Growth Perspective

Fire

My childhood lesson about fire was that it’s hot, dangerous, unpredictable, can burn and to stay away. The other day, someone shared with me another lesson on fire, one that they learned from their visit to Yellowstone National Park. After a large fire in 1988 that burned 63 percent of the total acreage at Yellowstone, scientist learned that:

– Temperatures of the fire were only high enough to kill less than one-tenth of the roots of plants.

– If water was available, new plant growth began within a few days.

– Plant growth was unusually lush in the first years after a fire.

I also learned that a number of plants need fire to survive because they rely on fire to release their seeds. 

While our perception of fire is that it’s hot, unpredictable and dangerous, when can it also be a vehicle to help us thrive? Dulling the fire may keep us safe, but how does its suppression keep us from growing?

Brand Strategy Growth

Creating value

There are instances where a brand offers a great product or service that people do not associate the appropriate value to. This produces a disconnect based on what something is worth. It is costly because a brand that is not able to effectively communicate value, runs the risk of becoming extinct.

The definition of value is….

val·ue

The regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.

Being undervalued is a hard barrier to overcome. But we are more likely to create value when we effectively communicate our importance, worth and usefulness.

Brand Strategy Perspective

Selling sound

How do you sell sound? I’ve been observing the strategy of a music streaming service, Tidal, that is attempting to do just this.

While they’ve made some adjustments in their brand presentation since I wrote about them here, they are still misguided in their approach of promoting sound quality as the differential between them and their competitors.

The obvious reason that Tidal would try to sell sound quality is because selling screen quality has worked for television and other devices. But, the reality is:

Selling sound quality is not equivalent to selling screen quality.

Referring to science alone, sight is our most dominant sense. That is why we can distinguish between high and low screen quality. We don’t register the difference in sound quality enough to sway our purchase decision.

Considering this, how should Tidal adjust their overall brand strategy?

The tagline…

Current tagline: High Fidelity Music Streaming

The issue: What value does high fidelity add to me as an end user? I am not sure that most people could tell you the difference between high fidelity and the quality of their music now. It is not quantifiable in a way that people can extract value.

Suggested tagline: Flawless Music Streaming or Flawless Music

The quotes…

Current quote: “Forget Spotify. Get CD Quality Music” – Forbes

The issue: On Tidal’s website, there are several quotes that refer to the CD quality of the music. Meaning, Tidal is attempting to position themselves as offering new technology by comparing themselves to old, outdated technology? This takes away value and may be confusing to consumers, some of who may not even know what a CD is or have enough experience listening to them to understand the quality comparison.

Suggested quote: “I’ve never listened to music this flawless.” -Pannsy

Tidal should be inspired, not completely lead, by the sound quality of their music. They are trying to sell sound quality to the masses, when they should be selling to people who want their life, and their music, to be flawless. That is how you sell sound.

Brand Strategy

Consistency

In life and with brands, consistency seems to be one of the biggest challenges. Random and inconsistent efforts cost us valuable time and will always keep us short of our full potential.

In my experience, building a consistent brand requires, at the minimum, these 3 elements:

Focus: A clear understanding of the core strengths.

Discipline: The discipline to operate within those core strengths and resisting the lure of trends.

Planning: The proper planning helps us make intentional steps, at the right time, that are aligned to our goals.

The problem with consistency is that you can seem to operate fine without it for a while. It’s one of those things that doesn’t seem to cost you anything, until it costs you everything. A lack of engagement and wasted time and efforts, over a certain period of time, eventually catches up to us. And at worst, it keeps us from reaching our full potential.

Brands Perspective

A lesson in spotting trends: Bill Cunningham

Bill Cunningham is an 86 year old photographer who, in my opinion, has one of the biggest pulses on fashion and trends. He accomplishes this by doing something simple, observing his environment. Geared with his camera, a blue jacket and bike, he roams the streets of New York City, capturing images and discovering the connections between people, the environment and its relation to fashion. In a very unassuming way, he consistently records trends that are compiled in short videos posted by the New York Times.

Spotting trends does not have to be an ambitious process. It’s a simple practice of observing our environment, curious to discover the connections that exist.

Below is a short video of Bill Cunningham observing his environment, created by the New York Times

Brand Strategy

Alignment

One of the most common problems I recognize and work on with brands are alignment issues. It is often the case that what they stand for does not match up to how they exist in the world. This produces a disconnect that ripples in to other aspects of the brand.

Mis-alignment is costly because it:

1. Wastes valuable time and efforts.

2. Makes it difficult to understand what you do best.

3. Blocks clear communication.

4. Results in missed opportunities.

Getting a brand from a place of disconnection to a place of alignment requires us to be intentional. But in my experience, the results are always worth the efforts.

Perspective

Ideas float

My belief is that ideas float. When we feel the gentle breeze of something that wants to live in the world, it is inviting us to share. If we fail to follow through on the this special moment, the idea will try its gentle breeze on another person, possibly someone more willing to breathe it into existence.

It’s best not to take the gentle breezes for granted. It’s in the nature of an idea to float.

Brand Strategy Perspective

Soup du jour

Which one would you prefer, soup du jour or soup of the day?

Soup du jour means soup of the day in French. Which is why I was intrigued when I saw this on the menu at a local non-French restaurant. I started to wonder about the origins of this naming decision, which accompanied items that were simply named hummus, fruit bowl and fish tacos.

As I waited for my soup du jour and hummus, I observed people politely leaving the restaurant with half eaten dishes. Apparently, the naming of the soup was not the only identity crisis in existence. And as I began to eat my hummus that boasted odd flavors, an unpleasant consistency, and weird color, I wondered if this was a restaurant trying too hard to be something else? Ironically enough, the soup du jour was perfection.

Growth Perspective

Noise

At first, a loud or imposing noise can seem unbearable. After a while, we get used to it and it’s business as usual. That once irritating sound can become a seamless part of our background, and it’s not until we withdraw our attention, that we’re reminded of how intrusive it really is.

Noise in our environment comes in many forms. It can exist as an idea that has worn out its welcome or a broken system that remains in place. We must remove ourselves from the environment in order to hear the noise with a renewed sense of open-mindedness. When we do, we may decide that there is an opportunity to adjust the volume.

Brand Strategy Growth Perspective

What you do best

The other day I worked with a phenomenal writer who is aspiring to write and produce a screenplay or television series. While discussing potential next moves, this person was adamant about exploring an idea that was far removed from writing. Their thought process was that this idea appeared to be low hanging fruit, in an industry already saturated with subpar ideas. Maybe success here could help support their true passion of writing down the road?

As we redirected the brainstorming session back towards a focused direction around their writing skills, a few key questions revealed the idea that really wanted to live. We started to grab the relevant pieces from that idea that seemed far removed, and uncovered a direction for a fresh idea that has much promise.

Sometimes, we can experience burnout and fatigue from trying to reach our goals, and it is tempting to explore something that is completely removed – Maybe even good? But when that far removed idea visits us, we should consider the relevant pieces. Because maybe what we really need is an inspired thought that allows us to look at something from a different angle. In these scenarios, how do we widen the possibilities and still honor what we do best?