Why your professional services brand needs to think and act like a retailer

Posted on August 20, 2015 by brandaudits

Brand Audits Update x Chris Moody*

As the impact of social media and online shopping increases, even non-retail brands (think professional services—accountants, lawyers, and architects etc) need to think like a retailer. Like a retailer with a shop window (bricks-and-mortar or online store), the professional services firm has to think about their ‘window’. Their ‘window’ is their office environment (location and fit out) as well as their website and other digital communication.

And like a retailer, they must plot the ‘customer journey’ to understand the entire journey your customer has with your brand and what their experience is—from the very first telephone call or email to the invoice being sent. As with a retailer, every single ‘touch point’ matters. And like a retailer, branding is about creating an authentic brand that aligns with, and represents, your organisation’s strategy and vision.

Observing and learning from successful retail brands is a great starting point

Apple is an example of a great brand. Apple—the corporate brand—designs every detail or ‘touch point’ that comes in contact with the customer eg, Apple has beautifully designed, customer-centric products presented in purpose-designed packaging and contained in an innovative carry bag. The Apple website is easy to navigate and both the layout and the language align with the Apple ethos of simplicity and creativity.

Apple designs every detail or ‘touch point’ that involves the customer and their experience with the brand.

Professional services branding has become even more important with the explosion of social media. These days, everyone has access to your brand—whether online or through your staff—and every organisation needs to be in control of the management of their brand. It is important to ensure your organisation’s brand message is consistent across each and every ‘touch point’. Key to creating a differentiated and consistent brand is about delivering the entire brand package so you can carve out a niche and stand out from the crowd in an ever-increasing and competitive professional services arena.

*Christine Moody is one of Australia’s leading brand strategists and the founder brand management consultancy, Brand Audits. With more than 30 years’ professional experience, Christine has helped a diverse client base of local and international brands, including Gold Coast City Council, Hilton Hotels, and Wrigleys USA, to develop, protect and achieve brand differentiation.

For more information: chris.moody@brandaudits.com.au or +61 419 888 468.

Open House—An innovative concept from Target

Posted on August 19, 2015 by brandaudits

Brand Audits Update x Christine Moody*

Retail continues to lead the way in innovative, customer-centric brand experiences. The most innovative brands get their teams out and about to explore how customers shop and observe them as they purchase products and services.

Target has gone one step further and create an entire experimental store called Open House. This San Francisco-based store is set up not only to observe customer behaviour and product mix, but also to test digital devices and product technology. It also gives Target a opportunity to get direct—and real time—consumer feedback on the products and experience.

It has built an entire home that rivals the demos that many of these smart home companies roll out for large trade shows such as CES and conveys a similar depth of information that Amazon can provide about products.

Read the entire Fortune article here.

Does your personal brand need a reboot?

Posted on August 18, 2015 by brandaudits

Brand Audits Update x Christine Moody*

Christine Moody_NYC 2015_Sarabeth's brunch

I recently returned from a four-week trip to New York. The reason for the trip was to ‘reflect, regroup, and reboot’ my personal brand. Without going into detail, I have had a ‘stressful’ few years and also recently completed my Masters (Research). So I set off to New York (via Shanghai) to find out “What’s Next for Brand Christine Moody?”.

Normally before I leave, I have locked in dates and times for back-to-back meetings, brunches, and dinners and cram as much in as I can into every hour. It’s NYC right…that’s how you do it? This time I did things differently. I simply made contact with everyone before I left and after a few days after arrival I made contact.

I wanted time to just to start each day with a blank schedule and make it up as the day goes on.

Not only did I want time to ‘reflect and regroup’, I also wanted time to just to start each day with a blank schedule and make it up as the day goes on. This allowed me to take up opportunities as they came along—something a full schedule does not allow. The result of this approach were numerous—from meeting author Dorie Clark (Reinventing You and Stand Out) to having time to rediscover my love of drawing.

I have returned to Brisbane, purchased a new Moleskine notebook, and opened on a blank page to build on my personal brand story. Brand Christine Moody is a work in progress—and always will be—but a brand that has gained so much from its ‘reflect, regroup, and reboot’ time in New York.

Will ASX ‘Recommendation 2.2’ help get more women on Boards?

Posted on August 17, 2015 by brandaudits

Brand Audits Update x Christine Moody*

The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) held a Directors’ Briefing last night at Clayton Utz—‘Balancing the skills matrix: Skills based board structures’—presented by Dr Sally Pitkin, Company Director and AICD State President; Andrew Hay, Partner, Clayton Utz; and Bruce Elliott, Senior Client Partner, Korn Ferry. This briefing is in response to the Australian Stock Exchange’s (ASX) Recommentation 2.2.

A listed entity should have and disclose a board skills matrix setting out the mix of skills and diversity that the board currently has or is looking to achieve in its membership.

This recommendation will see the 2014/15 Annual Reports with a skills and experience table which list the ‘skills and experience’ and the number of Directors that have those skills. This includes the report on the number of women on the Board. An example presented last night was from Downer EDI Limited’s Annual Report 2015. As well as the standard report content, this year’s report has bar charts and pie charts in the corporate governance section (page 116 of a 124-page report). This is a great start and shows at a glance the gender diversity of the board. The gender diversity pie graph could have been improved by including the percentage breakdown of males to females but it is clear that they are well and truly on their way to a gender balanced Board.

By having more disclosure—especially gender diversity—will let shareholders and other stakeholders (particularly employees and potential employees) where the company sits presently and what their future plans are. Boards are now open to questions from shareholders as to why they have not addressed gender diversity and what thay are doing about the situation. While the number of women on Boards is increasing, it has slowed since 2013. Women still only represent one in five (20 percent) Directors in ASX-200 companies. Companies are not only missing out on a diverse and well-rounded Board but also risk damaging their brand. Forward thinking companies such as Westpac Group, have already put in place measures and initiatives to address the diversity issues and report against their initatives. This is what great brands do.

Time will tell if ‘Recommendation 2.2’ makes a difference to the number of women on Boards. As the reporting season is in full swing, it will be worth noting how companies are responding. Do you think this recommendation will see more women on Boards?

Are you making your personal brand visible?

Posted on August 16, 2015 by brandaudits

Brand Audits Update x Christine Moody*

What is your ‘personal brand’?

You personal brand is about creating an authentic brand that aligns with, and represents, your professional goals. Your personal brand includes your qualifications, your work experience, and your career success but also includes the visual aspects of your brand—your personal brand identity. This includes the way you dress and your behaviour and also the ‘touch points’ of your brand identity—eg, the layout and quality of your business card and resume. No detail is too small to consider—eg, the style and quality of your photograph on your LinkedIn account. Your personal brand encompasses everything you do and say.

Why is having a differentiated personal brand important?

Apple is an example of a great brand. Apple—the corporate brand—encompasses every detail or ‘touch point’ that comes in contact with the customer eg, Apple has beautifully designed, customer-centric products presented in purpose-designed packaging and contained in an innovative carry bag. The Apple website is easy to navigate and both the layout and the language align with the Apple ethos of simplicity and creativity.

So, taking the Apple example, we can apply this to understanding the power of great personal brands. When thinking of great personal brands we think of Barack Obama and his ‘presence’ at G20 Brisbane recently—particularly his speech at The University of Queensland—and his brand style eg, the way he walks confidently down the red carpet at events. We can think of Australia’s Gail Kelly (formerly CEO, Westpac Group) and how she presents at corporate events including the tone of her voice, her corporate wardrobe and the quality of her presentations. The personal brands of these high-profile leaders are deliberately and purposefully designed to create a brand that is unique, authentic and also in line with the organisations they represent. Every single detail is considered and aligned with their desired personal brand.

Personal branding has become even more important with the explosion of social media.

Personal branding has become even more important with the explosion of social media. Social media is personal by the very nature of the medium—LinkedIn, Facebook (personal and professional) et al. So these days, everyone has a personal brand and everyone needs to be in control of the management of their brand. It is important to ensure your personal brand message is consistent across each and every ‘touch point’. Key to creating a differentiated and consistent personal brand is about delivering the entire brand package so you can carve out a niche and stand out from the crowd in an ever-increasing and competitive professional arena.

Developing your personal brand is about making YOU visible—to your peers, your boss, and your future boss!

Who is going to be the next ‘Uber’?

Posted on August 13, 2015 by brandaudits

Brand Audits Update x Christine Moody*

Many companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Square are changing how we live and work. The founders of these companies identified a gap and created a company around that gap. Some of the competition ie, the traditional taxis, do not like these companies because of the threat to their industry and their income. While I understand that, these companies are created because the current offering is lacking. I love the fact that when I am in a new city, the Uber driver is able to arrive quickly to pick me up, has a clean car, knows where they are going, and the best thing for me, is the fact that they give you local knowledge. This is just like having a local tour guide.

Smart companies and their leaders, do not see the innovation as a threat but a learning opportunity.

Smart companies and their leaders, do not see the innovation as a threat but a learning opportunity. They know that their industry will not be immune. They also know that they can apply the customer-centric model of these game changers into their industry and into their companies. Some have even developed innovative centres to be in control of their future and to embrace the new thinking–even if it scares them and they don’t know what is on the horizon. What they do know is that they have to keep up and keep close to their customers. They are the key and they are in control.

So what will be the next Uber in your industry?

Christine & Dorie…

Posted on August 13, 2015 by brandaudits

I got to know Dorie Clark through her first book Reinventing You. So when I was recently visited New York, I was lucky enough to meet Dorie on a couple of occasions. It was great to meet the woman behind the two best sellers and also find out how she has helped others to ‘stand out’. So like the hit movie Julie and Julia (about the woman wrote the blog every day about cooking a recipe from Julia Child’s famous Mastering the Art of French Cooking), I am going to use Dorie’s book Stand Out as my guide and complete each ‘Ask Yourself’ every day. I will keep Dorie up to date on how I am travelling and what I am achieving. My time starts now! First page of my Moleskine notebook is open, so here I go!

Who was your career inspiration?

Posted on June 22, 2015 by brandaudits

Brand Audits Update x Christine Moody*

I have always been creative and right through high school and university, design has been my chosen career. As you study and practice design, there are many inspirational people. The designer who still inspires me is Milton Glaser (b.1929-)—who designed the ‘I HEART NY‘ logo. This is a great example of timeless brand identity. The logo was designed in 1977 as part of a promotional campaign for New York State and only expected to last a couple of months. The logo was so popular and it still appears on T’shirts sold across the city—even though the logo is trademarked and owned by New York State Empire State Development. Glaser’s original concept sketch and presentation boards were donated to the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

The logo was designed in 1977 as part of a promotional campaign for New York State and only expected to last a couple of months.

What makes this brand identity last so many years remain relevant today? The simplicity, the flexibility, and the meaning—no tricks or fancy typography. If you have visited New York—a city full of yellow cabs, busy sidewalks, big food, and even bigger personalities!—this logo will have a different meaning. And that’s the thing a great brand identity is what you want it to be. For me the ‘I HEART NY’ logo makes me smile because I remember all the great times I have had there!

This is what I aim to achieve in my work. Milton Glaser continues to inspire all these years later. Who was your career inspiration?

Why being ‘customer centric’ is everyone’s business

Posted on June 18, 2015 by brandaudits

Brand Audits Update x Christine Moody*

For many organisations, customer centric means inviting customers out to lunch occasionally or sending them a bottle of wine at Christmas. While there is nothing wrong with doing these thing, being truly customer centric is a whole lot more and a whole lot harder to incorporate across the organisation. When an organisation puts the customer at the heart of its strategy, it is able to achieve amazing things. There are so many organisations who have done this—eg, Procter & Gamble and Cleveland Clinic—and have increased customer satisfaction as well as increased the number of innovative products and services it offers.

Being customer centric, is an all-of-organisation initiative…

To be truly ‘customer centric’, firstly there has to be a change in mindset around ‘what it means and who is responsible for it”. Being customer centric, is an all-of-organisation initiative—from the CEO to the front line staff—it is not just something that the sales and marketing staff need to implement. For the mindset to change the CEO needs to understand it, see it in action at other leading organisations, and then become the embodiment of it! Only then will it filter down and across the entire organisation.

Here are some articles that dig deeper into the ‘customer centric’ concept:

Fast Company

How Amazon and other top companies keep their customers in focus x Ken Fine

“In my experience, truly customer-centric CEOs don’t let themselves become abstracted from the delight and frustrations of genuine customer voices. Instead, they listen to those voices—day in and day out. This connection to actual customer commentary provides insight into customer needs that abstract data cannot.”

Forbes
Marketing: Building a customer-centric marketing ecosystem x Daniel Newman
“While most companies today claim to put their customers first, a surprisingly small number are actually doing it right. So, where are they going wrong? The fact is: some businesses are treating customer-centricity as a set of strategies meant solely for the customer-facing units of a business. They often forget that a customized or one-on-one approach is more than just a marketing goal for customer service reps and sales people.”“While most companies today claim to put their customers first, a surprisingly small number are actually doing it right. So, where are they going wrong? The fact is: some businesses are treating customer-centricity as a set of strategies meant solely for the customer-facing units of a business. They often forget that a customized or one-on-one approach is more than just a marketing goal for customer service reps and sales people.”

Inc

Be customer focused: Four basic tactics x Geoffrey James

“To forge a deeper relationship with your customers, show them how your corporate strategy meshes with theirs. Rather than merely sell solutions, sell them on the idea that you can help them sell to their own customers. Think long-term partnership, rather than short-term sales goals, and you’ll grow as your customers grow.”

Why designers + MBAs are a great combo

Posted on June 16, 2015 by brandaudits

Brand Audits Update x Christine Moody*

The business environment is constantly changing along with the idea of an organisation’s competitive advantage. Due to the rise of the power of the customer—mainly through social media platforms—more and more organisations are realising that becoming ‘customer-centric’ is an imperative in order to create a point of difference and survive. Innovative organisations are creating executive roles for designers to ensure that the customer-centric focus is culturally embedded in the organisation rather than an ‘add on’ that comes with contracted designers who perform tasks around a particular project. Being customer centric means putting the customer in the centre of the organisation to view the organisation from their point of view. It leads to recognisiing their ‘pain points’ and improving their contact with the organisation but also leads to revealing potential innovative products and services.

Innovative organisations are creating executive roles for designers to ensure that the customer-centric focus is culturally embedded in the organisation…

Here are some articles on companies that recognise the importance of designers being part of the team.

Fast Company

Airbnb Design Head On why designers and MBAs make perfect power combos x Doreen Lorenzo

“Product design is historically a male-dominated field, but today it’s brimming with talented and ambitious women. In the coming months I’ll be profiling 21st-century women like me who have built—or are building—careers in the design industry. I’ll share their stories about how they are evolving design practice through their unique perspectives on art, culture, technology, and business. I saw how MBA students would tackle problems a designer could tackle, but in a different way.”

Design Council (UK)

Leading business by design

“Design is everything, because without it we have no business. Anybody can design a decent product. They can’t all design outstanding products. So, design is the differentiator. CEO, Pentland Brands plc (owners of Speedo)”

Better By Design (NZ)

Icebreaker case study

“A simple observation ‘the closer we get to nature, the less likely we are to find people wearing something natural’ was behind the creation of Icebreaker’s outdoor clothing. This simple observation was behind the creation of the first truly new category in outdoor clothing in the past decade. Jeremy Moon, founder and CEO of Wellington-based Icebreaker Nature Clothing realised the opportunity presented by this paradox when he first saw finely woven merino wool. “It felt like nothing I’d ever touched—silky soft, warm and natural yet it could be thrown in the washing machine.”