There Was A Time...

when watching the Super Bowl was something I looked forward to for weeks. Not for the game but to see what millions of dollars of ad money would buy. And there were years when the work was amazing. Even the off years provided a glimpse into the world of budget-be-damned marketing.

But the last few years have been more of an embarrassment than inspiration. This year was no exception.

Seems the Super Bowl has become the Super Bore.      

Since I'm Heading...

to Wizard Camp for the week, here's one of the first lessons I learned there many years ago that still seems to evade advertisers from garden centers to Super Bowl duds...

Obviously the size of the budget doesn't guarantee great ads. Or throwing in a bunch of expensive but pointless Hollywood faces. Providing people with a believable reason to consider giving you money... now there's an ad that can be created with any size budget.   

So You And Your Team...

chose the three words that best describe your company. Then you all agreed on the definition of each word and what they actually mean when it comes to describing what you do. Good.

Now for the next step... what can you do to put the three words into action. Here's an example from a garden center I worked with last week on this three word adventure.

One of their chosen words was "knowledge". I suggested we turn the noun into a verb like "learn". The company has always strived to be the place where people come to not only shop but also learn how to be successful. By making "learn" one of the three signature words to describe the company, there's now an understanding of "why" they do what they do when it comes to workshops, care sheets, beginner gardener classes and more. "Learn" will also be one of three category columns in their redesigned enewsletter.

Choosing the right words begins the process. Defining the words comes next. Putting the words into action is where the magic begins.

Robert