Brand Champions

Brand Champion of the Day- Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche

Yesterday Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche formally announced his retirement from the National Hockey League's Colorado Avalanche. Over the course of the past few months most people have speculated that last season was his final year in an Avalanche sweater. During the past several days local sport pundits have written much about Sakic's accomplishments and are now attempting to rank Sakic against other Colorado athletes.

In my opinion the Sakic brand stands for class, competitiveness, grace, humility, leadership and other attributes. Most of those terms I do not associate with hockey, but with Sakic the person. In addition to those strengths people here in Denver will never forget that it was Sakic and the rest of the Avalanche that finally brought a major sport championship to our city. Because of all he has contributed, Joe Sakic is the Brand Champion of the Day. In terms of where he ranks on a list of Colorado athletes? Like many of his brand champions, I rank Super Joe number one.

Sorry Elway, you are number two. By an avalanche!

Brand Champion of the Day, Roger Federer, Wimbledon Victor

On Mondays and Fridays I highlight someone or some organization that understands what it means to be a brand champion. Last Friday, William L. Weaver, Associate Professor from La Salle University shared his wonderful insights on what it means to be a brand champion of his institution of higher learning. When I am unable to connect with someone to share their words, I provide my own. My instincts told me that it would be a futile attempt to get Roger Federer to be a guest blogger today.

After last year's marathon men's final at Wimbledon I featured Rafa Nadal as the Brand Champion of the Day. That event signified for many a passing of the torch from Roger Federer to Nadal, and the greatest event in tennis history. My how things can change in one year. The champ from Spain had to sit out this year's tournament because of injury, and Andy Roddick from the USA enters the picture to make last year look like a walk in the park.

As an American I was rooting for Andy to win, but a part of me, a big part of me, was hoping that Roger would win. By so doing Federer achieved the magic number of 15 grand slam tennis championships and now officially sits atop of the all-time list of great champions. In my view at the top of the world of sport. When I think of the Roger Federer brand, words like class, grace, humility, intelligence, and many others come to mind. Those attributes very much align with the Swiss and Wimbledon brands. It is easy to become a champion of any or all three of those brands. Which of course I am!

For all he has accomplished, Roger Federer is the Brand Champion of the Day!

Brand Champion of the Day- William L. Weaver, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Integrated Science, Business and Technology, La Salle University

As many of you know, I have been working with La Salle University for the past year. During that time my organization, the BrandED Consultants Group has had the opportunity to help the university develop a brand platform. The brand platform is designed to ensure consistent communications, develop a culture to support the institution's mission and operationalize the University's strategic plan. We are  now working with the University to implement the brand platform throughout the campus community. In my world we call that internal branding.

For most colleges and universities, and for many businesses, internal branding is an emerging trend. Organizations are finally realizing the importance of engaging employees in the brand development process. At a university engaging the faculty is essential to the sustainability of the brand. La Salle University is one of the first institutions of higher learning to embrace a formal internal brand plan. During the brand building efforts at La Salle University I have had the pleasure of working closely with Associate Professor for Integrated Science, Business and Technology, William L. Weaver. Recently we met to discuss how best to utilize the brand platform with the opening of the University's new state-of-the-art science and technology building. After several meetings with Bill, it became evident that he should be recognized as a Brand Champion of the Day.

The following is what Bill wants to share with us today concerning his experience with the La Salle University brand initiative.

"The brand platform message works really well when I address parents of new students. They appreciate hearing a consistent message. It helps to deflate some of the anxiety they are feeling with sending one of their own off to an unknown place. I've also been able to incorporate my personal favorite theme of "Choice Management". The Choice Management theme works well here at La Salle when introducing our Core Curriculum.

"Too often folks view the "core" courses at a Liberal Arts college as random things that students have to get out of the way before getting to their major. As the Core is 60% of our curriculum, I like to present it in a different perspective. Regardless of major, the undergraduate degree represents training in art and science of "Choice Management". When I ask the incoming freshmen why they chose to go to college, they often reply "to get a better a job and make more money." I follow that up with "why would somebody pay more for a college graduate?" That often stumps them.

"We continue the discussion by exploring how important Choice Management is to an organization and depending on the level of the choice, how many other people's lives would be affected (for good or for bad) by making the choice. I then posit that the more consequential the choices, the higher paying the position. After that they are interested in hearing about Choice Management. That is where the core curriculum comes in. La Salle's core is comprised of three (3) components -- Powers, Frameworks of Scientific Understanding, and Patterns of Meaning.

"I have wrapped this discussion of our Core into the reasons to believe in La Salle University from the University brand platform:

Excellence in Teaching and Learning - Using effective methods to impart these choice making abilities to our students.

Personal Attention - Having the capacity to allow each student to make individual choices within the classroom and college experience and to learn from the benefits and disadvantages of those choices.

Sense of Community - Ability to provide our students the support to recover quickly from a poor decision and to have the confidence that support will be there if they fail.

Global Perspective - Allowing our students to study the ramifications and consequences of choices and their effect on systems outside their direct sphere of influence.

"Thanks to the brand platform, it makes it easier for us to discuss our professional choices using common vocabulary and to describe what we do to our other stakeholders in the University."

William L. Weaver
Associate Professor
Integrated Science, Business and Technology
La Salle University

Bill, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule with freshmen orientation and your move into the new science and technology building on campus. You are the epitome of a La Salle University brand champion!

Brand Champions of the Day- Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center Inmates

On Mondays and Fridays I feature someone or some organization who understands what it means to be a brand champion. Those passionate advocates who enthusiastically support a brand. Last Friday I highlighted Meg Whitman from eBay. Others have included US President Barack Obama, Richard Branson from Virgin and others.

Today I am devoting this space to a group of people who are obviously champions of the Michael Jackson brand. As you all know the king of pop passed last Thursday. In his honor the inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines paid tribute to him by rein-acting the video from Jackson's top selling hit album Thriller. This group of over 1,500 certainly understands what it means to be a brand champion.

Brand Champion of the Day- Meg Whitman, Former CEO, eBay

I am sure you are all aware of the past accomplishments of Meg Whitman. Particularly her ground breaking work at eBay. When Ms. Whitman joined eBay in 1998 the company had 30 employees. When she stepped away from her post eBay had approximately 15,000 employees and was multimillion-dollar business. You are probably aware that she is rumored to be a candidate for governor of the State of California. 

Those are not the reasons that I am recognizing Meg Whitman as the Brand Champion of the Day. I am highlighting her for the work she is currently engaged with, writing a book about the core values that helped guide her business. As you know I am all about mission, core values and employee engagement as the keys to building a sustainable brand, and the primary reasons for success in recruiting and retaining brand champions.

For your work, Meg Whitman, you are the Brand Champion of the Day!

Brand Champion of the Day- Paul Gillin, Author of Secrets of Social Media Marketing

 

A few years ago when I was in the processing of learning about the then new social media that were coming onto my radar screen, I read an enlightening book titled, The New Influencers. The author of that book, Paul Gillin effectively introduced readers like me to emergence of social media and the role those who participated would play in the future.

Since then I have become a convert and spend the vast majority of my time marketing through social media like blogs, facebook, twitter, friendfeed, linked in and others. Like many of you I recently felt a bit overwhelmed by the warp speed with which social media was engulfing us. It was at that time I discovered another book by Gillin, Secrets of Social Media Marketing. I just completed it and recommend it to anyone who is new to social media, or someone like me who needed to get refocused on my social media marketing plan and how to make best use of social media to enhance one's brand.

I am a champion of Paul's brand. His work is contemporary, relavent and easy to read. Thanks Paul Gillin, you are the Brand Champion of the Day!

Brand Champion of the Day- Dan Bylsma, Head Coach, Pittsburgh Penguins

Like many of you last Friday I was expecting to be writing today about someone from the Detroit Red Wings organization, not the underdog Pittsburgh Penguins. After all, how could the Penguins win on the road in game seven of the Stanley Cup finals on home ice of Swedish Olympic Team? Oh ya, the Detroit Red Wings. But they did.

Most of the media content the past few weeks has been devoted to the top-tier players on the Penguins roster. They have two of the top players in the world, so why shouldn't there be focus on them? To me an igloo worth the credit needs to be pointed to head coach, Dan Bylsma. He came into a hopeless situation a few months. The team was in 10th place and did not appear to even be playoff worthy.

Slowly but surely the Penguins began to win games at the end of the season and peaked at the right time. For your efforts and leading your team to the Stanley Cup, Dan Bylsma, you are the Brand Champion of the Day. While there are many champions of the Penguin brand already, I think you have recruited many more.

Brand Champion of the Day- Janet Langhart Cohen, Author & Playwright

For those new to the blog, every Monday and Friday I feature someone or some organization who demonstrate what it means to be a brand champion. Those passionate individuals or groups who understand their mission and core values, and how to champion their brand. Today it is my pleasure to recognize Janet Langhart Cohen.

You might know that in the past her brand was referred to as the First Lady of the Pentagon when her husband William Cohen was Secretary of Defense for the United States. She was also known as the First Lady of the USO because of her volunteer efforts for recruiting celebrities and civilians to work for that organization. Her accomplishments are too numerous to mention in more detail, but there is one area that I want to mention, and how it moved me to write about her today.

Like me, you may have seen Mrs. Cohen and her husband interviewed live on CNN two days ago after the tragic events at the US Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. The Cohens were on their way to the Museum for the premiere of Mrs. Cohen's one-act play, Anne and Emmett. The play centers on an imagined conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till, victims of the Nazis and Jim Crow laws, respectively. The play is in honor of the 80th anniversary of Anne Frank's birth, which is today. After watching the interview I had no choice but to recognize Mrs. Cohen today.

For her efforts in against hate, Janet Langhart Cohen is the Brand Champion of the Day.

Brand Champions of the Day- University of Washington Softball Team

On Mondays and Fridays I feature someone or some organization who understands what it means to be a brand champion. Those people and those teams who understand their mission and their core values. Those people who reach their goals. A group that exemplifies what it means to champion their brand is the 2009 USA NCAA National Softball Champions, the University of Washington Huskies.

For most teams it is satisfying to win a few games or perhaps reach the tournament. For the Washington Huskies girls softball team, nothing short of a national championship would do. As you probably know they beat the top-ranked University of Florida team in the best two out of three final series. They only needed two games to bring the trophy to Seattle.

The team was led by National Player of the Year, pitcher, Danielle Lawrie. This was the first year that the National Player of the Year won the NCAA national softball championship in the same year. Congratulations girls, you have recruited a number of champions for your brand, and today you are the Brand Champions of the Day!

Brand Champion of the Day- Howard Jones, Singer/Songwriter

For those of you new to the blog today, I want to let you know that on Mondays and Fridays I feature someone or some company who understands what it means to be a brand champion. Those like me, who realize that building a sustainable brand is based on mission, core values and employee engagement. A personal brand that has sustained itself in the public eye for 25 years, been on a mission, knows who they are what they stand for, and recruited and retained brand champions around the globe is British singer and songwriter, Howard Jones.

Today I am recognizing Howard Jones as the Brand Champion of the Day not only because of his longevity as an internationally known brand, but because of one of his songs that has stood the test of time. Things Can Only Get Better is one of my all time favorite songs, and one for many others too. Given the global economic downturn and the challenges that brands the world over face today, I thought it would be appropriate to share this video with you. This song can serve as the anthem of our time. No matter where your brand is or what your situation, things can only get better.

What a better way to celebrate Friday than to listen to some music from the cradle of brand, the UK and thank Howard Jones, the Brand Champion of the Day!