John Doe is a young sales manager working in a large technology firm for the past two years. This year he has been chosen to attend the annual sales conference; understandably, he is excited about his up-coming trip to Las Vegas. After all, it is a great opportunity for him to impress his managers, co-workers and senior leadership. Two years back, when he joined the firm as a sales manager, many of his detractors predicted his failure, because of his quiet temperament. He was a silent but confident worker, very different from the stereotypical sales person. Not the gregarious socialite but an efficient networker. His customers trusted him, appreciated his understanding of their business and liked him. Not surprisingly, he exceeded his sales targets 8 quarters in a row.
Despite these achievements, he was very conscious of his quiet demeanour; he knew he was not the quintessential loud extrovert that sales professionals are expected to be. As he boarded the redeye to Las Vegas, he was determined to show a different side of his personality. He wanted to rebrand, reposition himself and refresh his image in the eyes of his colleagues and managers.
On the appointed day, dressed in bright colours and sporting a cowboy hat he made a loud entry into the conference hall; greeting his friends & colleagues as he passed them. Upon reaching the centre of the hall, he flung his hat up towards the ceiling with all the strength he could muster. He was inspired by Microsoft’s former CEO Steve Ballmer’s boisterous entry. (Link @ end of blog)
His entry had the desired effect, all eyes were firmly upon him, the entire room fell silent for what seemed like an eternity, the deafening silence was only broken by the shattering of glass. His hat had struck the massive chandler with such force that a chunk of it detached itself and fell to the floor with a loud clank. The deafening silence gave way to muted laughter.
The sequels of laughter around him made his head spin, he felt a drop of hot sweat trickle down his face that was now red with embarrassment. Just as he was walking swiftly towards the hazy green sign marked ‘Exit’, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see his manager. “Oh no, I’m screwed”, he said to himself as he reached for the door. In his characteristically calm voice his manager said, ”John, You didn’t have to pull such a ridiculous stunt. That is just not you. You know that, don’t you ?.”
Hurt and confused John beat a hasty retreat to the safety of his hotel room, where he thought to himself, “But isn’t that the way extroverted sales folks are meant to behave ? When Steve Balmer can do it.. Why not me ? ” (Link @ end of blog)
Being the introspective kind, the solitude of his hotel room helped him realise the great truth. There are indeed limits to how far one can repositioning oneself. There are limits to rebranding. Deep down, he was not a loud abrasive extrovert, he knew it and more importantly people around him knew it. Hence, when he behaved in a way that was not aligned to his true DNA, he was ill at ease. He came cross as insincere to his co-workers.
What is true for personal branding is also true for companies and even cities that embark on a branding or rebranding journey.
A few years ago, Las Vegas, the Sin city with it’s tag line, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” tried to reinvent itself as a fun place for families and children. They hired a whole bunch of clowns, musicians etc in an effort to paint the picture of a family friendly tourist destination. Sin City failed miserably in that exercise,they were no match for Disney World. Brand ‘Sin City’ was so well entrenched in people’s mind that it proved impossible to shift their perception. A classic case, highlighting the limits to rebranding.
The case of companies attempting to rebrand themselves into something they are not is equally disappointing. Take the case of Xerox, which was and still is, synonymous with photo copiers. A brand position they couldn’t shake off when they entered the PC & Server business.
Be it new or old companies, cities or even people, external branding and brand positioning must reflect the true DNA, the ingrained values.
Breaking from tradition: Understand thyself before seeking to understand thy customers
This is the point where we commit heresy and break away from the traditional branding approach of listening to customers, understanding their requirement and shaping ourselves to fit that mold. What if your DNA stands for rock solid value for money but your customer survey points to innovation as one of the valued brand attributes. Can you transform and stretch your existing brand’s positioning to resonate with that customer need ?
Toyota faced a similar predicament. Toyota is know for its solid built quality and reliability but has the reputation for being as interesting & exciting as your grand mother. Acknowledging it’s existing brand DNA and it’s limitations, Toyota introduced a new brand “Lexus” catering to the luxury segment. Toyota is is not a lone example, Honda introduced the “Acura” Brand for similar reasons. On the other hand, GE introduced “Hotpoint” for a diametrically opposite reason; ie cater to the lower end, cost conscious customer segment.
While it is important to undertake customer surveys and align your brand values to customer values; this cannot be done in a way that detaches your external brand positioning from your internal DNA.
Alignment between your external brand position and your internal values and DNA is critical for success and to be perceived as an authentic brand`.
Understand the limitations of your brand, understand your DNA, understand your values and what you stand for deep down. Studying your company’s backstory; starting from where it all began right up to where you are now along with all the twists and turns in that journey would be a good starting point to understand the essence of your brand. Bolster that knowledge by talking to your founders and understanding the founding principles and finally, top it off by interviewing leaders and long term employees.
Stand for something significant & remember that your Product is not your Brand
Ask any company veteran about your elevator pitch and he / she is likely to ramble on for a full 3 minutes; covering everything from your product’s superiority to the Capex and Opex savings. But think for a minute, products ( & even services ) come and go. What is an innovation today will become a commodity tomorrow. When first introduced in 2007, the iPhone was an innovative product with no real competition. Today that is no longer the case, one could argue that some products based on the rival Android platform are better at-least in some respects.
However, unlike Xerox, Apple was able to extend its brand beyond the original macintosh, to products as diverse as Music Players, Watches, Tablets, Mobile Phones and perhaps someday even cars.
How did Apple succeed where Xerox failed ? The answer lies in the Apple’s true DNA. Apple stands for innovation, their tag line , “Think Different” reflects that and each one their products, is a manifestation of that deep value. Similarly, Google isn’t just a search engine company, they are a technology power house. They are known for their ‘out of the box’ thinking and ‘moon shot’ projects.
And so…
Our fictional character John Doe will recover from his setback, when he learns to be an authentic brand, which means being true to his inner self and not pretending to be someone else. As for the stereotype of an extroverted sales person and a pensive introverted creative person, I’m yet to come across any management literature that supports that view.
For all the John Doe’s out there, I would recommend an excellent book by Marcus – StandOut 2.0 . A great book that starts by identifying your primary and secondary personality type through a questionnaire, followed by a ‘How to Section’ meant to help each personality use his/her unique strengths to succeed in any career be it sales, marketing, leadership etc.
And for the marketers engaged in branding or rebranding exercises, I’d say don’t stray too far away from your firm’s inner DNA. Be an authentic brand.
Have you have been a part of any branding exercise ? If so what was your experience ? Did you stay true to your brand’s inner self while still appealing to your customers ? Drop a line and share your views.
Steve Ballmer’s Speech
