Magical Brand Experiences: A Tale of Two Twitters, Part 2
Magical Brand Experiences: A Tale of Two Twitters, Part 2 As I stated last time, I recently had the occasion to attend two conventions in two different cities and had a remarkably negative experience with a hotel. However, I had a tremendously positive experience the following week which illustrates how magical it is when a company really gets it right. In this case, it was with an airline. (No, I’m not kidding!) Brand Two: Delta Air Lines Full disclosure: I’m not an unbiased reporter when it comes to Delta. I’ve been flying them almost exclusively for a long time, even before I moved to Atlanta over two decades ago. That said, I never had particularly high status within their SkyMiles program. I’m not a Diamond Medallion or a Million-Miler. I made Platinum Medallion last year due to a number of overseas trips I took while president of an international association. At the end of the article I address the August 8 system outage, but this article was written a week ago. Headed to Indy A few weeks ago I was headed to Indianapolis for a conference. As is my habit, I try to stop by the Delta Sky Club for breakfast if I have time prior to a flight. In this case I was there later in the morning, so they were transitioning from breakfast to lunch as I was getting ready to go to my gate. The typical lunch spread includes cookies, so I decided to pick up a peanut butter or chocolate chip cookie on the way to the gate. I found no peanut butter or chocolate chip cookies. Instead, I found new lemon cookies. They were light, sweet, and delicious. As I got to the gate, I decided to let Delta know that I enjoyed them. This is my tweet and Delta’s typically quick response: Holy smokes! The new lemon cookies in the @Delta Sky Club are amazing! — Joe M. Turner (@turnermagic) July 12, 2016 Joe, enjoy the Sky Club and the amazing lemon cookies. *HW — Delta (@Delta) July 12, 2016 I joked that they should put some in first class on my flight to Indianapolis. They suggested that I take some Biscoff cookies, and I responded that those cookies were now in second place. Later, when I posted a photo showing that I had arrived in Indy, the team responded and was glad that I had a great flight, and thanked me for the photo. I responded that I just wished I had some of those cookies! All in all, this was just a charming exchange that shows Delta to be an interested, fun, and social brand. Special Delivery That night I was in the opening session of the conference when my phone vibrated – it was an Indianapolis phone number. I stepped outside to answer it. I was told, “Mr. Turner, this is Christa Khalileh, the station manager of the Indianapolis Delta Sky Club. I am in your hotel lobby with a special delivery.” I suspected what had happened, and couldn’t believe it. “I’ll be right down.” I found Ms. Khalileh standing in the lobby with a platter of approximately three dozen lemon cookies and a thank you card. She said they had seen my Tweets and thought it would be fun to make it happen. I told her I couldn’t believe that they had done this and that I was certainly surprised and grateful. I asked her if she had tried one of the cookies yet and she had not. She explained that they had not gotten those cookies in Indianapolis yet; they had actually flown them up from Atlanta especially for me! This was a spectacular experience and a great illustration of how a brand can use social media effectively, translate it into a magical real-life experience, and reap lasting goodwill from people beyond their normal audience. What are they doing right? Delta has a social media team that pays attention. In the past when I have had complaints or even just gripes about the usual traveling woes, they have responded quickly and professionally, usually with a helpful tip or at least genuine empathy. I have tagged them in positive posts, too, and they usually respond with a “Thanks!” or “Yay!” or other good-natured comments. They are quick to respond, and come across as polite and appropriately happy or unhappy when doing it. They nearly instantly validate whatever emotion I am feeling at the time of my Tweet. Another thing they are doing right has to do with honesty about their promises. They recently combined their sales and customer service back into a single point of contact. While many companies shy away from having potential customers (sales) see the potential complaints (customer service), Delta is transparent. They actually deliver negative feedback to people who can change policy. How many times have you wondered whether your complaint was really “shared with the management” when a customer service representative said they would do so? I have often wondered whether it happens. But on the same day as the cookie delivery, Delta announced that – due to feedback from their customers – they were adjusting an upgrade policy that had been changed. They don’t shy away from admitting that changes might be necessary, and they credit the customer when making the correction. Perhaps most importantly, they understood the value of translating virtual activity into a real-world experience. What did the cookie experience cost Delta? The cookies themselves – maybe a couple of dollars. A platter and some plastic wrap. A gift card. A flight attendant went above and beyond her normal responsibilities to pick up some cookies at an Atlanta Sky Club and drop them off at the Indianapolis Sky Club. The plane was going to fly anyway, so putting the cookies aboard was not an extra expense. Ms. Khalileh invested a little time and an out-of-the-way drive to drop them off at the hotel. In all likelihood, she personally incurred the highest
Magical Brand Experiences: A Tale of Two Twitters, Part 1
Magical Brand Experiences: A Tale of Two Twitters, Part 1 I recently had the occasion to attend two conventions in two different cities. One trip brought a memorable but non-magical experience with a brand that I’m sure the company wishes they could erase. The other trip brought a fantastic brand experience that illustrates how magical it is when a company really gets it right. Brand One: The Hotel I thought about whether to write about this as I’m not interested in sharing “just another customer service war story.” We’ve all had them. After reflection I decided to describe the experience without naming the brand. About two months ago I determined that I would need to ship some items ahead to my first convention, mainly as a traveling convenience. I called the hotel in advance to find out the process for shipping items so I could claim them at the front desk when I arrived. I was told to ship the package to the regular address and it would be waiting. I had another package drop-shipped from a vendor using the same process. The day before my flight I called to verify that the packages had arrived. I was told that I would have to be transferred to a retail shipping company with an office inside the hotel. This was new information, as was the discovery that my packages had arrived but there would be a fee for picking them up. My request to speak to a manager was delayed since it was after 5:00 PM locally. I posted a query on the brand’s Facebook page asking whether the fee ought to be waived since I was not informed of it in advance. I said I would post a follow-up there after getting to talk with someone. There was no response. The next day I spoke to the retail shipping store manager and the hotel sales manager, neither of whom were willing to budge. I asked whether their failure to disclose a fee was something I should have to pay for. I asked whether they would pay an undisclosed fee for handling my credit card. Finally, the hotel manager told me, after we had both achieved an unpleasant state of mind, that she would cover the fee. This courtesy was appreciated but not extended to anyone else in my group. With no response on the Facebook page, I posted a follow-up explaining my displeasure, including my experiences in dealing with the retail shop and the manager. No response was forthcoming. I finally looked up the corporate Twitter account and received nearly instant feedback. I was told that my frustration and surprise were valid. I was told that they would look into the situation. I was told that it was not wrong of me to feel disappointed and even angry about being hit with an unexpected fee. This was a pleasant change of pace. After I arrived at the hotel and got my packages, I learned that the manager was not pleased that I had named her in my Facebook post. I could not help but shake my head, as there would have been nothing to write about in the first place if the experience had been handled differently. The correct answer at the outset would have been, “You’re absolutely right, Mr. Turner, we’ll be happy to waive the fee as it was our error not to inform you.” I was not opposed to the fact that there might be a fee. I was opposed to the fact that I had not been given the opportunity to either accept it or make other arrangements. I might have chosen to take the fee for convenience. I might have shipped it elsewhere. I might have packed another suitcase and made my own travel more burdensome. Whatever the case, I should have had the right to make an informed decision. Where the Magic was Lost This experience was memorable, but it wasn’t magical. The corporate brand handled their Twitter well, but the local hotel handled their Facebook and telephone interactions poorly. They only commented on my Facebook post on their page after I had gone to the corporate Twitter account. They grudgingly agreed to do the right thing only after passing me back and forth and passing the buck along with me. The retail store and the hotel both used each other as a shield for not taking ownership of resolving the problem. When faced with a customer willing to implement the same business practice they were using, the hotel resented it and found it disrespectful. To put a bow on this, I did take a few minutes to buy the hotel manager a small gift and write a thank-you card while I was at the convention. Even though it took a lot of prodding, she ultimately did go above and beyond to solve my problem and rectify the situation, and I thought it appropriate to be gracious. That is also part of why I am not naming the hotel here. That said, I have no interest in being part of anything at that hotel again in the future, nor am I particularly motivated to give that brand another try when booking another convention site. Rather than take an opportunity to create a magical experience, I was made to feel like their failure to inform me when I asked for details was somehow my own fault. Their processes were used like shields and weapons to protect anyone from taking the initiative to try to solve the problem. I’ve written before that the experience with a brand stops being magical when the processes stop being invisible. It’s even less so when the processes are openly used against you. Next time – Magical Brand Experiences: A Tale of Two Twitters, Part 2
Cultivating Leaders for Leadership
Cultivating Leaders for Leadership I’ve heard a lot of complaining about leadership qualities with regard to what is almost universally acknowledged as a disappointing selection of U.S. presidential candidates this cycle. Admittedly, I’ve contributed more than my share of complaints about leaders. Today, however, I saw a local leader in my community participate in a conversation that really motivated me to think about why and how we may get the candidates we deserve. I’ve studied leaders and leadership for thirty years. I’ve had a variety of leadership roles in corporate, church, civic, and professional organizations. Some of these roles were job functions, some were appointed, and some were elected. My most recent personal experience comes from the association world. Over the last decade I served as a committee member, board member, officer, and ultimately as international president of an association with roughly 10,000 members in 88 countries. Leading any organization, even one that small, comes with a healthy dose of complex issues from the financial to the legal to the interpersonal. Many such boards and associations are rightly concerned with their future leadership and whether they have leaders “in the pipeline” to take the reins effectively. Leaving the association microcosm aside, the issue of “missing leaders” is even more concerning on a personal level. As individual citizens, we often complain that we are forced to choose between the lesser of evils. We lament the rarity of unifying figures. We wonder why our ballot only seems to list people among whom we must weigh flaws more than strengths. A Difficult Question I think the issue of quality leadership takes on a completely new light when you ask yourself a difficult and potentially convicting question: Do my actions encourage the kinds of people I want as leaders to pursue leadership roles? Most of us do not actively encourage people to become leaders. Most of us are simply content to complain that the kinds of leaders we’d like to see not on our ballot. As citizens, we are not guaranteed that we will always get to choose the most successful, most principled, most ethical, most capable, or otherwise superlative candidates from within our population. We only get to choose between those who submit themselves for consideration. This self-selection comes with some risk; among our choices will be those whose motivations are not always altruistic. Some may be motivated by power, fame, ego, or a desire to prove something to someone. Some will be better at hiding it than others. What Should We Do? If we want leaders who meet our approval – morally, ethically, politically, or otherwise – we have to actively cultivate their interest in leadership. It is going to be difficult to convince the most ethical person you know to participate in a field well-known for its ethical challenges. Why would that person want to put himself or herself (and his/her family) into the crucible of leadership? Some people will do it because they are driven by vision and principle to lead and attempt to help their organization, community, or nation. Some will do it because they are driven by desire for power or recognition. Most will do it with a combination of motivations. One thing we can do to help adjust the mix for the better is to actively encourage the leaders we would like to see to participate. When you identify the kind of person you admire and envision as a leader, let them know. Encourage them. Be vocal and consistent in your support. Be supportive of his or her family. Be a voice of compassion, appreciation, and influence. Acknowledge excellent leaders when you see them. Footnote: This article was partially inspired by my local school board member, Kim Cobb. I consistently see her interacting with parents and citizens online, answering questions about local policy and encouraging people to participate in their local government. She is a great example of an engaged, in-touch, responsive public official. Thanks, Ms. Cobb!
Sales: The Point Where the Salesman Lost Me
Sales: The Point Where the Salesman Lost Me (or “Stopping When the Sale Is Made”) The Set-Up One of the most important things for a salesperson to learn is how to stop selling when the sale is made. Today I had an experience that reinforced that concept for me. I thought we all might benefit by breaking it down. I pulled into a local supermarket chain to buy gasoline. I’m rather brand loyal to this chain because of my discount points, so I made a special trip to get to this particular location for the discount. While I was pumping gas, a gentleman in a pink traffic vest walked up and commented on the sports logo on the back of my vehicle. He misidentified my team, but it was a fair mistake. He introduced himself, and then Jonathan and I talked about football for a moment. He transitioned smoothly into explaining why he was there. Jonathan was polite, respectful, and had a great personality. He introduced the product, a cleaning wax for cars, and deftly but politely convinced me to let him demonstrate it. After all, my car wasn’t going anywhere until the tank was filled, so this was a pretty smart place for their company to set up a sales promotion. They had the approval of the supermarket, which was making a donation to breast cancer research for every purchase. The product worked great. Every benefit he described got me thinking about how great it would be for our three vehicles, even though I’m not really the type to go out and wash and wax our cars. The idea of helping to facilitate a research contribution was nice, as was the idea of the bonus discount points I’d get for buying the product. I was waiting for the price. Jonathan followed his script smoothly and without seeming like a robot. He introduced it at a high price point, then led into why there was a discount during this promotion. And of course, this promotional price would cover two cans, not just one! They were set up to manage all the purchases through the supermarket’s own purchasing system, so there was no concern about fraud or identity theft. I had every reason to believe this was on the up-and-up. After I filled up my tank, he motioned me to a parking space because the gas pumps needed to stay open. Fine. Where do I sign? The Breakdown I walked to the table where the promotion was set up. I was reaching for my wallet when Jonathan said, “There’s just one more thing I need to show you – they ask us to make sure you know about this.” I saw four cans shrinkwrapped together. I thought it was an upsell to 4 cans. I listened. Instead, Jonathan showed me a 4-can collection including this stuff I liked, plus 3 other products, all packaged together. For twice the original price, he explained that I could get all of this stuff – usually sold at twice the new price! – and the two cans I was interested in would be included as a bonus. This was the point where the salesman lost me. The sale was all but concluded, and then I got three other things to consider, a new price point to weigh, and worst of all, an opportunity to make a comparison between what I was ready to buy and something I really didn’t want but was part of a package deal. First, I had already expressed a reservation about my natural tendency not to put extra effort into washing my car. A wash at an automated car wash is fine, and the occasional detailing is a bonus. I am just not the type to go out in my driveway and wash the cars. Watching Jonathan show me the product in person got me to at least consider that I might be able to muster the wherewithal to use his product. But when three new products were introduced, all with their own specific uses, I was certainly not interested in the amount of work that all of those different cans represented. Second, the new price point was twice what I was thinking about when I moved to buy. That gave me pause. Yes, it was for a 4-pack PLUS the original products, but it was still double what I had expressed interest in spending. Finally, the new bonus pack gave me a new value comparison. Suddenly, the original price for the first two cans didn’t seem like such a great deal if they were just going to be thrown in for free with the double-priced bundle. Why pay 50% of that for just the two cans? Yes, the bargain on 6 cans was supposed to be an incentive, but if I only wanted the two cans of the original product, now it felt more like an unnecessarily expensive proposition rather than a discounted promotional price. I told Jonathan the truth. I had only come to the store for bread and laundry detergent. I was buying gas and he got my attention, but we passed my buying point when the new products were introduced. I said I’d think about it but the moment had passed. It wasn’t entirely Jonathan’s fault. He is a talented salesperson, but the process he was required to follow pushed him into introducing the upsell before my debit card was ready to run. I chose to save 100% on the purchase by skipping the initial offer when it stopped feeling like a real discount. Questions to Consider Are you rushing to your upsell? Jonathan didn’t exactly rush, but he didn’t close the initial sale before the upsell pitch. Is your upsell priced so as to make the initial offer seem significantly less valuable? Jonathan didn’t control the pricing, but the way the package was presented made what I was about to spend on just two cans seem wasteful or even insulting, since they were going
Atlanta Magician and Atlanta Speaker Turner Interviewed on “Cringe” Podcast
Atlanta Magician and Atlanta Speaker Turner Interviewed on “Cringe” Podcast Marc van Bulck, a Presbyterian pastor in Ohio and a magic hobbyist, recently interviewed me for his podcast called “Cringe.” Marc’s podcast is subtitled, “Conversations with Nerds, Artists, and Theologians” – and perhaps all of them apply in this case! In this episode we talk about how the theatrical arts like magic can help people overcome the urge to be vitriolic and engage in healthy communities of dialogue where we can learn from each other. You can download the podcast or listen online at the following link: UPDATE: Alas, many years have passed and the audio of the podcast no longer appears anywhere on the web that I can find it.
Atlanta Magician Joe M. Turner Installed as International President of International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM)
Atlanta Magician Joe M. Turner Installed as International President of International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) Atlanta magician, mentalist, and speaker Joe M. Turner has been installed as the new International President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM). The IBM, with 10,000 members in 88 countries, is the largest association in the magic and illusion industry, with members ranging from casual hobbyists to special effects consultants, performing art historians, and professional performers. (www.magician.org) The installation occurred today, July 16, 2015, at the organization’s annual business meeting held in conjunction with their annual convention. This year’s convention, the 87th annual conference, is being held in Jacksonville, Florida. Turner appeared on local radio and television stations earlier this week promoting the convention, the public shows being held at the Florida Theatre, and the art of magic in general. Turner, a former management consultant, is a full-time speaker and corporate entertainer based in Atlanta. He is also a member of the Academy of Magical Arts at the Hollywood Magic Castle, the Magic Circle in London, the Society of American Magicians, and the Fellowship of Christian Magicians. He has written for Genii Magazine, the industry’s oldest journal, for the past fifteen years. He has performed at the Hollywood Magic Castle, Monday Night Magic in New York, the London Palladium, and at hundreds of corporate meetings and events in North America and Europe. Joe and his wife Rosemary have two children (Hayley and Preston) and live in the northwestern suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. You can find out more about Joe and his work at www.turnermagic.com
Turner Performs in All-Star Atlanta Magicians Show at Tucker Rec Center
Turner Performs in All-Star Atlanta Magicians Show at Tucker Rec Center Last week, I joined four other Atlanta magicians onstage (plus another half-dozen in crew and backstage support) in a community relations effort on behalf of the Georgia Magic Club, Ring 9 of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. On Wednesday, June 3, members of IBM Ring 9 – The Georgia Magic Club produced an all-star magic show for the students attending DeKalb County’s “Camp Superstars” at the Tucker Recreational Center in Tucker, Georgia. The performers included Paul Sponaugle, Merritt Ambrose, Debbie Leifer, and myself, with current Ring 9 president Dale Adamson serving as master of ceremonies. I was honored to be asked to be the closer on a show in which all the performers and the MC had been voted “Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year” at least once, and in some cases multiple times. Ring 9 members West Evans, Mike Dunagan, Martin Baratz, Gene Hendrix, Dan Garrett, and Jim Mangham served as the technical and stage crew for the show, and current Ring 9 Vice President Mark Hatfield was the producer. Every performer brought something special and unique to the show. Paul Sponaugle has an engaging wit and impeccable comic timing, and he interacted perfectly with his chosen volunteer in a magical torn and restored paper routine. Merritt Ambrose performed a classic broken and restored balloon string trick, and finished by making his table float in the air. Debbie Leifer delivered a strong presentation which climaxed with the continuous production of coins from the air, during which she was assisted by a youngster whose reactions were as magical as the trick itself. During my own segment, I got some terrific screams by causing the audience to see my head shrinking and growing in a strange optical illusion. After some comedy balloon sculptures, I caused a young boy’s signed playing card to vanish while he was holding the deck of cards, only to appear in a previously inflated and tied balloon. I then closed the show with a classical stage illusion in which a young girl is suspended in the air between two chairs. The program, which entertained somewhere on the order of 250 kids aged 5-15 (plus at least a dozen adults), was not just a great way to engage and support activities in the greater Atlanta community, but also a way for Ring 9 to progress toward award status within the International Brotherhood of Magicians. “Honor Rings” are designated by the international organization for chapters, or Rings, which attain specific membership and programming criteria. I am thrilled to be part of Ring 9, the Georgia Magic Club. I served as Ring president in 2000 and 2001 – just a few years after joining the club in 1998 – and I have been an active board member for most of the years since. I can easily assert that I would not have the career I have now, nor would I have pursued leadership roles at the international level, without the support and encouragement of so many of the members of IBM Ring 9. While performances for children’s groups are not my primary market, I considered it a privilege (as well as a lot of fun!) to participate in this project. I thank Ring 9 vice president Mark Hatfield for inviting me to be part of the show, and congratulations to the cast and crew on a job well done!
Atlanta Magician Turner Headlines at Florida’s Wizardz Magic Theater
Atlanta Magician Turner Headlines at Florida’s Wizardz Magic Theater This week brought a return to sunny Florida and the lovely Wizardz Magic Theatre in Kissimmee, Florida. Wizardz Magic Theater at Seralago Hotel & Suites has been presenting weekly magic from a parade of outstanding performers since August 2009. This marks the third time I’ve performed here and the first time I’ve headlined. There’s more to Wizardz than just the shows, though. Erick and Kim Olson have built this enterprise into a community that attracts both a flow of tourists and a steady cadre of magicians and local magic enthusiasts. At any given show you’ll find an audience filled with people who have never experienced live magic along with plenty of experienced magicians who are eager to see and support live magic performances in the Orlando area. Part of the fun of performing is the fellowship and camaraderie with this community. It’s always a pleasure, for example, to spend some time talking with Mary Naylor Kodell, the widow of the great stage magician Jack Kodell but also a performer in her own right. Mary was an actress in London’s West End (from the age of 12!) as well as in film and television prior to 1962, when she and Jack retired in Orlando. (You can find out more about Mary in this 2-minute video, hosted by none other than David Copperfield.) At this particular performance, the opening act of the evening was another young lady with stellar performance skills and a magical legacy. Lydia Coomes, age ten, started the evening off with a fantastic close-up act including magic with cards, coins, and even a dice-stacking demonstration! The granddaughter of magical innovator Bob Swadling certainly has a bright future in magic should she choose to pursue this branch of the performing arts. Wizardz Magic Theater was also the site of the IBM JAM in January of this year. The JAM is a members-only day of magic and learning for members of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. I admire the Olsons for their commitment to elevate both the performance and the perception of the art of magic in their community, as well as for the benefit of the IBM. They were willing to stretch past their normal processes in order to help their association be more successful. You can expect elevating performance and perception to be key themes for me as I assume the presidency of the International Brotherhood of Magicians next month. In the meantime – are you looking for ways that you can stretch and benefit your own field and your own associations? It usually takes going beyond what you’re used to doing to get different and better results!
Whether in Magic or Branding, the Tools Are Not the Art
Whether in Magic or Branding, the Tools Are Not the Art What do arcane arguments over magic tricks or other performing arts have to do with your brand and your branding? Read on! In the field of sleight-of-hand magic, seemingly innocuous conversations can sometimes bubble over into a rage over the most unlikely topics. Inexperienced performers will flock to social media wondering what trick they should try to learn, and then become irate when a hundred answers are given. Intermediate performers and even some experienced pros will rant about “the best” move to use to accomplish a given task, sometimes becoming adamant that no other version is even worth knowing. I once actually received a phone call asking why I reviewed a product for magicians in a magazine and thought slightly better of it than another reviewer with another set of criteria in another magazine. (How could it be that two people have non-identical points of view on a product? He was legitimately mystified that reviewers could have a range of opinion.) There seems to be something about magicians that presupposes the existence of an ultimate answer to a question of “What’s the best?” What is the trick to replace all tricks? What is the move to replace all moves? What is the prop to replace all props? Basically, what is the one ring to rule them all… and make me a star in the process? Similar arguments rage elsewhere. What’s the best monologue, or audition etude, or ballet slipper? It’s difficult to imagine, but yes, there are even arguments over “the best” song to sing. Some songs, monologues, slippers, or sleight-of-hand moves may be more appropriate, more efficient, more realistic, or better constructed, but the answer of what’s “the best” is usually a distraction from harder questions: Who is in my audience? What do I want them to think about this experience? How do I want them to feel? What action do I want them to take as a result? How will I use this song, monologue, ballet slipper, or magic trick to have the greatest possible impact on my audience given my current skills? But What About Branding? Many entrepreneurs and small businesses get caught up in the same kinds of details. How many Twitter followers do I have? How many people like my Facebook page? What is “the best” subject line for an email? What is “the best” time to post on social media? What is “the best” format for a direct mail piece? It can be tempting to focus on these kinds of questions because these variables can be measured, changed, argued about, and give one a sense that “I’m doing something.” But one thing I’ve learned as I’ve bounced up, down, and sideways through the mistakes I’ve made in my own business is that no amount of “doing something” is a substitute for doing what needs to be done. Looking for “the best” solution is only meaningful once you understand who you are, who your audience is, and what you want to accomplish in your relationship with them. The questions artists must ask apply to you, too! Who is in my audience? What do I want them to think about this experience? How do I want them to feel? What action do I want them to take as a result? How will I use this [web site, social media account, mail campaign, advertisement, marketing event] to have the greatest possible impact on my audience given my current skills? Once you have those questions in mind, you can evaluate what is “best” in advancing toward that goal in the same way that great performers choose their repertoire: they know what fits them, their character, and their message.
Branding, Engagement, and the Limits of Applause
Branding, Engagement, and the Limits of Applause There is nothing quite like the sound of applause, but strong brands and strong leaders remember that applause is temporary. To build a lasting relationship and have a lasting impact requires more than the fleeting expression of momentary approval. Those more significant outcomes require brand engagement. “What is it that we’re living for? Applause, applause!” Applause (1970) by Lee Adams & Charles Strouse “There must be more to life than this.” Freddie Mercury, 1982 Brand Engagement Brand engagement is the ongoing process of building a connection between a person and a brand. In theatrical terms, it is the unfolding of a story that involves both characters – both listen, both take action, both respond to what happens, and both are involved in the scenes. Engagement can be built in different ways. It can start with that applause, or approval, when the awareness of your brand creates an initial positive response. It can grow when a conversation takes place between the brand leader and the consumer, or the artist and the audience. It can deepen when you provide multiple opportunities for your audience to participate in branded experiences, relating to your brand and talking about it with others. All of these elements must be consistent with the overall story that your brand is telling, and the promise that your brand is making to everyone who encounters it. Pursuing brand engagement can feel like a neverending quest for Twitter followers, Facebook likes, or blog comments. All of these can be useful metrics in certain circumstances, but as Robert Passikoff explained in Forbes, it’s important to realize that engagement with your communication tools or methods is not quite the same thing as engaging with your brand. After all, some people love to go to the theatre even when they don’t care for the play. Interacting with the Brand It is easy for a brand to become a permanent monologue. We have hundreds or thousands of things we want our audiences to understand about our product, whether it’s a retail product or something else, like our art, or our leadership vision, or any other idea we wish to share. And sometimes a monologue can be a strong dramatic experience, so it has a place in the overall texture of the play. But don’t leave the other characters out of the scene too long – they may find another theatre where they can get some stage time, too! Most of my brand’s interaction happens on the Facebook and Twitter pages, and in person at events. I can tell that my brand has engaged with a large part of my audience because they think of my brand when they encounter other providers in my sector. When people in my audience watch television, go to a movie, or see something floating around online – if it involves magic, I will frequently get dozens of emails or shares asking me if I’ve seen it. Those interactions come via Facebook, Twitter, or email, but in all cases they indicate that I have ownership of the “magic” brand for them. What are you experiencing in your own business that lets you know that your brand has traction and engagement? What are you going to do now to increase that engagement?
