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Archive for the ‘Branding’ Category

Lesson 268 Authenticity Earns Credibility

Posted in Branding, International, Leadership, Lessons Learned, Media Literacy on April 30, 2015| 1 Comment »

Many people in the US think of their country as exceptional. Individual freedom and justice is promised to all. But there were too many reports this week about rather dramatic exceptions to those values. Authenticity earns credibility, and without it people will not believe what you say. Here are some of those reports:

*Live coverage of riots in the streets about police brutality in Baltimore, with demonstrations and similar problems in other cities.

*Scenes of “mean-spirited” political polarization in congress and on the campaign trail.

*A TV documentary about the My Lai massacre in Vietnam showing mass killing by US soldiers.

*Video recollections on PBS of North Vietnam rolling into Saigon, the US pulling out, and the South Vietnamese losing their country.

*Reporter recollections of Richard Nixon promising a truce in Vietnam, but then following  with an invasion of Cambodia and riots in the US streets.

*Documentary coverage of students at Kent State University being gunned down as they demonstrated their war opposition.

*Reported perceptions that the US makes promises it does not keep and draws “red lines” that it does not enforce.

ISIS beheadings imagined next to those of the US Vietnam My Lai massacre create a rather serious credibility problem for the US. Images of Middle East dictators cracking down on citizens pictured next to those of US police brutality certainly do not reinforce values of freedom and justice.

In a new media 24/7 cable news environment both live and imagined images will either reinforce or contradict promises of “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Authenticity is what earns credibility. And credibility is essential for people to believe what you say about your values.

 

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Lesson 266 Media’s Big Impact on Religion

Posted in Branding, Lessons Learned, Media Literacy, Strategic Communication on April 15, 2015| Leave a Comment »

My honors college class this spring has been exploring the topic “how media revolutions change everything.”  And next week we will consider the compelling and ever-changing topic of religion. In preparation for the class I made a list of just some of the issues:

1. Since television, and now digital media, how do people want to experience religion?

2. What has been the impact of new media on mainstream church attendance? How have worship services and Sunday school changed in those churches?

3. What accounts for the growth of on-line and broadcast religion? Of mega-churches?

4. Given the traditional concept of “separation of church and state” what accounts for the growth and aggressiveness of the religious right in politics?

5. What impact has 24/7 media reports about social issues such as racism, homelessness, and poverty had on religious people and church goers? How are they responding?

6. How have academic departments of religion and seminaries responded to media inspired changes in society?

7. How have religious institutions changed their approach to recruiting new members and building ongoing relationships with them.

8. How can a diverse democracy successfully deal with societies in the middle east and elsewhere  where religion and politics are one in the same thing?

Knowing the right questions and analyzing the underlying issues can provide much needed context for understanding situations and options. But just as with 24/7 “breaking” news and polarized political pronouncements, once again consumers of today’s media are on their own to separate facts from “malarkey.” And as confusing as it may be… we all are on our own to decide our responses and courses of action.

 

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Lesson 247 Foreign Policy and Partnerships

Posted in Branding, Higher Education, International, Lessons Learned, Strategic Communication on December 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

“In the century ahead, U.S. strategic interests will align more closely with India than they will with those of any other continental power in Asia.”  That is the first line of a very perceptive essay by former Undersecretary of State, Nicholas Burns, in the September-October issue of Foreign Affairs.

There was a widespread burst of enthusiasm in the U.S. when newly elected Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, signaled that he wanted to build a more ambitious partnership with the United States. And now there are reports that Russia’s Putin is making his own overtures to India about the possibility of building a pipeline and engaging in nuclear projects.

Anticipating this may be why Nicholas Burns urged the White House to respond quickly following Modi’s election. He pointed to already ongoing military ties and cooperative projects on space, science, technology and education as examples on which to build.

But Burns also acknowledged some stumbling blocks that need to be quickly overcome. These include specific trade disagreements, complications involving Pakistan, and discouraging taxes on new investors. Even educators have been encountering some surprising stumbling blocks.

For example, I traveled to India as a part of a delegation of university presidents and state legislators. We were welcomed by university administrators with open arms. There was little doubt they were interested in forming partnerships. Before we knew it we were being asked to sign letters of intent. Their primary interest was faculty exchanges. But it soon became obvious that these exchanges very likely would be lopsided. They could upgrade their teaching with US faculty. In most cases, however, their faculty would contribute little to US institutions. And there were financial barriers to establishing more comprehensive win-win institutional partnerships.

But if those barriers could be addressed I saw incredible long-term opportunities. I was there primarily as a speaker to deliver an address about why international higher education should be seen as a pure form of public diplomacy… people-to-people relationship building. I affirmed the value of strong institutional partnerships, and talked at length about the potential of those partnerships to solve the most pressing international problems… from water, energy, hunger, poverty, global warming and public health, to rebuilding institutions torn apart by revolutions.

If Mr. Modi’s interest in partnering with the U.S. is sincere and trade and education restrictions can be addressed, I believe a strong partnership between India and the United States has endless possibilities. And our shared commitment to democracies should clearly keep Mr. Putin’s self-serving nationalistic ambitions out of the game.   

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Lesson 213 Strategic Communication Planning

Posted in Branding, International, Lessons Learned, Strategic Communication on April 19, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Detailed strategic communication plans tend to sit unimplemented on shelves primarily because of their complexity. Daily events divert staff attention. Crises become priorities. Conditions quickly make many of the details irrelevant, or they are just too complicated. Textbook formats are good to know, but in practice they very rarely are carried out.

Hard lessons like this led me to a much simplified approach with institutions. At the executive level, I decided to set only simple communication goals, with the collaboration of key colleagues. Then, I asked each department to use its’ most talented staff to select the best tactics for each target audience. And finally, I made sure that the institution’s brand identity was deeply embedded in the goals.

I have been wondering lately if any of these institutional lessons would apply to government and foreign policy communication? Is it possible, for example, to improve the clarity of White House communication simply by focusing more on clear, simple goals?  Experienced communication experts in each country and city could then be empowered to make informed judgements about tactics selection and to take into account the many different cultures, values, and preconceived ideas involved. These experts would also be in a position to establish important steps in the process: interactive social media dialogues leading to face-to-face events aimed to stimulate old-fashioned word-of-mouth.

Foreign policy communication is complicated and too often ends in mass confusion. If the basic problem is the overwhelming complexity of events, issues and plans, maybe we should first try more simplicity.

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Lesson 210 What’s Happening to Print?

Posted in Branding, Integrated Marketing, Lessons Learned, Media Literacy, Strategic Communication on March 27, 2014| Leave a Comment »

No communication medium ever totally disappears. When a new medium becomes dominant, the roles of the others change.  So in this day of new and social media, what is happening to print?

Over the past ten years the challenge for institutions has been to determine which new media are most effective, and what are the implications for continued large investments in print publications. Truthfully, there is little reliable data on social media effectiveness, mostly because use patterns appear to be changing every day. And there are also different use patterns for each audience.

Nonetheless, there are some generalizations we can make that might be useful:

1. With regard to digital technology, searching websites is clearly a preferred method for finding detailed information, and social media can be extremely effective in motivating widespread response.

2. With regard to print, publications are still effective as tangible symbols of institutional commitments… tangible because constituents can feel a visceral connection by holding them in their hands, and they can then display them on their coffee tables and elsewhere as a way to let others know the pride they feel in that connection.

For example, in the university world (or even corporate world), a colorful general brochure can still be an important tangible connection with, and commitment to, an institution. In this new media environment, however, what has changed is that a brochure’s art and design is almost more important  than its’ content. This is because compelling photography or illustration can stand in “virtual” place of the institution itself, and text now is best used to “drive” readers (or brochure “skimmers”) to the website for more in-depth information.

In addition, in our new media world a magazine can also serve as a regularly appearing tangible symbol of an audience’s identification with an organization. Cut-lines allow readers to skim content, and well-designed and illustrated covers reinforce the brand. And so, just as the four-color general brochure,  displaying that magazine becomes an additional continuing source of personal pride.

Generalizations certainly can be misleading. But my experience these days suggests that while print rarely can take a lead role in communicating institutions, it still functions as a powerful symbolic identity reinforcement for many people.

 

 

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Lesson 203 “Boutique” Colleges

Posted in Branding, Higher Education, Integrated Marketing, Lessons Learned, Strategic Communication on February 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I imagine a world where a large number of innovative small colleges become the “boutique agencies” of higher education. They will use the advantage of their size to become quite nimble and highly innovative as they design totally new approaches to address the competitive realities of the future.

Such small, lean and highly creative boutique groups have emerged in the advertising and public relations industry to compete head-to-head with the well established, large, high-priced, high overhead  and cumbersome agencies. In response, small teams of professionals and creatives have come together  with little or no overhead to produce very innovative project and branding solutions, make compelling use of digital media, and serve clients with a price that makes sense.

The boutique college idea came to me at a recent conference as one president reported how she was able to align her tuition price directly with what it actually costs to deliver her college’s special kind of undergraduate education experience. Thus, she refreshingly will no longer be stating a higher tuition in order to maintain a high discount rate.

Discounting is the common practice in all of higher education that has enabled significant financial aid for some… which really amounts to a discount on the price. But the practice has evolved to where it confuses virtually everyone about what an education actually costs to deliver. Now there is at least one small college that is creatively addressing the problem.

Diversity of institutional type has been the hallmark of American higher education. Even so, in this age of intense competition and economic hardships, many have predicted the decline and fall of small colleges. “Boutique colleges,” however, with talented leaders who maximize the creative possibilities of their size, just might be able to show the rest of the world that American institutional diversity can and will  continue to lead higher education into the future.

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Lesson 197 Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Posted in Branding, Integrated Marketing, Lessons Learned, Strategic Communication on December 28, 2013| 1 Comment »

In previous posts I suggested that countries, institutions and even individuals can best articulate their distinctions by using easy to understand stories, or narratives. They should be inspirational, and as such they also have the potential to become “self-fulfilling prophecies.

Critics suggest that too many narratives stretch the truth too far, and become mere “spin.” But legitimate self-fulfilling narratives combine current strengths, values, cultural traits, location distinctions, and missions into a vision for a bigger and better future. A self-fulfilling prophecy uses current facts to inspire an institution or country to a new and higher level of achievement. Credibility is maintained because the vision is believable.

An America that is truly democratic, with opportunities for everyone, and protects each individual’s freedom has been a credible and enviable narrative for many years. It is inspirational, and promises a believable self-fulfilling prophecy. But polarization, infighting, unsolved economic problems, and confusing international behaviors are seriously threatening the credibility and believability of this narrative.

When you think about it, we all resent it when surrounded by truths that are stretched too far, or hear narratives that no longer ring true. Yet, we still yearn to be inspired by an institution or country we care deeply about. We will accept narratives that stretch us beyond the present. We will buy into exciting self-fulfilling prophecies. But such motivational narratives require consistent and credible champions.

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Lesson 195 A Mandela Narrative

Posted in Branding, Lessons Learned, Strategic Communication on December 13, 2013| 1 Comment »

Only once have I been to South Africa. I visited Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Pretoria, and it was in that period after Mandela retired as president.

I worked for an institution that found its’ struggles to respond appropriately to apartheid especially painful. I was its’ chief communication officer, and a faculty member. And so I listened and responded to both fellow administrators and faculty, as well as trustees, students, alumni and church officials. All had strong and varied opinions, to say the least. And by the time I made this trip, my views were clear. I was squarely among the Mandela admirers.

Mostly I talked with public television producers at a conference I was attending in Cape Town, and with academics in higher education. The producers came from many socio-economic levels, age groups and countries in Africa, as well as from over 50 other counties around the world. These incredible professionals spend their entire lives deeply engaged in investigating social issues and conflicts. The university people were mostly white South Afrikaners who strongly believed in a well-educated multi-racial future.

I asked a lot of troubling questions about what I was seeing, hearing and reading. Why were there still so many poverty-stricken “shanty towns” dotting the landscape? Just how many people still live in this awful poverty? What hope is there for the many gangs of very young children I passed on city streets?  What business opportunities are realistic in this still heavy crime-ridden society? What about all the rumors of government scandals and corruption? How effective is the current system of education? Can it do what’s necessary to meet the needs of a new democratic nation?

My clear impression was that the government was corrupt, and not getting the job done. It was investing mostly in itself, and the bureaucrats in it. While education and business opportunities were topics reported in the news, those opportunities were obviously not accessible to enough people. And the streets remained very dangerous… not just for foreigners, but for everyone.

I was told only to take approved taxis from my hotel, and on my return to make sure that my host arranged the transportation. My academic colleagues were committed to helping build a bright future, but many privately admitted they send their children to school abroad. Everyone on campus was  searched everyday entering and leaving, and they all assumed that their heavily insured cars would sooner or later be stolen.

But twenty-seven years in prison produced a man of clear ideas, firm values, and incredible vision. Upon release he made a life-changing and unbelievably startling decision: He totally forgave everyone who wronged him, from his prison guards to the former president of apartheid South Africa. And he reinforced that decision every time he appeared in public by whom he invited to appear with him. And  later on, he refused a second term as president, which allowed him to rise above the turmoil of daily politics and become the keeper of a much larger and powerful narrative.

At peace with himself, and through the force of a constant presence, firm conviction and message consistency, this icon was able to establish an amazingly simple self-fulfilling narrative… not only for South Africa, but for the world. Mandela simply calls for a multi-ethnic, truly democratic, intelligently compromising, free society. He chose that role of keeper of this simple and compelling narrative for himself, and that decision enabled him to become one of the most inspirational leaders of modern times.

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Lesson 194 Finding Our Narrative

Posted in Branding, Integrated Marketing, Lessons Learned, Strategic Communication on December 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

While scanning Book TV on C-Span last weekend, one of the authors speaking about conflicts in Israel commented: “We have lost our narrative!” I immediately knew exactly what he was trying to say. And from a communication dynamics perspective he was making a very astute observation.

All those years I spent helping institutions clarify their brand identities I was really helping develop their narratives. I would ask executive leaders to identify exactly why their institutions were founded. I would then suggest that the reason probably was to meet a need that was not being met. This starting point would become their unique competitive advantage, which would also be the essence of their brand identity, and fundamentally their founding mission. Over time, they would add a compelling vision grounded in that mission, and collectively all this would make up their basic story, or narrative.

Individuals have narratives too. Most of us have a driving purpose, even if at times it’s vague and elusive. Authors of memoirs bring a timeline and specifics to the telling of their story, and thus add substance to their narrative. Some are able to add a vision to complete their narrative. Understanding narrative is what keeps our identity and life purpose in tact.

Institutions and countries also have narratives.  And just as the Israeli author observed, we in the US may have lost our national narrative. The very “idea of America” may be getting lost in confused and prolonged angry polarization. We hear angry polarizing voices loud and clear. But where are the keepers of our narrative? Without a narrative we are lost.

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Lesson 193 Thankfulness and Leadership

Posted in Branding, Leadership, Lessons Learned on November 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »

It should not be surprising that events in Washington have me thinking about leadership! As a result I am developing an outline for a new course in the TCU honor’s college. My working title is: “The Essential Communication Dimensions of Leadership.” And somehow this Thanksgiving week has me also thinking about how the concept of  “thankfulness” might actually factor into my communication-centered approach to this subject.

To be sure, leadership has many communication dimensions: Planning messages and tactics; assessing audience needs; chairing meetings; managing group process, using multimedia; dealing with journalists; handling sensitive issues; managing crises and conflict; inspiring essential support; dealing with internal politics; developing a personal leadership identity; and on and on. Indeed, communication savvy and skills are key components of a leader’s success. But it was this last topic, “a personal leadership identity,” that leaped out to me as I pondered the meaning of the Thanksgiving holiday.

If you listen carefully to a would-be leader’s rhetoric you can tell who is and who is not a phony. Some are too focused on themselves to express thanks for the system that enables their success. They never think to describe the beauty of a democracy where all ideas must be freely expressed and examined. Rather their talk is about themselves.

Self-centered rhetoric quickly becomes negative. It eventually attacks others and focuses on destroying rather than building. In the end, it’s all about personal attention and cleverness… and never pauses long enough to say thanks for a diverse world of great ideas.

Worthy leaders will always express thanks for our unique democratic process. These leaders are the ones who add value because they have a clear positive mission and goals beyond themselves. They do not attack, but rather choose to put forth well thought-out ideas and programs. They find genuine solutions rather than focus on the destruction of what exists.

And what’s more, the most worthy leaders will actually be thankful for their “loyal opposition.”  This is because they understand that it’s this incredibly diverse democratic system of ours that makes our one-of-a-kind life and culture possible. It’s precisely because we can embrace so many different ideas simultaneously that we have the abundant freedom and opportunities that we do. Self-serving phonies forget this, but the rest of us must not.

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