Address

This Tuesday – February, 8 – Brainstorm Principal Ed Illig will be making a presentation on The Importance of a User-friendly Website—at the Linking Indiana’s Business Professionals Networking event at the Ritz Charles.

Agenda

5:30 Networking and discussing how to take our group to the next level
6:15 Speaker, Ed Illig, The Importance of a User Friendly Website
6:45 Q & A
7:00 Networking and discussion

For tickets visit the EventBrite invitation.

About Linking Indiana

Linking Indianaâ„¢ is a social networking meta group that helps make it easy to find other people with a connection to the Hoosier state. Anyone with a connection (business, entertainment, family, education) to the state of Indiana is welcome to join.

The puzzle and the tools are the same…
it’s all about how you take a complex, important story, weave it together so people truly understand it and develop
an emotional connection to it.

About the Interview

David Dwyer is a longtime friend and former client of Brainstorm. From his role as a Publisher at New Riders Press (Pearson) to his days as Microsoft Windows’ Chief Storyteller, David’s career was what most would deem a pinnacle of success.

Then David decided to leave corporate marketing and move to Santiago, Chile to serve with IberoAmerican Ministries. We checked in with him recently and asked him to compare his former positions to his current one and whether his definition of success has changed.

Questions

.think | 1. Are there similarities between your former role as Windows’ Chief Storyteller and your current role with IberoAmerican Ministries?

David Dwyer: With one part of my job it’s almost identical. My role with IberoAmerican Ministries (IAM) is twofold with the major part of it being to tell the IAM story through the web and multimedia pieces. The puzzle and the tools are the same…it’s all about how you take a complex, important story, weave it together so people truly understand it and develop an emotional connection to it.

Your brand is what people identify with,
if it is done correctly.

The other part of my job is helping teams, professors, and others visiting our works to plan their trips and then manage their time while here in Chile. Our entire family participates in that part of the job (shopping for food, translating, getting people to their Chilean homes, etc.).

.think | 2. Any particularly difficult language or cultural barriers you’ve struggled to overcome?

David Dwyer: Learning a new language at 45 years old is THE most difficult thing I have EVER done. It’s a work in progress. It doesn’t help that Chilean Spanish is very slang driven, i.e., the words aren’t in any dictionary we have. And, Chilean driving leaves a lot to be desired!

.think | 3. Describe a typical lunch at the company cafeteria in Redmond versus lunch in Santiago.

David Dwyer: I liked to get off campus most days at Microsoft. But usually those lunches on campus were mostly about the work. In Chile, lunch is at 2:00 and is the biggest meal of the day. It’s where the family often gathers together and catches up. So, I would say the big difference is work versus family. I like the Chilean lunches much better.

The first information
we communicated back to the states
was through Facebook.

.think | 4. Can you contrast the role technology played while at Microsoft versus technology’s role in what you are doing now?

David Dwyer: We have many friends who served in the mission field many years ago—before the Internet. I cannot imagine what that was like. We are a simple Skype call away from anyone in the world. We use technology to spread the word just as Microsoft does.

.think | 5. In what ways do your experiences in branding and marketing at Microsoft translate into working with the IberoAmerican brand?

David Dwyer: Great question. IAM didn’t really know what a brand was, or how even in the subtle things you make brand work for you. Your brand is what people identify with, if it is done correctly.

For example, our name doesn’t roll off the tongue, so we usually use IAM. On the website, every first mention of our name is followed by (IAM) and then in the rest of the page we simply use IAM. It gets people into the groove of our brand the same way we are. It parlays across the site and other things, too, in the way we use images, etc. The next big task for us is our logo, which needs some help, but it’s a major hurdle for any organization.

.think | 6. Have social mediums like Facebook or other online networks impacted your efforts in Santiago, and, if so, in what way?

David Dwyer: I started a Facebook page for the organization. It gives us a chance to get notes, prayer requests, and news out to the masses quickly. This was very helpful during the earthquake in February. The first information we communicated back to the states was through Facebook.

Some of our teams are using Twitter to do daily updates from South America and many blog the experience, too.

Chilean Sea Bass, no contest!

.think | 7. Can you compare and contrast the audience you seek to reach now with the audience you targeted while at Microsoft?

David Dwyer: You know, contrary to what the media would like you to believe, Microsoft does really care about their customers. We had many VERY good conversations about how to build an emotional connection with our customer and I personally used to exercise that in many different ways.

I’ve directly translated those things I’ve learned to our “customersâ€? with IAM. I want them to live this service with all of us because, in reality, we’re only playing a small part in the bigger picture of which they are a part also. It’s the same way with the Microsoft customer, we each played a part in their technology experience.

.think | 8. Is the pay about the same, or different?

David Dwyer: (grinning) It depends on how you measure it. I am MUCH richer than I would have ever been at Microsoft.

.think | 9. Career pinnacle to-date: New Riders (Pearson), Microsoft, or Missions?

David Dwyer: The answer is Missions. But, I don’t believe missions for us happens without the other parts. The key is to make sure, as a believer, that you are always working to glorify the Lord. I have tried hard to do that every step of my career. And at 45-years old, the Lord chose to lead me to Chile, not another tech-related company.

.think | 9-1/2. We know you enjoy playing soccer, snowboarding, and surfing; does your active lifestyle play a role in your work in Chile?

David Dwyer: It does! Futbol in particular, because we use the experience to connect with so many other people in the community. It is a language in itself. When a gringo (not a bad term in Chile) can play and hang with the locals, it opens many doors to create relationships! But, I’ve toned down my extreme sports participation due to the cost of insurance…for someone my age.

.think | Bonus. Chilean Sea Bass or Pacific Northwest Salmon?

David Dwyer: Chilean Sea Bass, no contest! The fisherman in Iloca—where the tsunami hit after the earthquake and where we have been building new houses—catch it, clean it, and prepare it in a way that you would not believe!

Click here for more about IberoAmerican Ministries.
And here for more about Microsoft Windows.

As important as a project road map is – things can, will, and should change.

The Struggle

I’ve been a homeowner for nearly 5 years now. I’ve done every massive remodeling project that one can do – kitchen, bath, landscaping – you name it. And, when I say I’ve “done itâ€? that doesn’t mean that I bossed around some contractors (unless my husband counts). I spent hours on end in my “messyâ€? clothes, painting, tiling, planting, laying stone, etc. Each project was vastly different, from its functionality to the materials used. But each project had these things in common: Deadlines came and went, and no matter how well we anticipated, planned, scheduled and prepared, something unexpected always came up.

Remodeling a brand isn’t much different – or any easier. To do it right you have to completely immerse yourself in the project, get your hands dirty, sweat a little. Evaluate your current state and determine:

1. What needs repair
2. What needs a makeover
3. What new elements will have to be utilized
   to make the remodel a success

Count the Cost

You’ll find some elements that appear salvageable – a simple coat of paint will save some dollars and seem good as new. Don’t be fooled and don’t make these decisions too quickly. Think it through and weigh the cost, both monetarily and mentally, of trying to refurbish that piece of your brand. You may find that it’s okay to let it go and begin anew. Or, you may find that there’s such a fond association and quick recognition with that element of your brand that giving it a face-lift, as badly as you think it’s needed, would jeopardize the very essence of what you’re working so hard to maintain.

Be Adaptable

Be patient and be flexible. As important as a project road map is – things can, will, and should change. Those things that “come-up� and throw you off track will make up for the derailment by teaching you a little something that you didn’t know before. Go with it and chances are your brand makeover will be more successful than you ever imagined.

Image: Jenni, of course

Location, Location, Facebook.

Starbucks Facebook Coffeehouse

Starbucks introduced a Starbucks Card tab on its Facebook fan page today. Inside the tab is a new eCommerce destination, an embedded app that allows customers to manage card registration, check their balance and rewards, reload cards and edit profile information without ever leaving the Facebook environment—a virtual Starbucks coffee shop in a virtual Facebook strip mall.

1. Establish Differentiation

Starbucks’ new Facebook app mimics the basic functionality found on the Starbucks’ mobile app and their website. Applying the “Starbucks on every corner” model to the largest corner of the social media neighborhood differentiates the ubiquitous coffee merchant from wannabe competitors yet again.

2. Recognize Opportunities

Encouraging friends to share coffee and coffee gifts on a social exchange platform that boasts nearly half a billion potential customers is simply smart business. The numerous sharing mechanisms mean word of mouth (WOM) potential about product offerings is exponential.

“What’s even cooler is that come summer time, Starbucks will introduce functionality that will let users reload a Facebook friend’s Starbucks card as a gift through the application.” – Mashable.com

3. Keep Innovating

Starbucks didn’t develop deep and valuable brand equity by sitting idle. Their new Facebook app supports that brand essence by reinforcing Starbucks’ position as industry segment thought leaders, if not innovators. Utilizing the Facebook platform as a commerce platform didn’t require earth-shattering technology, but the application of the technology is groundbreaking.

4. Provide Ongoing Value

The ability to send a little swig of swag to a client, a pick-me-up to a hurting friend, or a bit of caffeinated cheer to your college son or daughter right from Facebook adds real value to the busy lives of Starbucks’ customers and further establishes Starbucks’ formidable brand value.

5. Deliver Convenience

Starbucks recognizes the value of location, location, location, which translates to convenience, convenience, convenience for their customers. Many Facebook subscribers search, exchange, post, view, listen, chat…in short, live, in a web browser tab or mobile device pointed at Facebook. What could be more convenient than never having to leave your chair, or Facebook?

If I were to pick one social network to which resources for inbound marketing and social media budgets were allotted, it would be Facebook. Basic math and most brand marketers would concur with me. It’s the new coffee house everyone’s talking about – and hanging out in.

Image: Poolie

Eventually, your logo becomes
a touch point by which your audience
either recognizes or mocks your brand.

The Struggle

Many businesses struggle through the development of their business or product logo because they believe the logo is their brand rather than understanding it is but one representation of their brand. No logo can carry your brand without additional context and meaning.

The Context

Context is built in the way your brand conducts itself out in public—obviously frequent and consistent exposure in target-rich environments, but service, quality, aesthetics, ethics, price points, messaging and human and online interaction—in essence, everything defines your brand. That’s your logo’s context for representation.

The Paralysis

Often a sort of paralysis sets in as those uninitiated to the development process wrestle with how to cram an entire brand into a logo mark that has no brand yet. A common inclination is to use a design-by-committee approach and crowd source it by inviting the opinion of anyone and everyone.

Of course, if you ask fifty people for their opinion you’ll get fifty opinions. This method can further confuse and often derail the process resulting in delivery delays and unsatisfactory results as typically, elements from a number of logos are mashed together into one design to appease everyone’s input.

The Summation

A logo is one symbol of your brand, so it’s critical to get it right. Weigh, assess and classify your input, then discuss it with your design professional. If you’ve hired the right firm, they’ll have the demonstrated experience and expertise to take into account all the pragmatics and issues involved with properly deploying not just a logo, but an entire brand.

Eventually, your logo becomes a touch point by which your audience either recognizes or mocks your brand. It is important to get your logo right, but don’t expect it to be your brand from the outset.