Hi Antony, do you know what you were doing on the evening of October 27, 2004?

Well, if you are a Boston Red Sox fan, you know exactly what you were doing! You were watching television at 11:40 that night—or maybe you were lucky enough to have been at Busch Stadium—when the “curse of the Babe” was lifted. And you might have lost your voice from cheering loudly on that night when the Red Sox—finally, after 86 years—won the World Series.

Ask fans how they felt that night, and they will tell you that it was unlike any other experience; it was an incredibly emotional night. I’ve heard some fans say that it was more emotional than the day they got married or when their children were born. (Even as a die-hard Yankees fan, I was actually a little bit happy for them, too, although it hurts me to admit it.) Wow, that’s emotion!

So what’s the point?

The point is that the Boston Red Sox baseball team is a brand. The owners and management have created a product that is unsurpassed by any other in the game of baseball (well, maybe the Yankees are close). The thing is, Red Sox fans are exactly what being a “fan” means—they are fanatical about their team; in fact, for some fans it’s a way of life. The Red Sox have created such a loyal base that the fans stayed with them through all those seasons when they didn’t win—and that includes some years when they were so close that they almost touched it…before ultimately losing the prize. You see, to true Red Sox fans, the team doesn’t really belong to owner John Henry or to the management; it belongs to the fans.

In fact, the Red Sox fans’ support for their team is so legendary that it led to the creation of the hit movie Fever Pitch, starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore. This feel-good family movie is all about the fanaticism of the Red Sox fans!

The question is, are you, your employees, and your customers as fanatical about your product as Red Sox fans are about their team and the hallowed ground that is Fenway Park?

Do your customers own your brand?

If you are the owner of a business or are part of senior management, you should be enormously enthusiastic about your business. If you are not that pumped up, why the heck would your employees be enthused? Yes, this all comes down to leadership, and if you don’t act like a leader, then you simply are not one. You can’t ask for respect; it comes from doing the right thing, over and over again. You earn respect from the people who work for you, one person at a time and one action at a time. I will tell you that it’s been my experience—even though I’m someone who basically is a shy person—that you have to learn how to get out of your comfort zone if you want to encourage your people and your customers. One of the greatest lessons I ever learned was that humor should be self-deprecating; I make fun of myself. This lesson has stayed with me for many years, and I always use self-deprecating humor when I address audiences—you should, too, when you are trying to motivate your team.  

By the way, if you are interested in listening to my “10 Leadership Traits,” which are the basis of one of my speaking sessions, just go to www.jacksims.com. You will find the link on the bottom left side of the page.

It’s your leadership that starts the branding process, but it trickles down to everyone in the organization and then to your customers. You have to make sure that your brand is congruent with your values—that impression comes through in all parts of the communication process, including the aspects that directly impact your customers.

Does your brand belong to your customers?

When you reach that point—when your brand belongs to your customers—you have made it to the highest level possible in creating a relationship with your customers; chances are good that they will be your customers for life. Isn’t that what every business wants? To keep its customers for life? That, by the way, should be your measurement of success—what is the lifetime value of your customers?

The process of brand development has three very distinct stages of growth. Don’t try to leap forward over stage two; you have to earn your way to stage three.

Stage 1—You Are a Brand: It starts the very first time that you actually sell something to somebody. At that moment, you are a brand, even if you didn’t realize it. You see, when you sell your product or service, people make a few decisions before they ultimately purchase from you. And it’s how people feel after going through the decision-making process that creates the brand impression in their minds.

Creating a brand impression is a four-step process for customers:

1. They decide to buy something from the category in which you are competing.
2. They research the category and decide to purchase from you.
3. They actually purchase from you.
4. How they feel after the sale of your product or service.

At every one of the four steps, customers are affected, whether it’s positive, negative, or somewhere in between. This results in an emotional connection that will dictate whether or not you have a favorable relationship with those customers. A brand is all about emotions; an emotional connection makes them want your product in their lives. So I urge you to examine each one of those moments of contact and make sure that they are conducted in a manner that will deliver an impression that positively affects the way that customers think about your brand. Remember, brands are the emotional connection; it’s the way that customers feel about your product that leads to a relationship. And that relationship can be positively affected if you and your team are fanatical about wanting your business to be the brand leader in your category.

Remember, if you sell just one thing to one customer, you are a brand!

Stage 2—They Like the Brand: The second stage is when you have managed to get your customers and retain them for some time. They are familiar with you and make repeat purchases, or they tell their friends about you in a positive way. They like you, your business, and your brand. It takes a lot of work to reach this stage but more than that, it takes consistency in delivering your product—delivering it with fun, enjoyment, and a true belief that it is the very best product that you can bring to the marketplace. But even though it’s the best product you can make today, you must keep striving to make it better. That means more research, product improvements, and cost savings, and all with the input of your customers!

Make sure that what you are doing and creating is exactly what your customers want—your own opinion here really doesn’t matter.

Do this, and your customers will really LIKE YOUR BRAND!

Stage 3—The Brand Belongs to Your Customers: A few years ago I was standing in the reception area of a major corporation client (you would recognize the name if I mentioned it), talking to a vice president of marketing. The conversation ended with the client saying to me, “OK, I’ll send the package over to Sims this afternoon.” I didn’t think much about the comment at first; it was a throwaway line. It wasn’t until later that evening that I realized that he hadn’t been referring to me when he said “Sims”; it was my company. That was an “aha” moment for me. It was at that moment that I recognized that we had gone from being a brand to a liked brand to a loved brand that belongs to our customers. I hope that you will experience this in your business, too!

We all have brands that we love and want in our lives. As customers, we take “ownership” of the brand—and this, of course, brings me back to the Boston Red Sox! Red Sox fans love their team, Fenway Park, the color red, the left-field wall known as the Green Monster, and the whole idea of being a Red Sox fan. It’s undeniable that the Red Sox are owned by the fans.

We see it in business so many times!

Ask Harley-Davidson riders how they feel about their bikes—even just looking at their bikes—and they’ll tell you that they get goose bumps just thinking about them. They love their bikes, the chrome, and the seat. I know people who have bought a truck with a trailer in order to transport their bikes to a gathering of HOGs, just to rev up their bikes and listen to that unforgettable sound. After a couple of hours of looking at lots of chrome and listening to engines roar, they transport the bike back home. The joke is that while they love their Harleys, they have probably spent more money on the truck and the trailer—that’s how much they love their Hogs.

Think about the products or services that you love to have in your life, those that life just would not be the same without.

The Tiger Woods brand is high on my list, and apparently it’s the same for lots of households. On the other hand, I used to be a big fan of American Airlines—I loved them—but their service is waning and now I just like them. (I stick with them because I have flown more than three million miles over the years, and they do offer upgrades to me.) Also, I love the Vonage VOIP phone system, although I lost money when I bought their initial stock offering. I love Gillette razors; Ermenegildo Zegna suits; Eric Clapton’s music; the Rolling Stones’ attitude; Sir Richard Branson and Steve Jobs for their style and for being smart and for being a brand in their own right; the New York skyline; good books; Grape-Nuts cereal for breakfast; my iPod; my 1991 Mercedes 300SL; Bulgari aftershave; Robin Williams for just being funny; and my golf clubs, when they are good to me. And I love giving speaking sessions to new people, especially when I know that I have left them with positive information that they can use to make their businesses, their lives, and the world a better place.

Make your customers love your brand and it will belong to them—and that is exactly what you want.

Green Branding

When you are making a purchase and have the choice of two products, one of which is “green” but a little more expensive, which one do you buy?

The “green branding” issue is an interesting part of the marketing process. I will share my thoughts on the subject in next month’s issue of BRAND NEWs. But in the meantime, you have a chance to voice your opinions on “green branding” by clicking on the following link and participating in the survey:

 http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=YgQkJsyUZtOysNO1YEn73A_3d_3d

Please help the survey become more meaningful by forwarding the link (or the whole BRAND NEWs newsletter) to friends and associates. I would like to get as many people as possible involved in this survey, so I need you to make an effort on this one. It has huge ramifications, and your participation will speak volumes.