by john@johnhagerman.com |
By John Hagerman As a merit badge counselor for my son’s Boy Scout troop I frequently need to sign off on the boy’s completing another badge. Each one is a step toward a higher rank. More importantly, each one marks another set of skills the boys had to learn. What they gain is more than just a brightly colored patch on their uniform. What they gain is another piece of the puzzle of how to become confident, compassionate, and mature young men – the future leaders of our businesses and our country. From what I see, the future is bright for these boys. I wish there were a similar, clear-cut path everyone could follow to adulthood and leadership. Imagine the shape our county would be in if every businessperson and political leader took a weekly oath to follow just half the things a scout does? If trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrift, brave, clean and reverent was the starting point; our economy and country would be in much better shape. We wouldn’t have business leaders focused more on profits than people. And we’d have political leaders more concerned with doing the right thing for the country rather than doing whatever they can to maintain power. Yeah, I know, it’s a high, unrealistic dream, but I see boys doing it every week. Why not our leaders? I’d like to share the story of one scout that I believe demonstrates what we want in our future leaders. This young man struggled with grades and missed far too many days of school due to allergies and injuries. He didn’t...
by john@johnhagerman.com |
By John Hagerman Ask any of my Public Relations students at Takoda Institute about what I’m like as an instructor, and one of the more common replies you’ll get is, “Passionate.” You’re likely to get similar responses from clients and friends. The question is, what am I passionate about? The answer is simple, I’m passionate about energizing you to make happen in your life all the good things you want, and if you don’t know what you want, I’m passionate about helping you discover it. I’m passionate about helping business owners and managers create workplaces filled with energy, desire, and commitment. And I’m passionate about helping everyone discover, uncover or recover what most fulfills them and making it a part of their everyday lives. Yeah, I guess I got a little carried away with all the passion. I can’t help it. Every time I look at myself and what makes me feel happy and fulfilled, it always comes back to the same thing – energizing people. I’m part psychiatrist, part cheerleader, and part drill sergeant. The psychiatrist (coach) in me loves to help people discover what moves and inspires them, then help them overcome whatever roadblocks they put in their own way. The cheerleader has an endless supply of enthusiasm and energy that is always ready to recharge the batteries of anyone who’s bogged down in their lives. And the drill sergeant in me loves to dig in and push people until they take the actions they know they need to take. If somebody gets knocked down, I help them back up then keep moving them forward. Why am I telling you...
by john@johnhagerman.com |
By John Hagerman Engaging customers in thought-provoking, personal, sensory ways builds connections, communities and brand loyalty far deeper than any other form of marketing. Instead of simply telling people about the features and benefits of your products, or the values your company believes in, experiential and cause marketing allows them to experience it for themselves. Experiential marketing might be as simple as creatively putting actual product in the hands of customers in the venues where they live their lives – near the office, at the bus stop, or at your kid’s soccer game. Or, it might be as big as sponsoring a racecar and holding a contest that allows product users to imagine themselves driving the car (and one lucky customer actually getting to do it!) It could be 50 concerts in 50 states on the same day. Or it could be launching extreme sporting events, or driving a lawn tractor coast-to-coast. Whatever the approach, the experiential marketing we help you develop will be about letting your customers experience your brands in their lives, or imagining what their lives might be like if they were part of a community that loved your brand. Cause marketing marries corporate branding and marketing with a cause or nonprofit organization, but it should do more. Great cause marketing is about discovering ways to express the values you, your company, your employees, your customers and your community, believe in through your brand and it’s connections to a cause or organization. It’s about more than printing a colored ribbon on your packaging. Discovering your story helps you uncover the values you hold most dear and...
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