Ahead of its time

I'm always making connections with what I'm doing and what I've done. It's how I learn. It's how I adjust and adapt to new situations. I was recently reading an article in the December HBR that talked about Branding in the Digital Age (Edelman, 2010). As I read through the article its content sounded eerily familiar. As I reflected on why, I realized it was because I have done intuitively what the author suggests that businesses do now, but I did it four years ago with the marketing team at Laidlaw College.

At the heart of the article Edelman talks about research conducted by McKinsey in 2009 that showed the change in marketing metaphor for how we relate to consumer interaction. According to McKinsey's findings, the metaphor has shifted from a funnel to a journey, what they call the consumer decision journey, or CDJ (Court, et.al, 2009). This journey includes four stages - consider, evaluate, buy, and enjoy, advocate, and bond.

So, how did we do this four year ago? It all started with a problem, as all marketing challenges do. We had a new principal, concerned stakeholders, and dropping student numbers. We needed to figure out a way to engage with the public quickly so that we could win some people over. As the department discussed how this could be done, we decided that the best way to overcome stakeholder concerns about the new principal was to expose them to his ideas and teaching in a way that would not require them to commit to any long term programs or courses.

We decided to introduce a series of public lectures on relevant topics called Wineskins. This lecture series would allow people to consider the new direction of the College for themselves, not purely based on what others had said. Each lecture drew between 200-250 people. The consistent turnout seemed to indicated that the punters had evaluated what they heard and found it to be of value; worth returning to in the future to hear more. Because the lectures were presented free of charge, the marketing department decided to video the series and sell the DVD's later to help us recoup some of the expense for running the event. This gave the stakeholder the ability to buy the seminars, many of whom did even though they got to enjoy the lectures for free. Many of those who bought the lectures on DVD shared them with friends and family, or used them in their own home groups or churches, which led to fresh faces coming out to the future free lectures we hosted at the College. Many a skeptical stakeholder was able to enjoy, advocate, and bond with the College through DVD's and other lecture series long after the initial contact took place.

The impact and effectiveness of this initiative was not recognized widely at time, but that's probably because it was ahead of its time. 

Work Cited

Court, D., Elzinga, D., Mulder, S., & Vetvik, O. J. (2009). The consumer decision journey. McKinsey Quarterly (3).

Edelman, D. C. (2010). Branding in the digital age: You're spending your money in all the wrong places. Harvard Business Review (December), 62-69. 

Sleepless Nights

Ever since I can remember I've had trouble sleeping at night. There are some nights where I just fall asleep and stay asleep until the alarm clock goes off the next morning. But this doesn't happen that often. I have a very active brain that never seems to sleep, which is a bad thing because science suggest that the brain needs sleep for the body to function well. It also comes in handy if you have to operate heavy machinery. Fortunately for me, the heaviest equipment that I have to operate most days is my laptop. Last week I tried some herbal supplements intended to "help calm, reduce nervous tension and aid relaxation." The box also said that, if used as directed, it would not cause drowsiness the following day. This was not my experience however. The two nights I used the supplement I woke up extremely drowsy. I had a very relaxing rest, but I can't say that my mind actually slowed down. I felt like I was in a coma - my mind was still fully functional but my body was at rest. 

So why am I writing this post at 5AM? Because I had another one of those 'sleepless nights'. What's going through my brain at all hours of night, you ask? Here's a random list:

• How can we change our economic models to foster more partnership and collaboration; a model that doesn't just focus on making a profit, but on making our communities and societies better places for all?
• What would be required of government and it's citizens to get most people off welfare, so they can contribute productively to society and their own self-esteem?
• How would my knowledge of the impact of my personal decisions on others change how I behaved or acted? What if freedom of choice was inextricably linked to responsibility for those choices? What if I had no one to blame but myself for my current situation?  
• What am I going to have for breakfast when I wake up?
• If I were to write a book, what would it be about? Then, I spend hours thinking of what I would write without actually getting out of bed and writing it down. 
• Am I doing enough to be a good husband, brother, son, friend, co-worker, and leader in the places where I find myself. 
• What would I do if I were President or Prime Minister - how might doing those things now change my situation? The situation of others?

I could go on. Needless to say, most of my thoughts aren't just fleeting. They get stuck in my head and rattle around. The more I read, work, and encounter others, the more ideas and thoughts get piled up in my head. So I'm grateful for this blog and being able to post what's going on. Who knows, maybe if I have enough sleepless nights these sort of thoughts might end up doing some good.    

Blank slate

Two thousand and eleven has begun. With it we each get a new blank slate. I've been getting excited about what might be put on my slate this year. It's been a while since I've gotten excited about a new year. But after a few years of hard slog, I have a renewed sense of possibility and hope. I thought that this might be a passing phase, since this feeling started about two weeks ago, but it hasn't subsided. I actually found myself writing down goals and planning out activities that will help me be healthy and productive in the next twelve months. But it has helped me to think about the next seven years as well. Why seven years? Well, because in a few days I'll celebrate my seventh wedding anniversary. The first seven years have been great, but I know I can do better. So I'm starting this year with a few small changes, but I'm thinking long term about the big changes I want to make in life - changes in relationships, attitudes, finances, health, and career. 

So I ask you, what's on your blank slate for 2011? Have you already chalked out the next few days, weeks and months? If it seems too overwhelming thinking about the next seven years and dream of what might be possible. Happy New Year!