YOU ASKED FOR IT

“I’m an early bird, and I’m a night owl.So I’m wise and I have worms.”

—Michael Scott

January 15, 2014CAMERA CRASH, TRUSTED BRANDS

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

• GoPro’s stock dropped 12% on Tuesday when Apple announced they were granted a patent for a remote-control camera system. It did rebound back a little yesterday, but with a valuation set at 152 times earnings, it seems GoPro might be needing some new products in new product categories...fast!

• Entrepreneur Magazine surveyed 5,000 readers last year to learn which brands possessed their greatest loyalty and trust. Here are the Top 10:

1—Sephora2—In-N-Out Burger

3—Publix4—Patron5—Trader Joe’s

6—The Ritz-Carlton Hotel7—Panera Bread

8—Virgin America9—Southwest Airlines10—Apple Store

• And I just can’t resist this one...Last week, I was attending an RV trade show in Denver and overheard this conversation between a gentleman selling “cure-all” hand cream (what this has to do with RVs, I’m not sure) and a friendly lady customer...

MAN: (putting the hand cream in a bag) “That’ll be $20.”WOMAN: “Here you go, and thank you very much!”MAN: “Ma’am, it was my privilege, my honor, and my civic duty.”

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...

Well, I guess my calendar is clear for THAT week now...

photo credit: cafehusky.com

© 2014 Hmmm by Jim Huebner

A funny thing happened on the way to a national championship...

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

We all know that college football is big business...and has been for a long time. Check out these 2012/2013 stats from the website SmartCents.com. It ranks the most profitable football programs in the country. The net revenue numbers are pretty impressive...

1) U of Texas... $82 million2) U of Michigan... $58 million3) U of Georgia... $51 million4) U of Florida... $49 million5) Louisiana State U... $48 million6) U of Alabama... $47 million7) U of Notre Dame... $46 million8) U fo Oklahoma... $45 million9) Auburn U... $39 million10) Ohio State U... $38 million

I know of a lot of companies that would give their right arm for net revenue numbers like that. But for all the big business they do—and for all the promoting, licensing, and marketing that goes on—I would say very few actually treat their brands the way good businesses do. Don’t get me wrong. They do a great job of capitalizing on the loyalty of alumni and those who align themselves with the school due to geographic or religious connections. But in the “real world” you don’t find many customers who are fans of a brand solely because their store is just two blocks away or simply because they worked there at one point in their life. Whole Foods, Nordstrom’s, Amazon and Apple would have a heckuva time competing if that were the case.

Instead, real-world companies find that to build brand preference and loyalty, they need relevant differentiation. And now it appears that Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer might actually be on to the concept.

After leading Ohio State University (er, THE Ohio State University) to a national championship Monday night, Urban Meyer said this about the

Ohio State Football program brand in a postgame interview aired on ESPN Tuesday morning:

“At Ohio State, it’s not about football. It’s about life after football...that’s why we started our Leadership Training Program...”

Wha? Huh? It’s not about championships and winning, but something MORE than that? Gee, I wonder how THAT will resonate with parents who are helping their children decide which college they want to attend? Or to those millennials who embrace “cause marketing” and like to align themselves to brands with a purpose? For the fans, I understand it’s about winning. However, even they will appreciate and endorse a “feel good”, differentiated program when the results both on and off the field are consistently positive.

It turns out, this “Leadership Training Program” was introduced to Meyer by leadership development consultant, Tim Kight, at a dinner party. Meyer’s interest was piqued, and he decided to integrate it into his program, taking an unprecedented 60 to 90 minutes each week to equip assistant coaches with new leadership skills. They, in turn, teach these skill sets to their players.

The result? A well-differentiated college football program brand, positioned to develop leaders for the future...and one that just so happens to win national championships in the process.

While so many schools are investing in weight rooms, locker rooms, tutors, flashy stadiums and big screens in the pursuit of program “excellence” (yawn), maybe they need to think differently, the way successful businesses do...

• Consider the target market and what is important to them

• Develop product, operational and communications strategies that are different from your competitors and set your brand apart in meaningful and relevant ways

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

“A gentle answer

turns away

wrath, but a

harsh word

stirs up anger.”

–Proverbs 15:1

(NASB)