Effective Naturally

There is no doubt the world has changed.
There are policies and habits that business have relied on for years that no longer work.

Why is this?

There are many reasons but one of the strongest reasons must be because of the speed at which life now operates and the clutter that our human bodies are just not made to deal with.

Quite simply the amount of advertising and promises thrown at us these days is more than we can take in to account. Not only this but we have more choice than ever before from right around the world. The Global Financial Crisis had much of the population thinking about what's really important to them, and for most it was less about money and more about value.

The problem is most people know things have changed, but they don't know what.

Here's a list of the top changes. Take the time to think about where you're at with each point. Have you adapted yet?

Quote of the Week

Touchpoint Awards

WooHoo of the Week - Tasmanian Farmers
If there is any industry that knows the world has shifted it's agriculture in Tasmania. When McDonalds preferred New Zealand potatoes that sent quite a shake up through the industry as just one sign that adaptation would be required. I'm glad to say that this industry now seems to be bucking the trend. They've discovered new ways of doing business, embraced effective technologies, understood their value to their core markets and looked at new ways to be profitable. They had to abandon the fact that particular crops have been grown on their land for generations and deliver something valued by the audience of now. The reward? It seems many of them have grown their businesses to encompass agritourism with some operators recording increases of 200%. Hear the interview with Anna Vidot from ABC Radio by clicking here.


BooBoo of the Week - Jenny Craig
Here's a classic example of a business going searching for a brand alignment based on pure numbers rather than creating a mutual benefit for both parties. Earlier this week, Jenny Craig announced that it would sponsor the Kyle and Jackie O show on the Austereo Network, but had to pull it after one day admitting that it "badly misjudged the public perception of Kyle Sandilands." Before making this admission, Jenny Craig did try to stick by it's new agreement, by announcing that it would continue to support the Kyle & Jackie O because of it's large audience within it's target bracket. It appears that the numbers distracted the management from the feelings that loyal Jenny Craig fans had, which used their Facebook to raise their comments, especially in regard to Kyle's comments about former Jenny Craig ambassador Magda Szubanski (which we should not even mention here because of how inappropriate it was!). This is why brand relationships should be mutually beneficial, and never undertaken in a way that could damage the existing brand. To read more about this, check out this article on mUmBRELLA.

For more discussions about branding, the Summer issue of Enterprise Magazine has just been released, which features the first of a regular column I will be writing. This issues topic is Branding: The Most Important Tool since the Spreadsheet, and the magazine is available throughout Tasmania from newsagents and also by subscription.

As another week takes us deeper in to the year, have you really thought about your vision? If not you can still check the last few weeks of Perspectives. Without vision there is no starting point to become a brand people love.

Cheerio!

Rick Marton Brand & Culture Architect