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An Exceptional Mission Statement

Heard of Buca di Beppo?

I hadn’t, but when it comes to restaurant selection at a tradeshow, you tend to go with the flow. And so it was for Andrew and me as we joined our client Select Soccer at the National Soccer Coaches convention in Philadelphia. Reservations were made for Friday night at the Italian family style restaurant.

The little lobby as you enter Buca … in fact, every square foot of wall space … was some framed bit of Italian memorabilia. From the Pope to Sinatra to Juventus and Inter Milan (great soccer clubs), this place was a shrine to Italy.

As we were escourted through the kitchen staging area to our table, I noticed a bright red poster with the Buca mission statement and pulled out the iPhone to snap a quick shot. It talks about creating a “Celebratory Experience.” I thought it was one of the best I’d ever read and want to share it with you.

The food, the servers and the atmosphere at Buca never fell short of what was written on the kitchen wall. We enjoyed a great meal and a memorable experience.

At Harrison Kohn, we believe in the importance of a thoughtfully crafted mission statement to guide a company forward and galvanize the associates.

Fiesta Metrics

A few more thoughts on the Fiesta Movement.

Six-and-a-half million YouTube viewings later (as of early December, according to The Detroit News), the Fiesta Movement has shown a lot of smart people the power of brilliant product design + marketing creativity + social media.

The design was critical, according to Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vp for global product development. Of the subcompact segment, the “highest customer want is design” (see The Wall Stree Journal story). That starts with a smart look, cool gadgetry and customizable options.

Beyond that, give credit for Ford’s senior management for having the cahoonas to NOT take the easy route … traditional media advertising. As a result of an inventive below-the-radar approach, instead of just building impressions, Fiesta is at the center of a movement. According to Ford, the Fiesta brand name now has 60% recognition; what’s more, the new car is generating real excitement. And that’s not just among 16-34s, but baby-boomers, too.

For a neat little one-minute video recapping the campaign, just click here. You’ll be glad you did.

Learning from Ford (Honest!)

One of the brightest pieces of marketing in 09 had to be Ford’s not-so-quiet introduction of its new Fiesta. 100 Fiesta “Agents” were selected from a nationwide search to drive brand new European Fiestas around the USA, blogging, YouTubing, Facebooking and Tweeting everywhere they went.  It was the foundation of Ford’s brilliant Internet-based Fiesta Movement, that got the new car in front of millions of 16-34 year-olds, without spending a dime on traditional media advertising.

Take note of what Ford CMO Jim Farley told reporters: “… you can’t just say it. You have to get the people to say it to each other.”

Of course, the product experience has to be good enough (or bad enough) to stimulate the talking. Evidently, the new Fiesta is a winner.

And so is Ford. By handing the cars and communication tools to 100 well-networked people, the brand took a chance that’s already paying off months before the car is even available to buy in the U.S. (More to come on that.)

Good Signs in Greenville

New day. New year.

Took a brisk walk downtown for lunch today and noticed the demolition of the old Woolworth’s building is now in full swing. 

How great to remove a vacant eyesore in the middle of North Main, even if only to replace it with green space for downtowners to enjoy (for the time being until a developer steps up). No one wants to see a broken down relic from the past when there’s so much creative energy in our city.

Walking back to Harrison Kohn after a signature spinach salad and slice from Barley’s, I was stopped by a rather odd sign in front of the Tex-Mex restaurant Cantinflas. It read, “Our Promise & Mission: Delight All Our Guests.”

The coincidence was crazy. About 45 minutes from the sign siting, I would be leading a discussion to consider our own “promise and mission” at Harrison Kohn.

New day. New year. New life. A perfect time to redefine, reframe, reassess and reshuffle the deck. A splendid day to think about what the market needs Harrison Kohn to be. And then to become that company.

What a great day this is.

Godspeed, Worthy Friend

Our friend and inspiration.

Guy and I first heard about the significance of November 12 about a month ago. Justin asked if we wanted to walk up to Barley’s for lunch. Right after ordering and engaging in the usual banter, Justin rather casually told us that his wife, Danielle, had gotten a one-in-a-thousand job offer to teach high school English … in The Netherlands. Great job, great compensation, great country.

Great opportunity for two wonderful people.

When I told my wife of Justin’s impending transcontinental move later that evening, she thought for a moment and said, “Well of course he’s moving to The Netherlands. It’s Justin, and all this is as it is meant  to be. It’s perfect.”

My thoughts, exactly. If there was ever a young man hand-crafted by God to explore the world and offer his goodwill, it is Justin Chappell.

Some may ask, “Just who is this Justin Chappell?” At Harrison Kohn, (until 5 this afternoon) he is our copywriter (”content engineer,” as Justin likes to call it), conceptual thinker, programmer, database wizard and general orchestrator of talent. More to the point, he’s often the glue that holds us together, the Castrol 5W-30 that keeps the parts working brilliantly under stressful conditions. He’s the moral and creative compass that points us in the right direction, and assures us that what we’re doing is of value.

On Monday mornings, I talk of football games I’ve seen, baseball tournaments I’ve endured, soccer matches I’ve squinted to see against the early morning sun. Of Braves games blown in the ninth. Of lawn and leaf bags I’ve filled. Justin answers with accounts of putt-putt at McPherson Park, long walks with Danielle around North Main and Sunday afternoons watching three obscure movies with English subtitles. My manic pursuits are always perfectly counterbalanced by his sublime little jaunts around the countryside. He reminds me to exhale, every once in a while.

And so, according to the timepiece located in his heart, it is time for Justin and Danielle to move to The Netherlands. To share his Faith, his perfect union with Danielle, his gentle optimism, his natural inclination just to observe and listen, and, of course, his extraordinary talents with all of Europe, starting from the town of Alkmaar (epicenter of the Dutch cheese industry).

We’re really, really (REALLY) sad to see him leave. But so excited to see him go, to know he and Danielle have arrived at their next destination. HK will never be the same without him. But we’re a remarkably better place having enjoyed his company for two and a half years.

Thanks for everything, Justin Chappell.

New Identity and Communications Package

For a successful Vermont real-estate agent who moved to Greenville this summer, we created an entire brand package. It began with name and identity development — the result of which, the logo, you can see in this post. From there, we moved into collateral design and, ultimately, web development with the launch of BuyerSideSC.com.

This was a unique project with unique and interesting challenges. The main hurdle was with regard to the slightly atypical business concept — being a “buyer’s agent” is not familiar to most customers. So we placed most of our effort on building the identity, collateral and website to clearly communicate (through words and images) our client’s concept as well as its benefits.

What do you think? Shoot us an e-mail or leave a comment!

New Blog For Neal-Prince

As a dynamic, progressive and knowledgeable architecture firm with great esteem in the Southeast, Neal-Prince Architects needed a forum on its site to express just what makes it an amazing organization.

Coupled in with a larger web-development project, we just launched this blog for Neal-Prince (pictured).

In addition to the blog, we updated the front page with a live blog feed and a section that showcases the new “about” section.

What’s Your Black Napkin?

I met Billy Watson last night at the G Magazine fall issue launch party. Billy is the event specialist for Larkins on the River and a pretty smart fellow.

Napkins have nothing to do with the food but everything to do with the little details that make the Larkin's experience something special.

Business is humming at Larkins.

That’s a bit of a surprise given the economy. But Larkin’s has done a great job of connecting with their customers and creating an enthusiastic following. Naturally, I asked Billy what’s their secret. “We make a point of doing unexpected things to surprise and delight our customers.”

For instance?

“We have both black and white cloth napkins. The last thing a person in a dark suit or dress wants is white lint on their lap when they get up to leave after a great meal. It’s a little thing, but it gets people talking.”

Sure does.

Seems like all really remarkable businesses have their own “black napkins.” What’s yours?

Opportunity Is Out There.

I recently changed my LinkedIn status content to reflect what I’m feeling as a “subtle and positive shift in the minds of business owners toward the economy, marketing and the possibility for growth.” Our friend Mark Burris commented that decision makers are in a “reset” mode. We’re probably saying about the same thing.

No one is expecting robust growth anytime soon. But NOT to grow is to fall backwards. For most businesses there is no middle ground. To survive you have to grow. That’s because ten to twenty percent of your customer base will be out of business (or close to it) by year’s end.

Opportunity is out there. But much of it is destined for those willing to make fundamental changes in the way they approach business.

Since spring, Harrison Kohn has added six new clients. Five of the six engaged HK specifically to help them more effectively align their critical points of difference to a marketplace that’s become very choosy about where and when it spends its money. Every discussion is about what specifically makes you a better value right now. It’s forcing a lot of businesses to take a long look in the mirror.

At the heart of each communication is the reality that the market can continue NOT buying anything. So the challenge isn’t JUST making the case that you’re better than your competitors. It’s also an issue of giving your prospect a compelling reason to buy.

All this is making us rethink our mission, and ultimately making HK a more valuable resource. We hope the same for you.

Updating a 30-year-old logo

For our land surveying and civil engineering client, Freeland & Associates, we were recently challenged with an identity updating project. Here is what their original logo looked like:

Because that mark served them well for many years, and because of the built-up brand equity in that logo, we suggested an evolution of the brand, rather than a demolition and new creation. Here is the new identity:

By keeping elements from the past, but pushing the mark forward with new typography and color, we were able to transition this well-known firm into a progressive position, while still holding true to its historical appearance.