As a marketing communications professional, I work with great brands every day and I find it incredibly exciting (and humbling) to be a key influencer in how brands are portrayed to their audiences. One of the toughest challenges I see our clients at Go East face is the ability to lead change for their brands vs. manage change.

What’s the difference? A mere matter of sanity, I’d say. Leading change is about being thoughtful with regard to decisions related to a brand and working in alignment with a thorough marketing communications plan. Managing change is about reacting to the curve balls thrown at us every day.

Most of us are good at managing change. We feel we have it all under control because we’ve been doing it so long. Fire-putter-outters, we sometimes call ourselves. We’re overworked, underpaid and unappreciated. We are so strapped for time that our day-to-day activities become a long checklist of tactics:

[ ] Send PPT to Bob

[ ] Check with Jane about the marketing claims

[ ] Create a barcode for the sales flyer

[ ] Request printed samples from the printer

[ ] Follow up with Sue about website project

If your to-do list looks like that, you’re a change manager. The question becomes how do you shift from being a change manager to a change leader?

Change leaders lead a brand with confidence. These are people that have the brand knowledge but also know where their expertise ends and another’s would be beneficial. These people pull together cross-functional teams and outside vendors and partners. A change leader is not someone who “does it all because it’s just easier.” A change leader knows what’s a relevant use of their time or a relevant use of a brand’s budget. Change leaders have high expectations and they expect accountability. Most importantly, a change leader doesn’t do something because “that’s the way it has always been done.”

No doubt about it, leading change is hard, even in the best of circumstances and, let’s face it, “best circumstances” are a rarity. But, if you can lead change, you won’t feel overworked and unappreciated. You’ll see others looking to you for leadership. In fact, one of my favorite quotes about being a leader is:

There are many things that comprise leadership, such as outperforming others, making difficult decisions and taking responsibility. But one of the most noble expressions of leadership is endeavoring to bring out the best in those around you.

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I am currently engaged in a battle on Foursquare for the mayorship of the Chef Shack at Kingfield Market in Minneapolis.

Hotly contested Foursquare mayorships are indicative of success in social media and prowess in the digital space. Chef Shack, the Twin Cities premier street food vendor, has successfully used multiple social spaces like Foursquare to engage their  fans, gain new followers who become new customers and develop buzz for their brand. I’m sure they are following the Foursquare battle with glee.

On the street and in the social space

Street food is hot right now. It is an exciting trend that is creative, local and entrepreneurial and leverages strong brand personality and excellent food. Street food is made for social media and vice versa. Chefs promote today’s specials on Twitter. Seasonal local ingredients are promoted and used to expand local palates. Trending scenes are noted at check-in and lure others to stop by. User reviews rule.

Carrie Summer and Lisa Carlson are talented chefs with deep experience in the Twin Cities restaurant scene. Their food is amazing and they have a great understanding of what is needed to build a brand and engage users when you don’t have a bricks-and-mortar location. Because their business is mobile, their customers follow them on Twitter to learn if tongue tacos are on the menu and friend them on Facebook to find out if they will be parked at SurlyFest. Fans post imagery of their favorite dishes on Flickr and the local media sources photos there. Chef Shack integrates social media into its operations and hence, connects directly with its customers.

My first social media engagement with the Chef Shack was my review on Yelp. Yelp is a very popular review site that builds community and has a strong social media presence. Carrie contacted me after my review was selected for “Review of the Day” and I began interacting with them on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Flickr (and at the truck). The ability for a chef to communicate directly with customers and turn them into fans is one of social media’s most important features. When a chef responds to a Tweet or posts photos of fans on Facebook, it builds strong connections and develops loyalty.

Chef Shack is also outstanding at using social media to invite their customers to act on their behalf, help build their brand, grow their business and even change legislation. Last spring, when Minneapolis was considering changing ordinances to allow street food vendors on public streets, Carrie and Lisa were in India researching the street food scene. Obviously, they could not be at the public hearings on the ordinances so they invited their fans, via Facebook and Twitter, to attend and lobby on their behalf. The hearing ended up being standing room only and a third of the speakers mentioned Chef Shack. The legislation was eventually passed and Mayor Ryback was an early customer of Chef Shack’s downtown lunch location.

Using social media to build a brand requires a deep understanding of trend, marketing and branding and Chef Shack’s ability to leverage the unique interactions of social media to listen and engage their fans is noteworthy. This month, they invited their fans to vote for them in the Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race contest to compete in season two of the series. We’ll learn soon if they successfully used social media this season to make them darlings of traditional media next season.

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Am I writing with a pen or an ad?

I’m a designer. I am very conscious of my own brand when I’m taking notes in a client meeting or sketching for a vendor. I do not appreciate other brands encroaching on my own. My computer has a logo, my notebook has a logo, my pad of paper has a logo, does my pen really need one, too?

When clients ask me to add their brands to products that people handle daily I can’t help but try to explain the current pen in my hand: The Sanford Uniball Micro. It is beautiful, clean, balanced, trustworthy and virtually free of branding. Only a wonderfully subtle logo and name is etched into its simple metal clip. I would hope that when product designers consider how to identify or recognize a product with a brand mark that they at least put up a little fight. Inform clients that after the product has been purchased, the consumer is not impressed with what brand they are holding or displaying on their desk but how well it performs.

Branding is for packaging and advertising. If you have truly created a wonderful writing experience, then the product will stand out on its own —  e.g., Bic’s classic ballpoint.

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As a passionate social media user and a true Minnesotan, it was fun to find the Minnesota State Fair on Twitter. I found their updates to be friendly, timely, relevant and authentic. The Fair’s social media efforts integrated Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, as well as a mobile website — an oft overlooked social media tactic — which is impressive given that the Fair is a 12-day event.

I spoke with Brienna Schuette, marketing and communications manager for the Minnesota State Fair, about their social media efforts. She indicated that, like many organizations, when the Fair first started using social media they did it for fun.

(more…)

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“What’s your problem?” If you’ve worked with Go East, you may have heard this question from your account executive.

But don’t worry; if you know anything about us, you know that we don’t mean it in a snide way — we truly want to understand your  brand’s problem. Communicating problems is sometimes difficult for people. In the realm of marketing communications, the tendency is for proactive marketers to communicate  the solution — but that’s putting the cart before the horse.

You wouldn’t tell your doctor that you need surgery to remove your appendix. Or, if you did say that to her, let’s pray she wouldn’t just go ahead and do it! How frightening. YOU’RE not a doctor (and your doctor isn’t an “order taker”) — what if you misdiagnosed yourself? Instead, your doctor would likely say: ”Why do you think you need your appendix removed? What are your symptoms? Let’s see if there are other options.”

The next time you’re working with Go East (experts at solving complex challenges via integrated marketing communications solutions), bring us your challenge — in terms of the marketing problem that needs to be solved — rather than the solution. It gives us the opportunity to use our vast experience solving similar challenges. Leveraging those experiences, along with fresh new thinking, we’re able to quickly find the right solution for you, which means you’ll get better results. In the end, your brand will be more successful and you’ll look good, too!

So, what’s your problem?

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One of the most complicated challenges marketers face today is determining whether new media is relevant for their brands and, if so, how to implement it.

In my role as a certified social media strategist at Go East, I work with clients to address this challenge.

Two things we consider when determining if new media is relevant for a brand:

1. Is there a disconnect between how your customers are buying (business to consumer or business to business) and how you are selling? What this means is that, whether you realize it or not, your customers are looking to each other for referrals, recommendations, advice, etc. before making purchasing decisions. And they’re doing this online. If you’re not leveraging the relevant spaces and places to influence those conversations, you’re missing a huge opportunity.
2. Are your customers, competitors and partners immersed in new media? What are they (or others) saying about you? If they are out there on their own or talking about your brand, then new media is relevant for you.

When you engage with Go East, our social media methodology dictates that these are the first  things we explore. And since integrating new media with your existing brand and communication objectives is the most important aspect when moving forward — it’s imperative to work with an agency that is passionate and driven enough to tackle the complexities of your brand, not just someone who will set you up with a Facebook page.

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One of the many things I love about working at Go East is that I have lots of colleagues who enjoy reading and learning as much as I do. So when I heard Carla and Ric talking about Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers, I knew I had to read it.

It was fabulous. For those that haven’t,  I highly recommend reading it. It’s a new way of thinking about what defines success.

In the beginning of the book, I wasn’t sure where Mr. Gladwell was going with his theory on how to be successful. For instance, one of the examples he used is that an overwhelming majority of “successful” hockey players are born in either January, February or March. Something as arbitrary as this makes a person feel helpless in paving their own success path. But as the book progressed, he dug deeper and revealed that there are ways to influence success in our lives.

Translating the core of the book’s message to the marketing communications world, the question becomes: Why do some brands succeed, while so many more never reach their potential? Gladwell would say that successful brands don’t rise out of nowhere. Instead, “they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.”

Putting the theories outlined in this book in the context of marketing communications, it totally shifts the way I think about planning for my clients. The tried and true is not so relevant. In fact, it’s sure to lead to mediocrity. How can we make our brands true outliers?

1. Practice. To truly stand apart from the crowd it takes 10,000 hours of practice, according to Mr. Gladwell. What does that mean for a brand? First and foremost it means that marketing can’t be viewed as an expense. It needs to be an investment. A serious investment with experienced professionals leading the way.
2. Seek opportunities. Not only that: Take advantage of them. This is almost a subcategory of practicing. Get out there. Listen to what your customers are saying. Maximize those opportunities. Had Bill Gates not snuck out of his house every night between 3 and 6  a.m. to get in extra time on the computer at the nearby university, he would not be the man he is today. Breaking the rules to take advantage of opportunities is what will truly set your brand apart.
3. Surround yourself with like-minded team members. Both internal and external partners. Those that support your desire to drive the brand towards true marketplace dominance. People who not only say “good job” but also work with you to meet that goal. An “I’ll do whatever you tell me,” partner is not going to make your job easier. Seek true thought leaders.

Thinking of Gladwell’s book in the context of marketing communications is super exciting. There is so much potential for so many brands and the formula for success is clearly spelled out.

Who is your favorite risk taker?

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All the colors below are trademarked. And with 80 percent of visual information related to color — these four big companies aren’t the only ones trademarking colors!

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