Content Evolution

Call to Adventure

2010-06-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

In language of marketing, the "call to action" is what you want a customer to do at the end of delivering a message or conclusion of a sales presentation. Get online and order, pick up the phone, sign here...

In a world where markets are increasingly conversations (see book The Cluetrain Manifesto); and pull (being drawn toward something) is much more important than push (talking at or delivering messages to a customer or prospect), "call to action" is a weak idea.

A "call to adventure" is much more engaging.

A call to action is transactional; a call to adventure is an invitation to a journey, a relationship, and potential loyalty and advocacy for an offering or the organization that makes it.

Adapted from the heroic journey archetypes Joseph Campbell described in The Hero with a Thousand Faces and the analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung, a call to adventure is a more compelling idea for marketing professionals interested in sparking movements.

Movements are bigger ideas that campaigns - they are organizing principles that make categories more favorable organic revenue and profit growth.

Learning more about the dynamics and functions of movements are a call to adventure for the marketing profession itself.

The Lexus Paradox

2010-04-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

I recently had lunch with a friend. She told me over the appetizer portion of the meal she rented a car from Hertz last week. Being a Gold Preferred member the car was waiting in the appointed stall after a brief glance at the reservation display.

It was a Toyota Camry.

She told me a few brief months ago this would have been a moment of elation - a portent of a great few days ahead. Instead, there was a pause - a hesitation - a faint misgiving about the rental. My friend told me how her perceptions of Toyota had changed so rapidly in such a short period of time.

I pointed out to her she owned a Lexus SUV...

...and that Lexus is owned by Toyota, and Lexus vehicles are essentially X-body Toyota vehicles.

(pause)

"I really hadn't made the connection. You're right."

Toyota has two great things going for it: The Lexus sub-brand and Lean manufacturing.

People tell me Lexus ownership is SO GREAT.

Lexus has built up incredible goodwill with owners, and it isolates them from the Toyota connection even during a period of so much adverse attention. It is a case study in great brand strategy and management - and an example of exemplary end-to-end customer experience delivery. Lexus endures as a role model despite the circumstances of the parent company. Toyota: Bring some of this to the core franchise, and redemption is plausible.

Lean manufacturing as invented and practiced by Toyota in its manufacturing plants around the world is legendary. Its ability to produce quality products, give voice to employees, and be an exemplar in continuous learning and improvement makes it a widely copied manufacturing environment. If Toyota can move this ethos out of the plant and into the distribution, sales and service environment - again, brand redemption seems more than likely.

Interesting times - and time for Toyota to learn from itself and spread the wealth.

Time: the only real asset

2010-03-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

The only asset we come into the world with is time.

We trade our time for many things; sometimes we barter, sometimes we temporarily store the value of our exchanged time in an invention we call money. We also give our time away; sometimes with intention, sometimes indiscriminately.

Business is about the creation and transfer of value - and adding value to time. Can you do something faster? Can you enhance the quality of the time you have? Business exchanges your current and stored time value for many collective hours someone else has spent distilling an offering into something you'd rather not spend your time doing yourself, or provides an exemplary experience in compressed period of time, or delivers a transformation that actually gives you more time.

Thrivable Intentions: from Thrivability - A Collaborative Sketch

2010-03-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

Thrivable Intentions

“Man shapes himself through decisions that shape his environment.” [i]

- Rene Dubos

Thrivability is fueled by intentions.

· Intent:

o Directed

o Earnest

o Engrossed

o Intense

· Intention:

o Aim

o Determination

o Planned

o Purpose

· Intentional: done with purpose[ii]

…and intentions are holons.

Holons are both wholes and parts. Intentions nest as holons – as both wholes and parts. All the way up and all the way down.

We’re adapting and honoring a concept Ken Wilber has explored extensively in our lifetime and in his book A Theory of Everything he defines holons (a term first introduced by Arthur Koestler[iii]) as ingredients in hierarchies. It’s a very simple and compelling concept.

Wilber says, “A holon is a whole that is a part of other wholes. For example, a whole atom is part of a whole molecule; a whole molecule is part of a whole cell; a whole cell is part of a whole organism. Or again, a whole letter is part of a whole word, which is part of a whole sentence, which is part of a whole paragraph, and so on. Reality is composed of neither wholes nor parts, but of whole/parts, or holons. Reality in all domains is basically composed of holons.”[iv]

The same could be said of intentions, where every purposeful act is nested in other holons of intention. For clarity:

· A “reference holon” is the holon that forms the frame of reference as a single whole/part for looking at the smaller and larger world it exists in.

· A “sub-holon chain” represents the view of the constant holon down to smaller holon wholes/parts.

· A “macro-holon chain” is the view of the constant holon up to larger holon wholes/parts.[v]

Holons of intention can create chains of thrivability.

We as humans have the inherent capacity to be the most intentional reference holons on earth. Yet we seemed to be distracted and immersed in unintentional.

Paul Hawken, the author of The Ecology of Commerce [vi] introduces a version of sustainability succinctly when he says in the preface, “Rather than a management problem, we have a design problem, a flaw that runs through all business.” He continues, “To create an enduring society, will need a system of commerce and production where each and every act is inherently sustainable and restorative.” [vii]

Good, yet still not intentional enough for our inherent capacities.

Sustainability language is frequently formed as an apology for the past and a prayer for methods to the repair damage so we can learn to just get by.

Thrivabilty is more optimistic than sustainability.

Thrivabilty is about transcending and including the current fitness landscape with intelligence and grace.

Being intentionally thrivable is using the gift of collective intelligence we can harness to do better – and together do more.

Note: This is the chapter I contributed to the book: Thrivability - A Collaborative Sketch, compiled and edited by Jean Russell - http://thrivable.wagn.org/PDF

[i] Lawrence J. Peter, Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Time, New York: William Morrow and Company, p. 172.

[ii] Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1984, p. 733.

[iii] Arthur Koestler, The Ghost in the Machine, Macmillan Publishers, 1969.

[iv] Ken Wilber, A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality, Boston: Shambala Press, 2001, p. 40.

[v] Kevin Clark, Brandscendence: Three Essential Elements of Enduring Brands, Chicago: Dearborn/Kaplan, 2004, p. 112.

[vi] Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability, Harper Business, 1993, p. xiii.

[vii] Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability, Harper Business, 1993, p. xiv.

Thrivable - an optimistic view

2010-03-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

Paul Saffo was the keynote speaker at the World Innovation Forum last year. About half way through his presentation, Paul (who is with the Institute for the Future and teaches at Stanford University) expressed some dissatisfaction with the word "sustainability." He said most of the language around sustainability was gloomy, and about making amends for actions of the past. "I wish there was a more optimistic word we could use other than sustainability."

Out of the auditorium that morning and onto my notebook in the spring of 2009, I sent Paul this message:

"Paul, today at the Global Innovation Forum in New York City you asked for suggestions for a better word than "sustainability." Jean Russell (aka "NurtureGirl") is working on a concept she calls "thriveability" that implies more than just getting by - core to what you were suggesting today.

"...embracing change...

"Regards - Kevin"

...and Paul responded...

"Many thanks Kevin, and Jean, I love "thriveability" -- it sets just the right mix of optimism and realism. Very nice!

"best

"-p"

Today, Thrivability is a growing idea and movement about a optimistic form of sustainability that increases our capacity to do more. Find out more with this new "collabook" (collaborative contributor book, my term) on Thrivability: http://www.slideshare.net/NurtureGirl/thrivability-a-collaborative-sketch-3406586

I'll post what I wrote this this book in a later blog posting - for now, enjoy the collaborative sketch on what it means to be Thrivable from many positive points of view.

Enduring Brands: the 10,000 Year Goal

2009-06-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

This blog is a repeat performance from the Brandscendence The Journey newsletter published in 2005. It was Newsletter Number 7 in a series after the publication of the book Brandscendence: Three Essential Elements of Enduring Brands, 2004. [i]

I share it with you based on a question that came up recently at a speech at the University of Rochester Simon School of Business - what are some of the most enduring brands? Here is one answer:

Enduring Brands: The 10,000 Year Goal

Kikkoman soy sauce is a very familiar food brand in Japan, North American, Europe, and many other parts of the world. The name Kikkoman means “more than just superior soy sauce.”[ii]

Japanese folklore says the tortoise lives for 10,000 years. The tortoise presents itself as a symbol of longevity, and kikko means tortoise shell in Japanese. Combine kikko + man and you have the trademark for the Mogi family’s best soy sauce – originally made in the city of Noda near the Edo River, an area known for superior soy sauce production since the Edo period, 1603-1867.

The Kikkoman logo represents a tortoise shell with the Chinese character for 10,000 written inside.

“In December of 1917, eight families including the Mogi family merged to form the predecessor of Kikkoman Corporation, Noda Shoyu Co., Ltd.”[iii] Kikkoman International Inc. is later established in June of 1957 and is based in San Francisco, California, in the USA. Production facilities around the world include Hokkaido and Ojima, Japan; Walworth, Wisconsin, USA; Folsom, California USA; Singapore; Tainan, Taiwan; and Hoogenzand-Sappemeer, The Netherlands.

If you want to set a brand endurance goal, understanding the story behind Kikkoman’s symbolic 10,000 year name and logo are true benchmarks to behold.

[i] Brandscendence is a trademark owned by Content Evolution ™ LLC Worldwide; Brandscendence The Journey, is a newsletter distributed by Content Evolution ™ LLC Worldwide © Copyright 2004, all rights reserved.

[ii] Story adapted from the Kikkoman web site www.kikkoman.com/company/com_overview.html updated July 18, 2004.

[iii] Ibid.

Four Role Models

2009-05-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Content Evolution as my new ecosystem of brand experience strategy capabilities is modeled after four role models. There are others in my life, yet these four people fundamentally shaped the tone and temperament of my organization and how it operates.

First, my father, Harley Clark: retired IBM Director of Executive Resources. He's always had a keen eye for talent and years of experience identifying and nurturing it. His authentic approach to others is something I bring my professional roles, now as an independent business person, and retired IBMer and alum myself.

Next, Richard Sapper: an extraordinary designer I've had the privilege of working with for many years. His independent approach, ability to work alone, and yet teach and influence entire generations of new design professionals has been a inspiration - and a model for my practice.

My next door neighbor in Connecticut, John Cowan: no longer with us, John was an inventor, an entrepreneur, and someone I went alpine skiing with on weekends until he was in his late 80's. If I can ski and be as active and inquisitive for several more decades as John was late into his life it will be a great journey ahead.

And then there is Napier Collyns: Founder of Global Business Network and the co-inventor of Scenario Planning with Peter Schwartz at Royal Dutch Shell. Napier told me he created GBN just to have smart people to play with in retirement. Still a good idea, one I've moved forward into the core role of Content Evolution in my life.

Four role models. Thank you.

Thanks to everyone who's played a role in encouraging me as a lifelong learner, and still helping today in shaping new directions.

The Experience Economy

2009-04-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

The Experience Economy by Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore was published ten years ago by Harvard Busienss School Press this coming Tuesday, April 28.

I'm raising my glass to Joe and Jim for this seminal contribution to creating a tipping point for acceptance of experience practice around the world. 200,000 copies and 12 languages later, The Experience Economy continues to be the best starting point for understanding the importance of creating intentional experiences to creating profitable growth and customer advocacy.

The Experience Economy gives us a great model to understand this progression of economic value to customers:

Commodities. Easily interchangeable and undifferentiated materials from the natural world.
Goods. Tangible offerings (products) you can mass product and hold in inventory.
Services. We'll do it for you - intangible activities for specific customers.
Experiences. "Experiences are events that engage individuals in a personal way." (from The Experience Economy, pg. 12.)
Transformations. Game changers; life-altering engagements.

The insight that "The Customer is the Product" (chapter nine in the book) delivers a remarkably clear view of how to understand customers and the opportunities presented by re-perceiving markets.

I'm a fan.

Mutual Benefit

2009-04-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

Mutual benefit is a multiplier effect in relationships. When mutual benefit is perceived (there's something in this for both of us), goodwill is created to nurture future interactions.

The attributes of mutual benefit are:

Stage 1: Conditional. Simple transactions without ongoing relationships.
Stage 2: Reciprocal. Formation of relationships and having a memory of the customer.
Stage 3: Integrated. Sustainable interdependent relationships that fuel each other's growth.

Sensing mutual benefit or perceiving an obligation to act in kind is a powerful motivator and foundation for an ongoing relationship.

Context and its Role

2009-04-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Context provides the connection for a brand's relevance in specific cultural or economic situations. There are three stages of brand contextual maturity:

Stage one: Reflects. The brand mimics the social and economic environment. (dependent)
Stage two: Adapts. The brand actively changes in relation to the environment. (independent)
Stage three: Projects. The brand creates new social constructs or economic rules for other to mimic or adapt to over time. (interdependent)

Brands in stage one that reflect merely imitate the competition - they live for the day with little regard for the future. Brands that adapt earn the right to survive over time. Brands that project themselves earn a position to thrives by changing the rules and the fitness landscape for everyone else.

Relevance

2009-03-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

Every brand should be known for something - a reason for being - one customers understand and believe in. This is relevance.

Relevance can manifest itself in three stages of brand maturity:

Stage one: Personality. The brand works to become clear and compelling to customers (the brand behaves as a learning child). Dependence.

Stage two: Character. The reputation of the brand and its behaviors are known (the brand behaves as a young adult, sorting out priorities). Independence.

Stage three: Purpose. The brand has an ongoing reason for being that is widely understood and reinforces the brand's behavior (the brand behaves as a mature adult with a mission in life). Interdependence.

Unjustified Assumptions

2009-03-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

One of my key roles in professional life is to rid people of unjustified assumptions.

I just watched again the catalyst for this core idea by replaying a segment of the series "A Glorious Accident: Understanding Our Place in the Cosmic Puzzle" by Wim Kayzer. In his interview with philosopher Stephen Toulmin the the phrase "unjustified assumptions" is evoked as the result of his experiences in the classroom of Ludwig Wittengstein.

What a tremendous professional tool. Stripping away assumptions that are no longer relevant, or in the context of use are weak or no longer needed -- and in setting these assumptions aside, provide the ability to focus on what remains.

The trick is to deliver this news (that a few things you thought were real, really aren't anymore) in ways that help people embrace a new fitness landscape. All too many times I've seen a heavy hand deliver a pronouncement about a "new reality" that is disruptive, while it is far more effective to do what the sculptor does: remove the excess stone (unjustified assumptions) to reveal the form within (the new streamlined business model and approach).

The Energy of Change

2009-03-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

We are in the middle change that is releasing tremendous amounts of unguided energy. Think of the states of water: gas, liquid, solid. During dot.com bubble a lot of energy was absorbed and the economy became gaseous and a lot of value boiled off. We're now releasing economic energy and productive capacity and things are freezing.

If you've lived in a cold climate, you know the common advice is to turn on you faucets and let them drip just a little bit so the pipes don't freeze. Keep things moving just enough so the pipes don't freeze and burst. You push up your water bill a bit, yet ask anyone about the repair expense for burst pipes.

There are organizations out there where the pipes are about to burst. To survive they need to keep a trickle of activity going in some important areas that might be freezing right now: strategic intent, customer relationships and service, and end-to-end integrity.

Survive with intent to succeed another day.

Enduring Brands

2009-03-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

Enduring brands have three elements: Relevance, Context and Mutual Benefit. I wrote about this in my book Brandscendence in 2004 and the principles still hold true.

Relevance is the organization's or product's (service's) enduring reason for existing - it's ongoing relevance to customers.

Context is the cultural or economic circumstance in which the brand appears - and adapts to a changing competitive landscape over time.

Mutual benefit is the perceived goodwill both the customer and company see in each other - and is a multiplier effect to nurture future interactions.

Welcome to Content Evolution

2009-03-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

It's a pleasure to start this blog at the intersection of branding, customer experience, and business metaphysics -- helping businesses connect what they are and promise -- to what they are capable of being and doing.