Achieving prosperity through design (and how marketing helps)

There's plenty of talk these days about the need for Canadian business to increase its productivity in order to thrive in the ruthlessly competitive 21st century. Put more bluntly, it seems that companies must either innovate or face extinction.

Innovation can be defined as the act of applying new or different knowledge and skills in order to solve problems. And based on my early studies in architecture school, the practice of innovation is synonymous with the discipline of design.

Regrettably, many people equate design with 'styling' – the surface appearance or visual appeal of an object. But as I alluded to in an earlier blog, great design involves much more than merely visual delight.

I believe that great design involves the development of creative solutions that effectively address all the relevant needs of all the relevant constituents connected with the problem at hand. As trained problem-solvers, designers are adept at considering and balancing these often-competing needs and perspectives.

For instance, suppose a designer is developing a new smartphone. The relevant constituents  would begin with the phone's end-user(s), then its purchaser, then the retailer who sold the phone, the wholesaler who shipped and warehoused the phone, the manufacturer who built the phone, and potentially even the communities where the raw materials used to create the phone were extracted. All have a stake in the overall quality of the design solution.

More obviously, our phone designer would need to consider all the relevant needs of these diverse stakeholders. Again using our smartphone example, this involves not only how good the phone looks (its aesthetic or 'cultural' appeal) and how well it works (its functionality), but also how cost-efficiently the phone was manufactured and packaged, and how big an environmental footprint it leaves (the choice and quantity of materials used in its manufacturing, its energy consumption during operation, and the ease of its disposal at the end of its working life).

Such a broad perspective of considerations can – and should – be applied to the development of intangible services as well as the creation of tangible goods.

So where does marketing fit into all of this? As 'experts on the consumer,' marketers have the task of identifying – ideally anticipating – the needs or wants of the consumer, then translating these into a clear problem statement that designers can easily work with. Then, once the product or service has been completed, marketers lead the charge in launching and promoting it in the marketplace, helping drive consumer engagement and ultimately sales on behalf of  'the client.'


If Canada is serious about boosting our national productivity and fostering innovation, then I believe design need a stronger role in the equation. Getting corporations (and other organizations, for that matter) to recognize and appreciate the vital contribution that talented designers can make to their success is one of today's most pressing challenges.

Water-glasses with balls... a 'Real Sports' highlight!

This evening, my son and I treated ourselves to watching the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres pre-season hockey game on a flatscreen TV from the comfort of a booth at the wonderful new Real Sports Bar and Grill, located adjacent to the Air Canada Centre – a sensitively renovated Art Deco building, by the way!

As per my family's lunchtime visit a few weeks ago, the food was excellent, the staff friendly, the service attentive and the atmosphere lively due to the presence of many groups of sports fans. These are the necessities for success in their competitive business.

But Real Sports recognizes the need for extra little surprises that help create the truly memorable customer experience.

The interior design features eerily lit decorative chandeliers made from hundreds of fanned-out hockey-stick blades. Above one of the bars is a ceiling patterned on a giant basketball net, with tabletops featuring real parquet flooring from the ACC. And your side-order of French Fries comes in a little metal basket that's a miniature copy of a real french-fryer basket!

But what was the highlight for me was discovering that the bottoms of the water-glasses contained small recesses in the form of sports balls – baseballs, golf-balls, footballs and basketballs.

Side view of 'golf-ball' water-glass held up in front of our booth's TV screen showing Leafs game.

 In my view, demonstrating such care for even the subtlest aspects of the customer experience is a sure-fire way to win the hearts of even the most demanding fans!

Duh, it's about the customer!

Kudos to Alexa Samuels for laying bare the dangers of not being customer-centric when creating your communications – Is your marketing making the customer think too much?

Begin with the mindset of: Where's my customer's head at regarding my product? and you will, at minimum, prevent customers from bypassing your message since they'll recognize themselves in your piece. At best, you will have gained new brand advocates since you've solved a problem for them and demonstrated respect for their intelligence and time.

On the other hand, if you launch your communications thinking: Hey everyone out there, lemme tell you all my detailed news!, you will likely confuse people who aren't as close to things as you, or worse, create a lasting negative impression of your brand.

Remember the old saw that it takes 100 contacts to create a good impression, but just one to break it!

A truly smart brand...

When shopping in-person at Indigo yesterday, I bought the latest in my series of (insert topic here) For Dummies books.

This one is iPad For Dummies, purchased to help me get the most out of my new 'essential business tool / really cool toy' – it really depends on who in my family you ask!

In the early days of Glue, I bought several of the books to help me learn about and run the business: Consulting for Dummies, Accounting for Dummies and Managing Business Change for Dummies. Since then, I've picked up several others – iPod & iTunes for Dummies and iMovie '09 & iDVD '09 for Dummies – to help me exploit specific new technological tools.

What really impresses me about 'For Dummies' books are their consistency:

• Packaging – the books are easy to spot on the store's shelf (helps me buy 'em), and each one is to distinguish from another on my bookshelf (helps me use 'em).
• Organization – each book follows a standard format (e.g., Contents at a Glance, Table of Contents, 'The Part of Tens', road-sign icons, detailed index), so I know what to expect and where to find stuff.
• Tonality – all the Dummies books I own have the same folksy language that's occasionally laced with gentle puns, but always very clear in delivering its message, making me feel comfortable when learning.

In writing this post, I've just discovered that there's a FREE For Dummies online reference library of articles and instructional videos on a vast number of topics, ranging from the six-step 'How to Unclog a Drain with a Plunger' (illustrated with still photos!), to 'How to Create Smart CD Playlists in iTunes' that includes helpful screen shots. Heck, you don't even have to buy this company's stuff to learn things!

Overall, I believe For Dummies books exemplify effective branding: they make a clear and relevant promise ('A Reference for the Rest of Us', now apparently updated to 'Making Everything Easier') and then repeatedly deliver on that promise.

Now that's smart business!

My new iPad: The thrill, the disappointment and a delightful surprise

My first Apple computer!

As a nearly 30-year user of Apple technology (remember the Apple II Plus anyone?), the time finally arrived when I was able to purchase an iPad. (Being the prudent person I am, I also bought an ICON screen protector, and after being nearly overwhelmed by choice at my Best Buy store, a padded black nylon Brenthaven carrying case.)

Naturally, there was enormous excitement when I unpacked the silent, shining black-and-chrome iPad.

The designer side of me relishes the simplicity of the all-white Apple box with its vacuum-formed insert and clear cellophane wrappers (that even have micro-sized dots on the flaps to tell you where to pull to remove).

Cardboard stiffener = cupholder tray!

But the eco-consumer side of me – disappointed by the lack of recycle-ability of much of the iPad packaging – was thrilled that the cardboard stiffener inside the Brenthaven case (which itself was packed inside a simple, recycled paper sleeve) was designed to be reused as a cup-holder tray! Its instructions read: "In our efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle, please punch out cup holders and recycle the rest. Thanks. Brenthaven."

So while I've (predictably) extended my engagement and passion for the Apple brand, I have become an instant convert to the eco-friendly Brenthaven brand and its Zero Impact commitment to the environment.

Do you think the time will come when Apple's commitment to user experience will catch up with today's ground-swell of eco-consciousness, and will lead the company to evolve its distinctive packaging into something less polished and sleek?

How to judge the quality of your constituent communications

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Back in the late 1970s, when I was studying architecture at Carleton University in Ottawa, I was introduced to the phrase: "Well building hath three conditions: firmness, commodity, and delight," which was co-authored by English author and diplomat Sir Henry Wotton (1568 – 1639), in his work The Elements of Architecture (1624; a free translation of Vitruvius' de Architectura).

In essence, the phrase "commodity, firmness and delight" means that an excellent work of architecture is functional (the size and arrangement of its spaces meet the practical needs of its users); well built (it uses materials and technology wisely and efficiently); and pleasing to the eye (it is beautiful or meets the intangible needs of its users).

Since my career has transitioned away from architecture, I've become convinced that  all marketing-communications 'artefacts' (whether in print, digital or live media) can also be judged by these same three, time-tested criteria.

In other words, I suggest we should ask ourselves the following questions when assessing 'creative' work:

1. Does it accomplish its business objectives – whether that means simply informing, persuading or striving to change behaviour?
2. Is it crafted intelligently – completed in a reasonable time, without excessive expenditure, and in a suitably durable yet environmentally friendly manner?
3. Does it connect with people and touch their hearts – or at least speak to them as human beings rather than as 'automatons' programmed only to consume?

I just discovered that there's a toolkit called the Design Quality Indicator, first developed in the UK, devoted to assessing the quality of buildings according to Wotton's big-three. The DQI toolkit is solely distributed in North America by DQI USA, LLC, which even has a YouTube commercial promoting the toolkit!

Perhaps it's time to approach internal stakeholder communications with this same broad yet disciplined perspective? If so, let's talk...

'Engaged' employees aren't enough

Until yesterday, I thought that having 'engaged' employees was sufficient as the first step in making customers – and 'shareholders' – happy (i.e., enduring organizational success).

But then I began reading Hundred Percenters: Challenge your employees to give it their all, and they'll give you even more, by Mark Murphy.

In the book, he argues that the real goal of leaders is not simply to create a workplace where employees are happy or satisfied (i.e., engaged), but rather to make work "fulfilling and enriching and ultimately to position people to achieve great results."

Murphy, who is chairman and CEO of consulting company Leadership IQ, says the two differentiating factors that result in 100% Leadership are 'connection' and 'challenge.' Connection is the strength of the emotional connection that leaders build with their employees, while challenge is how far leaders push their people to achieve greatness.

If you construct a matrix of this factors, you get Avoider leaders (low emotional connection, low challenge); Intimidators  (low connection, high challenge); Appeasers (high connection, low challenge); and 100% leaders (high connection, high challenge).

He suggests that Appeasers are satisfied with employee engagement, but that 100% leaders "...push us hard. But when they do, they teach us something about ourselves. They help us achieve extraordinary things. And they give us real opportunities for deep and lasting fulfillment." 

To me, most employees indeed want to work in an organization where they can make a tangible contribution, and where they can feel excited and proud about this contribution.

So, I'm going to think about 'energized employees' instead of simply 'engaged employees' as the real objective, with 'being energized' meaning being personally connected to the challenge of achieving great things on the job.