Look up the word “alive” in the dictionary, or as we do today, “Google it”. You’ll find a definition that is something to the effect of: having life: not dead or inanimate: still in existence, force or operation. You could also say that being alive is having the ability to “experience”.
In the business world and with brands, “alive” carries very much the same meaning for you….Having the ability to keep the energy of your products and services moving, current and in a state of growth.
In order to have meaning, your products and/or services must be able to create experiences that enrich the lives of your customers. To be clear, a great product or service or brand – helps us “live”. And those brands that constantly look for ways to innovate, grow and serve their customers (enrich their lives), are at their very core – alive.
The inverse is that many well known brands of the past have declined in recent years, and many are truly near the brink of extinction. In other words they are nearly “dead” and in a true sense are quite far from being “alive”. These brands have entered a state of entropy and their energy to grow, re-invent and serve their mission has diminished to the tipping point of decline. Soon they will either disappear altogether or re-appear, depending on their desire for life.
Very similarly, we humans go through the same process during our lives. And corporations are a direct reflection of the collection of human beings within them. Do they have this great zest for life or are they just getting by? What does being “alive” mean to them and just how “alive” do they want to be. How “alive” are you and your brand?
From the day we’re born, humans are supposed to “live” and “experience” the world and Universe in which we live. We learn and come alive so much in our first few years of life but eventually, in many of us, the process eventually slows – unless that is, we are infected with the bug called “living” and we do it to the max.
Adventure, discovery, growth and the exhilaration of triumph over failure take over, for some, and living to a different depth and height rule their thoughts and activities. In some, the desire to create excitement and progress is so strong and their quest to be “alive” so real – that entire societies are moved. Mankind is moved forward by the will to discover and “live”.
As this relates to your business or brand, the cliché “our employees are our greatest asset” is one of the areas where the test of being “alive” is often overlooked. It’s a fact that job satisfaction, over pay, has repeatedly been the key result that shows up in employee surveys.
The translation of this is how “alive” do workers feel in their work lives and personal lives. How are they developing their self worth through work? Do they feel significant in their contributions? How proud are they of their brands?
Are employees knowledgeable and proud enough of their brand to be ambassadors – even if they are not in marketing or sales? Does the environment they work in curtail their enthusiasm or are they immersed in the brand promise and actively living it?
Are you and your co-workers truly “living” your brand and creating experiences for your customers that enrich their lives?
DesignShop, now ColorCraft, was previously named one of the “Top 100 Companies to Work For in Florida” by the state’s top business publication, Florida Trend for the second time. We attribute this success to each of our individual Team members and not only their willingness to endorse the brand we’ve built, but their zest for life. Their willingness and eagerness to push the envelope and truly create “brand experiences” for our customers and their customers.
We truly live our brand at ColorCraft and through trade show booth design, experiential marketing and yes, kick-ass branding, help our customers move the needle and create new life within their own brands.
If you have a passion for being “alive” and want the same to come through in your brand’s trade show program, give us a shout. We can help breathe new life into your brand!
