Yes, having read two of his books (Sandbox Wisdom & The Four Sides of Sandbox Wisdom) awhile ago, I eventually found his blog, then signed up for his articles, and have been trying to keep up.
I had an interesting email exchange with him over his change of concept from "sandbox" to "clear eye". (I understand why he did so but I still like sandbox concept better. That is a story for another time.)
I heard he was going to be speaking locally, and well, I was going to be there. So I was.
As part of the event, we walked away with a copy of his new book: A Clear Eye for Branding after I read it, I'll post my review.
His definition of brand is:
"A brand is an expectation of someone or something delivering a certain feeling by way of experience."
His advice for putting this into action is to:
1 - Discover your customers expectations
2 - Communicate those expectations
3 - Deliver those expectations
4 - Change with the changing expectations
Briefly recapping his points, you may recognize that the first one is phrased distinctly and correctly. You have to discover your customers expectations. They can not tell you exactly what they want. They can tell what they like and don't like but the discovery is left to you.
If you choose to market, then you should communicate those expectations in a manner consistent with the experience. Starbucks does not advertise heavily. It spends its money on the training for the barristas who serve your coffee or double latte.
You must deliver. Lack of delivery today will easily get those customers to walk away from you and never come back. The choices are many. The option is theirs to exercise. You have no choice. Deliver or else.
Change with the changing expectations. Think about the companies that have filed for bankruptcy and disappeared from the business world. Polaroid for example. Photography is still big. Cameras are expanding. But they are digital and they are not just cameras. What is the largest camera company today? Would you believe it is Nokia? Yes, the camera phones they sell. And they did not even start out as a company to sell phones. But they have changed with the market. Hello, Kodak are you listening? What is your future? Will you follow Polaroid? Or change?
Tom's presentation was engaging, challenging, and thought provoking. I buy this approach. It fits well with what I have learned from my business experience and ties in with my own expectations of what it will take to succeed in the new global economy.
If people choose to listen to Tom, they will benefit.
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