Category: Transformation


Posted on /by Cory Gordon/in Article - Vision, Strategy - Vision, Transformation

That’s A Wrap

A festive shout out to all those who kept it real!

We’re proud to see out 2019 with a spring in our step and many happy memories to carry us through the Christmas mayhem into 2020 – and we couldn’t have done it alone. This year has been an instrumental one for us – where does one begin?

We’ve journeyed with people and patterned the way for projects. We’ve connected with individuals and businesses far and wide. And we’ve been honoured by those who have trusted us to tell their stories, so that they can bring their visions to the fore, help their teams grow and be the best they can be.

Not every year delivers on multiple affirmations, but 2019 brought with it a wealth of ‘real’ for us. This year has seen us go from strength to strength as we’ve really connected with the ‘why’ of what we do and ‘who’ we do it for. Personal development and clarity have gifted us a truer sense of self as individuals and as a company and enabled us to forge deeper pathways and connections.

Off the bat of greater self-awareness and definition have come some incredible opportunities. One of the biggest was being able to really frame our vision; to channel our beliefs and draw upon our own inner strength, so we can then take it to the world to inspire others and keep them going. And, because we’ve really honed our vision, opportunities have presented – like our CEO interviews and ‘big wins’ like our West Auckland Trusts work.

It has been a huge privilege to be able to make the videos to promote the various charities that were given money by the West Auckland Trusts. To show not only what the money generated from West Auckland Trusts does for the community but to bring to life the truly awesome work that these people do and showcase to society just how important these projects are. It has been an amazing journey and one we want to continue.

This year we also released the first series of our CEO Interviews. This has been another highlight and simultaneous learning curve. Being in front of the camera as opposed to behind it can be daunting. However, it’s been very exciting to share words with such accomplished leaders. It is no easy feat maintaining the energy to inspire hundreds – even thousands – of people with a vision, so we’ve really come to appreciate the challenges such leaders have and hope those watching value the opportunity to learn from their experience, as we have.

So, what are we most excited about for 2020? Much of the same – and some – which is a feel-good heading into the New Year. With greater empowerment to do more and give more, comes greater acceptance of oneself and capabilities. We want to create more videos to promote the amazing work so many amazing New Zealanders are doing and continue to share the stories of great leaders through our CEO interviews to inspire more leaders in the making. Confidence is a great thing, and if 2019 has taught us anything, it’s that confidence and being ‘beautifully human’ stems from being okay with not being perfect.

From us to you, we wish you a fabulous end-of-year send off and we look forward to pressing play on 2020 – may the good times roll on.

Best wishes,

Kim and Reuben

Posted on /by Kim Goodhart/in Article - Vision, Strategy - Vision, Transformation

Be What You Mean

A Spoonful of HR, Helps the Marketing Go Down

by Kim Goodhart

 

If there was ever a time to have a message and mean it – it’s now. Why? Because what’s really driving us to be our best, and perform our best in business, isn’t as simple as a pay check or work-at-home option. What we’re really craving is a sense of purpose – a place to feel a part of, something worth sticking around for. And, this mindset is making its way into our brand loyalty too – we’re sidling with companies who don’t just sell, but speak to us. 

As inc.com writer John Hall says in his article, “Why Organisations are Turning to Chief Heart Officers and Leading with Purpose.”

it’s those businesses who are blending the pathways between the ‘internal’ human resources side of the desk and those sitting on the ‘external’ marketing chair, that are leading the front line. They are the organisations intent on creating the best-place work culture for their employees and build long-term brand affinity with customers. 

On purpose

Nowadays, internal communications within many an organisation is no longer about ‘delivering information’ it is about capturing hearts and minds of its people, and leading with purpose at the fore. To quote John:

Organisations are also realizing that purpose can be one of those driving factors for employees. What an organisation does, what it stands for and how it treats its employees can make the difference in getting people to stay – or even getting them attracted to a role in the first place.

It’s a win-win situation. When you know who you are and what you stand for then you can lead with purpose, and when you steer with purpose you simultaneously lead the way in creating effective long-form marketing content.

 

The key word here is purpose – and this is something that needs to be stamped out loud and clear. Because you can’t create long-form marketing content until your organisation is aligned with its ‘true’ purpose – otherwise you’re setting yourself up for an angry back lash.

 

Thus, to ensure everyone is on-board with the ‘real’, marketing to your people becomes paramount – strengthen the ties between human resources and marketing, and you strengthen the ties between employee and customer. 

As John says,

The brands that do more within and think more about their community create more affinity. It’s a basic extension of human psychology,” and, “the same things that attract long-term customers are often the same things that draw in high-quality job candidates.

When you know who you are and what you stand for, then you’ll proudly to share it with your customers. And where there’s truth, there’s loyalty . . . 

Can you feel it

So, what many organisations are realising is those ‘deeper connections’ carved with customers aren’t being forged on a typical marketing blueprint – we’re talking long-term brand building that speaks to the heart not the purse strings.

As John says,

the days of someone speaking to a camera for 30 seconds, telling you to buy something, aren’t dead – but the method is much less efficient.

Brand building that fosters emotional intelligence – channels the human – invests in personal development measures, versus traditional marketing techniques, is the motivation drawcard for many customers. We want to align ourselves with companies that are honest, true to themselves and their culture – not following the masses.

John says it well,

In a crowded landscape with too many channels to count, the breakthrough is the thing that doesn’t make sense, not the thing that does.

And this is where confidence comes into play. Why? Because openly building real relationships and conversations with customers (and employees) – those that are purposeful, and maintaining a long-term brand position – one that is revered for its unique identity, happens when you have the confidence to let people in. 

As John attests to, neither marketing to your customers or addressing your company culture are textbook operations – lines have been blurred, and we’ve got to embrace the ripples to communicate the ‘real’.

Posted on /by Kim Goodhart/in Article - Vision, Strategy - Vision, Transformation

Patagonia’s Grounded Vision

No Cliff Hangers

by Kim Goodhart

Why Patagonia’s Grounded Vision Has Won Them Long-Term Love – Not Recognition

When Patagonia – globally renowned outdoor equipment and clothing outfitter – sought to realign its brand values and culture amidst America’s 1990 recession, no meetings were called, no graphics are drawn, no market comparisons or competitor insights were brought forward. Instead, its founder, Yvon Chouinard, and its 12 key managers took a road trip to Argentina. Here they walked, talked, sat and mused about what was actually important to them as a company – why they did what they did –– not a word was said about profit.

Fast forward almost two decades, and staying true to their brand ethos and vision hasn’t just won the company awards and a loyal customer base, it’s reaffirmed to the world that marketing success isn’t driven by just moving goods, it’s about moving minds and hearts. And, that purpose lead engagement – eliciting people’s emotions through active storytelling – benefits all – employees, customers and the environment – long-term.  

Stay Out-of-the-box

You don’t have to dig deep to uncover Patagonia’s litany of achievements and initiatives, dating all the way from the 70s to the present day – including the most recent UN 2019 Champions of the Earth Award for entrepreneurial vision.

Despite the fact that each of their measures has carried its own toolset across the decades, what hasn’t changed is their bind to the same purpose and goal set. In fact, every product, solution, plight – even recently updating their mission statement,

Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.

– has been engaged to drive active good for their customers, their people and the world. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Ensuring that 70% of its products are made from recycled materials. By 2025, their goal is to use 100% renewable or recycled materials. Donating 1% of sales to the preservation and restoration of natural environments – awarding more than of $89m to causes – formally establishing a non-profit corporation ‘1% for the Planet’ in 2002.
  • Through an environmental internship program, it offers employees – from all parts of the company – the opportunity to leave their roles and work for an environmental group of their choice for up to two months.
  • Establishing Worn Wear an online/instore initiative aimed at extending the life of Patagonia gear and reducing landfill.

As Rose Marcario, CEO of Patagonia, said at the National Retail Federation 2019 conference,

We don’t just seek now to do less harm, we need to do more good.

However, ‘sustainable’ expectations are something they’ve never leveraged themselves off – in fact as Patagonia founder, Yvon Chouinard attests to, the idea of a fully sustainable business or product is impossible:

There is no such thing as sustainability. The best we can do is cause the least amount of harm.

Instead, the word ‘responsible’ is what the company have kept at the fore, as Chouinard argues in his article – ‘Patagonia In The Making: My Founder’s Story’

Responsibility starts with companies treating nature not as a resource to be exploited but as a unique, life-giving entity on which we all – not least business – depend.

Simultaneously, this ‘responsibility’ has kept their teams aligned and working together – giving voice to matters that matter, and strengthening connections between internal marketers and those employees in the external fields, ensuring all beat to the tune of the Patagonia drum:

  • Consider the environmental impact of everything we do.
  • Engage and support our communities.
  • Contribute a portion of our sales to philanthropy.

Igniting the Internal and External

Patagonia’s success Manship pivots from every facet of its organisation. As a company they continue to prove that in order to be truly successful you don’t just have to have a clear mission and brand values, you have to align everyone in your organisation around your vision and purpose statements. And you have to create tangibility – maintain a ‘one out-of-the-box’ stance.

So, to ensure their internal and external teams operate well and truly in sync. Their business model isn’t geared towards a typified rewards system for their employees – whereby people come to work, do their job well, they get rewarded. Instead, they inhabit the space beyond the conventional ideologies of old.

Because they’ve always operated on their own system, they know exactly what they’re there to do as a business, and can, therefore, make a meaningful change because they don’t have to hide behind glossy branding and dodge bullets from unhappy employees. Patagonia continues to be led by chief Visionary Officers – people who will keep everyone excited and inspired by where they’re heading. It has nothing to do with creating an environment where people are excited to come to work for self-reward and satisfaction. Employees and customers remain loyal because they believe in Patagonia and its tangible vision for what it looks and feels like to be a part of something purposeful.

Purpose forward

Like their purposeful vision, Patagonia continues to embrace means and measures to ensure their speak has greater outreach to help drive those visions. Which is why emotive video storytelling is fast becoming a Patagonia’s preferred platform – their film Artifishal, a documentary focused on the financial, environmental, and cultural costs of fish hatcheries and farms, and the fight for wild salmon is just one recent film example.

As Yvon Chouinard says in his founder’s article,

People don’t read any more and they make decisions based on emotions, so I think film is the best way to elicit people’s emotions.

It’s through moving imagery and genuine, emotive storytelling that we change behaviour. If the modern business world is to really transform then we all need to connect our people with a central purpose beyond self-reward and motivate our customers and followers through video storytelling.