You’re ready to execute your marketing plan and build your competitive advantage. Yet, it seems to fail. This is most likely because an important question was neglected:  How are you going to measure success? It is not as hard as you think and you can start in five areas.
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On Sunday May 23rd, at approximately 11:30 PM EST, the eye closed for the last time on a television show that has become ingrained into the culture here at Mlicki. A date many of us here were both anticipating and dreading all at the same time. On that fateful Sunday, after 6 Seasons on ABC, the series finale of LOST aired and the show took it’s final bow.

Yes, LOST was about a plane crash, a smoke monster, polar bears, time-travel, the Others, a seemingly random series of numbers, ancient Egyptian mythology and a mysterious island. Yes, LOST was complicated, went in loops, lived 24/7/365 in online dialogues, had countless podcasts, blogs and fan pages devoted to it. But more than that, LOST was about what the millions of crazed fans out there made it. Their brand experience with the show. (Yes, there were millions of us.)  And really,  isn’t that what every brand wants? A tremendously loyal and expanding fan-base?

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Over our 30+ years of brand building we’ve talked and worked with a lot of B2B brands. As expert builders of service-based brands we’re always shocked when an executive tells us that “branding doesn’t matter” in the B2B space. In our experience, brand building is actually more important in the B2B world. And, it’s inherently more complex.

Generally, we’ve found that the perceived lack of importance in B2B branding stems from a common misperception of what brands are and what they do. When a B2B executive tells us that branding isn’t important, generally they’re referring to brand identity. Translation, they’re thinking of the brand and its identifying logo as one in the same.

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Anticipation for the 2010 World Cup is building and Nike is igniting excitement in fans around the world with their newest campaign “Write The Future.” In the 10 minute film launched on Facebook, director Alejandro Inarritu follows world superstars of soccer and flashes you forward into their hopes and fears as they encounter make or break moments in their careers. The difference in one kick could mean fame and glory or life as a bearded recluse in a trailer park.
The spot is fantastic. It’s exciting, its funny, and all around masterful storytelling.
Watch the full length version here.

Last week, we had the privilege of attending a speaking engagement featuring Don Schmincke. As founder of the Saga Leadership Institute, Don has authored a number of books on leadership and has spent over two decades analyzing high performing teams. His morning session shared a variety of insights on the world’s highest performing organizations. Ultimately, through 30 years of research and observation, his team has found that the best organizations outperform by activating passion within their people. That passion is packaged through a clear, compelling internal belief system, which drives employee behavior and culminates in desired results. In his words, the most successful organizations create a “compelling saga.” The compelling saga inspires people to believe, encourages self sacrifice for the greater good of the organization, and fosters passion within the workforce. That passion drives the company to outmaneuver and demoralize its competitors.

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