Winning isn't everthing; it's the only thing

Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing is a well-known quotation in sports. Its assertion about the importance of winning has been touted as a basic tenet of the American sports creed and, at the same time, identified as encapsulating what is purportedly wrong with competitive sports. It is attributed to UCLA Bruins football coach Henry Russell ("Red") Sanders. In 1950, at a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo physical education workshop, Sanders told his group: "Men, I'll be honest. Winning isn't everything," then following a long pause, "Men, it's the only thing!" The quotation is widely attributed to football coach Vince Lombardi, who probably heard the phrase from UCLA coach Henry Russell Sanders. (Lombardi is on record using the quotation as early as 1959.)

Sports is a great metaphor for so many of life’s dilemmas. I think it is useful to consider the hard-knocks of business leadership in the context of coaching styles. Of course there are all kinds of leaders with a vast array of styles just like coaches. The terrible irony is that it is never black and white. I mean really. At the extreme ends of the spectrum there are two kinds of coaches.

A.    The coach that manages to let everyone play regardless of ability. This coach talks a lot about team work and sportsmanship. This coach is popular with parents and fans because little Johnny gets a chance to swing the bat (even if all indications are that he will strike out). I can completely understand this phenomenon having been a parent in the stands myself. 

B.     The other type of coach is all about winning. He will put the best players on the field and always gives the team the best possible chance at winning. His teams prepare and practice hard. This coach is not always popular because, at game time, some of his players have to sit on the bench. This coach is also more likely to lead the team to a championship.

I want to win. But it can get ugly if you aren’t careful. The coach A isn’t taking risks and everybody is happy. Coach B perseveres through criticism. He drives everyone. He works through adversity. Coach B is only vindicated when the team wins big. If all goes well, he is a champion. Now Coach B’s bench players have a life-long memory of being a part of a championship team. It beats the heck out of playing for a losing team any day. Regardless of the role, the bench player for Coach B remembers what it felt like to win. He has something more valuable that mere participation. He has seen first-hand what it takes to be a champion.

Of course, the two styles do not have to be mutually exclusive. Coach B (if you study him more carefully) is also more likely to be living in the real world of competition and real life lessons. Coach B has a team of players who learn about sacrifice, real-life trade-offs, sportsmanship and team-work. That’s the guy I want to play for…That’s the guy I want to be.

Think Like a Marketer

Your organizational success hinges on doing a lot of things right. Of course, an important part of the equation must be finding a proven formula to propel your marketing and business development efforts. How you approach this part of your challenge begins with your vision for growth.

My career is based on a foundation of education followed by New York full-service advertising agency experience and leadership roles in west, southeast and mid-western regions of the country. Assignments have included consumer packaged goods, kids’ marketing, promotional planning, implementation, aspects of new product development and launches. I have served in chief marketing officer roles as vice president of marketing and corporate communications director for significant leading A/E/C firms and as global communications director for a metal welding and cutting hard goods manufacturer. Upon reflection, I keep coming back to the notion of the planning, designing and execution of marketing communications.

So I founded a firm dedicated to helping companies with planning, design and execution of sustainable strategic marketing communications programs. Morgan Studio/East has enjoyed a measure of success. Highlights of this venture include a successful new product launch to HVAC industry, a trade and editorial support program for a food color ingredient manufacturer, a systematic direct marketing effort targeting healthcare decision-makers and projects ranging from strategy to copy writing/press releases.

Ultimately my message is pretty simple. Think like a marketer. You have to get outside your day to day operations and find a way to be objective about what you offer the world. Sometimes it takes an outside agent. (I will resist the temptation to make a shameless plug here BUT I will give you a huge hint. The world is full of very talented and smart people who can help you understand your positioning, competitive landscape, market potential and offer creativity you simply cannot get in a vacuum.)

And the ADDY goes to...

The American Advertising Federation (AAF) program of ADDY Awards to recognize the very best advertising crafted and presented to its respective audiences in the last year. In St. Louis the awards for the best work, were presented last night at PLUSH, on Locust Street downtown, at a lively event with energy, enthusiasm and a little chaos.

AdClub’s Nan Hartly was the second person you saw as you arrived. The first was a sort imposing bouncer who was working the wristbands. (Once you were identified “of age” you were entitled to a Bud or Bud Lite compliments of our neighborhood brewery the relationship with which our local advertising community still enjoys some business.) Nan was working admission and performs this task like she’s been doing stuff like this for more than four decades. (Really, she has!) Once admitted, the crowded bar was buzzing with agency artists, writers, strategists and managers. Also in the crowd were video production people, freelancers, recruitment specialists, teachers and client-side marketing types.

The winners were determined last month by an all-star panel of judges from out-of-town. Results were kept secret until this night. AdClub was determined to make some changes this year. In an effort to better recognize the individuals behind the work deemed the best, winners were listed on video monitor screens stage right and stage left. The master of ceremonies keep the program moving and a capable Vanna White assist handed awards to people who stepped up to collect the trophies. Winners were then guided to a photo opportunity against a backdrop where they could capture that career highlight in an image that would, no doubt, make its way to web and digital conversations.

The ADDY awards are a great way to get a sense of where we are. This year we saw the return of the printed show book. Thanks to Bender Inc. we were reminded that there is still value in a tangible print execution. Manifest was a gold sponsor. (In case you haven’t been paying attention this digital agency is the new entity formed from the former 4ORCE and a Chicago enterprise, the local clients include Post Cereals and Scottrade). Rodgers Townsend collected a lot of awards for work ranging from Nawgan energy drink to Eckert’s. TOKY, Switch, Atomicdust, Brown Shoe, Kuhl/Swain, Hoffman Lewis and Cannonball were among those who were recognized as winners. But the Best of Show went to HLK (Hughes Leahy Karlovic) for the campaign that agency did for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Good Job AAF AdClub! It’s great to know that our town still has some great agencies, talented creative people and support for the advertising community. Thanks also to those agencies, individuals and creative people who participated by entering their work.      

 

Remarkable Conference

AMA chapter leaders showed Remarkable Leadership in producing this year’s conference in spite of adversity, snow and ice. The weather almost resulted in cancellation but chapter leaders were determined to deliver.  It is always a challenge to produce a first rate program. It takes a lot of planning, attention to detail and execution.

Each year the American Marketing Association, St. Louis Chapter, offers a conference in February (This is the 52nd year). Students and Professionals are invited to participate in a full schedule of presentations. This year the line-up included Mercy Healthcare, Pixel Farm of Minneapolis, University of Missouri Athletic Department and bestselling writer and speaker Kevin Eikenberry (author Remarkable Leadership). The event took place at the Missouri History Museum on 2-22-13 and 100+ were in the audience. Highlights are worth noting for the record:

Master of Ceremonies, Bill Ellis of Branding for Results, hosted the conference and skillfully and gracefully. He stitched the program segments together and made it look easy.

Barb Meyer, VP of Marketing Communications and Nancy Schnoebelen, Director of Advancement Communications presented for Mercy Healthcare. A variety of less than optimal technical difficulties didn’t prevent them from telling a powerful story of managing MarCom and faith. The most devastating tornado in the country since 1947 hit Joplin in May of 2011 and Barb and Nancy reinforced the power of Remarkable Leadership in spite of adversity as Mercy recovered from the impact on their hospital which was in the middle of the tornado path of destruction.  

Elliot Robia, Market Strategist from Pixel Farm of Minneapolis showed with metrics comparing the results of campaigns for a start up firm and a film festival. Engagement needs to be the goal when social media is part of your strategy. He cautioned against being too obsessed with “likes” when it is better idea to know your audience (or as Seth Godin likes to say “tribe”).

Andrew Grinch, Associate AD, University of Missouri Athletic Department drove in from Columbia, MO and arrived just-in-time to present the story of his marketing task of rebranding the Mizzou Tigers as they enter the SEC last year. Excite & Invite: Excite Mizzou fans - A New Era Begins. Invite SEC fans to find out about the University of Missouri - Mizzou Proud to be SEC. The 90 day campaign included outdoor billboards, pay per click web tactics and, of course, social media.

Keynote speaker Kevin Eikenberry delivered a powerful presentation via Skype. (His flight into St. Louis was cancelled due to weather but he made the best of it.) Are leaders born or made? Kevin suggested the answer is “both” and that there are 13 core skills leaders can develop - outlined in his book Remarkable Leadership.  

Heroic efforts that should be noted: Justin, the A/V tech at the Missouri History Museum was running up and down with switches from MAC to PC and back, sound and Skype challenges. Pam (of Creatives on Call) managed to get Skype working on her laptop to make Kevin’s presentation even possible. Remarkable.

Box Lunches from Patty Long were served in the AT&T room adjacent to the Lee Auditorium.

Connie Zabarovskaya orchestrated the bonus offering of company tour of LockerDome and agency crawl of Stealth Creative, Drive Social Media and Manifest. A shuttle bus augmented the invitation to get up close and personal at the four firms downtown. The students and young professionals especially enjoyed the access to these companies. LockerDome provided insight into how there start-up become the facebook for your sports life, Stealth Creative shared stories of their success in advertisting/marketing for clients in Telcom, Cable and and Agriculture. Drive Social Media talked about their innovative approach to driving business to restaurants and other businesses. Manifest shared some insight into how they are managing their growth as they more than doubled in size via a merger with a Chicago based company as they continue to manage accounts in St. Louis like Post Holdings and Scottrade.   

Congratulations to AMA St. Louis on Remarkable Leadership in the face of adversity.  

Be a Remarkable Leader

Extraordinary potential exists in all of us. With the right environment, resources, skills and knowledge, ‘ordinary’ people can produce extraordinary results.

Kevin Eikenberry is an American author, speaker and trainer. He has a B.S. from Purdue University. He is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. He was named an Outstanding Alumnus of Purdue University, and he was the Distinguished Agricultural Alumni from Purdue University. He is also author of the Best Selling book Remarkable Leadership, and I am proud to report that he will be our keynote speaker in St. Louis later this month.

I first heard Kevin speak at the annual leadership summit for the American Marketing Association in Chicago last year and was delighted when he agreed to present at our conference. Kevin is a busy guy and continues to write, coach and do public speaking gigs.

The topic of what makes a remarkable leader is a fascinating one. Some would argue that there are natural born leaders in history and indeed today, and maybe that is true. But, the essence of Kevin’s message is that certain core skills of remarkable leaders can be learned. His book discusses each in some detail. The core competencies of a remarkable leader are as follows:

• Learns Continually
• Champions Change
• Communicates Powerfully
• Develops Others
• Builds Relationships
• Focuses on Customers
• Influences with Impact
• Thinks Innovatively
• Values Collaboration and Teamwork
• Solves Problems and Makes Decisions
• Takes Responsibility/Accountability
• Manages Projects and Processes Successfully
• Sets Goals and Supports Goal Achievement

Kevin often uses this as his signature sign-off salutation to his blogs and correspondence.

You are Remarkable!

The Leaky Bucket

Years ago I was involved in business development for a large advertising agency. We engaged an outside consultant and formulated a team of business unit leaders (account managers, copy, art direction, media, research and so on) to address the challenge of growing our business. The consultant introduced us to a metaphor that is a great way to look at so many business scenarios - The Leaky Bucket.

Your business is a leaky bucket, because you are losing business every day. The leaks are all of those areas that have to do with retention of existing business. It’s almost always easier to grow your existing clients than it is to win new customers. Ironically, the routine repair of the leaks that mitigate the loss of business is less glamorous. It’s about operations, customer satisfaction and net promoter scores (a measure of the likelihood that you will be recommended for additional business). It has to do with customer satisfaction. It has to do with innovation that allows you to earn repeat business. It has a lot to do with understanding the marketplace, competition and recognizing hundreds of small innovations to routine activity.

Of course the leaks prevail in spite of your best efforts. Filling the bucket is acquisition of new business. Here is where you put on your sincere suit and pitch capability. You want to play to your strengths, but you also want to feature things that will allow customers to consider your value proposition. The quest is exciting and often dynamic and creative, because the goal is to form new relationships. Winning, especially winning big, is high profile stuff. Frequently the cost of winning is significant. Ironically, it is the routine retention efforts (preventing the leaks if you will) that allows the win to pay off over time.

In summary, consider your own leaky bucket. Acquisition is important and worthy of significant investment. Retention, on the other hand, is the best and most cost effective way to grow.

Programming AMA in STL 2012-13

As AMA chapter VP Programming and President-Elect, I am proud of the efforts of our board to deliver a full year of quality programs, make connections and generally advance the study and practice of marketing and allied professions.

The American Marketing Association of St. Louis delivers great programming and seeks to promote marketing by connecting, informing, and advancing. What that really means is that we want to be better marketers, learn, network and grow as professionals. We set a goal to attract over 1,000 members and guests to our programs for the year. We are on pace to easily exceed that mark with our full calendar of planned events into June.

July 1, 2012 - Golf Outing at CCGC - Our fiscal year began as we kicked off the year with our annual golf outing at Creve Coeur Golf Course. Golfers braved temperatures over 100 degrees and others joined us for lunch-only that day.  

August 16, 2012 - The Voice of the Customer - Lon Zimmerman's presentation highlights how corporations and other organizations are finding value in Hearing the voice of the customer. Included will be examples of ways Hearing the voice of the customer has helped improve operations, sharpen marketing activities, and increase customer satisfaction and retention. Also discussed will be various methodologies being employed.

September 12, 2012 - Speed Networking  at Llyweln's Pub in Webster Groves beginning at 5:30pm. Join us for this after-hours event and meet members, guests and others interested in connecting and advancing in your profession and your career. Bring your best elevator speech and plenty of business cards.    

 

September 20, 2012 – Kraftig Launch Story Executives of the William K. Busch Brewing Company want you to know two things: They have no association with Anheuser-Busch InBev, even though their company's namesake and chairman is a great-grandson of A-B founder Adolphus Busch. And they are not setting out to make craft beers. William K. "Billy" Busch and Michael J. Brooks, Executive Advisor and partner to the company will be on hand to give you an inside look at the brewery's success since November 2011 product launches of Kräftig Lager and Kräftig Light  (pronounced CREF-tig, it is German for "powerful").

 
October 18, 2012 - Lessons from the Unconscious for Healthcare Phil Smith, Executive Creative Director of Prairie Dog/TCG with discuss how a growing body of evidence points to the unconscious as a dominant influencer of consumer behavior. Yet most marketing, particularly in healthcare, relies on traditional (conscious) qualitative research. Based on insights from recent leaders in this marketing movement, How Customers Think, Buyology, and The Culture Code, we expose gaps in current practices and illustrate opportunities with work from national brands. Join us as we expose the comical flaws in conventional focus group research and reconsider the truths in modern marketing.

November 15, 2012 - Sports Business Jim Woodcock of Fleishman-Hillard Jim leads the FH sports business practice which combines its global network with a seasoned point of view forged by dozens of professionals and decades of sports industry expertise. Senior Vice President Jim Woodcock leads Sports-related client work which includes planning and counsel to league and team executives, representation of ownership, crisis communications, branding, social media strategy, public affairs, media training, and global marketing and expansion.

November 29, 2012 - SKYFALL 007 - A special joint social event presented by the St. Louis chapters of American Marketing Association and the Business Marketing Association at the Werhenberg Five Star Lounge and Theater in Des Peres,, MO

January 17, 2013 - Stephen Reynolds, Director of Marketing and Player Development – Ameristar Casino. You can feel the excitement from miles away. Beyond the kinetic, high-speed flashing lights, the 74,000 square-foot porte cochère at Ameristar Casino Resort Spa the action inside. The stunning stained-glass skylights, 130,000-square foot casino and the Victorian design you can get insight into the latest, most popular slot and video poker machines, a wide variety of table games and one of the last live poker rooms in the market. Stephen will provide insight into marketing the  games, as well as the special player events offered at Ameristar.

February 22, 2013 – Remarkable Leadership - the 52nd Annual Conference theme at Missouri History Museum at Forest Park (Event is from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 and includes agency tours following). This year’s conference is hosted by Master of Ceremonies Bill Ellis (Branding for Results). The program will include Presentations from Andrew Grinch, Associate AD, University of Missouri Athletic Department (rebranding the Mizzou Tigers); Nancy Schnoebelen, Director of Advancement Communications and Barb Meyer, Vice President Marketing and Communications (crisis communications after St. John’s Mercy in Joplin was destroyed in a tornado in May 2011); Elliot Robia, Market Strategist from Pixel Farm of Minneapolis (Social Media); and Keynote speaker Kevin Eikenberry, author of Remarkable Leadership. After box lunches from Patty Long Catering conference attendees were invited to visit downtown firms LockerDome, Stealth Creative, Drive Social Media and Manifest.  

March 21, 2013 - Elizabeth Frantz, Social Media Editor at Better Homes and Gardens will be our speaker. Better Homes and Gardens, the magazine, is still read by more 7.5 million people. Our March speaker will share with us how the brand that began in 1922 is responding to the digital age in a big way. If you are interested in cooking, gardening, crafts, healthy living, decorating, entertaining or just want to hear about a remarkable brand and where it is headed, don’t miss this special event.

April 19, 2013 – Pew State of the Media report and panel discussion at UMSL/KWMU facility on Olive (next to channel 9 ad around the corner from the Fabulous Fox Theater). This exciting venue and format in the afternoon (4:30-6:30 p.m.) is a special joint presentation of the St. Louis Chapters of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) The event featured Amy Mitchell of PEW Research (in from Washington DC), Rachel Lippman (Moderator) and panelists: Denise Bentele (Common Ground Public Relations), Jim Steward (Dicom) and Jill Gainer (Hughes Leahy Karlovic).

May 16, 2013 – Filling in for Jim Holbrook, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Dan Curran of Mainifest Digital agreed to present on behalf of Post Holdings. Post is a leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded ready-to-eat cereals. Post has leveraged the strength of its brands, category expertise, and over a century of institutional knowledge to create a diverse portfolio of cereals that enhance the lives of consumers, bringing quality foods to the breakfast table since the company's founding in 1897. Post's portfolio of brands includes diverse offerings such as Honey Bunches of Oats®, Pebbles®, Post Selects®, Great Grains®, Spoon Size® Shredded Wheat, Post® Raisin Bran, Grape-Nuts®, and Honeycomb®.

June  20, 2013 – LockerDome founder Gabe Lozano – LockerDome is social media for your sports life and has more than 8 million users and counting. CEO Gabe Lozano started out building websites for amateur and youth sports leagues. His company, LockerDome, eventually captured the interest of St. Louis investors like Jim McKelvey, the co-founder of mobile payment Square, Jack Dorsey, Twiter co-founder and a few others and In 2013 LockerDome established an advertising partnership with USA Today. LockerDome is an amazing story of success in St. Louis.

July 5, 2013 - Golf Outing at CCGC - Our fiscal year began as we kicked off the year with our annual golf outing at Creve Coeur Golf Course. Sponsors include Creatives-on-Call, iDream Solutions, MarketVolt and Sandbox Creative. $40 pays for a full afternoon that includes lunch, golf (nine holes), cart and prizes. Lunch begins at 11:30, shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. Golfer or not, guests and members are also invited to an awards ceremony and networking event at MarketVolt beginning at approximately 4:00 p.m.

August 22, 2013 – Biz Library  – VP of Marketing Chris Osborn will present Biz Library solutions to training on workplace training and development. BizLibrary is a leading provider of comprehensive learning and talent management solutions specifically designed for small and mid-sized organizations. The award-winning online content libraries include streaming videos, interactive e-learning courses, custom courses, reference materials and e-books. Additionally, cloud-hosted LMS, Performance Management and Social Learning applications help organizations streamline and simplify important talent management processes.
 

Save the dates and register on line at www.ama-stl.org. August, September and October luncheone programs are the third Thurday of each month at Maggiano’s restaurant on the Boulevard across from the Galleria.