STANDOUT BRANDING!

One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received was from a very wise businessman, who said:  

"You don't have to be outstanding, but you do have to stand out" 

By that of course he did not mean that your products, goods or services can be less than par. No, your products always have to be the very best that they can be. The issue is that we are all competing in a "Sea of Sameness". We all have competition, one critical factor is how we get noticed, how we shine enough light so that our prospective customers will find us! 

When I was a kid in England I would love to go to the "Street Markets". If you have seen the movie "Notting Hill" then you have seen the type of "street markets" I am talking about. The thing that always amazed me was that some of the "street stalls" had many more people around them than others. Why was this? Well usually they were the stands with lots of light bulbs on them, or the sales person was yelling out what he had for sale, telling jokes or basically enticing the passers by to stop at his stand. Yes his merchandise was no better than the rest but was making every effort to - STAND OUT. 

It's the same in business, you have to stand out!

Every entrepreneur or owner knows that they are trying to get noticed in their category. But oftentimes it goes broader than that, as consumers have limited funds to spend and they must decide the category to purchase from, not the product within it! 

For instance one of my clients Durasol Awnings, (they are the #1 ranked motorized retractable awning company in the US) has a lot of competition in their category. But they also clearly understand that their potential customer can just as easily spend the money they had allocated for an awning on a hot tub! Both products would make their family's outdoor entertainment experience just a little bit better. So remember, you are in competition but the breadth of your real competition can be much wider than you think. The bottom line is ....you are after a "Bigger share of their wallet". 

So how do you stand out in a "Sea of Sameness?"

Over the years for potential clients of mine, I have tried numerous ways to stand out. One memorable experience was with the J-ELLO brand. We had been trying for years to get an opportunity to show them our ideas. We eventually got a call asking if we would you like to participate in a 5 company pitch for a single project! The odds were not good, but I wanted in. It was the best chance we would get. The project was a Texas only promotion and the idea that was presented was a mold in the shape of Texas, which was a "Near Pack" event. In other words, buy the product and take a mold for FREE. We went through our research and creative approaches and settled on the 3 that we thought would win. But my thinking was that we were up against 4 other great Agencies, which included the incumbent. 

So how could we stand out? 

When it came to "Pitch Day", my Account Executive and I arrived at the General Foods building and presented ourselves. It was very obvious that we stood out. At that time General Foods employees wore white shirts, grey suits and wing tip shoes. We however were were dressed in complete cowboy gear. Yes yours truly, was in jeans, a big belt buckle, chaps, spurs and a 10 gallon hat. We honestly felt ridiculous, but we did stand out and we did get the project! Just for the record, there was a picture of me, wearing chaps, taken from the rear, pasted on the General Foods bulletin board for 6 months. I know I looked a bit silly, but we accomplish our goal! Eventually General Foods became one of our biggest corporate clients. 

I am not encouraging you to dress like a cowboy or in a clown's costume. What I am saying is "find a way to stand out in your communications to your target audience. Look for different promotional opportunities.Investigate the way your customers spend their time by having them complete a "Week in the life of my typical customer". When they go through this exercise they just might find a completely different way to "get to" those potential customers in a way that they and their competitors had not thought of before. 

Can't cook an Egg? 

Anyone can cook an egg can't they? Well I always thought so, but apparently that is not the case. And the "Egg Marketing Board" in England has been working on a way to make their brands stand out in the supermarket to make them easier to cook in the same time frame. If you want your eggs "Soft boiled" then that's what you buy; eggs in boxes marked "Soft". Then when you place the eggs in boiling water, a logo with the British Lion and the words "Soft" will appear on the shell when they are cooked the way you intend them. Of course you can purchase medium or hard boiled eggs as well and just boil them until the logo appears on the shell! Voila! They are cooked just they way you like them. They are using a new technology called "Thermochromatic Ink" which can change color or appear when the desired temperature is reached. 

Is that HOT or What!!!!! 

Additionally the folks at Coors have figured out a way to use the sameThermochromatic ink technology on their 12-ounce Coors Light and Coors Cold Activated Bottles. For instance it turns the white mountains blue when Coors Light has been chilled to the perfect temperature for ice cold refreshment. 

Really Cool don't you think?

Finally: I am looking for you input!

I would like to hear from you, what issues are concerning you in your businesses or your career path. I have created a special survey and I want to hear from you so that all of my readers benefit from the problems and opportunities that you all experience. Click Here to complete the survey  

I will share the results in next month’s issue of BRAND NEWs. 

Or of course you can always e-mail me at info@jacksims.com with any specific questions you might have too!

Click here to see previous issues of BRAND NEWs

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Golf Teaching!
Yes this is me just about to start one of my golf teaching lessons! I must tell you I am having an absolute blast! It is better than I ever imagined! The only problem is that because I am teaching so much, I am not able to play very often, so the old handicap is slipping. But I have met some great and varied people, from college professors to guys who work nights at the supermarket and want a lesson before they go home to bed. I have to tell you it is such a thrill for me when a student just hits the shot that we have been working on. The look on their face is incredibly rewarding!

Recently I have been have been running around the country speaking in lots of great cities, but a couple of stops were definitely worth reporting

DALLAS
I met up in Dallas with my business partner T Scott Gross. He is the author of the best-selling book "Positively Outrageous Service. We met to finalize the audio editing of the sensational 4CD set that we have recorded for business people just like you.

This is a project that we are very proud of and it has taken us many hours to record. I must say that there were a lot of laughs during the session, which probably increased the time we spent on recording. But the net result was well worth it! Title of the session is "Powerful Business Secrets the Big Boys Don't Want You to Know". 

We have created it in a very casual way. Envision us chatting together in your living room. We address questions that will be beneficial to you if you are in business.                    

Normally, this 4 CD set will sell for $79 but I am pleased to announce that as one of my readers, you can get an advance set for only $49 + s&h.

CLICK HERE TO BUY

NEW YORK
I had the opportunity to speak for the CEO Clubs of America, at the Harvard Club in NYC. What a prestigious place! I must admit, I did stand back to look up at this magnificent building in awe and said to myself "I'm a long way from a little town in England, I never thought I'd  to get here". I think that my Mom would be proud! I met some really nice smart people and they have subsequently booked me to address their group in Dallas in September. For this event I have asked Scott to join me and we will be putting on our very first "Lunchtime with Jack and Scott". It will be a more casual speaking venue, including Scott and I answering questions on business growth, branding, customer service, and marketing questions from the audience. (very similar to the content of the 4CD set that I mentioned earlier). I think this will be a really interesting and informative session for the audience and I know it will be a blast for us! Wouldn't you know, that once we came up with this idea, it has begun to create a life of its own. We have already been asked to give similar sessions for other groups.   

So stay tuned on that front.