Image courtesy of edunconferences.org.uk

Just before Christmas Drew Buddie (@DigitalMaverick) asked me to speak at TEDx Orenda – an evening event he was organising in conjunction with BETT2010.

I had been talking about my brand protection conversation with ED Hardy COO, Robert Farrell, and Drew thought this would be a good topic to investigate further, especially given the increase in Facebook groups being set up by students about schools and teachers.

And so my investigation commenced.

Firstly I noticed the way people were talking about Ed Hardy on social networking sites and was alarmed by the way brand perceptions can change and spread so quickly across the globe. It reinforced that while you can protect certain aspects of your brand (IP, business name, copyright etc), you can’t control what people think or say about you. It shows the increasing importance of monitoring what is being said about your brand, to encourage 2-way engagement and utilise real time feedback to shape internal business decisions.

I decided to go back to basics. I phoned my mum and asked how she had created such a thriving school environment at my primary school before the days of social media and the internet.

She had trained as a school teacher in Glasgow before moving to Sydney in 1970.  She passionately fought school bureaucracy and government policy to ensure the children were put first.

After 10 years of  teaching at difficult schools in Sydney, and masterminding creative ways to circumnavigate ineffective rules and regulations, she moved to a rural school and took over as Assistant Principal.  She understood the importance of connecting the school with the community so she ‘threw open the doors’ and did everything she could to engage parents and surrounding businesses. This included moving the Mothers Club meetings to the evenings and following them with Wine & Cheese events, hosting Pet Shows, Art & Craft Fairs, Dress Up Days, arranging excursions and bringing her horse to school for the kids to ride.

Before long an excited ‘collaborative’ buzz was created and people throughout the state said the school ‘shone like a beacon’. She constantly had visitors who wanted to get ideas for their own schools.

I believe there is no such thing as brand protection for the aspects of branding that you can’t control or police. All we can do is influence, communicate our vision, and reduce any gaps between what we say, and what we do.

If we build our brands (company or personal) with the essential ingredients of authenticity, integrity, transparency, passion and playfulness, it can’t help but inspire and attract ambassadors which results in a brand that protects itself.

Feel free to have a look at my slides from the event below, and as always, I would love to hear from you if you have any feedback or questions.

Carnaby Street is a great example of a consistently exciting brand, and their new Christmas display is no exception.  This magical world of designer shops and beautiful people is buzzing with camera clicking tourists and camcording locals alike, all capturing their ‘experience’.

The cool shops within the Carnaby Street area are masters at creating buzz and attraction. G-Shock drew a crowd during the re-dressing of their shop front. They didn’t do it over night or under cover, they simply had a camera on a tripod connected to some nifty image software on a laptop and a guy up a ladder with a spray can taking instructions! But they did it over a full day and got noticed.

What can you do to increase customer involvement and interest? Making a spectacle of you and your business might be just what your brand needs!

What Is It?

A chain of coffee shops called ‘Cilantro’ from Egypt located at 106 Tottenham Court Road and 193 Piccadilly Street, London.

What Makes It Remarkable?

Firstly, their refreshing tag line is ‘Appetite For Life’.

Secondly, they want you to feel ‘really at home’ and achieve this by offering free wifi, mobile phone charging, an expansive menu, excellent service and allow you to either have your food and drink to go, order it from the counter or sit down and relax and they will serve you at your table. Nothing is too much trouble.

Thirdly, their attention to small detail and additional value. They have created a pocket sized monthly ‘Cilantro Gig Guide’ listing music, film, theatre and art events in London – great for tourists and locals alike. 

Beautifully designed graphics and print material gives them an edge – they do things slightly differently and you notice. Like their free standing notice board with a map of central London, daily newspapers, their in-house magazine and posters of local events. Plus they have shelves with a range of novels – classic and top ten for customers to read while having coffee.

Then there is ‘The Big Red Book’, a gorgeously designed large blank page book for customers to write or draw in, without rules. People write messages for other people, comments and feedback for Cilantro, poems, tips about what to do in London, quotes, snippets of inspiration….

It’s a great place to get away from the hectic pace of the surrounding area, useful for informal meetings or as a base to get some work done between clients.

What little thing could you do in your business to provide remarkable value to your customer and got them talking about you?

During the course of the length of a customer’s stay in London, each time they refer to Cilantro’s gig guide they are seeing Cilantro’s logo and building a connection with their brand. The brand that cared enough to give them something over and above coffee and cake to make their time in London more enjoyable.

What is an inexpensive service that you could offer for free to attract customers?

When I’m in that area and need internet access for my netbook I know where I go (and I buy coffee and food while I’m there).