent and so on target in television, dvds, cds, magazines, books, programming, gifts, concerts, and events. The Gaithers have become a resounding success as a brand and yet have maintained a sincerity and down-home personality that keeps their brand in the hearts of thousands of loyal followers (and customers).

OFFICE MAX: OK, my family “elfed” ourselves again this year and shared it with our friends and families. I can’t help it, it’s so funny! This office supply store, however, knows that it takes more than good prices on laptops and thumb drives to win over customers in this competitive category.

These are just a few of many brands to look at. Overall, I think many retailers and other consumer brands have left the creativity at home when it comes to the holidays. And while retail sales have increased versus last year’s poor showing, there is so much more that could be done with some breakthrough thinking and creative execution to make this the season for branding as well as giving.

Merry Christmas!!
Ken

There’s been a lot of criticism in the trade press about the new theme line introduced this past week for Chevrolet. “Chevy Runs Deep” is the signature that the car company has put on a series of nostalgic spots which stress that Chevy is a brand that we grew up with and that has been part of the American scene for as long as most can remember. The spots are well produced and, for us baby boomers, the memories are as vivid as Don McLean’s “Bye Bye Miss American Pie” verses.

Once again, the marketing experts have forgotten what the brand is all about and are focusing their attention on the theme line, tagline, or slogan for the product and not the essence of why people buy it in the first place.

According to Jeff Goodby from the company’s ad agency (in Advertising Age), “It’s not fair to judge a tagline out of context.” I would go further and say that it’s not fair to judge a brand by its tagline—in or out—of context. I believe the Chevrolet branding has been one of the best in the auto industry for the past few years with or without great taglines we’re used to, such as “An American Revolution” or “Like a Rock”. The car/brand is part of the American scene and they have appealed to basic American values ever since it was part of “Baseball, Hotdogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet” decades ago.

The fact is, the brand has several really good, quality models now that continue to sell quite well (not like they used to when Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda weren’t as strong). Despite the economy, it has many loyal customers (and non-owers as well!) who have a clear understanding of the Chevy brand and its history. The concept of building a brand based on its American roots is not new and, quite frankly, today has a lot more resonance than others (“Droid Does” comes to mind).

The campaign is more that just a look back. I believe it stresses loyalty, quality, and uniqueness in a very engaging manner. However, I also believe the key to Chevy’s future success is that its brand strategy “runs deep” as it continually improves its models, quality and can maintain a positive positioning in the face of overwhelming competition from abroad (even if they are made in Tennessee or Ohio). Chevy has staked its claim on the values that many of its target customers (middle of the road Americans) feel are important when making a significant purchase.

I think if they stick with this understanding of their brand and let the critics keep on writing without a knee-jerk change in strategy, the brand will truly run deep in hearts of the market. Now, if they can only get their dealers to understand and live up to it as well!

With the announcement of the impending bankruptcy of Blockbuster, it seems that there are a number of companies, and, for that matter, industries, that may bite the dust as a result of consumers going more online to complete their transactions. While movie rentals make a lot of sense as an online product, there is still an opportunity for companies to build loyalty through an effective brand strategy and execution on a consistent basis.

One of those industries is travel—and there probably hasn’t been a category that has been revolutionized by the Internet as much as this one. Whether it’s airlines, hotels, car rentals, cruises, or vacation resorts, almost everything necessary to “purchase” the service can be done quickly and easily with a few keystrokes. Now if we can just push “escape” and be transported to our destinations, we would have it all under control. Unfortunately that isn’t going to happen any time soon so the need for personal service and brand loyalty is more important than ever. While we have a number of choices in making our travel plans—from the direct company websites to the many travel consolidation sites out there—there is still a need to have a source for information and help to make the right decision. We still want an expert to give us the advice that can, not only make the trip more productive and less stressful, but also we still want to be sure that we aren’t paying too much.

This need is where the companies must make their sites as helpful and as easy to navigate as possible with information and follow up to make sure that you are comfortable with your plans and arrangements. I recently was interviewed by marketing consultant, Terry Brock, for a client of his (travel agents) and you can view those comments by clicking on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqCH_2NjDj8

Certainly this is an industry that has been reeling from all the changes, but it has survived. I believe the reason is that despite all the technology at the consumer’s fingertips, they still want help to relieve them of the emotional stress of travel before their departure. Sometimes this is still a real person, or more often than not, it may be a user-friendly program that makes it easy to get the information and the reservations. I personally use Travelocity as my basis for travel not only because I’m used to it, but because my profile is already loaded and my preferences are in place. More important, however, is the follow up and verification that automatically appears even if haven’t confirmed the trip yet. I also use Hotwire, Kayak, and the dedicated sites to check price, but the brand preference keeps me coming back to Travelocity.

We still have preferences to certain brands. Southwest has consistently reinforced its brand to become the nation’s leading airline. Hilton and Marriott have established several brands to appeal to a variety of travelers’ needs. Enterprise has grown to the top of the car rental business through its personalized service. It’s still all about differentiating your brand by creating a distinctive value and then following it up with a personalized service—either in person or online.

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I’ve talked a lot in these articles over the years about the need for consistency in developing and maintaining a successful brand strategy. There’s no doubt the brands that have the most equity with their customers also are those that adhere to the strategy with every decision made. Whether it’s the marketing message or the product design, it’s important to maintain a unified front in all aspects of the brand’s execution. Unfortunately, many companies adhere to strictly to the adage:
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In doing so, they often ignore the changes in customer trends and expectations as well as changes in the economy and the competitive marketplace.

I’m reminded of a Wall Street Journal article I read not long ago about the taxis in Mumbai, India. For years, the streets have been “served” by a collective fleet of over 50,000 cabs and over 200,000 taxi drivers. To say that most of these taxis are uncomfortable would be an understatement. The black and yellow cab is as much an icon in Mumbai as the yellow cabs of New York City. However, the fleet is made up mostly of a model called the Premier Padmini—a version of an Italian Fiat model which ceased production in 1966 or the Indian manufactured version, the last of which rolled off the production lines locally over 10 years ago. They are uncomfortable, non-air conditioned (something I can’t imagine in Mumbai) with scrap metal patches and parts to keep them on the potholed riddled streets with suspensions that gave out long ago. This leaves the passengers in almost as bad a mood as the veteran drivers who insist on keeping their old cars in service.

Competition has picked up with newer, more comfortable cars driven by courteous drivers who will take appointments, provide air conditioned comfort and a much happier clientele. However, the old line is resistant to change insisting that the old jalopies are more economical and part of the Mumbai street scene. The veteran drivers prohibit the new taxis from cueing at the most desirable street corners. They block gas stations so that only older cabs can refuel. They even physically attack the new breed of drivers to intimidate them in a way that a gang of hoodlums protect their territory.

The customers? They overwhelmingly would prefer the new taxi service, but they too are intimidated by the older drivers and fear for their safety. In fact, the new fleet receives over 10,000 calls a day for reservations. The issue has gone to court to allow free competition and calling for enforcement of the law to prevent further violence, or at least the intimidation.

While this may be an extreme example,it does demonstrate that companies often ignore the desires of the customers in order to keep doing what they’ve always done. It’s easier, more comfortable, and less chaotic to simply sticking with the same old, same old.
Today’s successful brands ignore the challenges and instead develop their plans to grow by keeping up with the changes in customer demands and expectations. To beat the competition, we can’t resort to roadblocks or intimidation; we have to exceed those expectations and stay in front of the competition with better marketing and better branding. Kodak had to change from a brand built on film and processing to one on the cutting edge of digital technology. Google could have stuck with being the world’s largest search engine, but change brought online videos, social networks and more. Apple could have stayed with a strong product brand, but retail brought change that helps both the customer and the products. The brands that are in an ongoing state of change and modification—based on what the customer wants—are the ones who continue to grow and succeed. While Mumbai’s citizens suffer through an antiquated system of transportation, the newer, more comfortable brand of taxi is slowly but gradually changing the landscape and providing a long-awaited change

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5 Ways to Endear Your stores to Your Customers.

We all talk about customer relationships but do we really take the time to build a special bond with our customers? To be successful, your store has to become something special to each customer and the best way is to become a good neighbor.
In their glory days, department stores were a special place and important citizens in their communities. They were a part of our lives and special purchases had to come from these special places. The box and the label on it were sometimes as meaningful as the actual gift inside. With consolidation and changing customer trends, the specialness of department stores has faded and they simply aren’t thought of as good neighbors any more. Building your brand requires being a good neighbor,however, as much now as it did back then. Here are five ways you can become the preferred brand by being a good neighbor.

1. MAKE IT SPECIAL. Stores are always having special events, but those that are successful get the local community involved. Bass Pro Shops recently held its big Summer Camp Out, but really made it special by turning their parking lots and stores into a place for all the fun and games of summer camp and their employees and the customers had a lot of fun. And they bought a lot of stuff, too. They did the same with Santa’s Workshop at Christmas. Not a new idea, but the involvement of making this a special outing for the entire community (with a lot of media coverage as well), made this already special store, an important part of the community’s holiday festivities.
   2. MAKE YOUR PEOPLE THE STARS. Store associates work long and hard to help make the sales goals. But, they really enjoy and will put forth extra effort to do something special for the community. Walmart’s support of children’s hospitals in every market is a great example of getting their associates and the customers involved in a common cause. Whether it’s a bake sale, car wash, or answering phones at a telethon. These associates love what they’re doing and it carries on through to the sale floor and registers.
   3. KEEP THEM LOYAL. In my days in the drugstore business, I found that the best performing stores also had the managers and staff with the longest length of service. That’s not by accident. They build a team and they work together to know their customers…and they do. When customers come in and call the manager, the pharmacist, the photo person, the front register clerk by name, you know you are not just a corner store, you’re a good neighbor. Walgreen’s for years has outperformed the industry in sales per store and one of the reasons is their longevity of store staff who know their customers well.
   4. SUPPORT LOCAL CAUSES. Granted as chains with hundred’s of locations, your companies have to keep some control on this. However, encouraging each store to support some local teams, charities, or causes (sometimes the local team like the New Orleans Saints last year become a rallying point for all of the associates to show their pride.) These don’t always require funding. By supporting these local events with in-kind or personal helpers, the store becomes the star and a good neighbor.
   5. INTERACT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS. I heard a retailer from Chihuahua, Mexico, talk recently that his store managers actually become celebrities in their neighborhoods and towns. So much so that local children want their pictures taken with the manager! Your stores are important to the communities, but the people need to see you and know who you are on the local level because you are an important person in town and represent the chain.
   As I’ve said many times, without a relationship with your customer, there is no brand. Being a good neighbor is having a positive relationship.

Note:  With conversion from Blogger to WordPress, this month’s article was delayed.  Let me know if you have any trouble opening or viewing.  As always, your comments are welcome.

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This year’s GRMA Leadership Summit was a real eye-opener for those of us who monitor retail trends and opportunities. There’s no question that to build our brands today means that we have to be more responsive to change than ever before. It’s not just a matter of getting on the bandwagon of the new technologies and media, but it requires marketers to re-think their programs and strategies and to constantly be ready to adjust how they are going to reach today’s consumer with their messages. Two of the speakers at this summit, Ray Kurzweil and Rob Conway were particularly visionary with what they see happening in technology and mobil media. I wanted to share my notes with you this month to give you some of the highlights as I reported in GRMA’s blog as well. These presentations brought a telescopic look into the future. The speakers were beyond being experts. They brought us an opportunity to look down the road at how technology is going to effect retail business but how it will affect our lives in the years to come.

You should have been there.

8:00am to 9:30am KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Innovation in an Era of Accelerating Technologies
Ray Kurzweil, Famed Futurist, Visionary and Bestselling Author,
Transcend and The Singularity is Near

Reading Ray Kurzweil’s bio and introduction, I knew we were in for an experience. When he started to speak and modestly talked about some of his accomplishments and the people he has dealt with, I was in awe and felt I could relate to those who have climbed the mountain for an audience with the Dalai Lama. Here is renowned inventor and genius, who not only has lived through the information boom of the last 4 decades, but has been instrumental in much of what has happened, and has predicted much of it. The “restless genius” (as the Wall Street Journal has called him) said that the pace of change is accelerating exponential and that the next decade will bring in unprecedented change and innovation. The fact that 400 million people already on Facebook—an idea that hatched just 6 years ago—is just an indication that soon everyone on the planet will have a cell phone and that will bring them access to knowledge that has never been so readily available to everyone.

While the growth is exponential, the size of the hardware reduces at a similar rate (think Univac compared to iPhone). And this underscores the potential that we will be able to infuse our bloodstream with mini-computers the size of a single cell that will help ward off cancer or administer insulin or other antibodies is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential for changing life as we know it. And we will know it longer than ever. Some 15 years more to be added to our life expectancy—so much for retirement soon. Solar energy is also growing exponentially and within 20 years, Ray predicts, it will replace fossil fuels as our energy source. For us marketers, we need to know that human intelligence is growing in the same way and if our brands are going to continue to succeed in the long run they must grow and change along with the smarter customers. In education, we need to recognize that all the new technology provides knowledge on their belt and in their hand. So we don’t need to teach them facts as much as helping them know how to find the information with the available tools. We talk about social networking and mobile marketing and we are still learning. But the realization of the revolution that we are in requires us to think more outside the box than ever and tap in to the expertise that is required (but is available) to help our companies, our brands, and our people keep up with the pace of an ever-changing world.

Check out www.kurzweiltech.com for more information on this brilliant man and his teachings.

9:30am to 10:30am Integration of Mobile and Wireless Technologies and
The Real Impact on the Consumer Experience
Rob Conway, CEO, GSMA, recognized as the most influential person
in telecom in 2009 by GTB Power 100 Magazine

“GSM is the technology behind the mobile platform that enables universal interaction via mobile devices. “
And if you stop and think about this statement, you’ll understand what an important role Rob Conway plays in the future of the world today.

“Mobile 4.5 Billion Connectiona, Fixed 1.1 Billion Lines.
Mobile will overtake desktop users in 2013 (predictions)”

Mobile marketing is not just an important trend. It’s obviously the future of where we need to be if we are going to keep pace with today’s consumer. They are moving there fast and we, as marketers, need to run to keep up with them. Google has now said that they are “mobile first” and judging by the proliferation of Apps being sold to iPhone users like myself, they are right on track.
Only 4% of advertising spending is online today, but will grow exponentially as more people go mobile for information and more. Look at how many iPhones have been sold. And the iPad, according to Rob, is the next revolution that has already started. One of my fellow attendees demo’d his iPad for me and I was amazed and wanted one for myself. We will soon, I know. This is just the tip of the iceberg when you consider that an average iPhone user downloads 10 Apps per month and spends 30 minutes a day doing research. It’s not just a phone for sure.

Brand Apps are the next big opportunity, but you have to make sure it’s not just a key to getting to your ad. It has to provide a service (like priceline.com’s app—hotel negotiator. Check it out.) If makes the user’s life easier, then there is potential—big potential.

And iAd’s are on the way. Where you’ll be able to advertise your store, product or service to just the right person via their mobile device right when they want it and where they want it. And they will be able to act upon it right away in real time.
I could go on. Augmented reality will help customers more than ever to find your store and your brand right where they are. And mobile coupons are way more than a store or product coupon that you can print out. They convert your device into the coupon which can be redeemed with a wave of your iPhone at the store. Wow.