BIG YELLOW WORLD
BLOG

Its 10.00pm and I’m in the middle of Times Square, New York with my teenagers. It’s intoxicating; the lights, the people, the energy. It’s also an advertising overload on the senses.  A little concerning is that in my kids digital centric world, they seem to be oblivious to this.

We wander excited but aimlessly being part of an attraction that exists as an attraction just by being itself.
 
The kids get a tad excited when they spot the Hershey’s Chocolate store and before I know it we’re walking in the door accepting a Hershey’s chocolate on arrival. Yep… it’s delicious. We walk around taking the ‘like kids in a lolly shop‘ phase literally soaking in the smell and looking in awe at the largest chocolate bar in the world mind).  This store was over the top but a pure reflection of its brand… delicious, exquisite, and expensive chocolate.
 
I thought our chocolate infatuation was over until we walked out the door to be greeted directly across the road by a massive, overly cheery, ten foot blue M&M perched on top of a 3-story building.
 
Again, with two chocolate loving teenagers... I am overruled and in we walk.

The first level was chocolate. Lots of it. No surprise here. But as I looked around I started to feel quite uneasy. This uneasiness grew as we went up the escalators to Level Two. Yep Level 2 of a Chocolate store.
 
Now if this was a homage to Willy Wonka I would have been as excited as the kids believe me but this oversized floor looked more like the merchandise store on the exit of a Theme Park than anything to do with chocolate itself. M&M branded EVERYTHING. Umbrellas, t-shirts, caps, towels, babies BIBs, babies’ rattles (I am not joking).  Even more concerting was the amount of people spending their hard-earned dollars on this crap. They were literally buying M&M baby rattles!
​

​At this point my apparent deep seeded dislike for 'in your face' over commercialism seem to quickly boil to a surface as I led two perturbed  kids out the door ( ‘but we haven’t gone to level 3 yet? ’)
 
My rant on the stupidity of people, on over-commercialism and over branding (yep…they’re lucky kids having me as a mum!).quickly led to an interesting debate with my eldest stating ‘M&M are a smart business. They’re using their brand really well and are obviously making money so who cares?’ 
 
He had a point. No body else in that store appeared disturbed. They are paying for one of the most expensive commercial rent spaces in the world and they appear to be rocking it. BUT at what point have they sold out in order to ‘make money’. When does a cute button chocolate in rainbow colours with two little letters neatly placed on the front turn into a giant merchandising warehouse?
 
Does this make people love and want the brand more? OR does it, like me, make people shudder in disgust and never want to pop one in their mouth again.
 
I have spoken to many retailers over the years about the concept of ‘Over branding’. Former Gold Coast company Unit believe a major catalyst to the downfall of their incredibly successful global business was due to the expanding retail operation where the brand quickly went from being a ‘cult’ offering to a standard form of urban street clothing accessible to everyone.
 
Should brands expand as much as they can in order to provide a more solid grounding for commercial success or is there something about keeping an element of exclusivity and surprise… about staying true to why you existed in the first place?
 
I would love to know your thoughts so feel free to comment below!

Anyone that has ever owned a business (of any kind) will know it is incredibly rewarding and incredibly tough. The hardest part is taking the time (even a few hours) to actually stop, chew the fat and gain clarity as to what is currently happening and what needs to happen for continued success.
 
In June I had the pleasure of conducting 3 Brand Workshops for 3 incredibly different businesses. The proximity in timing of the workshops made me acutely aware of the different issues that every business does face and that there is no cookie cutter approach when working with the multiple personalities that are business owners.
 
Whilst similar in structure, I don’t believe my workshops would be as effective if in the preparation phase the following question is not asked. 

The reality is that the wants and needs for each client are very different.

My first workshop was for one of Australia’s most respected engineering consultants who was looking to establish her consultancy but unsure how to position and sell herself. 

What did she want from me?

• Clarity that she could make this work.
• The correct words and tone to position her business
• My management and concept skills to work with a designer to create and build her visual brand identity. 

The second for a furniture business that had not had success in their first 2 years of business. This was not due to their products but due to internal team dynamics and confusion as to who they really were.
 
What did they need want from me?

• Facilitation of robust conversations between the team.
• An injection of motivation and direction to move forward.
• Clarification of WHO their business was and CORE services to focus on
• Priority Action list and time-line to ensure marketing strategies would be implemented within specific time frames.

My third workshop was for an incredibly successful online retailer whose nail polish brand had been exported successfully around the world for the past five years
 
What did she want from me?

• An opportunity to sit, stop and brain dump.
• An opportunity to discuss current business obstacles and discuss alternative marketing solutions around this.
• Clarification of the brands relevance in the current market.
• Recommendation of marketing ideas to implement in the next 12 months of the business.

​
All three sessions were fantastic for the client (and for me). I love working with people and seeing them come out with renewed vigor and more important clarity of how to move forward with purpose.

In all areas of your life business and personal don’t be afraid to ask the question “What do you want from me?” It will provide YOU with clarity, direction and a space from which you can create real purpose for the people and things you love.