Heroism in business wins

Part 2 of our "Hero Branding" series

Stories that take on the universal theme of the human spirit overcoming incredible odds win hearts and minds.

                

The hero story does not complicate things.  It is simply a compelling narrative, underpinned by a set of beliefs that appeal to audience's emotions and imagination around the world.  Millions have watched the formidable fight between good and evil played out in a galaxy far, far away, followed a mad doctor and young Michael J. Fox travelling into the past to find their future, and felt every punch as a national hero by the name of Rocky taught us to never give up.  Producers understood that these simple life lessons told with artistic merit, passion and high entertainment value were profitable at the box office.

                

So where does the business world fit into the equation?

                

Unsurprisingly there are businesses that create as much fervour and excitement in their brands as the aforementioned movies. Just like their film franchising counterparts they exhibit that same inexplicable quality of standing for something in people's lives.  By communicating and packaging their unique values and aspirations they manage to project an identity which many people identify with and make their own.  Just look at brands such as Apple, Virgin, The Body Shop and Harley Davidson.  These brands go beyond bricks and mortar, products and services.  Their brands have created unique identities, and have a real and powerful reason for their existence.  By telling their story and packaging their meaning, they manage to transcend the boundaries of mere businesses, turning themselves into hero brands.

The results are there for everyone to see.  People wear these brands on their t-shirts, queue outside for hours to be the first to buy their new products, talk about them over dinner and make recommendations as if they are personally involved in the brands' development.  

What are these companies doing differently?  Skilfully telling and sharing their story with passion and enthusiasm; activating a sense of meaning with the constant reinforcement of their message through different marketing communication channels including advertising, brand design, web and direct marketing, publicity and sales.

We believe that every business is a hero brand just waiting to be unleashed, with a true story that is both inspiring and unique.  By tapping into the very soul of your business, and powerfully communicating your own personal heroic story - engaging your clients, employees, shareholders and the general public - your business will reap long lasting benefits.

What is a hero brand?

Part 1 of our "Hero Branding" series.

Reflective of our own desires and beliefs, the hero is a symbol for hope.  Inescapable from popular culture, the hero story is a concept to which we strongly gravitate.  The hero brand is the perfect vehicle for businesses to build a following.

A brand is a projected image of an individual or a group of individuals through their communication. Brands are all around us, part and parcel of our daily lives.  The most important question for businesses is why do some brands resonate in people’s hearts and minds, while others do not?

Let us propose this scenario.  Imagine you could consolidate and fuse your brand with your own beliefs and aspirations; in effect establish an identity which has a purpose embodying everything you do.  Go one step further and imagine that people start to identify with your purpose.  They see in your identity a desirable set of values and an appealing attitude that is consistent with their own outlook on life.  You are now on the way to securing a hero brand.

The hero brand is unique in that it makes a deep emotional connection with its audience; a bond which is so powerful that its very nature is embedded in the subconscious of its audience.  Naturally, a hero brand’s story always has a hero - represented by an individual (ie Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Anita Roddick) and/or an ideology which is infused in the organisation as a whole (ie Google, Harley Davidson.)  When this story resonates with those who hear it, brand loyalty isn’t far away.

Businesses that embody the hero brand and effectively communicate their story succeed.  You can start replacing the words “clients”, “customers” and “employees” with “believers.”

TV ads: first entertain

People switch on the TV, and turn on other broadcast mediums, primarily to be entertained by drama, action, comedy, reality/talk/game/talent shows, sports, music and even news content these days (if we’re honest with ourselves.)  So, when to be entertained is the purpose for tuning in, why is the bulk of advertising seen and heard via these channels so bland, having precisely the opposite effect of what entertainment offers?  Surely, the first criteria for any broadcast advertisement  – before announcing key benefits of the product/service/brand – must be that it entertains on some level in order to engage with the audience that the advertiser is appealing to.  Unfortunately, in most cases those producing the ads just maintain the status quo and adhere to outdated marketing theories.  Consequently the advertisers' dollars are wasted, and the audience largely switches off to their message.  With restrictions lifted on new ideas, and the willingness, energy and creativity to develop entertaining ads, it would be a different story.

Heroes: behind the scenes

Every high profile hero with thousands and thousands of fans has a team of people working behind the scenes to promote their personal brand to the public.  In effect, it is these people who are responsible for establishing and building their following, rather than the hero themselves.

The hero's story would have most likely started with their talent, passion, drive, self belief and perseverance that lead to their great success in film, TV, music, sports, politics, military and so on.

But it is the team of strategists, managers, copywriters, graphic designers, video producers, perception consultants, creative directors, researchers, publicists, advertising agencies, photographers, social media and SEO experts, website developers, stylists and other professionals who enable the hero to amplify their persona, reach and capture a broad audience, and leave a lasting brand impression.

What if a dynamic business owner with the same heroic qualities -  talent, passion, drive, self belief and perseverance - had an affordable marketing team who could provide all these fully integrated services to elevate their brand in the public eye and grow their fan-base?  Wouldn't this brand achieve great success with its audience too, with business growth a direct result?  Yes, of course - the same rules apply.  

And such a marketing team exists.  That team is us.

For more information visit: http://cowanandpartners.com.au/who-we-are.aspx

Drawing inspiration from real inspiration

Partner blog by Thomas Abramson (Ideas Developer)

'Manufactured inspiration' - a fabrication of the 'divine influence' that has a rousing affect on all of us with a specified feeling or thought - is prevalent today in the media, the world of entertainment, news, sports, celebrity reporting and politics.

But 'manufactured inspiration' can only inspire for so long before it dries up.  We really connect and are uplifted by the authentic stories of people who aren't trying to be inspirational.  Their rich stories of overcoming personal obstacles and doing the right thing for others around them are real.

The true story of King George VI being compelled to speak to the world with a stammer, and finding his voice to make the first wartime radio broadcast on Britain's declaration of war on Germany in 1939, resulted in the superior historical drama that is "The King's Speech."  

In October this year, "The King's Speech" inspired a teacher to help his young student overcome his stammer when presenting to an audience.

See:  http://www.upworthy.com/watch-a-teenager-bring-his-class-to-tears-just-by-saying-a-few-words-2?g=2

Both people are hugely inspiring for what they achieved. But neither person set out to be inspirational.  They just did what they had to do.

Musings I

Partner blog series by Helen Page (Perception Consultant.)  Through observations, insights and thoughts, Helen takes existing words, messages and social behaviour, and presents them with a different, refreshing perspective...

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Recreational

"Recreational" is an interesting word, isn't it?

Re-create.  'Re' comes from 'again' and 'create' -  well, that one's obvious.  What's interesting however is it's lineage comes from 'crescent' and 'crescendo' apparently.  Rising up.  A lift.  To make.

Yes, "recreational" is good.

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Don't

The brain doesn't register "don't."  "Don't smoke", "don't eat crap", "don't push the red button."  What does one do with these instructions?  "Smoke like a Frenchman, eat buckets of hot chips and, oh yes, we will push the red button."

Don't say don't.

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Outnumbered

Like anything, if outnumbered, things get scary ... like with tropical fish, rocks and hipsters.

Anchorman 2: Too Much Too Soon?

Partner blog by John Turnbull (Creative Writing Consultant)

When Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy released back in 2004, the film was a moderate success in the US but a relative failure internationally.  With a production budget of $26 million, the film made $28 million at the box office in opening weekend and went on to a lifetime domestic gross of $85 million. International revenues were far softer, adding just over $5 million to the gross – a measly 6% of the box office total.  By comparison, Steve Carrell’s 40 Year Old Virgin made 38% of its revenue from international markets, helping the film to a lifetime international box office of $109 million. 

Since that time Anchorman has built up a serious cult following on DVD, including the release of a second movie cut from out-takes from the first. While 'Wake Up, Ron Burgundy' isn’t up to the quality of the original, it’s somewhat remarkable that a director can cut two distinct full length films from a single shoot.  It is this success in the home viewing market (along with unrelenting pressure from fans) that has led to the development of a sequel – announced in newsworthy fashion by an in-character Will Ferrell on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. This announcement was made in March 2013, a full 9 months before the release of the movie:

youtube.com/watch?v=MrNA7RjU91I

Standard film marketing campaigns tend to commence one to two weeks prior to release and run for a couple of weeks in-season (longer if the film is successful.)  By comparison, blockbuster ‘tent-pole’ releases like Avatar and Transformers often start their marketing campaigns two to three months prior to release date, with promotional materials drip fed to a hopefully eager audience.  Due to the way that movie distribution deals work, distributors make the most money on opening weekend, and exhibitors make progressively more money the longer the film stays on screen.  This means that it is in distributors' best interests to maximise opening weekends rather than let films build an audience based on word of mouth. The result of this is that marketing costs often outstrip production budgets by a factor of 2 or 3 times – so if a film costs $50 million to make it’s not unusual for global marketing costs to exceed $150 million. 

And that’s before you get the talent involved. 

Promotional tours with A-list talent are not cheap.  Promo tours with top-tier A-League talent like Will Ferrell and Steve Carrell (along with strong B-lister Paul Rudd and pretty-much-along-for-the-ride David Koechner) cost a fortune.  On top of the business class airfares and 5 star hotels there is a phalanx of hangers-on and a list of celebrity demands as long as your arm – but from a publicity standpoint a good tour is priceless. Aside from generating extensive ‘free’ media coverage, talent tours can broaden the appeal of a film beyond core audiences.  Ron Burgundy’s in-character media blitz culminated in appearance on Channel 10’s The Project opposite media icon Ray Martin, which undoubtedly attracted some older viewers to the film – as long as they don’t lose interest over the next three and a half weeks. 

Since the March announcement we have been treated to multiple Ron Burgundy appearances - from the Australian election, to the Melbourne Cup, AFL Grand Final and even the announcement of the new Doctor. While the media campaign for Anchorman 2 has yet to truly hit, we can expect to see TV spots, outdoor posters and online ads aplenty, growing in weight and urgency as December 19th approaches. 

It is in this point that the Anchorman 2 campaign runs into murky waters.  Is there a chance that viewers could get tired of The News Team’s antics? With limited assets (unless they plan to spoil every joke in the movie) and a heavyweight media campaign still building momentum, there is a significant risk of message fatigue or even backlash.  Add to this box office expectations in excess of $25 million and heavy Summer competition from films like The Hobbit, Frozen and Saving Mr Banks, Anchorman 2 faces an uphill battle to retain interest when the best part of the campaign has just flown out… 

But I’m still planning to see it on opening weekend. 

John Turnbull is a writer, editor and balloon pilot, and has spent 10 years working in film marketing 

Read more from John at: independentaustralia.net

All box office figures are from Box Office Mojo