Thursday, January 31, 2008

The rewards of giving back

Making time for volunteer work these days is always a challenge, what with client projects, kid’s hockey games and spending time with your spouse all competing for the planet’s most non-renewable: time.

For three years, I’ve given a great many hours to the Marketing Hall of Legends (www.marketinghalloflegends.ca), an organization that celebrates marketing excellence in Canada. The primary part of my role has been conducting phone or in-person interviews with each year’s inductees, then translating these into two-page profiles in the gala evening program book.

While the hours I’ve contributed are considerable, so too are the rewards I’ve received. First, simply getting to talk with some of Canada’s most successful marketers is a treat. Second, the opportunity to hear about their career influences, their personal mantras and their views on the industry today is enlightening. And third is the satisfaction of knowing that my work – together with that of the others on the committee who also donate their time to the cause – reaches the eyes and minds and hearts of other Canadian marketers.

Last night's gala was once again a great success. Since this was my final year as an MHOL volunteer, it was a bittersweet moment to witness the energy in the room. I left feeling very proud of the part I'd played in helping our industry honour its legends.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

My faux-marble garbage can: A plea for truthfulness

The Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff (where I arrived yesterday to help produce the employee meeting I’ve been working on for a couple of months) is lovely. The view of the mountains is breathtaking, the food is tasty, and the staff (40 percent of whom, I’m told, are Aussies) are very friendly.

Though my room is spacious and tastefully decorated, one thing caught my eye… the bathroom garbage can.

The can is made of plastic that’s meant to look like marble. Now I’ve got nothing against marble, but why would one ever want a real marble garbage can? It would be quite heavy to lift while being emptied, rather breakable if you banged it, and would do a number on your toes if you dropped it.

This humble garbage can got me thinking about truthfulness in design. I believe that on top of being functional (things doing what they’re supposed to do; being easy-to-use and durable), objects and spaces should be attractive (e.g., harmonious colours, pleasing proportions). But I wish designers would not try to make things appear to be something that they’re not. In other words, I wish things were more authentic.

Plastic is an ideal material for a garbage can, so make it look like plastic. Why not a solid colour (since it’s made from resin poured into a mould), perhaps with a texture (if the moulding process allows for it). But don’t make it look like marble!

There’s a new book out called Authenticity (James H. Gilmore and B. Joseph Pine II, Harvard Business School Press, 299 pages, $31.95) that I suspect touches on this. To be truthful (!), I’ve only skimmed the book in a store and read a review of it.

Few would argue there’s tremendous skepticism all around us these days; witness the debate about whether Hillary Clinton’s crying on the campaign trail a couple of weeks ago was a carefully staged performance, or an authentic show of emotion. As Authenticity argues, there’s a deep yearning for things to be real.

I believe the lesson for marketers is to be honest with yourself – and with your customers – about what your brand / product actually is, then truthfully present what it can and cannot do. I’m not suggesting being dull, humourless or devoid of emotion, but rather to ensure the excitement and emotion of your brand promise is grounded in believable, real-life experiences.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Sky-high about my latest business tool!

We’ve all heard about ‘raving brand champions’ – ordinary customers who become vocal supporters of a company or its products. Well, right now at 36,000 feet above central Canada, I’ve become one myself.

The product? The remarkably simple AviatorTM Laptop Stand – a collapsible gizmo that packs flat in your briefcase (1/2 inch thick by about 12 inches long), but elevates your computer while angling it forward to a more ergonomically correct position. The result? You can type comfortably without hunching over.

I got it online at www.keynomics.com for $19.95 US; total price when shipped via UPS was 33 bucks.

The jury’s still out on whether it will help me ‘work smarter’ (as the instructions claim), but it sure feels a lot better!