Category: communication

Branding in the offline world

With all the daily, even hourly, hullabaloo we see and read about the importance of social media in branding and marketing, sometimes we forget just how important it is to maintain a strong brand identity in the offline world.

It’s a point Ed Keller and Brad Fay remind us of in a recent Wall Street Journal piece, Why Successful Branding Still Happens Offline.

The idea that “online conversations will spread to hundreds or thousands of people (and maybe more) with the click of a mouse” may be “theoretically possible,” write Keller and Fay, but it’s largely false. According to their research, “most links that are shared reach only 5-10 people.” And fewer than 1 percent of a typical brand’s Facebook fans are what we would consider actively engaged with that brand.

Today’s consumer marketplace is highly social, but not because of particular platforms or technologies. The businesses that will be the most successful in the future are the ones that embrace a model that puts people — rather than technology — at the center of products, campaigns and market strategies.

In this regard, higher education should have an advantage. We are in the business of educating people, not pushing technology.

But sometimes I wonder if we become so enamored with technology or social media in our branding that we lose sight of how we can connect with people in the offline context. Sure, social media has its place, and it is growing as a vehicle for connecting with our audiences or customers. But can it replace more traditional word of mouth marketing?

Somebody wanted to write this blog post…

Several years ago, I read a book by the minister Tony Evans. In the book, Evans shares a little parable about four people in a church — people with the unusual names of Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

FingerPointingThat story resonated with me at the time and continues to do so. And not just because of its intended spiritual application.

I have found, over the years, that Evans’ little parable applies far beyond the world of church or religious life. (Most good parables do.) It also applies to matters of work, family, voluntarism, and probably many other arenas of life. Lately, I’ve found that it applies quite a bit to the process by which projects move along — or fail to move along — in a higher ed work environment.

A quick Google search helped me locate that story (it’s toward the bottom of this post). Here’s a snippet of Evans’ version:

The story is told of four people in the church whose names were Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

The church needed help meeting its financial obligations and Everybody was asked to participate. Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it. But you know who did it? Nobody. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

When the church grounds needed some work, Somebody was asked to help. But Somebody resented being called upon because Anybody could have done it just as well. After all, it was really Everybody’s job. In the end the work was given to Nobody, and Nobody got it done.

The process went on and on. Whatever the task that needed to be done, Nobody could be counted on to do it.

Sound familiar?

Maybe we could recast that story for the modern world of higher education. Here’s my attempt:

The story is told of four people on a university committee whose names were Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

The committee approved a strategic action plan and the chair decided the committee needed to get the word out across campus about this fabulous new strategic action plan. (After all, this plan was not your run-of-the-mill strategic plan, because it also included the word “action” in its description. So it was obviously an important document.)

Everybody was asked to help spread the word. Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it. But you know who did it? Nobody. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Whatever the task that needed to be done, Nobody could be counted on to do it.

How about you? Do you have a story about these four people you’d like to share? Feel free to comment.