7 branding lessons from The Masters

I’m not much of a golfer; I’d rather fly fish the water hazards. With that said, I appreciate this weekend’s featured sports event: The Masters. Reflecting on this legendary golf tournament this morning (Saturday), I soon realized there were branding lessons to be learned. So, I made a list of the Top 7 that came to mind.

1. Scarcity creates demand. The Master’s is one of four PGA “Majors." This helps. It’s also the only major that is played on the exact same course every year. This also helps.

2. Become a media darling. Similar to the perceived scarcity mentioned in #1, the Masters also strategically positions itself as the only show going. Name another sporting event this weekend?  And, the media loves it.

2. Create a unique icon. The Masters carries the mantra “A tradition unlike any other." One aspect of this tradition is awarding the Green Jacket. Green Jacket? Exactly, not something that would normally win style points, but a unique icon and ceremony that makes the Masters… well, the Masters.

3. Understand Brand Continuity. Every touch point of the Masters speaks to their brand. Music, camera angles, Jim Nantz, even the birds chirping in the background, allude to what is proclaimed as a magical place. In addition to the T.V. coverage, online touch points such as the Master’s website,  CBS online coverage both carry this continuity.

4. Use a simple logo, often. I included the universally recognizable Masters’ logo above as proof that the logo only goes so far. I’m sure even amateur graphic artists could list the improvements they’d make to this logo. Not a chance. The Masters understands the weight it carries in its simplicity and tradition. They also use the same logo for all branding. For example, here’s a link to Masters’ merchandise– different item, same logo, exact, same logo. The brand makes the logo, not vice versa.

5. Develop an incredible product. Marketing a mediocre product doesn’t work. All great brands originate with an amazing product (i.e. Apple). For the Masters this product is Augusta National and the experience this course brings. The Masters knows this and spares no expense to make this product perfect. It even closes the course annually in a quest for continuously improvement.

6. Embrace your brand champions. The PGA’s pros love the Masters. Saturday’s leader, Fred Couples, claimed he’d never play again if he won the Masters this weekend. They love the challenge and they love the product (see #5). As brand champions, the pro’s fans love what they love and we all love the Masters.

7. Tell your stories. Well told stories build brands. From the beginning of the coverage to the bitter end, the Masters craft and tell their 76 years of story making. The wins the losses, the glory of victory and the agony of defeat are told time and time again. These images lead you to believe your’e watching history, and you are.

This Sunday, enjoy the Masters and embrace the years of beautiful branding. More importantly, Happy Easter!

my mother's words of wisdom

Today is March 8th, my mom’s 61st birthday. My royal loyal readers–other than my mom–know I like to dedicate this blog to her on this special day. It’s a small token of my appreciation for all that she has done for me. Last year, I listed the 10 lessons she’d taught me; this year I’d like to focus on her words of wisdom.

  1. “Good morning, Good morning, it’s time to rise and shine.” My mom didn’t say this, she sang this. It was my daily alarm clock to get ready for school. Although I didn’t enjoy it then, I’ve embraced it now. Early risers are more productive and this little saying is a good way to start the day.
  2. “You grow in the valleys, not on the mountains.” I think she took this one from her grandmother. Regardless of its origin, it is true. Painfully true.
  3. “Always finish what you start.” My first memory of these words in action came after running into the pool wall during a swim meet at the age of  7. When I decided I would go ahead and exit the pool in the middle of the race, my mom was standing there to make sure I finished.
  4. “This is the best _____ I’ve ever had.”  You can insert nearly any restaurant appetizer or entree into the blank. Calamari is a sure bet. The fact is, if your are always eating the best food you’ve ever had, life keeps getting better.
  5. “You’re going to be a huge success.” I’m not sure how this is measured or, if it will ever ring true, but it still sounds good to hear your mom say it.
  6. “I just want you to pursue your dreams.” This was my mom’s response to my request to attend the University of Montana. As a side, my dad’s response was: “You know you were born and bred to be a Razorback.” Both are great responses.
  7. “Oh Fooie!” She could cuss, but frequently inserts “Fooie” instead of profanity. Not only is this a good substitution, it always makes me laugh.
  8. "I’m so blessed."   This is a great way to look at a life.

Happy birthday and thank you for the words of wisdom.

writing about writing

Another recycle from the water blog. Another post I thought was worth sharing twice. Enjoy.

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I’ve spent much of the last two weeks working on deliverables. This is also know as writing. While writing this afternoon, I thought:

I bet other marketing professionals also spend much of their time writing. Why don’t I write about writing.

For the record, writing is not one of my natural talents. Some helpful college professors, two writing coaches, and three editors later, I’m better than I was.  This post isn’t about the technical aspects of writing–for this I recommend Strunk and White. The post is about the Spirit of writing.  For this, I point to one resource.

War of Art by Steven Pressfield

I think the best way to share this message is to let you read the first 9 chapters for yourself (see below).  Yes, it’s a quick read. The chapters are short and the writing is concise. You’ll soon learn this book applies far more to life than writing. Writing, just happens to be one of my resistances. As such, nothing does more for my writing than this simple read.

WAR of ART 

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1. WHAT I DO

I get up, take a shower, have breakfast. I read the paper, brush my teeth. If I have phone calls to make, I make them. I’ve got my coffee now. I put on my lucky work boots and stitch up the lucky laces that my niece Meredith gave me. I head back to my office, crank up the computer. My lucky hooded sweatshirt is draped over the chair, with the lucky charm I got from a gypsy in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer for only eight bucks in francs, and my lucky LARGO name tag that came from a dream I once had. I put it on. On my thesaurus is my lucky cannon that my friend Bob Versandi gave me from Morro Castle, Cuba. I point it toward my chair, so it can fire inspiration into me. I say my prayer, which is the Invocation of the Muse from Homer’s Odyssey, translation by T.E. Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia, that my dear mate Paul Rink gave me and which sits near my shelf with the cuff links that belonged to my father and my lucky acorn from the battlefield at Thermopylae. It’s about ten-thirty now. I sit down and plunge in. When I start making typos, I know I’m getting tired. That’s four hours or so. I’ve hit the point of diminishing returns. I wrap for the day. Copy whatever I’ve done to disk and stash the disk in the glove compartment of my truck in case there’s a fire and I have to run for it. I power down. It’s three, three-thirty. The office is closed. How many pages have I produced? I don’t care. Are they any good? I don’t even think about it. All that matters is I’ve put in my time and hit it with all I’ve got. All that counts is that, for this day, for this session, I have overcome Resistance.

2. WHAT I KNOW

There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t and the secret is this: it’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write.

What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.

3. THE UNLIVED LIFE

Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.

Have you ever brought home a treadmill and let it gather dust in the attic? Ever resolved on a diet, a course of yoga, a meditation practice? Have you ever felt a call to embark upon a spiritual practice, dedicate yourself to a humanitarian calling, commit your life to the service of others? Have you ever wanted to be a mother, a doctor, an advocate for the weak and helpless; to run for office, crusade for the planet, campaign for world peace or to preserve the environment? Late at night have you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn’t write, a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what Resistance is.

One night I was layin’ down,
I heard Papa talkin’ to Mama.
I heard Papa say, to let that boy
boogie-woogie. ‘Cause it’s in him
and it’s got to come out.
—John Lee Hooker,
Boogie Chillen’

Resistance is the most toxic force on the planet. It is the root of more unhappiness than poverty, disease and erectile dysfunction. To yield to Resistance deforms our spirit. It stunts us and makes us less than we are and were born to be. If you believe in God (and I do) you must declare Resistance evil, for it prevents us from achieving the life God intended when He endowed each of us with our own unique genius. Genius is a Latin word; the Romans used it to denote an inner spirit, holy and inviolable, which watches over us, guiding us to our calling.. A writer writes with his genius; an artist paints with hers; everyone who creates operates from this sacramental center. It is our soul’s seat, the vessel that holds our being-in-potential, our star’s beacon and Polaris.

Every sun casts a shadow, and genius‘ shadow is Resistance. As powerful as is our soul’s call to realization, so potent are the forces of Resistance arrayed against it. Resistance is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, harder to kick than crack cocaine. We’re not alone if we’ve been mown down by Resistance; millions of good men and women have bitten the dust before us. And here’s the biggest bitch: we don’t even know what hit us. I never did. From age twenty-four to thirty-two, Resistance kicked my ass from East Coast to West and back again thirteen times and I never even knew it existed. I looked everywhere for the enemy and failed to see it right in front of my face.

Have you heard this story: woman learns she has cancer, six months to live. Within days she quits her job, resumes the dream of writing Tex-Mex songs she gave up to raise a family (or starts studying Classical Greek, or moves to the inner city and devotes herself to tending babies with AIDS.) Woman’s friends think she’s crazy; she herself has never been happier. There’s a postscript. Woman’s cancer goes into remission.

Is that what it takes? Do we have to stare death in the face to make us stand up and confront Resistance? Does Resistance have to cripple and disfigure our lives before we awake to its existence? How many of us have become drunks and drug addicts, developed tumors and neuroses, succumbed to painkillers, gossip and compulsive cell-phone use, simply because we don’t do that thing that our hearts, our inner genius, is telling us to? Resistance defeats us. If tomorrow morning by some stroke of magic every dazed and benighted soul woke up with the power to take the first step toward pursuing his or her dreams, overnight every shrink in the directory would be out of business. Prisons would stand empty. The alcohol and tobacco industries would collapse, along with the junk food, cosmetic surgery, and infotainment businesses, not to mention pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and the medical profession from top to bottom. Domestic abuse would become extinct, as would addiction, obesity, migraine headaches, road rage and dandruff.

Look in your own heart. Unless I’m crazy, right now a still small voice is piping up, telling you as it has ten thousand times, the calling that is yours and yours alone. You know it. No one has to tell you. And unless I’m crazy, you’re no closer to taking action on it than you were yesterday or will be tomorrow. You think Resistance isn’t real? Resistance will bury you.

You know, Hitler wanted to be an artist. At eighteen he took his inheritance, seven hundred kronen, and moved to Vienna to live and study. He applied to the Academy of Fine Arts and later to the School of Architecture. Ever see one of his paintings? Neither have I. Resistance beat him. Call it overstatement but I’ll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas.

4. RESISTANCE’S GREATEST HITS

The following is a list, in no particular order, of those activities, which most commonly elicit Resistance:

1) The pursuit of any calling in writing, painting, music, film, dance, or any creative art, however marginal or unconventional.

2) The launching of any entrepreneurial venture or enterprise, for profit or otherwise.

3) Any diet or health regimen.

4) Any program of spiritual advancement.

5) Any activity whose aim is tighter abdominals.

6) Any course or program designed to overcome an unwholesome habit or addiction.

7) Education of every kind.

8) Any act of political, moral or ethical courage, including the decision to change for the better some unworthy pattern of thought or conduct in ourselves.

9) The undertaking of any enterprise or endeavor whose aim is to help others.

10) Any act which entails commitment of the heart. The decision to get married, to have a child, to weather a rocky patch in a relationship.

11) The taking of any principled stand in the face of potential reprisal.

In other words, any act which disdains short-term gratification in favor of long-term growth, health or integrity. Or, expressed another way, any act that derives from our higher nature instead of our lower. Any act of these types will elicit Resistance.

Now: what are the characteristics of Resistance?

5. RESISTANCE IS INVISIBLE

Resistance cannot be seen, touched, heard or smelled. But it can be felt. It is experienced as a force field emanating from a work-in-potential. It’s a repelling force. It’s negative. Its intention is to shove the creator away, distract him, sap his energy, incapacitate him.

If Resistance wins, the work doesn’t get written.

6. RESISTANCE IS INTERNAL

Resistance seems to come from outside ourselves. We locate it in spouses, jobs, bosses, kids, distractions. “Peripheral opponents,” as Pat Riley used to say when he coached the Los Angeles Lakers.

Resistance is not a peripheral opponent. Resistance arises from within. It is self-generated and self-perpetuated. Resistance is the enemy within.

7. RESISTANCE IS INSIDIOUS

Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. It will perjure, fabricate, falsify; seduce, bully, cajole. Resistance is protean. It will assume any form, if that’s what it takes to deceive you. It will reason with you like a lawyer or jam a nine-millimeter in your face like a stick-up man. Resistance has no conscience. It understands nothing but power. Resistance cannot be negotiated with. It will pledge anything to get a deal, then double-cross you as soon as your back is turned. If you take Resistance at its word, you deserve everything you get. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit.

8. RESISTANCE IS IMPLACABLE

Resistance is like the Alien or the Terminator or the shark in “Jaws.” It cannot be reasoned with. It is an engine of destruction, programmed from the factory with one object only: to prevent us from doing our work. Resistance is implacable, intractable, indefatigable. Reduce it to a single cell and that cell will continue to attack.

This is Resistance’s nature. It’s all it knows.

9. RESISTANCE IS IMPERSONAL

Resistance is not out to get you personally. It doesn’t know who you are and doesn’t care. Resistance is a force of nature. It acts objectively.

Though it feels malevolent, Resistance in fact operates with the indifference of rain and transits the heavens by the same laws as the stars. When we marshal our forces to combat Resistance, we must remember this.

Our friend and photographer, Tom Robertson, is visiting Tucson. One of the items on the agenda was to capture some shots of Linsey aboard her new Trek.  As we loaded  Tom’s rented convertible, it occurred to me that our golden retriever “Madison" had never ridden in a convertible before. She had also never seen her mom ride a bike. We decided to kill two birds with one stone. Although the real shots are on Tom’s camera and will be available on his page shortly, my IPHONE photo essay of the journey is as follows:

How I use digital media

Last week, on my water blog, I shared how I use digital media.  As I assembled these tools, I realized I also leverage this media for my other freelance marketing work and felt inclined to share here.

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Twitter

Why: Twitter is my favorite digital media tool. Not as a megaphone for blasting content, but instead as a set of headphones for listening to the market. This gets even better with a client application (tweetdeck and hootsuite are my two favorites). These applications enable you to filter content so you hear only what you want to hear. Whether it is a sorted list of individuals you want to listen to (e.g. branding industry list) or a search column that allows you to target specific content (e.g. Moose Drool) so anytime, anyone, anywhere in the world tweets “Moose Drool” it appears in my Moose Drool hootsuite column.

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Google Alerts 

Why: Similar to twitter, strategic use of Google Alerts allows you to aggregate and filter relevant content found on the world wide web. Some of this content is duplicated by tweets, but I always find some gems missed by tweeps (yes, peeps on twitter are tweeps). You can have daily alerts emailed to you, but I prefer to stream the content via Google Reader.

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Linked In

Why: Yes, Linked In provides value that Twitter and Google Alerts cannot capture. I utilize Linked In group pages, which allows me to survey content on the topics of interest and even engage in conversations with like-minded water and marketing professionals. Linked In also provides access to a digital “networking engine” for recommendations and referrals.
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Why: Unlike the other tools, the blog is not my headphones, it’s my voice.  Here’s a link to my very first blog post as a reminder for why I blog.
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Why: Because a photo is worth a thousand words. I like the “mobile only" platform of Instagram and the design/artistic nature of this content sharing. I also enjoy the lack of noise (currently). I try to limit myself to one photo a day.
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Why: Because  800+ million of my closest friends are also using it. Frankly, I’m not a huge Facebook fan, but it’s hard to ignore the reach of this channel. So I don’t. As for content, I try to keep this strictly personal.
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Why: Google + is my latest channel, because an estimated 54 million users can’t be ignored, either  I still haven’t determined my Google + strategy or the value it adds, but intend to experiment with this channel moving forward.
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This how I use  digital media. Like digital media, it’s constantly changing.  I’m open to any tips, tricks, you may have on this subject. Please do share.

life after coaching

I opened my laptop this morning and immediately found out the legendary Joe Paterno had passed away. I wasn’t surprised.

I’m a football fan; I love the game. My favorite aspect of football is coaching. In fact, I claim “coaching is everything." I’ll use this year’s 49ers as a prime example. The only real change from last year’s team to this year’s team?  The Coach.

One observation I’ve made about the greatest college coaches of all time is they have troubles leaving the game they love.

When Bear Bryant left Alabama as the winningest coach of all time he was asked about his future plans. “Probably just croak", he replied and did just that only 4 weeks later.

Similarly, Joe Pa–current record holder for most wins of all time–was forced out of the game this fall. Just as he surpassed Bear Bryant’s record in wins, Joe also surpassed the coach in life after coaching. He made it 2 months.

If Joe Pa’s win record ever falls, I’ll be curious to see how long the next legendary coach makes it in life after coaching. I’m willing to wager it’s not long. I realize two data points aren’t statistically significant, but I do believe life after coaching for the truly GREAT is tough.

And, this doesn’t only pertain to coaching. RIP Joe Pa.

thoughts on ecosystems and brands

This is, for the most part, a repost from my water blog. Obviously, I thought it was worth mentioning twice.

I  just finished one of the better books I’ve ever read: Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson. The book presents 7 parameters that facilitate idea creation:

1. The adjacent possible. Ideas within communities thrive on each other.

2. Liquid networks. This medium makes innovation easier. Encourage social flow not solitude.

3. The Slow Hunch. Ideas develop slowly over time.

4. Serendipity. In what appears lost, ideas can be found.

5. Error. Failing fast leads to wins.

6. Exaption. Don’t recreate the wheel. Borrow.

7. Platforms.  Ideas are built and spread on foundations. These foundations are platforms.

Although I generally agree with these seven, there was one reoccurring notion throughout the book that I found especially thought provoking. Ecosystem Design.

Johnson applied ecosystem analogies for our societies, cultures, and markets. For example, the dynamics of a corral reef mimic our cities.  I’ve recently developed similar thoughts in relation to ecosystems and markets. I’d argue a market is an ecosystem. The same structure and dynamics of species and their environment present in ecosystems, also exist with people, companies, brands, and their markets. I’m still flushing out the details of this idea. Call it a slow hunch.

Specifically, the idea of  brands and brand interactions in ecosystems is most intriguing. This isn’t the first time I’ve pondered this question, so I thought I’d throw it back out there.

Any thoughts?

the 44 story workout

I have a small reputation for short, hard workouts (unlike my wife). This past weekend the two of us attended the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas and stayed at the 22 story Hotel Adolphus. After spending the day with my family, I was left with about a 30 minute window to workout before dinner. Most that know me, would expect me to fill this gap with my signature "dirty thirty" strength training regime. I didn’t. Instead, I took a 15 minute nap and then ran the hotel stairs from the lobby to the top twice. 44 stories later I couldn’t complain about not getting a good workout, or breath.

The moral to the story is you always have time for a good workout, because a good workout doesn’t take much time.

can a BRAND win a heisman?

Tonight, college football will name its 2011 Heisman Trophy recipient. Earlier this week, Eddie George read the five Heisman finalist:

  1. Monty Ball
  2. Robert Griffin III
  3. Andrew Luck
  4. Tyrann Mathieu “The Honey Badger"
  5. Trent Richardson

The list didn’t surprise me. What surprised me was the “branding" in the announcement. The Honey Badger.

The honey badger is known for taking what he wants, but other players have taken more in every statistical category. The honey badger doesn’t have the most punt return yards. Devon Wylie does. The honey badger doesn’t have the most punt returns for a touchdown. Joe Adams does. The honey badger doesn’t have the most interceptions. 51 players have twice as many picks. The honey badger doesn’t have the most tackles. Luke Kuechly has 120 more tackles. The honey badger doesn’t have the most forced fumbles. Whitney Mercilus has nearly double the ball hawking skills.

Although, the honey badger is the leader in a category that isn’t statistically measureable: brand.  As the Wall Street Journal even recognized:

But no matter what the voters say, one thing is certain: Mathieu has been the beneficiary of the funniest, spontaneous and off-color Heisman marketing campaign of all time.

I don’t think the brand will win the award, but I do believe it bought his ticket to New York. So, who do I think will win? Robert Griffin III. He also has a brand. RG3.

Movember 2011 report

First, a gigantic thank you for all that supported my hatred of cancer and fundraising efforts in the month of Movember. Yes, another Movember is in the books. Best Movember ever. My misplaced eyebrow raised $1,643, my team’s lipbrooms raised $5,835 and the lip spinaches of the world raised over $100 million – all for cancer.  Some additional highlights for me included:

  1. Custom Domain
  2. Custom 3-7-77 logo
  3. Business cards.
  4. Custom tees.
  5. Press release #1.
  6. Press release #2 .
  7. And, a plethora of Moustache collectables…