Wednesday Words
To Go Where Your VisionPoints, a few inspiration points for you and your business.
Ralph Lauren has always stood for providing quality products, creating worlds and inviting people to take part in our dream. We were the innovators of lifestyle advertisements that tell a story and the first to create stores that encourage customers to participate in that lifestyle.
—Ralph Lauren
You don’t have to like Ralph Lauren’s dream. But I’m betting that almost all of my readers, almost anywhere in the world you may be reading this, know what that dream lifestyle is. It happens that Ralph Lauren, a scrappy little guy from the Bronx, hitched his wagon to a dream many folks have, and staying incredibly focused on that image for the company made him a billionaire.
We don’t buy Ralph Lauren. Not the scrappy Jewish kid, not the dreamer, not the climber, not today’s 69-year-old billionaire.
We don’t buy clothes. You can get those at WalMart.
We buy youth and leisure and effortless elegance and a romantic past we have nostalgia for without ever having lived it, because Ralph, that savvy businessman, made his Vision as pervasive as the air we breathe, all around the world. He never lets up.
“I’m no billionaire, Kelly. People buy me!”
Tell that to Ralph R. Lifshitz, tie salesman in his 1950s Bronx high school, who’d soon change his name to Lauren and start a little tie company lifestyle brand named Polo.
We’ve talked about it a lot here, but a recent conversation at Men With Pens got me thinking about Vision and Purpose all over again.
Even when your business is as small as young Ralph’s, people don’t buy you.
No. They don’t.
They buy the story you tell, the lifestyle you’ll help them achieve—even if it’s as simple as “Joe’s Cat Litter gives me more time in my day to enjoy my neglected husband.” Joe’s Cat Litter=Peaceful Love Nest. You’ve got to know your Vision backward and forward, then you have to tell me. And I’ve got to believe the story.
If you’re really lucky and really talented, you might tell a story we already deeply want to believe, like Ralph did. It’s no 1960s bygone fantasy. People do it all the time. Like Christian Lander does. Like Naomi Dunford does. Like Barack Obama did. They’re telling stories we want to believe.
The alternative? If you don’t define yourself, your customer will. And they might get it “wrong.”
Find your Vision. Tell your ONE story, every day, in all your customer interactions. Do your damnedest to find a story you have a unique angle on, that we already deeply want to believe, and hitch your wagon to it.
Simple, huh?
Grow and be well,
Kelly Erickson
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19 November 2008, 7:34 am
Interesting food for thought, yes.
And I know you said this in an email to me - still working on that story. I think it’s almost ready to go out in first draft.
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post…week 1 - report card.
19 November 2008, 7:50 am
Brett,
And you are just the sort of scrappy kid to get the story figured out.
Regards,
Kelly
19 November 2008, 8:06 am
(psst… wanna buy a stylish tie with built-in wireless networking?)
Lemme at ‘em, lemme at ‘em!
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post…week 1 - report card.
19 November 2008, 8:09 am
LOL!
19 November 2008, 3:07 pm
Kelly,
Looks like I’ll have go do some pimpin’ here, this is a kicking post and it’s just the Kelly & Brett chat room today.
See what Twitter can do!
-Brett
(Friar, where the heck are you?)
Brett Legree’s last blog post…week 1 - report card.
19 November 2008, 3:22 pm
LOL again. I don’t worry about the crickets chirping too often, though it is funny today. *sigh* Ah, well. Billionaires just aren’t enough anymore… you have to write about gazillionaires, I guess.
19 November 2008, 3:24 pm
(You know, there’s an off chance folks might be working…)
19 November 2008, 4:11 pm
Did someone say gazillionaires?
Yes, I would be one of those working people today, so I guess I’m late to the (ahem) party…
I bought into Ralph, way back when. I still like buying into stuff like that mostly because I don’t have to think about it. A Gap t-shirt, Tommy Hilfiger jeans, a Roots sweatshirt… They all go well together. I’ve never been a fashionista, but I do appreciate it when my clothes fall together nicely — and those companies make it easy.
I think that defining yourself or your business is one of the hardest things to do. Even Ralph wasn’t really defining himself so much as some utopian vision of his (am I splitting hairs here?). Perhaps that’s the key. Defining yourself then is to decide how you would like to interact with a business like your own, find your own list of “best practices” (aka lifestyle brand), and follow that dream.
Great food for thought.
~Graham
Graham Strong’s last blog post…The Art of Perception (Part IV): What Colours People’s Perception of You?
19 November 2008, 5:03 pm
1st. twitter works.
2nd: interesting post and quite relevant to me as i engage in getting our company to embrace customer experience management. in addition, we are also looking at our brand and figuring out how to communicate that out in the world. buying media is an easy way out and really not the creative an idea if you forgive the pun. time to reinvent the approach to the business problem.
19 November 2008, 6:37 pm
I never let work get in the way of having fun…
No excuses, people, I was working too!
(Really! Honest!)
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post…week 1 - report card.
19 November 2008, 8:05 pm
@Michael,
No kidding. I don’t leverge it enough for my own stuff, and this is proof positive that I should, and will.
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post…week 1 - report card.
19 November 2008, 8:06 pm
(Err, that would be *leverage*… not using my normal laptop for this and the keyboard isn’t the same.)
Brett Legree’s last blog post…week 1 - report card.
19 November 2008, 8:08 pm
Graham,
Unbelievable. People working on weekdays. What is the world coming to?
Exactly. Ralph was not defining himself. He’s the guy behind the curtain. Pay no attention to him. He was defining “Ralph Lauren,” the brand, the lifestyle, the dream, for customers to get themselves wrapped up in (and Polo before that), not Ralph, the person.
Michael,
Hello and welcome to MCE! I guess I don’t have to ask how you found us.
I agree, there are many other effective ways to spend your dollars and to engage your customers. It’s not so much cutting out advertising, as shifting its importance. I hope you’ll have a look around at the archives here (Monday’s post is a fun place to start), and take lots of ideas back to your company—and of course, subscribe if you like what you see!
Thanks for your comment!
Brett,
Your work seems to have lots of lovely gaps in it where you can wander out to the Internet for a break. Mediaeval Factory or not, that is worth something.
Until later,
Kelly
19 November 2008, 8:24 pm
Kelly,
I cheat, you see. Well, if you call cheating being able to work insanely fast in bursts and do what most folks take 8 hours to do in about 2 hours. If I were not prone to boredom I’d be running the place I imagine… or locked up, one of the two!
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post…week 1 - report card.
20 November 2008, 1:19 am
I find these types of conversation fascinating because I’ve always been contrary to these types of messages. I never bought Ralph Lauren or Polo or Tommy because I look at the clothes and think “m’eh” not great quality and way overpriced and I’m buying into the hip Bruce Webber lifestyle.
On the other hand Armani (not Armani Exchange) makes good quality clothes and is worth the price. They are just a joy to look at and wear.
It’s like why I bought from Men with Pens rather than other web services - they obviously know their stuff and provided service even before I bought from them. I didn’t buy a message. I bought their competency and their generosity.
I know that I sell freedom and happiness, but I wouldn’t buy from me if I was pushing that - I’d want to see that I knew what I was talking about and I’d want to see proof of that first. Once I’d seen that I’d buy from me. Not because of some nebulous branding message.
But as I said I’ve always run away from branding messages even though they work for the majority (obviously or people wouldn’t use them). I suppose I just need to find the message that would make me run away from the most, and watch everyone else come running towards me.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome’s last blog post…Can You Just Enjoy a Moment?
20 November 2008, 7:20 am
Alex,
You may run from the one I mentioned, but you don’t run from all of them. Come now, is everything in your fridge and your cupboard a generic? Got a household cleaner around whose jingle you can sing, or whose ad you can recall with a smile? Most people have to admit to those even if they think they’re never sold by shoes or clothing.
And okay, if you grow all your own food and make your own lye, because you never fall for any messaging, ever, hmm..
Did you go see Madonna this fall?
Then somebody knows how to reach you with a lifestyle message, and she’s probably been doing it since way back when I bought my purple boots. (No that’s not a link to Monday’s post.)
We all have messaging we’re immune to, I suppose (for me it’s electronic equipment—t.v.s and such). But you can get your own Vision incredibly clear, and tell a story that people can connect with. If you find the right one, that enough folks already want to believe in, you take off like wildfire. If not, you can still enjoy slower success by staying focused on telling the story, picking up people slowly.
But I do think it’s a really important distinction to understand that people don’t buy you.
They buy the story of what you offer them, and if you don’t want to sell freedom and happiness, people won’t have anything to hang around for proof of, see?
At the risk of making this even longer, ha ha…
You did buy MWP’s messaging. Did you read one post, head straight to their services page, and say, “Well, they’re obviously competent, so okay?” No, I’ll bet you didn’t fork over cash the first day. My guess is you hung around, peeked at the archives, read their posts daily for at least a few weeks, got hooked. Where’d you get the “generosity” idea if you didn’t? No place does it say, “and customers, we want you to know we’re generous.”
You were messaged. Gently, over time. You didn’t feel the pinch, but a business blog (including yours if you want it to be) is a long, sweet, marketing document. They choose what they’ll write just like I do, and what they won’t. I don’t talk about my personal woes or the car’s troubles or my kid’s school. I don’t swear. I don’t talk about days I felt like being mean to everyone in sight. Well, unless I can make a point.
Over time, gently, I want my readers and my prospective clients to develop a picture of me, and as in any marketing materials, I’m going to choose to stay on-message so you develop the picture I want you to have. I keep telling the story. Don’t think my darling Men With Pens are any less wily. (I mean that in a nice way, Harry and James!) Most of their posts show off their competence, of course. They’ve written several posts showing their generosity. They’re generous in the comments, on Sundays, and at many other folks blogs. Even when they might feel like being mean to everyone in sight, because that is part of what they’re selling.
I don’t think buying a story means getting duped. Maybe that’s why the whole thing leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
If the story is authentic (the scrappy Jewish kid longed for the life he sold as much as anyone, and he’s led that life since the company began to make enough money to allow for it), and if it speaks to you, then sink right in and buy the story.
For SS: When you find one that is authentic to you and lets others believe in it, too, you won’t need to run! Sell it. Wholeheartedly.
OMG, this must be the longest comment ever, lol.
Until later,
Kelly
20 November 2008, 10:16 am
Kelly, this was a point worth writing about again. “Your customer may get it wrong.” What a profound and all too true insight. I do not think any of us set out allow customers to shape the wrong opinion of our vision and purpose but when we look back on our actions…we may thunk our heads as we realize it’s our fault. You are absolutely right that people don’t buy a product or service but the story. I am going to chew on this today as I work on my own story.
Karen Swim’s last blog post…5 Great Blogs You May Not Be Reading
20 November 2008, 10:56 am
“Your customer may get it wrong” — I’m increasingly wondering if we might be the ones getting it wrong.
Yes, it is vitally important to create a solid message about our businesses and keep that messaging consistent. But the fact is that every time someone sees or hears or uses our services, it changes the company.
For example, I started off as a writer. But then someone wanted a website, and I happened to know how to build a website, so suddenly my business was also about building websites. And basic layout. And now a bit of video editing.
The common denominator for all of these is, of course, creativity. So perhaps I wasn’t just a writer after all, but a “creative type” who could help with both the creative intangibles and the know-how to make it happen.
Take your blog, for example Kelly. You didn’t start out being a mecca for wayward Canadians, yet here you are. Of course blogs are more prone to the effects of outsiders, but still I maintain that businesses are affected by their contact with anyone — it’s just a matter of degree.
I don’t know the whole back story about the subtle shift from “Polo” to more “Ralph Lauren” but it probably had a lot to do with how customers were interacting with the brand.
Design your vision, control you branding, be consistent in your messaging — all true points. But also be prepared for (and even take advantage of the fact) that the process is organic.
After all, if our business is about meeting the needs of our clients, perhaps it should be more about focusing our perception of them rather than their perception of us.
Just a few more thought-potatoes for the pot…
~Graham
Graham Strong’s last blog post…A Few Words of Thanks…
20 November 2008, 4:01 pm
Karen,
I’m really glad you enjoyed it. That huge comment I wrote made me wonder if I could write a month of posts on the same topic… but if I do, I’ll be careful to spread them out over several years!
It’s too easy to think you know where you’re going and discover that the customer thinks you’re going somewhere else. That’s what this blog is all about—designing the Experience. It has to start with defining it.
Graham,
I must disagree. While the blog may be a home for wayward Canadians and at least one lady who already adored Canada, the blog’s focus has changed very little if any over the course of the year. Other than a couple of geese, a post about Harveys’ C.E., and a mention of Jean Chrétien, I’d venture to say Canadians get as little play here as anyone in the actual posts. I focus on my local (offline) market for most inspirations or aside references, keeping those rather sparse, while remaining globally inclusive. Before I started MCE I put in many months of planning and writing, laying out the grand scheme, and you (much appreciated) rabble-rousers don’t change the story for the blog.
Did Ralph, the tie-seller, see “Ralph Lauren,” the leisurely Hamptons lifestyle, from early on in his career? I can’t prove he did, but I’ll tell you the evidence is there that he began with the end in mind. There aren’t many zigzags or missteps in the company’s history to indicate that he didn’t know where he was going, or that he allowed the tail to wag the dog.
My firmly held belief is that great businesses, whatever their size, plan their course the way I find out how to get to a new city. They do their research, take out the maps—knowing their intended destination—and plot the course.
If I want to create a whole lifestyle brand I start with the small step of selling ties that embody the style. When they sell well and catch people’s imagination the way I hoped they would, then I add cool shirts. Then I add other clothing; I branch out to women; I add fragrance; I create tiered offerings; finally, I move into home accents. Boom, I’ve designed a lifestyle brand. You saw only ties in the 60s, but I believe Ralph saw it all.
Back to maps: Okay, you may not get there. But if you know the way from Delaware, you don’t head off to Maine when you want to get to Toronto, even if somebody tells you the water’s fine.
Knowing the direction helps you say “no” to projects that aren’t a good fit for your firm, as well as making sure you say “yes” when you should.
Mmm, potatoes. Quite the stew Ralph’s been helping us make this week!
Until later,
Kelly
21 November 2008, 2:01 am
Okay okay I give but just a couple of points of resistance still.
I’ve found having little money has done a number on my ability to be swayed by messages. I don’t have any brand name in my house only for its brand name. I do have a brand name dishsoap because the cheap stuff doesn’t work, so isn’t actually cheaper. I buy the name-brand hamburger buns because they are better.
As for the MwP, my first interaction was James helping me directly, then reading their blog entries which showed they knew what they wanted. James then directly (and not so gently, but that’s why I love him) ordered me to get a new site and so since he’d helped me so much, I wanted to give back to them. That to me is a completely different situation than Heinz Ketchup telling me that their ketchup is the “slowest in the west” (their slogan from decades ago). No?
But yes, some things so get me, and probably more subtly than I know, so I’ll stop arguing now.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome’s last blog post…Can You Just Enjoy a Moment?
21 November 2008, 7:16 am
Alex,
I’ve commented so much I need a vacation now (see P.S. on next post), so I’ll let you have the last word.
Oops. No I won’t. Heh.
Later,
Kelly
P.S. Brett—Not too bad for a Wednesday Words that our dear Friar never showed up to, eh?