Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM FEBRUARY 2019 44 T here's one cliché about business that constantly rings true: count on constant change. Your organization may be at the point where it's humming along nicely along. You've got your fair share of loyal customers, you have great products and services that drive audience demand, your business is making good money, and your customers are delighted. Or if you're like many businesses, you have an eye to the horizon. You're thinking about where your business is headed, how you're doing against the competition, how your business is meeting the needs of customers, and examining areas for improvement. Here, you may find yourself wondering, "What's next?" If you're in the "we're thriving" category, congratulations! However, if you're like most businesses you'll find yourself — today or at some point in the near future — closer to the second category: wondering what's ahead. Running and growing a business is hard work. There's ever-increasing competition in the market, the need for innovating your products and services is ongoing, the demands of customers are ever-increasing, and there's increased complexity in marketing to find the right loyal customers. Simply said, you have your hands full with the day-to-day management of your business. With all these demands, why bother evolving your brand into one that makes a bigger impact on the world? After all, isn't business primarily about making money? CONSIDER THIS Each of us has a finite amount of time on this lovely, and sometimes challenging, planet. We're blessed with the precious gift of life and the freedom that comes with it. It's a privilege to be alive, and if we're honest, it's an honor to serve our customers. If you're anything like me, you've hit the lottery — to be born in a place and time with so much possibility, so much abundance, so much opportunity, so much information and resources at your fingertips, and it would be a shame to squander such gifts. As a business owner or leader, you've either earned or have been given some power. That power allows you to make decisions that affect people's lives and livelihoods, your team, your customers, your partners, your community, and yes, the planet. How you make those decisions, what you base those decisions on and why you make those decisions have exponential effects. A REMINDER FROM DARWIN To evolve is to adapt consciously, intentionally, and mindfully. A brand evolution, as I orchestrate them, is done by infusing the deeply held beliefs of your leadership (purpose, vision, core values, promise) within your organization and living up to them. When you get down to it, all real business is done for and by humans, and integrating the driving elements of human nature is essential to running and marketing a good business. The 2018 Edelman Earned Brand study exposes that almost two-thirds (64 percent) of consumers around the world now buy on belief. This is a remarkable increase of 13 points since 2017. According to the study, "These Belief-Driven Buyers will choose, switch, avoid or boycott a brand based on where it stands on the political or social issues they care about." Beliefs work for culture, too. Being connected by beliefs is so essential to how and why humans thrive that in The Descent of Man Charles Darwin mentions "love" a startling 95 times and "survival of the fittest" only twice. Brands are inseparably connected to culture and therefore to people, which is directly connected to the leadership's beliefs. SO, WHY EVOLVE YOUR BRAND? Financial benchmarks may incite the initial motivation to evolve your brand, but there is a bigger answer. Your precious time and energy — including all the people within the organization — should go toward something meaningful, impactful and worthwhile. You should evolve because your time and energy deserve to go toward something that makes a big difference, "a dent in the universe," as Steve Jobs put it. Building and activating a belief-bridge between your company, your employees, and your customer can make the lives of everyone involved better for it. Building a brand around beliefs creates integrity. As a result, your business will be improved in the short- and long-term by evolving. For the past 25 years, Steve has served as an advisor and consultant on brand strategy, organizational life, and humanized marketing strategy. He has worked with companies such as Samsung, Habitat for Humanity, New Balance, Sony, LG, Amazon, NFL and MLB franchises and is a regular speaker for TEDx, Creative Mornings, CES, HOW Conference, Social Venture Network, American Marketing Association, and AIGA conferences. Steve has published two books, Brand Love and Loyalty and Humanizing the Customer Journey, as well as a forthcoming book, The Evolved Brand: How to Impact the World Through the Power of Your Brand. He has been featured in Business Week, Brand Week, Ad Age, Conscious Company Magazine, MarketingProfs, and HOW magazines. Steve leads his own brand and business strategic consultancy, Mth Degree. Contact: steven@theMthDegree.com, 619-234-1211 or www.theMthDegree.com WHY BRANDS BOTHER TO EVOLVE RO Steven Morris On Brand

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