3-Step Drop: Aaron Corp

Last Saturday the USC Trojans were upset by the Washington Huskies.  The Trojans were forced to play the game with their #2 quarterback Aaron Corp because the Freshman phenom, Matt Barkley, had an injured shoulder from their previous weeks win at Ohio State.  So what can your brand learn from Aaron Corp?  In honor of football lets look at three quick points.  Let's call it the 3-Step Drop.

1. Credentials - Aaron Corp was a top recruit in from Lutheran High in Orange, California.  His senior season he completed 68% of his passes throwing for 2,750 yards with 21 touchdowns while rushing for another 1,197 yards and 12 touchdowns.  He won the Glenn Davis Award as the best player in Southern California while leading his team to a 14-1 championship season.

You need to build strong credentials early before your brands makes the big time.  Running one great ad with a great tagline isn't going to cut it.  It's often a slow process and you can't cut corners.  You must be consistent, perform well at the lower levels, and get noticed.  Corp (the brand) built his credentials from Pop Warner through high school and got noticed by the Trojans (consumer).  What are you doing to build your brands credentials?

2. Perform - Once your brand gets noticed and makes it to the big stage you have to perform.  Corp got his chance against the Huskies.  What happened?  13 of 22 passing for 110 yards, one interception and no touchdowns.  Your brand has to perform when given the chance.

That means your sales staff has to look the part and know what they're talking about.  That means the receptionist can't sound like she hates talking to people when she answers the phone.  If your brand performs to levels below expectations, as did Corp, you may never get a second chance.  That one rude interaction from your salesperson can turn that upset customer into an advocate AGAINST your brand because that is how they will remember you.  Aaron Corp is probably a great guy that will go on to be successful at whatever he does, but for now he will be the quarterback that didn't get it done when he should have.  Until he gets a second chance, if he does, that is what we will remember.  How will your brand perform when given a chance?  You may not get another shot.

3. Brand Equity - Because Corp goes to USC and was in a battle for the starting position, we expect certain things from him.  We expect him to be the next in line; to be able to make USC perform as seamlessly as the transition from Carson Palmer to Matt Leinart.  Why?  Because that's the brand USC has built for themselves in this modern era.  All the experts expected USC to beat the Huskies convincingly because of this equity.

If you are fortunate enough to own a successful brand, there will be a time when you think about growing your business and extending your brand into new categories.  Be careful!  Like Corp, if your consumers extend the main brands equity (trust) to your new category and you do not perform up to the original brands standard you are doomed.  USC's loss to Washington may cost them a shot at the national championship and has caused fans and pundits alike to question just how good the Trojans really are.  It will be tough for the Trojans to make it back to the top even if they do win out.  What will that failure cost your brand?

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Imus on Business

In what I think is a stunning turn of events, Fox Business Network signed Don Imus to begin simulcasting his morning show beginning on Oct. 5 during the 6-9 AM EST time slot.  Is this a good idea?  I think not.  Not that I have anything against Don Imus, but is this really a solution for the low ratings they have been experiencing?  Well it is if what is most important is the short term bottom line.  In the short term, adding Imus in the morning will almost certainly bring in some advertising revenue and some new viewers to the network.  But what about the big picture?  Let me re-phrase...what about the Fox Business brand?

More than likely, the viewers and listeners are not are not largely from the demographic that Fox Business wants to reach with its core message.  While the new viewers will tune in for the I-Man's show, will they stick around for the rest of the day?  Probably not.  Better yet, will the core audience that Fox Business is trying to reach tune in to see Imus in the mornings?  Probably not in large numbers.  Those money managers, traders, C-suite players, and Wall Street junkies will, in large part be getting ready for the market open.  Where will they do that?  CNBC or Bloomberg.

The even bigger issue for Fox Business is the loyal customer base they have already captured.  Will they turn to CNBC or Bloomberg until the Imus show is over and then turn back or will they leave there sets where they are never to return?

One of the most critical issues in branding is sticking to who you are.  In other words, credibility is everything.  No brand is credible in all areas so you have to be certain when making alliances that they match with what your brand stands for.  Don Imus might be a fantastic "shock jock", he might be the funniest the guy on earth, he might be the nicest guy you know.  It's all irrelevant.  The only thing that matters is his lack of credibility as an anchor on a business network.

What this does exhibit is short-term MBA business thinking; what are the numbers?  Brands are long-term assets, not quarterly reports for Wall Street analysts.  As one former Kraft Foods executive noted, "Good numbers don't guarantee your success, but bad numbers will get you every time."

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