YOU ASKED FOR IT

“My new year’s resolution? I will be less laz”

—Jim Gaffigan

December 30, 2014MONSTERS, PUFFERS & HAIR REMOVAL

BRAND OBSERVATIONS OF THE DAYFrom my random collection of info sources, here are some highlights related to the brands of our times...

• Straight from BrandChannel: “Monster Is a Monster: Monster Energy has reportedly filed over 50 trademark-related Notices of Opposition with the TTAB of the USPTO in 2014. Well known as a beverage company, Monster has been on a rampage in the clothing category, trying to block MONSTER CLOTHING CO., MONSTER BUCK, MONSTER RACKS, and CAMP MONSTER. And it doesn’t stop there: the beverage company has also been out to take down Monster Cables as well. Can we all just get along? Or better yet co-exist just like Delta Airlines, Delta Dental (and Delta Faucets)?”

• Do you remember the former home video game leader Atari? Turns out, they’re still around (news to me) and attempting to make a splash in the fitness/tech arena with AtariFit. It works like this: When you reach certain fitness goals, you get to unlock some of their classic games like Pong and Centipede. It syncs with Fitbit and RunKeeper

and aggregates data from other fitness apps like Google Health. So let me get this straight: I work out with the goal to then sit and play video games. Sounds like the Puffer 2.0.

• Per AudienceSCAN, the top “Trending Purchase Intents” yesterday were (and just in time for New Year’s, I might add):

1) Likely Laser Hair Removal Clients2) Outlet Mall Shoppers3) Likely Bedding/Mattress Buyers

JIM HUEBNERj i m h @ h u e b n e r p e t e r s e n . c o m

C E L L U L A RT E L E P H O N E970-420-3382

Hmmm.

Brought to you by popular demand of a client, my mom, and some folks I met at a church potluck

From the remaining gray matter of Jim Huebner

Information that will make you smile, groan or think...

*Not recommended on windy days.

© 2014 Hmmm by Jim Huebner

It’s Transformation Time

...and on its way to the HuebnerPetersen blog...! PAGE2

Ah, New Year’s Day. A time for turning over a new leaf, starting things off right, dropping bad habits and picking up better ones. It’s also as good of a time as any to be thinking about the transformation you’d like to see happen in your company over the next twelve months and beyond.

Not just improvements. Not just tweaks to the system. I’m talking about real transformation. Just yesterday, SalesForce CEO Mark Benioff was on Bloomberg stating that of the four quadrants on which he was choosing to focus—Operations, Efficiency, Nurturing and Transformation—he was opting for Transformation.

It wasn’t a lengthy interview, so there’s a bit of interpretation to be made on his brief comments. Here’s my take...

Improving “Operations” can certainly add to the generation of recurring income. It can also increase the value of the businesses assets and secure the income and value of the business. So it’s obviously important.

Better “Efficiency” can be a clear contributor to the bottom line. Technology, as well as good planning and streamlined customer communications, can definitely take a company from good to best.

A “Nurturing” of the customers, the company culture, and the brand can contribute to longer-lasting relationships. And that will lead to improved lifetime customer value.

So why did Benioff say that he was choosing to focus on “Transformation” over the others? I believe it’s because transformative companies —those who are changing in ways that are different from their competitors and intensely relevant to their customers—not only see less competition because of their uniqueness, but greater profits, too.

The whole concept of transforming your brand into situations where you don’t really have true competitors was first introduced to me in Trout & Ries’ classic marketing book “Positioning”. They called it “cherchez le creneau”. It’s a French marketing expression that says “look for the hole.” Basically, Trout & Ries said if everyone else is zigging, you need to zag. You need to go against the grain. Find what no one else is doing and do it. Find your “creneau”.

Need some examples of companies who have done it well? How about these...

Subway—made fast food healthyZappos— new way to buy shoesTwitter—new method of communicatingSouthwest—new way to flyStarbucks—new way to experience coffeeTom’s—new way to buy and benefit someone else in the processPampers—became a parenting resource vs just selling diapersFacebook—new method of socializing and staying connected to friends

If you’re looking to improve profits, maybe it could begin with some “Transformation”. With a new year just around the corner, there’s no better time to start. Here are a couple of questions to ask yourselves to help get things rolling:

1) What do we hate about our products as well as our competitors’ products? Make a list of actions you could take to address your “hatred”.

2) What is something no one else in our industry is doing? Make a list of five unmet needs that currently exist in your marketplace.

Jim Huebner is President of HuebnerPetersen Marketing Communications and author of the eBook “7 Keys To A Happy Distribution Channel.” His firm was established in 1989 and specializes in making companies heroes to their distribution channels via strategic brand positioning, integrated marketing, and front lines marketing services. You can reach Jim at jimh@HuebnerPetersen.com or on LinkedIn. For “Hmmm” archives, CLICK HERE

WORDS TO

LIVE BY

“What shall we say

to these things?

If God is for us,

who is against us?”

–Romans 8:31 (NASB)