Yellow Summertime!

This week it was my pleasure to write a guest blog for the Pointsmith company blog on summertime in-store marketing.  You can read about it here.

Why I Am a Member of the AMA Atlanta Chapter

Norwegian Marketing Professor Johan Arndt once said: “Informal conversation is probably the oldest mechanism by which opinions on products and brands are developed, expressed, and spread.” Professor Arndt knew the value of casual conversations and in my words, networking. 

Just like many of you, early on in my career I learned the value of networking.  I attended many industry social gatherings which often led to stronger relationships with my peers and clients.  A conversation which started out as a casual one led to engaging and spirited conversations about personal matters, business and brands.  Those conversations led to stronger relationships and opportunities to speak at industry functions and serve on industry committees.  These in turn led to increased awareness of my company and personal brand. 

In the last year, the AMA Atlanta chapter has been the best opportunity I have had to develop and build relationships within the Atlanta marketing community.  Keep in mind, I reside in the remote, southwestern Atlanta “suburb” of Houston, Texas.  Why Atlanta AMA when my own city has an AMA chapter?  There are two reasons.  One is because Atlanta is where a good chunk of my target market is and secondly, because of the professional relationships that have been developed, I have personal connection to several of the members.   To expand on the second reason, I have found it easy to stay involved in the chapter because AMA Atlanta has taken a multi-channel approach in promoting its activities and events through their social media efforts via Twitter and Facebook and online via the AMA Atlanta website and their Linked in group. Without question though, my favorite part about being a member is through their many opportunities to personally get to know others through the events that they host each month.  Monthly chapter signature lunches provide an opportunity to network prior to the lunch and are always packed with great content from the guest speaker.  Each time I attend, I walk away with a bounce in my step and have a notepad full of new marketing ideas, and a pocket full of business cards.  The signature lunch speakers are always incredible. Where else can you take just a lunch hour out of your day and hear premier speakers such as Hala Moddelmog, President of Arby’s and Kat Cole, President of Cinnabon.  Their marketing knowledge, experience, practical ideas and personal motivations have been a tremendous source of inspiration for me.  The luncheons are only part of the events and activities planned for the chapter.  Please review the AMA Atlanta events page for additional opportunities to connect.

As you read this, I would imagine that you are faced with the same pressures and time constraints that I have.  You may find yourself thinking, that you don’t have time to be involved in extracurricular activities such as this.  If this is the case, I’d really ask you to consider well Professor Arndt’s above quote and dwell for a moment on your own experiences and how you have grown by leaps and bounds by personally connecting to peers and clients.  I personally endorse the AMA Atlanta chapter.  Isn’t it time for you to get involved? 

The Inspiration of Kat Cole

When my youngest son was about four years old, I read him the famous speech by Winston Churchill, Never Give Up! Now 11 years old, he has, just like the rest of us occasionally needed to be reminded to keep persevering.  On a few occasions when he was discouraged and ready to give up, I would jokingly tell him; “Now let me see – what did Churchill say in his famous speech? Always, always, always, give up?” I’d then remind him how we, my wife and I believed in him and that he could succeed and overcome any obstacle before him.

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to be inspired by a leader in the food service industry who has succeeded in her professional life, and more importantly, in her personal life; Kat Cole of Cinnabon. In her talk, Kat was very honest and frank about the obstacles she faced as a child, in particular in her family life. Kat also said how that if she continued down the road that so many others have gone down she would have ended up in poverty and completely dependent upon others for her livelihood. But early in her life, Kat had someone who believed in her. This person was her mother. In her talk, Kat brought to our attention several instances in her professional career where she was challenged, run through the ringer and stretched thin.  Yet time and time again, she was able to achieve success and make molehills out of mountains. She gave examples of how early on in her career, executives thought she was too young to succeed, or how people wouldn’t take the brand she represented seriously. As she matured, Kat was able to fall back on both her personal and professional experiences and persuade executives twice her age.   There were many who attempted to intimidate her or scoff at her enthusiastic cheerleader style, mock her credibility and undermine her motivation. But determination and a never give up persona, brought her success.  From her childhood home to company boardrooms Kat is a great example of how determination can pay off.

The old adage of “picking yourself up by your bootstraps” says something about personal motivation, but it is also misleading as it misses out what others can contribute to your life.  Have you ever had a time in your life, perhaps when you were on the brink of despair, when someone looked you in the eye, put his or her hand on your shoulder and said; “I believe in you?” For me, this has often been a good friend or colleague.  I have also found that often this comes from those who you least expect.  I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve others on many occasions over the years.  Often these opportunities come through helping the elderly move into a new apartment or fix their car or helping serve meals to poor children in my community.  In each of these circumstances, I have had the opportunity to spend time talking to these dear children and adults in the process of helping them.  These have been the most encouraging and memorable conversations in my life.  Afterwards I am humbled, because while I went into the situation expecting to serve, I was instead the one who was served and encouraged.

At the end of her talk, I briefly spoke to Kat and thanked her for her talk and the inspiration. I told her that my boys, who are in a loving home environment, occasionally need this kind of inspiration. Always the encourager, Kat reminded me of how much they need me.  Well said Kat, well said indeed.

Walgreens Chicago – Picasso or da Vinci?

The artistic styles of Leonardo da Vinci and Pablo Picasso vary widely, yet they all started the same way; with a stark white piece of canvas.  Their masterpieces only began to take shape when they added splashes of color along with a well thought out design.  While many people appreciate the work of these artists, few ponder the genius of such works.  Such is the case with retail.  Top retailers spend immense amount of resources to communicate store environments that replicate a work of art. 

The flagship Walgreens in Chicago, has raised the bar for not only drug stores but also for other retailers in the grocery and convenience store segments.  I have read a lot on this store but was still curious what the buzz is about. On a recent visit to the Windy City, I decided to check it out for myself. Below are some examples of what I thought made this Walgreens a masterpiece of retail design.

The very first impression of the store is the sushi and smoothie station, located on an island in the front of the store.  Rather than having only premade snacks and sandwiches, Walgreens ups the ante by having made to order sushi and fresh fruit smoothies. Notice also how the in-store messages of juicy sliced oranges, gives the impression that everything is fresh.

  

Another part of this store-within-a-store is its beverage selection.  Toward another entrance of the store is a moving beverage wall, with rotating wine bottles.  Much like the sushi and smoothie station this conveys action and showcases a wide variety of wines that are available at the store.

The below picture was taken midway up the escalator.  Notice how the view from here shows a well-lit, neatly and strategically arranged first floor. 

It was easy to stay gazing at the first floor from here. As I turned my head though to look what was ahead of me, I could see a glow of ambient lighting which left me with a sense of anticipation for what lies ahead. What immediately grabbed my attention as I turned the corner to get off the escalator was the cosmetic and wellness center. The wellness center is appropriately branded by Walgreens as their Take Care clinic.  Both the wellness center and cosmetic area were very different, yet just like an artist who knows which colors to combine to make more vibrant ones, so Walgreens has done with these stores-within-a store. Notice how the blue background of the take care clinic conveys cleanliness and the bright pink background of the cosmetic section is intended to draw in female patrons. At one point, while gazing in sheer appreciation at the cosmetic section, I had to remind myself that this was a Walgreens, and not what it appeared to be, a cosmetic section at a high-end retailer.

Connoisseurs of fine art often marvel at the intense beauty of the works that their favorite artists have done, while the perfectionist of the artist may just see his or her work as a good painting, thinking that they could have done more.  Walgreens has created a work of art in this store, yet is it a masterpiece?  You decide.  As always, your comments are welcome.

Are You Kidding?

In the not too distant past, when my wife and I were headed out the door on date night, my boys who were at the time, ages 7,5 and 3 asked where we were going.  ”We’re going on a date  to a restaurant!”  “We want to come too,” they said in unison.  Thinking about it for a second and not wanting to spoil the alone time with my wife, I attempted to convince them that they wouldn’t enjoy this kind of restaurant.   “Well guys, I don’t think you’d like this restaurant. You see it rant doesn’t have a play area like at McDonalds, in fact you might even find it boring.  Mom and dad are going out to eat and all we plan to do is just sit and talk most of the time and not even go near a play area,” I said. “No play area? What kind of a restaurant has no play area (?), they responded”  And with that, we were out the door, free to enjoy a leisurely dinner at a restaurant with no play area.

This story was recently brought to mind when I read an article by Out to Eat With Kids founder and CEO, Jennifer Bilbro titled: Tips on creating a kid-friendly restaurant . In this article Jennifer does a great job of outlining some tips on what restaurants should do to make their restaurants not only kid friendly, but parent and adult friendly as well, including the “must have” for kid friendly restaurants, crayons and teaching kids to be responsible with them.  A.D.D. moment:  Am I the only adult “kid” who often colors with those crayons that are intended for kids?

Red Robin

As an experienced father-diner, I thought I’d expand on the fun aspect of kid friendly restaurant tips with my own ideas.

What unique things does the restaurant provide that engage the kids? 

Once when my family and I were at a Carrabba’s Italian Grill, the waiter noticed that we had three kids dining with us and brought over three lumps of pizza dough and asked them to treat it as if it were clay and mold it into a toy.  One made a car, one an airplane and one a spilled coffee cup. (Not really on that last one but it would remind him of his dad.)  After our boys were finished, the waiter took them off to the kitchen, baked them and then brought them out.  Often after this experience, I drove by that restaurant, I thought about how well they engaged their customers, even the non-paying ones.  Our boys also remembered the experience, and never commented that it was boring because it didn’t have a play area. 

Chick-fil-A is masters of being kid friendly.  Their iconic cow exudes fun every day as does their family-friendly atmosphere.  In addition to this, they are masters of local area marketing events where they sponsor school events, concerts and kid oriented community events.   Their annual Cow Appreciation Day, is an opportunity for kids and adults to get a little wacky and dress up as a cow for a free Chick-fil-A meal.  This is also a great way for them to build on tradition.

In my opinion, no restaurant provides a more kid-friendly restaurant than McDonalds.  They are the originator of the Happy Meal,  the aforementioned play area and even though he is semi-retired, Ronald McDonald and  his side kicks, Mayor McCheese, Hamburglar and Grimace.

What are your favorite kid-friendly restaurants and what have they done to not only win your kids over but adults as well?