A 'Holiday Wish' for You and Your Brand

“Happy Holidays!”

Two simple words, but they pack a lot of meaning. At the end of the year, when our nerves are perhaps a little frayed and we might be wondering what is going on in this topsy-turvy world of ours, just the sound of that cheerful phrase can make us feel better.

As much as we enjoy hearing those words, we also enjoy saying them to someone else. And, unlike other seasons of the year, we get to wish one another happy holidays for two or three weeks or more. When else during the calendar year do we get to experience so much friendliness and good cheer? And between total strangers, no less?

Branding isn’t quite that simple, but the idea is the same. What is it you’re trying to communicate to people? Can your message be conveyed with as much clarity and simplicity, while making people feel good about your product or service? Consider these can’t-miss slogans:

·         Just do it.

·         Have it your way.

·         Better ingredients, better pizza.

·         It’s finger-lickin’ good.

·         Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.

Those are just a few famous slogans we all recognize and can instantly associate with their respective brands. While your business may not lend itself to summarizing your brand in so few words, the lesson is clear: sometimes, less is more.

In our business at Creative Source, we regularly remind our clients that signs and banners are no place for long messages and lots of unnecessary words. It’s crucial to keep your message short and to the point. The shorter and more to the point, the better.

As a new year approaches, it’s a good time to think ahead to how you’ll spread the word about your company. What can you say to fill your customers and prospects with good cheer about your brand?

Whatever you come up with, keep it short, simple, and on point. Strive to make it memorable.

So...Happy Holidays. Happy New Year. And Happy Branding!

MIKE BOYD is president of Creative Source, a Canton, Ohio sign company.

A Tale of Two Mikes

I started my career in the graphics industry working at a small print shop in Canton, Ohio called Edwards Printing. I was a jack of all trades, doing everything from working in the bindery to making deliveries to customers. But I worked hard and constantly looked for opportunities to learn and make myself more valuable. Eventually one of our largest customers noticed, and offered me a job. That customer was Camelot Music.

Camelot was one of the biggest names in the music retailing business. I went to work in their creative department and thought I had it made. We had stores across the country, and business was booming. The biggest names in the music business came to our offices. I met Phil Collins, George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, The Judds, Clint Black, Celine Dion and countless other artists.

It was pretty cool. I was content in my little niche, and thought I’d be there forever, or at least for a long, long time. Of course, this was before the Internet. People still went to stores to buy music instead of sharing it online. We saw the cassette replace the 8-track, the CD replace vinyl albums, and DVDs replace VHS tapes. Gradually, chains like Camelot began losing business to the Walmarts, Borders and Best Buys of the world, who began to aggressively sell music and videos at a discount.

The ride came to an abrupt end for us in the mid-1990s. Camelot filed for bankruptcy, and was eventually sold. Many of us found ourselves on the outside looking in.

The story turns out okay—Dave Hess and I took our experience at Camelot and started Creative Source, which we operate to this day.

But as I look back, I realize there were two different Mikes in that story. One took a little job at a small mom-and-pop business and turned it into something much bigger and better. The other took something big, and was happy to just keep things the way they were.

One stood out. The other one blended in.

That’s why I talk so much about standing out, in business and in life. When I think about the big-name artists, agents, marketing executives and music promoters I rubbed shoulders with at Camelot, I just shake my head. Who knows what opportunities might have been out there for me, if I had done just a few things here and there that would have made me stand out?

Instead, I was comfortable with the status quo.

It’s a lesson I try not to forget. At Creative Source, we strive to stand out from the competition in everything we do. And we counsel our clients to do the same.

How about you? Are you letting opportunities pass you by? Or are you paying attention to detail and doing the little things that will get you noticed?

It’s all about standout performance. And it can mean the difference between success or failure, in business and in life.

MIKE BOYD is president of Creative Source,

a marketing solutions company in Canton, Ohio. Click here to visit them online. 

Do You Stand Out?

That’s what I like to ask our clients from the very beginning.

It’s the basis for everything we do at Creative Source. Do you stand out? Does your message? Your reputation? Your product?

People can come up with a thousand different theories about marketing—and they have. But the bottom line is, you want to grow your business. You want to generate leads. You want to expand your customer base. And you can’t do it by blending in with everybody else.

You need to stand out.

The same holds true in your career, and in life. We all want to be successful. We want to be in control of our careers. We want to live fulfilling lives, in good health, with enough money to be comfortable and do the things we enjoy.

To get ahead in the workplace, you need to be better than average. You need to be better than good. You need to be great. You need to stand out.

Ever notice what they say in Hollywood when they announce the Academy awards? “The Oscar for outstanding performance by…”

We appreciate things that are better than average, and like things that are good. But we reward things that are outstanding.

That’s the purpose of this blog. I’ll share examples of what I call standout performance, learned and observed over my years in marketing. I’ll share client stories, personal anecdotes, or just things I’ve heard along the way.

The goal is to remain focused on that one concept: To be at the front of the pack, you have to stand out from the rest of the herd.

See you up front.

MIKE BOYD is president of Creative Source,
a marketing solutions company in Canton, Ohio. Click here to visit them online.