It's about people, not advertising!

Just over a month ago, I finished an exciting and challenging assignment with Doner Advertising in Detroit. Doner is one of the leading agencies in the country and one which still specializes in working with companies who need to reposition themselves in a hurry in order to survive.

Working with a terrific account team in Detroit, I revisited the marketing department of Circuit City in Richmond, where I had been VP-Marketing back in 1994. The challenges were even greater now than a decade ago for the chain. However, instead of being #1 in the industry as it was back then , Circuit City now trailed both Best Buy and Wal-Mart as the preferred choice for America's consumer electronics dollar. It was a great opportunity as we worked to reposition the stores as the places that had "Just What I Needed" in the complex, sometimes-intimidating electronics business.

One thing became blatantly obvious and that was that the lines between category competition are more blurred than ever. No longer can a big box store only worry about its similar competitors and ignore the mass merchandisers, the warehouse clubs, the drug stores, department stores, and, oh yeah,even my old favorites, the chain drug stores. Don't forget all of the online marketers as well who have taught consumers that the easiest way to "shop" is to simply log on and take a look and learn. It still comes back to being the preferred choice by your target customer. Creating a brand that reassures you that you'll get just what you need, at a good price, with an easy return and service policy, and with the convenience of making it easy to get what you wanted and get back to your busy lifestyle.

However, I am more convinced than ever that the most important piece of the branding strategy is often left untouched by all the marketing efforts--the people in the store must live up to the brand everyday. We simply can't expect to hire some warm bodies, give them some essential floor training, and then expect them to personify the brand that we marketers spend so much time and money trying to develop with our customers. For the past five years, I have discussed this in presentations and conversations as we developed totalbrandintegration (tm) as a strategy to make the brand come alive at store level with everyone who comes in contact with the customer. I am more convinced now and am re-focusing my energies to develop programs that will integrate the people into the brand and help companies stop disappointing their customers when they come back to the store.

This web communication is the first of many that I hope will engage others in the business to bring ideas and concepts to the readers on how to better make the brand come alive at the store. Your input will be invaluable and will serve as the catalyst for more research and strategies to help retailers (and any other companies that serve customers directly) make it happen. I look forward to your help and comments.

This blog is just part of the process to keep me and my associates in this crazy business in touch about the business and what's going on today with the consumer.

I hope you'll join me often as we try to understand the consumer better and figure out ways to help companies become their brand of choice.

Let's go.
Ken