April 7, 2006

Tim’s Got Vision

Client Spotlight: The New Light Group

George's Going to Market: Building a Brand

Todd's Tidbits: Destination ImagiNation

Greetings!

The Pepper Group is known for and dependent on free thinking, innovative strategies–you know, taking things and turning them upside down to find differentiation. While doing that, we are reinventing the way our clients and their audiences perceive products and services.

This month my hat goes off (which is dangerous for me with the sun starting to shine more) to those folks that are the rock stars of invention. Sure, anyone can invent the can opener, the staple remover or an iPod, but what about the daring few who want to truly change the world? Here are some of my favorites.

	Butt Cleavage Pants - US Patent Issued In 2002 There was a time when butt cleavage was the trademark of a good plumber. But that was accidental. Here is a way to really show it off without your pants falling down. Match these up with a good belly shirt and you're "sitting pretty."
	12 Gauge Golf Club - US Patent Issued In 1979 Now you can have explosive drives every time with the 12 Gauge Golf Club! Ready to shoot a "birdie"? The firing pin is aligned with the club's sweet spot for blasting your balls into oblivion (careful). Now golf can be part of the Xtreme Games!
	Cheese Filtered Cigarette - US Patent Issued In 1966 Smoking more and enjoying it less? Perhaps what you need is a flavorful cheese filtered cigarette! According to the inventor, current cigarette filters (circa 1966) don't filter enough tar and nicotine from tobacco smoke. He's discovered that cheese makes a very efficient tobacco filter. "Hey dude, can I bum a Cheddarboro Light from ya?"
	Skin Stencil - US Patent Issued In 1996 Not quite ready for a "tat" on your noggin? Now you can burn your favorite team logo right into your forehead! That's right, the logo portion your hat's adjustable headband has cutouts allowing the sun to sizzle your skin. Fair weather fans need not apply!

So, what did we learn today? Who cares! Just get out there, whatever your passion may be, and follow that vision with creativity. You might not make a million bucks, but you could get mentioned in our newsletter–and that's certainly something to aspire to!

Tim Padgett
tim@peppergroup.com

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“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
     —Epictetus

“Man is the only creature that strives to surpass himself, and yearns for the impossible.”
     —Eric Hoffer

“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”
     —Bill Bradley

Client Spotlight: Conference Attendees See the Light

The New Light Group is a Naperville-based consultancy that helps Christian congregations and schools improve their financial planning, maximize their investments and secure valuable alternative-source funding.

When New Light approached Pepper Group in December, they outlined their vision for growth and the introduction of the New Light brand in May of 2006. No sooner had the ink dried on our proposal, than a golden opportunity presented itself. New Light had a chance to participate in a major conference in their market area. The only problem was that the launch timeline would be cut in half!

Pepper Group shifted into high gear and in less than six weeks, New Light had a new brand identity, stationery and business cards, a website, print collateral, a PowerPoint presentation, and a variety of display materials and conversation starters for the show. At the end of the two-day conference, The New Light Group returned to Naperville with over 80 qualified leads. “It couldn’t have gone any better for us,” said New Light founder Jim Vura, “We were hoping for 10 or 15 good leads, but the response was overwhelming.”

Opportunity is always a good thing. But having a strategic brand identity and messaging in place when it happens is even better. Kudos to the The New Light Group for a successful launch, and we look forward to helping them continue to grow.

George’s Going to Market: Building a Brand

What do you think of when you see Nike? Starbucks? Sony? Disney? Consider it for a moment. How about companies in the B2B space, such as UPS? QuickBooks? Google? Pepper Group?

I’ve chosen these examples because they’re names you’ll know, but branding is definitely not name recognition. When you were reading the names above, what was the total of all the thoughts and feelings you associated with them? That’s the brand.

A brand is an idea. It is tied to emotions, experiences and human needs. And it is something that you build in your own mind—it cannot be built for you.

So if the brand is built by the customer, what good is marketing? Well, even though the brand can't be directly handed to customers, marketing can guide and influence its development. In fact, it’s critical.

Your company doesn’t have to be a global powerhouse in order to build a brand. And no, your company does not have to have a “consumer products” focus. After all, businesses don’t buy, people within those businesses do.

But brand building is very complicated. There’s no formula or step-by-step procedure. And you can’t force it—it has to “happen.” There are, however, some guidelines that Pepper Group recommends in order to help maximize the growth of your brand.

• Know who you are and be consistent
  
  This is the foundation. The best brands are differentiated in the market. They have a clear positioning, strong key messages, a great graphic identity and a definite overall “style.”
  
  All of this distills down to a brand’s core essence. For example, Starbucks’ essence, according to Scott Bedbury, their former SVP of Marketing, is Rewarding Everyday Moments. Notice that it does not mention coffee, or beans, or stores. It represents the “idea” that Starbucks wants its brand to be.
  
  All of these things then have to be communicated consistently, clearly and creatively. These actions are commonly called Integrated Marketing.
  
  
• Back it up with reality
  
  The coolest description of essence, the best copywriter, and the most creative marketing are a total waste of time if it’s all just empty hype. There has to be solid performance within the business to build a brand. The brand has to deliver a positive experience. It should delight customers so they not only come back, but recommend it to their friends and colleagues. Overall, the reality of the brand must reinforce the idea that is at its core.
  
  Consider UPS. Do they back up your ideas about them with performance? You bet they do. If they didn’t, what would their branding efforts be worth?
  
  
• Make it a way of life in your business
  
  Influencing a brand goes far beyond what’s typically called marketing. A brand is the sum total of everything, positive and negative, that the customer associates with it. It’s the direct experience with the product or service, the people representing that brand, and every single touch point. It’s also an experience with the distributor, the message listened to while on hold, a friend’s perception, an impression of the website, a recent article, a shipping delay, a problem resolved, and all the emotions that customers have connected to that brand.
  
  It means paying attention to everything and taking responsibility for ensuring that the brand is always protected and is always presented in the best manner possible. It also means working so that all employees not only understand the brand, but live it, and hold deep, positive feelings about it themselves.

Research shows that stronger, better brands make more sales, better profits, and a more valuable company overall. If this sounds good to you, then keep on building that brand!

And one more thing. Customer input can be very important in identifying the essence of your brand. So how ‘bout it, Pepper Mill readers? How would you describe our brand essence? Take the informal poll, and help us out too, by clicking on my email address below. Thanks!

George Couris
george@peppergroup.com

Todds Tidbits: Destination ImagiNation

In keeping with Tim's theme of free-thinking innovation, I've been having a blast working on an extracurricular project over the past six months. At this time last year, I learned of an educational, non-profit program that seemed so fun and intriguing that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of it before. It is called Destination ImagiNation (D.I.) and has existed in one form or another since 1978. Although it seems to be flying under the radar here in Illinois, other states and countries have wholeheartedly embraced the program.

D.I. involves teams made up of five to seven kids working together to apply creativity, critical thinking and their particular talents to solve a Team Challenge. At the beginning of the school year, I agreed to be the team manager for my 12-year-old daughter and four of her friends to start up a team competing at the Middle level. Many teams are associated with schools, but ours is independent. A strictly enforced rule throughout the program is that the kids need to develop everything themselves and are prohibited from using any external suggestions.

The first task they had to do was select one of the five Central Challenges. They chose the one called “How’d tHAT Happen?” and got together once or twice a week to research a foreign country, write an original script, build scenery, assemble costumes, create a fantastic hat, and invent a technical device. At each meeting we tried to include some fun improv games and other techniques for building teamwork and creativity. They also prepared for competition which involves a public performance of their Central Challenge and a private, top-secret "Instant Challenge" that requires them to think outside the box, work together and present a solution to a previously unseen challenge in a matter of minutes.

Hopes weren't too high since it's their first year in the program (and four of the five of them are sixth-graders competing at the 6-8 level). Our team’s first test was the Far North Illinois regional tournament on Saturday, March 4, and to everyone’s delight, they advanced to the State tournament which is coming up this Saturday, April 8! If you’re interested in what the regional tournament was like, I created a Windows Media video with highlights of our team’s day, including their performance and excitement at the awards ceremony. The winning teams at the State tournament for each challenge/level will advance to the Global Finals held in Knoxville, Tennessee in May. Wish them all luck!

Todd Underwood
todd@peppergroup.com

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