WOW, what a fantastic day we had with our first open to the public workshop – A Simple Path – Learning Communication and Thinking Skill Sets. We had a sold out event held at the Park Cities Hilton in Dallas, TX. With my business manager Chris Ryan spearheading the marketing effort we filled the room with participants for the full day, multimedia, interactive learning experience. Here is a sample of the type of comments we have received:
Steve,
Congratulations on a very successful training course Tuesday. Having worked for a global training and consulting firm in the past, I am keenly aware of the nuances and challenges of conducting a day long forum. I was pleased to see the content was applicable to everyone regardless of age or career stage, and you successfully kept the audience engaged for the entire day. That is a huge feat in itself. Well done. All the arrangements were handled to the smallest detail making the entire experience an A+. Steve, you exceeded my expectations. Thank you for a fantastic day. I have been enriched.
Monica Coney
VP Strategic Development
Smith, Frank & Partners, L.L.C.
This was a learning experience for Chris and me. Thanks to the wonderful comments and suggestions we will be ready to improve the program for our next offering.
If you are interested in Creative Ventures bringing a program to your area, contact Chris Ryan at cryan@paredigm.com or give him a call at 214-697-2700.
August has me on the road again with new projects and presentations!
At any given time we are engaged with clients in one or more aspects of their brand. The idea of a brand becoming the identity of an organization is fairly new in the ideology of business. Here is the “MTV Minute” on the history of branding:
Starts with the Industrial Revolution when production takes off and whips the heck out of demand. The abundance of stuff starts.- WWII pumps up industrial capacity by leaps and bounds but adds the element of the American culture starting to count pennies. We become frugal and selective.
- Big production capacity and the tightening of spending belts starts to get producers thinking – “hey, we better start selling!”
- In the 1950’s a medium to reach the masses comes on the scene with TV - and the modern advertising industry is born. From this media explosion emerges the idea of “the brand”.
So modern branding, the child of modern advertising is really only about
50 + years old and we are still learning and trying new stuff. With the advent of the internet the whole idea of what a brand is changed. Its message is being redefined and repositioned, spreading fast through new avenues and supported by word of mouth wildfires.
Are you worried about your brand? Are you unique in a crowded market? Does your team know what you want and can they effectively and simply communicate your brand message? You would be surprised at how many companies and organizations, while focusing on all the “important stuff” have lost track of their brand starting point.
It may be time to refocus, to look at the dipstick of your brand. Here’s a beginning.
Define ALL of your POINTS OF CONTACT. Those are the elements and people that come in contact with your customers. Some are primary or initial contacts and others are secondary or even tertiary. Focus training and communication attention there. Every one of these contact points sets the stage for your brand. Make sure they know what the message is.
Do you know the first Point of Contact at Disneyland? It’s the parking lot attendant. Disney makes sure these people are brand conscious and know the history of Disney. They become the “starters’ for the Magic Kingdom Experience.
Next, look at your FRONT OF STORE. This is what the customer “sees”. Provide leadership at your front of store where the brand begins its journey of recognition and client engagement.
Branding is about people, about a subtle dance between consumer and producer. To create your brand impact, define your beginning and focus your resources there!
I recently heard that one of my all time hero’s was in critical condition with leukemia. Dr. Norman Borlaug is one of the greatest Americans and humanitarians of all time. A humble plant pathologist/geneticist he is often referred to as “the man who has saved more lives than any person in history”. In 1970 when he won the Nobel Peace Prize his introduction stated he had saved over a billion lives.
In his work, he led mankind’s war of liberation by helping combat the torment of human hunger.
His research and keen eye for noticing things created a high yielding, short strawed, disease resistant, drought tolerant variety of wheat. Indian farmers, between 1964 – 68 increased their wheat production in those 4 years by an order greater than that achieved in the previous 4000 years!
He is one of only 5 people in history to win the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.
Many of you who have shared time with me in my presentations have heard me profile Dr. Borlaug many times; often using an ear of corn as the artifact (his work was on a variety of grains).
The ordinary American has never heard of Dr. Borlaug, which is a shame, but you have a curious mind or you wouldn’t be reading this newsletter and curious minds belong to extraordinary people.
: Interested in these ideas?
You can contact Steve at steve@creativeventures.com or give him a call at 972-490-7717.
