Drilling for Diamonds

Advertising legend, David Ogilvy loved to remind his fans that “any damn fool can put on a deal, but it takes a genius, faith and perseverance to create a brand.”

Ogilvy, like most advertising creatives have overcomplicated branding.

A brand is nothing more and nothing less than a promise to create unfailing value.

Philip Kotler was spot on when he wrote, “the brand amounts to a contract with the customer regarding how the brand will perform.”

The brand may be underpinned by a great product or service, but a brand is largely built by employees who deliver engaging experiences.

Engagement is all about getting and holding attention. Too much marketing is focused on getting attention. Holding customer attention is the hard part. Creating a compelling customer experience that holds and retains customers is what marketing is all about.

The Brand Test
Every time a customer encounters your brand at home or out on the street, they test your brand by asking, “Does the brand experience match the brand promise?”

If the answer is more often no, than yes, your brand equity is eroding.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Each day, alcoholics and drug addicts on 12 step recovery programs across the globe, utter 33 memorable words.

“God give us the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”

These words known as the Serenity Prayer were coined in 1943 by the American theologian Rienhold Neibuhr.

I can’t think of a more profound piece of timeless wisdom to guide us as we tackle the challenges of business and life.

Set aside 5 minutes each day, to recite and contemplate what the Serenity Prayer means for you — at home, at work, and in your community.

Popularity: 33% [?]

Diamonds show no sign of falling into the commodity trap.

Forbes reports, Guess clothing co-founder just paid $16.2 million for a 84.37 carat white diamond at a recent Sotheby’s auction.

Sotheby’s also sold a 2.26 carat purplish red diamond for $2.7 million to jeweler Laurence Graft.

It seems colored diamonds are all the rage.

Popularity: 15% [?]