#letterfrompete

We are in the midst of “planning season” with our clients. Beginning a couple months ago for some and extending into November, we are collaborating with our various clients to develop brand communication plans for 2017 that will accomplish annual objectives, build and gain the confidence of consumers and customers, and create advantage in the marketplace. It seems an appropriate time to talk about what is in the middle of all of this. Great brand strategy is at the center of great brands. It doesn’t start with strategy. The starting place is applying the right mix of research and analysis to generate actionable insights, that then feed the development of great strategy. It doesn’t end with strategy. The defining “end places” for great brands come from the right innovation, creative concepts that incrementally move the needle with various stakeholders, big ideas of all stripes, and, of course, flawless execution of the plan. Brand strategy is the driving force behind all of these elements. Brand strategy is at the center, the connector, facilitator, and driver.   As we debate the right mix of tactics for 2017, I thought it was a good time to remind ourselves to go back to strategy when making critical brand and communication decisions.    Here is to a strong finish to the year, and a fast start to 2017!

Greetings,   Summer is in full swing in the northern hemisphere. There is a noticeable upward trend in the amount of barbecuing – at least at Casa Burridge. The wonderful global spectacle of sport that is the Olympics is a few weeks from starting. And the Cubs are in first place – by a lot. Summer often affords the opportunity to take a step back and consider a variety of topics from a variety of angles. From my contemplation, welcome to a letter without focus, but hopefully one that will provide some value.   If you are considering a “business book” as part of your summer reading, pick up “Small Giants” by Bo Burlingham. The fantastic companies highlighted in this book are great examples of how building winning brands starts from within. And to add to your thinking about working with the highest performing people, read the book “Grit” by Angela Duckworth.   Speaking of starting from within - begin with having a very high bar for the people you hire and the work that you produce. Invest a lot of time and energy in assuring the standards stay high. One way to think about this is: Build a small core of great people – people you expect to be working with for many years to come – based on values and culture fit, work ethic, capability, and the upside of that capability.  Carefully and with much thought, add to that core. Everything else will take care of itself.   Creating and executing a cohesive, well-rounded research plan that provides a foundation of insights into your most important stakeholders will always be valuable. Sometimes a connection not fully appreciated, these insights will enable the creation of big ideas that are relevant in the most important ways. And at the end of the day, great ideas executed flawlessly matter a lot for growing your business and building your brand.   It is increasingly difficult to attract and retain loyal customers and consumers. An important strategy in this critical area is to attach your brand to experiences and content your consumers are passionate about and motivated and inspired by.    Have a great rest of your summer!

Peter M. Burridge

Happy March Everyone,

Greenhouse Partners has had a fantastic first quarter of 2016 working with our clients to create solutions and ideas that matter – from a white-space innovation project, to strategic brand initiatives, to several integrated creative campaigns, to some convention-breaking digital work, significant PR wins, and on. As always, we are thankful for the opportunity to work with clients we regard as leaders and innovators.

I’d encourage you to take the time to read the piece on digital in this edition of our newsletter. We likely all agree that the importance of digital for brands today – regardless of business category or consumer or customer type - is massive. Here are two facts illustrating this:

81% of purchasers get advice from their social networks

45% of consumers comment on brands online – often in ways that inform the purchase decisions of potential customers

These are bottom line impacts on your brand.

I’d also like to say that determining what to do with your brand in digital is complicated. Steep adoption curves are the norm. Measurement and iteration are critical. And keeping up is a lot of work. Decision-making being grounded in the right foundation is as critical here as anywhere. A brand’s digital experience, as much as any other area a brand interacts with its consumer and other stakeholder groups, must fall from a brand’s greater purpose and brand strategy - the digital strategy emanating from the brand strategy.

Last, a quick word on content. If your brand is going to have a relationship with its various stakeholders in the digital world, a brilliant content strategy will be a difference maker. What types of content are you going to produce? What credible partners are you going to bring into the mix as content creators? When and where should the content show up? How are you going to measure success with various pieces of content on various platforms? What is the right content mix? How much content? Ultimately, we need to provide the consumer with the right content, when and where they want it.

Thank you to our clients and partners for your trust and confidence.

Peter M. Burridge

Some of the most important elements of a brand are internal. As a meaningful example, a primary driver of any organization’s long-term success, and a key component of brand, is culture. As you consider the current state of your company’s culture and your aspirations for your business in 2016 and beyond, I’d like to throw a few thoughts into the mix. Defining the company culture you want begins with determining and then consistently working from your greater purpose. The components of greater purpose are vision, values and mission. Vision is a never-changing, inspirational, aspirational reason for being. Values are the core tenets – also never-changing – that determine behaviors, actions and decisions. Mission is a three-to-five year overarching, achievable company goal that is the starting place for business planning. Without the right greater purpose, having the culture you want simply can’t happen. There are several other elements that I’ve observed or directly experienced over the years that I believe enable and promote healthy, evolving, success-defining company cultures:

An “in it together” mentality – people working as a team toward a common goal, supporting and promoting each other’s successes.

Individual and company-wide ownership of the work – individual and collective accountability, and a personal connection to the job at hand.

Thoughtful risk taking is encouraged rather than avoided.

Discussion of failure and people reaching out to each other for help - embracing failure as a driver for improvement, and a recognition that collaboration and iteration are critical to problem solving.

An emphasis on high performance – a high bar for the individuals and the work product.

A diversity of perspectives – lots of different types of people hired and able to thrive.

It is worth noting that great companies, just like great brands, can’t be built for everyone.  To be great, a company culture must be distinct, have its own special norms, history and path forward.  With culture, one size does not fit all.  Special cultures attract and keep the right high-performing people - the people that will thrive individually in that culture while contributing to making the company great. Creating and maintaining a great company culture is hard work and requires continuous vigilance, planning, and evolution.  It is worth it.  If managed properly, it will matter for your brand value and be a driver of your business’s success.