I love your work Mother.

My Uncle David and I enjoyed a laugh together after serendipity found us together with Mother Teresa on an elevator in the Pan Am building in midtown Manhattan. David recalled blurting out, “I love your work Mother.” How funny and great is that?

  

Uncle David was a strong supporter and friend when I entered the workforce in the early 1980s in New York. He always had so much wisdom and yet he was never overbearing. I cherish every moment I spent with him during that time. He is the star in a long list of memories. When you have people in your life who can make you smile so many years later – you know you have been in the presence of someone very special.
Uncle David is a business development executive. He is one of those guys you want on your team to attract new business and at the same time let your current customers know that you appreciated their patronage. He has a wonderful sense of humor and style that exudes confidence. CBS Television, Seventeen Magazine, Catalina Swimwear, American Film Institute (AFI), Celebrity Tennis Events, Morgan Studio, his own Greatest of the Great project, the NFL Draft, a handful of favorite charities and maybe a hundred other efforts were just a little bit better because David added his brand of energy and fun.David once convinced me to print a short run of Greatest of the Great T-shirts for limited distribution at an NFL alumni golf event in Florida. I was still in college (at the University of Miami). I can’t even recall the golf course now, but it was at that function that I saw Otto Graham lining up a putt. Wow - I saw the legendary Cleveland Brown Quarterback that day. In retrospect, it’s a reminder of how fleeting fame is and how short and precious our lives really are.

David introduced me to some landmark taverns in NYC including P.J. Clarke’s. David had a chemistry and charm that was immediately engaging. It was always fun being around him. He made friends everywhere. He taught me that even in big bad New York City, people are people and if you make an effort they can be interesting, engaging and offer a better understanding of this place we call the planet Earth.

Growing up in Lakewood, Ohio we would get periodic visits from our Uncle David. When he was in town we all knew we were in for a good time. He always arrived at 15106 Edgewater Drive with a flourish - a cigar, a big fur coat, that automatic smile… He had a flair for making the most routine things seem grand.
David was better than anyone at staying connected. We all love him and we all admire him. He was outspoken and defended us as only an adult can over a Whiskey Sour on the screened in porch in Key Biscayne, Florida. He was a bridge from generation to generation. I love that about him. We all have personal memories we’ve shared over the years. They are part of the legend and the folklore of David. Just one example: We heard about when he bought Greg a new suit and treated him to Catch a Rising Star comedy club in NYC.   

David knew more than anyone about the lives of individual offspring of his brothers John, Andrew and Jim (17 at my last count). He had real and genuine insights about each. (What good fortune to have an uncle like that.) And when Mallory and DW were added to the generation there was no doubt – Morgans can do anything! David reminds us that we belong to a pretty exclusive club.  

Uncle David is the only relative that saw my older brother play college football in San Francisco (The one year he attended the University of San Francisco). Another one of many examples of David making the effort and with such pleasure in doing so.

I was a just a teenager when my uncle David married Mary Louise at Spring Lake, NJ. I remember that being a glorious event at a country club. David waited until his early 40s to give up the bachelor life. He was all smiles that day. It was clear he’d found a partner in life. (Some things are worth waiting for I guess.) And when Mallory and D.W. made David a Dad. He was as proud as a Dad can be.

I enjoyed LaSalle Basketball during two separate years at the NIT (National Invitational Tournament) not because I love basketball. It was more because I loved spending time with David Morgan. He was the best fan for which any team could ask. “Did you know the great Tom Gola played for LaSalle? Gola was one of the most talented collegiate athletes in Philadelphia sports history. He came to national attention while playing for the hometown LaSalle University Explorers men's basketball team in 1954 as an All American forward."

David is ageless and timeless. There will never be another one like him. Mother Teresa, please look after my dear uncle. Amen.

Happy Birthday Uncle David – You are truly one of the Greatest of the Great!

David W Morgan 7/6/1928 - 1/2014

Price Sensitive

Brand A, is a mature brand and has a strong following. Brand A customers have a strong preference of that product and are willing to pay for it. The premium they pay for Brand A is part of the value of that brand. If enough loyal customers routinely buy that product, Brand A will be able to continue to invest in those things that create a preference in the first place. Profit is in that equation as long as Brand A can sell well enough to maintain a healthy market share. Consumers are always challenged to consider alternatives. So Brand B enters the market. Brand B is a parity product that aggressively uses price to obtain market share. The gamble here is that enough of the Brand A consumers will consider the lower cost alternative but Brand B cannot maintain the lower price strategy. (Eventually Brand A and Brand B will cost the same.)

Brand C enters the mix. Brand C is cheaper. It is less expensive to produce and It doesn’t pretend to deserve a premium price. Now consumers will have a lower cost alternative. The good folks who bring you Brands A and Brand B have to evaluate their relative positions. Brand A and Brand B want to continue to battle for the premium price position and Brand C believes a reasonable share of the target customers will accept the compromise. Brand C believes if it can capture 40% of the market they will make an acceptable profit. Brand A and Brand B both believe 50% share is needed to survive and grow. If those assumptions are true someone will have to lose.

Brand A To respond to competition and avoid lowering its price, Brand A decides to increase its advertising to reinforce messages of quality ingredients and superior performance.

Brand B To obtain market share Brand B reduces price during promotional windows and limits advertising to price promotions only - Buy One/Get One, 50% off coupons etc.

Brand C No advertising but aggressive in-store merchandising - end aisle displays and signage.

 Given the price strategies above, who do you think will prevail among these three brands? 

Damn the Torpedoes

Admiral David Glasgow Farragut was the first senior officer of the U.S. Navy at the time of the American Civil War. He was aboard Hartford entering Mobile Bay (Alabama) on August 5th in 1864, leading a fleet of ships when the lead monitor, Tecumseh, was demolished by a mine. Disaster seemed imminent. Farragut gave the orders embodied by the famous words, “Damn the torpedoes.” Full speed ahead! The Battle of Mobile Bay is one of the iconic confrontations of the Civil War at sea. The charge into Mobile Bay may have been the most dramatic moment of the naval portion of the war. The courage and conviction it takes to assume leadership with decisiveness in the face of uncertainty and adversity is remarkable. The battle cry is an inspiration for us all. We need to keep moving ahead. We need to be positive. We need to have faith. We need to believe that we will prevail. 

Keep in mind, no one can have enough information to predict the outcomes of choices we make, no matter how well informed we are. In leadership roles we are adding weight to our decisions, because they can have an impact on those who have placed their confidence in our abilities. We must prepare well and recognize the risk. There will always be times when you must take calculated risks and charge forward. Most of us are fortunate that we do not have to make judgments in the heat of battle. Still, let’s face it; we all deal with upsets, loss and obstacles as we live our lives. Be brave. Be smart. Be confident. In spite of your best efforts you may still find yourself up against considerable odds. 


Damn the torpedoes!

Blue Skies

Blue skies, smiling at me;

Nothing but blue skies do I see.

Blue birds, singing a song;

Nothing but blue birds all day long.

Never saw the sun shining so bright;

Never saw things looking so right.

Noticing the days, hurrying by;

When you’re in love, my how they fly.

Blue Days, all of them gone;

Nothing but Blue Skies from now on.

When I first heard this Frank Sinatra tune I wanted to remember it as a kind of toast. It is such a beautiful thing to wish for someone – blue skies and sunny days. Of course, life doesn’t work that way and true character is built on how we negotiate the squalls and dark clouds of adversity.   

My son Ben will be married later this year. Ben and Allison met in Miami as students at the “U.”  The Coral Gables campus is an especially beautiful place when the sky is blue and the sun is shining. In South Florida, if you spend enough time there, you really grow to love the feeling of being in paradise all the while knowing it cannot last. The Miami football team will win 57 home games in a row. The team will be declared a college football dynasty. Eventually, of course, they will be defeated. The Orange Bowl will be torn down. A spectacular baseball stadium will take its place. Tropical Storms will cause massive flooding, Category five Hurricanes will reach landfall and the Everglades will catch fire. But in spite of it all you will never forget the beauty and color of a casual walk through the Fairchild Tropical Gardens and remember just how fantastic things can be.  

Ben and Allison we love you. We wish you all the best that life has to offer. Still we are also painfully aware of the ebb and flow of things. You will be tested. You will see storms. You will have setbacks. But you will face them together and that will make a world of difference. I think you both understand this concept because I see how you both cherish every moment together. You took the time to preserve in a painting the profoundly mature thought: “Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.” If you know that to be true, nothing can stop you from having a remarkable life together.  

While we cannot promise anything, we can still wish this for you both:

Blue Days, all of them gone;

Nothing but Blue Skies from now on. 

Remarkable Leadership

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin Eikenberry, the author of Remarkable Leadership. Kevin is a speaker and leadership trainer for a long list of clients including corporations and industry associations. He insists he is not a motivational speaker because that inspiration has to come from within an individual.  However, at the heart of his work is the challenge to “Be remarkable.” He believes strongly that everyone has the potential to be remarkable.

The day I met Kevin, he actually gave two presentations. The American Marketing Association Leadership Summit scheduled him for two sessions. I attended both. His morning session included interaction with a smaller group. It was clear that he made mental notes which added value and relevance to the keynote presentation to over 500 people that evening.  

Remarkable Leadership is a practical handbook written for anyone who wants to hone the skills they need to become a remarkable leader. This book outlines a framework and a mechanism for both learning new things and applying current knowledge in a thoughtful and practical way. It provides a guide through the most important leadership competencies, offers a proven method for learning leadership skills, and shows approaches for applying these skills in today’s multitasking and overloaded world of work. The book explores real-world concerns such as focus, limited time, incremental improvement, and how we learn.

Kevin is a true believer that leaders can be made. The book identifies behaviors that remarkable leaders exhibit. He gives practical ways to develop for those who aspire to be remarkable. After his keynote you could feel the motivation of chapter leaders starting to emerge. In my book, he is a motivational speaker if the mood in that room is any indicator. Thanks Kevin!  

Marketing and ROI

I’ve been pretty vocal about planning a marketing program and reviewing it at least annually. I have been  especially emphatic about the communications portion of that effort. You should have measurement goals. Measurement must be a consideration in the planning process up-front. The tricky part is that so much of what falls within a typical marketing budget is either not measureable or not marketing. Most marketers are terrible at defending themselves. When you consider the results of a recent survey of top marketing people you can see why. 

Advertising Age reported (March 12, 2012) that a survey of 243 Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) conducted in January and February of 2012 revealed that 57% don’t establish budgets according to return on investment (ROI). Furthermore, 68% said budgets are based on historical spending. 28% said they go on instinct. Finally 7% of respondents said most of their spending not based on metrics at all. 


This study by Columbia Business School Center on Global Brand Leadership and the American Advertising Association of NYC isn’t as surprising as it is evidence of our own death wish when it comes to earning the respect of other business leaders. Occasionally you will hear someone grip about wanting a place at the table in the C-suite, but I think we marketers rather relish our precarious place in the world.

What do you think? 

Commercial Art

Recently, I joined the docent ranks at the Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis. I have always been a fan of sculpture, particularly monumental contemporary art in public places. Laumeier is a public-private partnership and a free park for art lovers to enjoy. The training I have received over the past couple of months reminds me that sculpture can be transformative. I love it when sculpture is integrated into commercial building spaces and urban settings too. Sculpture makes a huge difference in city. It creates a sense of place. Consider public art like the magnificent Picasso at Daley Plaza in Chicago, Claes Oldenburg’s FREE Stamp sculpture in Cleveland and the wonderful collection at Citygarden in downtown St. Louis, which includes a Keith Harring, Mark di Suvero, Johnathan Clarke and a dozen others.

Later this year, the International Sculpture Conference will span three days, October 4-6, in Chicago where they will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions and comprehensive programs of mentoring sessions, workshops and tours. I hope this group along with patrons and artists everywhere can persuade and inspire designers and builders to make art part of their planning for the structures of the future. Sculpture, in particular, can be a magical part of the vision for commercial structures. The aesthetic, the provocative, the use of innovative materials, artistic techniques and even architectural details as part of a building become markers for special places.

If you love art and believe, like I do, that it enriches us all when it is shared with the world, I hope you will be a supporter of art in public places and commercial spaces.