May 8, 2007 Issue No. 54

Be Opening Day Ready

Last week I was chatting with Cam Heaps — a friend, past client and president of Steam Whistle Brewing. The occasion was KPMG’s Quantum Shift conference at the Richard Ivey School of Business. Forty elite Canadian entrepreneurs, all on the cusp of scaling their businesses to the next level, were in attendance.

Cam was telling me about one tiny, but critical way that Steam Whistle protects its Brand at the historic Roundhouse, their brewing facility and public event venue near the Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto. It’s this simple: when someone rents the event space, they are not permitted to use plastic cups. Instead, they must drink their beer (Steam Whistle only, of course) either directly from the sturdy, retro-styled Steam Whistle bottle, or from a Branded Steam Whistle glass — no exceptions.

A plastic cup simply ruins the premium experience that Cam and his team have cultivated so successfully. And Cam sees it as bad hospitality, to the point that even non-beer drinkers are served their Coke, water, whatever, in a glass. To preserve the premium experience beyond the walls of the Roundhouse, the same glassware is distributed to the bars.

What does the Brand Coach coach?

Building on the example of Cam Heaps, what simple steps can you take on this beautiful Spring day to protect your Brand? In a nutshell, be Opening Day Ready.

It fits with what I like to call Dead Plant Syndrome. Look around. Many of you have plants in your offices that are withering or downright departed. I see them all the time when visiting prospective clients. They’re often in the reception area, right where visitors form their first impression of your Brand. It could very well be a symptom of a larger deterioration of your Brand’s physical presence that represents your organization poorly ’ the tattered Canadian flag out front, that worn-down carpet, those paint chips on the wall, the newsletter that used to go out every month but now has slipped by the wayside...

Funny thing is — you never would have tolerated any of these deficiencies on the day you first opened your business. Why accept them now? Your Brand is what people think of you, after all.

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New! Read an excerpt from our upcoming book -
BRAND: It Ain't the Logo (It's what people think of you™)

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