Yesterday, our branding consultant participated in a roundtable with Corporate Communications and Marketing staff members who accepted the open invitiation to come and spend an hour and a half discussing the branding strategy we have been executing since late 2009 (time flies). We talked about the good, the challenging and the opportunities that are still there to tell our story more effectively, more consistently and more impactfully (I like threes).
This session was important because sometimes when you are very close to something, you can't always be objective when doing an evaluation. For most parents (unless you are the author and subject of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother -- actually am reading and loving that book), being truly objective about your offspring is difficult. In that same way, I confess to sometimes being a bit like an overprotective parent when it comes to our branding strategy. Also, when you are very close to something, you tend to think that everyone is paying as much attention to all the nuances as you, when really the focus is generally on the big things. Certainly, there are things I know we should change to make our branding staregy even more valuable, but as we all know, change is hard. So instead, I think of our strategy as evolving and being ever more improved. Monday's session was chock full of very good input that will help that evolution become reality. There are some 'big' things I know will remain the same -- things that have helped to distance us from others and helped the message to resonate. Of course, I can't say just WHAT those things are since this is social media and therefore a site that can be read by anybody. But, there are a number of changes we will make based on the input from team members and others.
One of the things I really enjoyed about yesterday's session was the willingness of everyone there to be open and constructively critical, bringing expertise from their specific areas as well as their roles as consumers of information. By sharing their thoughts, they will be helping to shape the next phase of our branding strategy. I hope it was fun for them and I also hope that they will see their recommendations reflected. I make this same offer to others on the team who perhaps had conflicts or other obligations that kept them from attending yesterday. Please shoot me an e-mail and share your thoughts about our branding strategy and how you believe it can be improved. As professionals and as consumers of information, I am sure you have great ideas to share.
And, it would be wrong of me not to mention a staff member who is getting ready for her next steps. Today officially marks Kathleen's last day with our team. I know we all wish her the best and are ever grateful to her for the role she has played in helping to strengthen the BJC brand. Don't know if she is a reader of this BLOG, but if she is -- "Another hearty round of applause for all you have done."
J
