Tricks to Treats - Turning Victimhood into Victory

This morning I woke up to find that my car had been vandalised.  Now, in my day, Halloween meant a few waterbombs and maybe some tricks involving flour and eggs at the very worst, but it seems times have changed and the world moves on.    

My car was the only one in a row parked outside the house that had been damaged, though, so why me?  Well I guess my car may stand out a bit from the rest, and standing out in life makes you a target.  In particular, standing out makes you a target for the weak, the insecure and the bullies.  

So how do you deal with people who make a target of you because you’re different?  Well, anger, self-pity, or trying to change yourself to ‘fit in’ a bit more are not going to get you anywhere.  There is no room for being a victim in my mind – being a victim is a response to something, and you don’t have to choose to play that role.  Our experiences in life are not what make us who we are; what make us who we are are our responses to them.

 So, instead of getting angry, get things done – solve the problem, make things better.  Instead of pitying yourself, pity the bully who is so frustrated or damaged that the only way they can express this is by trying to cause pain to others.    Instead of changing yourself, recognise that it’s the power that you hold because you have the courage to stand out that has brought this about, and celebrate your own strength of character.

So, don’t ever be afraid to stand out, even if it makes you an easy target.  Those who will try to push you down do so out of fear, pain and jealousy.  They are to be pitied, not allowed to cause you pain.  Take a small victory in not letting them beat you, and move on – still a target, but a tougher one to hit…

Everything Everywhere...All Brands to All People - or just taking a strategy tip from the insurance market?

Just a quickie with a comment on brand, as I'm fascinated by the rumours that are circulating amongst marketing folk this morning that 'Everything Everywhere', the company that owns both the T-Mobile and Orange mobile networks is set to ditch both of them in order to launch an umbrella brand linked to the Everything Everywhere company name...

Since the rumours started the company has attempted to clarify by suggesting that rather than ditch orange and T-mobile they are planning to launch a third brand based on a '4G proposition' which will operate alongside their two existing mobile brands.  We don't really know what this means, although some reports suggest that Everything Everywhere recently put in a number of trademark applications for names which link 4G with the Everything Everywhere company name (Brand Republic, 2012).

Why would they do this?  Well, the mobile phone market is essentially operating under oligopolistic market conditions with a few key players dominating the space and in some markets like this there are considerable benefits in carrying several brands within the same product category.  The first and most obvious is that this enables you to target specific groups with messages and product offerings tailored to them.  However there is a secondary benefit and one which we may see becoming more and more important in this market in future years. That benefit is flooding...

No, not literally flooding (although I know it's probably on your mind after the summer we've had...), but flooding in relation to search results.   Multiple brands offer companies the ability to flood out their competitors when they are searching for a provider.  What does this mean?  Well, let's take an example from the insurance sector....

If you're looking for car insurance and you go to a price comparison web site, you might do a search and find yourself faced with a long list of quotes which appear to be from a range of different providers.  In truth, they may all be brands owned by one parent company, but because they have so many different products on offer they push their competitors down the search results.   We're less and less likely to look beyond the first few providers when we do a search, so whichever brand you choose from those at the top of the list, the same insurance company wins your business.

Insurance companies deliberately create some brands just to do this job for them - they don't promote them heavily anywhere else (no big budget advertising campaigns with nodding dogs or comedians here) - they are purely functional in flooding out search results.

It seems to me that as we become more and more likely to search for competitive deals on mobiles and mobile contracts that mobile networks and providers will adopt similar strategies.  This could be what we're seeing here from Everything Everywhere.

If the rumours that they may ditch T-Mobile and Orange are true I'd say they would be foolish to do so - not so much in the case of T-Mobile, which for me has always been a very weak brand - but in the case of Orange which has such strength and clarity of positioning in the market,  throwing all that equity away would seem to be a big mistake.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see whether Everything Everywhere are as bold as their company name suggests...

Life Doesn't Come with Sat Nav...some thoughts for results day

Fortunately, life doesn't come with Sat Nav...
(Photo credit: Unhindered by Talent)

Today is the day when hundreds of thousands of young (and not so young) people around the UK will be picking up their exam results and finding out whether a place at University has been confirmed for them.  It's an anxious time for everyone, and this year more than ever, there's a lot at stake. 

So, if you're one of those people at that big crossroads in life, worrying about what to do next, let someone who has been there share a little secret with you...

The fact is, your happiness and success in life is not solely dependent on what happens today, this week, or in the run up to the start of any University programme.  In ten years time, no one will care what you got in your A' Levels, or your degree for that matter...they will care about what you have done with your life, who you are as a person, and what you stand for.  Whether to go to University or not is a big decision, but it's just another one of the decisions in life that you can make and you can change if you get it wrong.

Putting yourself under enormous pressure to make 'the right decision' is  really not worth the anxiety and stress.  You always have choices in life, and you can turn around even the most difficult of situations if you work hard and make the effort.  If you want something enough you will make it happen no matter what obstacles life puts in your way.  The examples set by some of our Olympians over the last two weeks (and to come when the Paralympics start) are testament to this.

So, today, be happy with what you have achieved and what you will achieve.  Make the best choices you can with the information you have in front of you - and above all, make the choice that you believe will make you (not your parents, teachers, partners or society) happiest; then go out with your mates and celebrate - because it's people not paperwork that will get you through the tough times... :)

Oh, and if all else fails...watch this:

Time to Stop Comparing Apples and Pears?

Apple...or pear...who cares?
(Photo: Wikipedia)

Which do you think is better, London or Brighton?  Well, for me they both have unique strengths and attractions, so it’s bit like comparing apples and pears.  Sometimes you feel like a pear and sometimes you feel like an apple, and the same goes for shopping, cultural and leisure experiences; one day you might want the bright lights of the big city with its megastores, and another you might like to have fun by the sea browsing through quirky independent shops.  The beauty of this diversity of experience is it means that both places can survive and thrive in different locations and different market niches. 

So, why oh why in South Wales do we pour so much energy into comparing our towns and cities with each other?  Competitiveness is one thing when it comes to sporting prowess, but in business there are different factors at play – and here in Wales it sometimes seems to me that we are creating a problem for ourselves by trying to out-do one another or making negative comparisons when there may be far greater benefits for all in projecting a united front to the world when promoting the diverse offerings in our towns and cities. 

Recent media interest in the number of major retailers moving out of smaller towns shouldn’t ring alarm bells for us.  We have a fantastic chain-store retail offering in Cardiff – but our other towns and cities have other charms with which to attract visitors.  Swansea is a city by the sea with a lifestyle to match – strong independent retailers and a market culture that’s second to none.  We have a great deal to offer in this city so let’s focus on what we’re good at instead of trying to compete with our neighbours.

So, returning to my original question (London or Brighton?), I’d say they are simply two different places that offer different things to their residents and visitors.  They don’t need to compete, and together they make the South East of England more attractive to a wider variety of people.  Likewise, if Wales can identify the unique strengths of each of its urban and rural centres and focus on presenting Wales as the fantastically rich cultural, natural and economic environment that it is, we may just find we can attract enough business for everyone…

An Olympic Triumph for the Optimists

Oh Danny Boyle we love you so...
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After all the sniping and sarcasm, the 'we'll never be able to better China' comments and the media's constant search for new ways to deride the Olympic organisers, Friday night's opening ceremony for London 2012 was always going to have to go some to shut the cynics up.

It did so, in spades (and with some hilarious 'shovel shuffle' dance moves from the fathers of the industrial revolution...how did they keep a straight face while they did the Macarena in front of billions?).

Massive congratulations to Danny Boyle, whose quirky, irreverent, spectacularly British opening ceremony was a master-stroke.  If you're in business, you can learn a lot from what happened on Friday night...if you care to think about it...


1. Play to your strengths
If you're a business and you know what you're good at, you can build a strategy around that.  Here in Britain, we're great at being creative, innovative, funny, daring and caring.  This ceremony played heavily on the creative arts, comedy, community, society, diversity and risk-taking (well done Ma'am by the way...that sky-dive didn't even ruffle your feathers...).   Know what you're good at and focus on it, make it the standout characteristic of every aspect of your business and customer service.

2.  Contrast, not copying
This  ceremony didn't even try to compete with the rigidity and scale of the Chinese ceremony four years ago.  This was so different, it couldn't even really be compared.  Creating a brand so different from the crowd that it stands alone may be scary, but the risk can be worth it if you believe in your product.

3. Be human
It always amazes me how many businesses try desperately hard to de-humanise their business.  To appear more 'professional' (whatever that means), or to improve efficiency.  Personally I think this is a mistake.  People buy from people, and if you forget that you're in danger of becoming a cold, soulless entity with no connection to its customers.  By playing on our humanity and emotions (as a movie director, Danny Boyle is obviously an expert at this) the ceremony became a far more intimate experience than it could have been.  If you do the same in your business (remember someone's name, it's as simple as that), you will gain loyalty and repeat business without even having to ask for it. 

Makes sense really, doesn't it?  Yet it could so easily have gone another way..so, well done Mr Danny Boyle and to whoever picked you for the job.  You took this on with no fear, and you did us proud.

Love your scars, learn from them

My grandfather on his bike, late 1950s.

My grandfather is a wonderful man.

I'm sure everyone says that, and they mean it, but of course I think mine is extra special.

It was his birthday last week, and this year, for the third year running, he is celebrating it in a nursing home, where he has been since he suffered an enormous stroke which left him paralysed.

Seeing him in his bed, prone and vulnerable, day after day is never going to be easy for us his family, but it's far worse for him.  Yet, he is stoic and, when he is lucid, he shows as much love and care for his family and as little care for himself as ever he did when he was able-bodied.

He is a man who lived his life to the full, a man who lived without fear, and a man whose body tells his story.  When I look at his unmoving limbs, I see perfect imperfection.  Each arm is cross-hatched with scars - some long and livid, others fine as silk.  They tell me who he is and what he stands for.

He was, and is, a brave man who would never let a knock or a cut stop him from achieving what he wanted to.  Every time I hold his hand I am reminded of the long and useful life he has led and want to be more like him.
 
He is an inspiration to me and always will be.  He teaches me to love my imperfections, because it they that make me perfect.  He teaches me that you can love and be loved for what you do, not what you look like.  He teaches me that it is better to risk a few cuts and bruises in order to really experience the world, than to hide away in a protective bubble.

He is my hero.

Happy birthday Gamps.

Pomp, pageantry, and people: Cherish your community, wherever it is...

My Dad, who was born in the coronation year, lights the beacon in my home
village of Marloes in Pembrokeshire as part of the Jubilee celebrations.

So...that was the jubilee.  A week long extravaganza of national pride, hedonism and celebration.  What did you get from it?  Was it a waste of time and money?  Was it a washout?  Or, like me, did you find something in there beyond all the pomp and pageantry; something personal and social?

For me, the simple joy of being in my village, with my people, my community, in a field in the rain was so comforting and grounding that the weather just didn't matter. 

I know am very privileged to come from a small village where people look out for each other and pull together, and I never want to lose that; but you don't have to be from a close knit geographical community like mine to benefit from the sense of support you get from being with others with whom you have something in common.  My online communities, my colleagues, my friends may be scattered all over the globe (happy wedding to Shin by the way*), but we can still be a community, thanks to this machine I'm typing into and Mr Tim Berners-Lee and his collaborators.  How fortunate we are to be able to build and retain communities in real space and digital spaces.  It's important to remember this good fortune and if it has done nothing else, the Jubilee has reminded me of how important community is.  Behind the pomp and pageantry there are human beings, people, who sometimes need a hand, so value your communities, nurture them and cherish them - you never know when you might need them or they may need you.

*Shin is one of my best friends and she is getting married in Kuala Lumpur this weekend, I can't be there physically, but I'll be following online.