Having loyalty for a brand is one of most important features a business can have. It is passed down from one generation to the next. There is one particular business that has enjoyed such brand loyalty, even when performance has lagged: professional sports.
Professional sports leagues have been in the United States for over 150 years, and many teams can trace their lineage over the past two centuries. It began at a time when they were literally the only game in town: if you wanted to see a baseball game, you went to the stadium or the team closest to you; going to another city was almost impossible. That environment itself created brand loyalty in itself: the “old town team”. Thus, team loyalty could be passed from one generation to the next.
Now, we live in a world where we have access to essentially every team in every sport, so competition is greater than before. Every team’s game can be viewed for almost everywhere in the world. Many teams offer travel packages to see a game in their location live, since travel is easier. Putting up a sign at the local ballpark saying “Game Today” is not enough.
Here of examples of success in the sports world and how they can translate to the business world:
DEVELOPING A SUCCESSFUL BRAND CAN HELP YOU IF GOALS ARE NOT ALWAYS ATTAINABLE. The Dallas Cowboys have not won a Super Bowl in over thirty years, but have built a brand that is among the most well-known, and profitable, business in the world. It was begun by Tex Schramm, the Cowboys general manager, who put the team on high profile days such as Thanksgiving, added cheerleaders that became an attraction all their own, and made Dallas a recognizable destination for exciting football. These traditions have been carried on and expanded by the current owner of the Cowboys, Jerry Jones.
SOMETIMES CONSISTENT SUCESS IS NOT ENOUGH. The New York Yankees recorded their thirtieth consecutive season with a winning record, the longest current streak in American sports. Ask a Yankee fan how this past season went, and they will say it is a failure because they did not make the playoffs. A team like the Yankees, who lead their promotions by bragging about their past successes, can create such high expectations that consistent performance is meaningless. Many times, when a team achieves the ultimate success, an occasional failure is more tolerated. You have to be aware that the demands of your clientele may differ from similar businesses.
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO TEAR DOWN TO REBUILD. You have to be afraid not to fail in order to succeed, because lessons can be learned from defeat. Many a franchise have allowed themselves to be disassembled and rebuilt from scratch, with the belief that brand recognition and loyalty will carry them through hard times, as long as there is a promise of better days ahead. This is known as a “rebuild”.
MAKE SURE YOUR WORK ENVIRONMENT IS APPEALING TO ENTICE A CASUAL FAN.
Having outstanding facilities can be a draw. The Dallas Cowboys created vastly modern stadiums twice in order to make their product more appealing: Texas Stadium in 1971, and Cowboys Stadium in 2009. The Baltimore Orioles opened Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992, known as a “retro stadium”, and almost every other team would follow suit with new stadiums over the next twenty-five years. These buildings create repeat customers by delivering enjoyable visits regardless of the final score.
Combining a good product, through research and development, with providing an enticing environment can result in a successful product, that may just lead to a championship. Reach out to use to help give you that championship edge.
Lawrence Miles is a writer living in White Plains, NY.His collection of essays can be found at https://lawrencemiles.substack.com, and it continues to grow.He is also a published poet, whose works have appeared in journals such as Maintenant #15, 2022 New
The potential and strategies of branding are critical today, yet the practices and requirements are dramatically changing. In particular, branding is still dominated by marketing, differentiation, and promotion activities. Right now, technology, customer needs, and operations are becoming vital components of the branding process.
In particular, I argue that many branding experts focus too much effort on packaging, advertising, logos, and copy. At the same time, they often ignore issues like value, service, quality, culture, and our digital environment. If you don’t believe that, just compare the focus of many brands on department stores versus places like Amazon and Costco.
Here are some ways to improve branding:
1. Digital Branding
Brand management frequently does not pay enough attention to the digital world. Branding efforts need to be comprehensive, so it is good to support your efforts with a web site, social media, brochures, etc.
Automation, efficiency, and digital solutions have also allowed us your focus on solutions rather than just meeting customer’s needs. Market the real product your customer wants to buy. For example, the same customer may want the prestige of a designer purse name, and then buy generic labels at the grocery store to save money.
2. Operations
Service, image, and culture are frequently the biggest (and often least expensive) opportunities for small companies to develop a brand and differentiate themselves. Some suggestions:
Focus on your target market, segment, and your ideal customer.
Be polite, listen and then act based on what you have learned.
Become a trusted resource to your prospects by providing information that will help them make a good choice.
Build an email list and send informative mailings on a regular basis.
Keep in touch with potential customers and existing customers.
3. Quality
Quality needs to vary by customer and need. Let’s face it: IKEA makes great utilitarian, well-priced, and good-looking furniture for many young people. However, it really isn’t made to last a lifetime. Other products (like pizza) probably have more variance in the perceptions of the consumer than in the actual quality of the ingredients.
4. Convenience
In this day and age, if you’re not offering some sort of ease of use or accessibility, you’re dead in the water. So, try and angle your brand to offer some sort of convenience, such as easy payment, delivery, and contact (24 hour customer service). These are just some options for offering efficiency to your customer in some way.
5. Value
It’s one thing to nab the customer…. But to keep them coming back? That’s the golden ticket. Your product or service can’t be just a one-time thing. It has to be a many-time thing! It’s called customer retention – keep them coming back, and you’ve got guaranteed revenue.
Remember that value can vary, and it often depends on the situation and the perceptions. For example, Nieman Marcus, Costco, and Amazon all offer quite different products, but since they have quite effective value, many customers shop at all three retailers. As an aside, I love the free samples at Costco.
6. Company Culture
In researching this blog, I searched branding on Google. The articles barely mentioned culture (if at all), which I consider to be one of the most important components of branding. Creating and maintaining a positive company culture is a critical component in achieving excellence and establishing a great brand. A great strategy, without a supportive culture, will undoubtedly fail… I’ve seen it happen too many times.
Setting the right expectations, providing support, and accepting responsibility as a leader are all non-negotiable aspects of nurturing the culture in your company. In addition, you must never cease to measure what seems unquantifiable (in order to consider your attempts at creating a successful company culture).
There is no better example of this than the Golden State Warriors, who just won their third NBA title in four years. Much of the attention is given to their super stars, but if you look behind that, you see how the entire organization (including the training staff, coaching staff, medical staff) are all united to create excellence and a unified brand.
In summary, branding and differentiation are two of the key areas required to bring even the greatest new products and services to market. These two strategies are linked and are primarily a function of ensuring that your product or service meets the needs of your consumer.
As one expert said “We all know the adage…. features tell, benefits sell.” If this is true, why do so many entrepreneurs still speak in terms of the features of their product or service and not its benefits? Your prospective customers does not care what your product or service does… they only care about what it does for THEM!
Ready to achieve success by improving your company culture? Contact us today.
Dr. Bert Shlensky, president of Startup Connection (www.startupconection.net) has an MBA and PhD from the Sloan School of Management at M.I.T. He served as the President of WestPoint Pepperell’s apparel fabrics business and President and CEO of Sure Fit Products. Having provided counseling to over 2,000 clients, he now focuses on working with select startup and small businesses.
Truthfully, your business logo — or even better, your image — is the crux, the starting point, the light bulb, of what your business is all about. Why? Because we’re visual creatures. We identify by what we see first before knowing. That’s why some of the best global brands out there are so recognizable, even by people who’ve never bought the product or service of the brand.
But you can’t just have any cool image as part of your logo. Do that, and you’ll have a disconnect. Potential customers will love the image, but won’t make the connection to your brand, and they’re still not won over. The idea of having the right business logo involves creating that bridge — you want them to identify with your business.
And These Are the 3 Aspects of a Business Logo You Should Always Keep in Mind:
Your Vision — What is the idea of your company? Your brand? Your product? Your service? Focus on your goal. Your hope. What are you aiming for? Simply put, if your image doesn’t convey exactly what your vision is for the future of your company, your company won’t technically be seen at all by the masses.
The Mission — This is the action. This takes the vision and puts action to it, outlines exactly what you want to accomplish. You have your goals — now what do you need to do to accomplish it? Think about that, creatively brainstorm on what it’s going to take to get your success under your belt.
Your Distinctiveness — And lastly, your image has to be unique. Something you don’t see anywhere else. Because if a customers sees it anywhere else, it makes it that much harder to identify with your business. We’re getting into the whole trademark infringement, legal stuff, which is why there are so many cases in that field.
Seems easy — but only when you do it. Sit down, get a pad and paper. Start creating. Once you get down to it, you’re rollin’ (and just to put it in perspective, the three logos you see there are from three top small businesses ranked by Forbes.com — yes, that publication).
That’s how your business gets built, starting from the ground up.
It’s What People Will See Even Before “Getting in Your Door”
Your brand. Your image. It’s right there in a sign. A visual cue. You conjure these emotions, or other images in their head, and they start connecting the dots. This is who you are. If you can do that with just imagery, that’s half the battle of building the brand and making your a household name.
Dr. Bert Shlensky, President of The Startup Connection, directs all small business clients toward maximum sales and profit thanks to his 40 years of high-quality experience. He does this through technological, social, and online integration, supercharging your business success into the next level, so don’t hesitate to sign up for a free consultation RIGHT NOW.
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When you want to stand out, reach out to Bert for the tools that will build your “sticky” brand. My focus is on understanding and analyzing your dilemmas and challenges, so your company becomes profitable faster.
Call (914) 632-6977 or email me at bshlensky@startupconnection.net. Don’t leave without signing up for our useful free eBook!
Feeling stumped or overwhelmed? Contact Bert at (914) 632-6977 or Email to start the process. Thanks!
The potential and strategies of branding are critical today, yet the practices and requirements are dramatically changing. In particular, branding is still dominated by marketing, differentiation, and promotion activities. Right now, technology, customer needs, and operations are becoming vital components of the branding process.
In researching this blog, I searched branding on Google. The articles barely mentioned culture (if at all), which I consider to be one of the most important components of branding. Creating and maintaining a positive company culture is a critical component in achieving excellence and establishing a great brand. A great strategy, without a supportive culture, will undoubtedly fail… I’ve seen it happen too many times.
outlines exactly what you want to accomplish. You have your goals — now what do you need to do to accomplish it? Think about that, creatively brainstorm on what it’s going to take to get your success under your belt.
see anywhere else. Because if a customers sees it anywhere else, it makes it that much harder to identify with your business. We’re getting into the whole trademark infringement, legal stuff, which is why there are so many cases in that field.