Integrated Interactive Media- A Brand Differentiator

I love when companies or people say that Integrated Interactive Media is not important. I would argue that they don't understand what Interactive Media is.
First, let's define Interactive Media. Here are 3 defintitions pulled from Google:
1) "Allows for a two-way interaction or exchange of information."
(pretty good)
2) "Comprises interactive and multimedia products and services that: (i) make integrated use of the following media in the one product: text, still images (photographs or graphics), moving images (live action or animation) and audio;(ii) use computer commands to integrate these elements which allow ..."
(too narrow)
3) "The online, Internet, or web environment is the primary interactive media for advertising."
(too narrow)

The definition I like best is:
"Any form of interface between the end user/audience and the medium may be considered interactive. Interactive media is not limited to electronic media or digital media. Board games, pop-up books, gamebooks, flip books and constellation wheels are all examples of printed interactive media."

OK, let's assume, for arguments sake, that you agree with my defintition.
Now, how many companies do you know who have a store, a website and a customer call center? I would argue that the majority of businesses have at least 2-3 of these. If that is the case, they are participating in interactive media, albiet at a rudementary level. The bigger questions is how are they integrating each of them into their business?

I propose that businesses that understand interactive media and the need to INTEGRATE interactive media are the most successful.

Here is a personal example, I went to Banana Republic the other day to buy a shirt. The store did not have it in my size, but they looked it up on the computer and they were able to place a web order right at the register. When I got home, I had a confirmation email waiting for me. I received the shirt and it did not fit. I called the 1-800 number posted on the packing list AND on the website to be told "No problem, you can either send it back to us or bring it back to the store."
What a great integrated brand experience. You can bet I'll shop at Banana Republic again. Banana Republic made their media and processes invisible to me, the customer, AND made a lasting positive impression on me.

Whatever interactive media you choose to use for your company, PLEASE make every effort to INTEGRATE it. Today this integration is a competitive advantage, but tomorrow it will be the norm and if you don't integrate, it will be a disadvantage.
We have stores, catalogs, websites, call centers, social media, etc... the more that you can integrate these to give the customer a consistant brand experience, the better your brand will resonate with the customer... at least this customer! What do you think?

Just get it done or get it done right?

This is an age old question that plagues a lot of companies and folks working on projects, "Do I just get it done, knowing there will be issues or do I take the extra time and do it right?"
9 times out of 10, my answer is "do it right", but you have to step back and look at the big picture to determine that..
My first step is to lay out a concise 1 pager with my team's input. This should be written for the stakeholder and include the following:

• What is the vision and goal of the project?
• What is the issue/s?
• Why did it happen? (be VERY concise here)
• What affect will the issue/s have on the project? Is there additional cost? How much?
• What are the pros and cons of delivering on time, but not on scope?
• What are the options?
• What is the recommendation and why?

It is critical that you understand the bigger picture, that you ensure your team is on the same page Then you need to communicate to the stakeholders showing them their options and giving your recommendation. There is nothing worse than being a stakeholder and being told what is going to happen vs. understanding the options. Stakeholders will be more on board if they know you have thought this through and your recommendation is something you've discussed with your team.

I can always handle bad news if it is shared openly and worked through thoughtfully. It is when I am surprised and the issue is not analyzed that my radar goes up.

Every project you work on will have delays and issues, it it how you analyze, create solutions and communicate that makes the difference!

"I am not the creative type".... are you sure?

A friend of mine who is in technology operations told me, "I'm not the creative at all." I beg to differ. She has been incredibly creative and successful in the way she has redefined what her team does and the way they do it. Just because you are not in marketing, advertising or the arts, does not mean that you are not creative. I would argue that you can be creative in whatever career you are in.

I have another friend who is a plumber. When we remodeled our house, he did all of the plumbing. He is a perfectionist and each solder was done with intensity. When he finished I said, "OK, I never thought I'd say this, but your work is beautiful." The pipes were truly a piece of art and I hesitated to cover it with drywall.

Think about how you have saved your company money with an idea that no one else had thought of. Or think of how, through your ideas, you changed processes to make yours and others jobs more efficient. Look beyond just the arts for creativity- I would argue that Bill Smith, the father of Six Sigma was an incredibly creative person. Mr. Smith has changed the way the entire world looks at quality. Some would say that his method stifles creativity and innovation. But let's look at Medtronic as an example. Medtronic is known to be one of the most innovative medical device companies in the world. Medtronic is also known to develop devices with the highest quality possible using Six Sigma and Lean. Both creativity and operational excellence can live side by side, even within the same entity.

Creativity is more than art- it is a way of thinking and being. What do you think?

Getting Your Hands Dirty to Ensure Success

Fred Wilson is a VC out of New York that has a great blog I read daily. Today he wrote about "rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty". Fred is writing about VCs, but I think this applies in any strategic implementation. You can't successfully implement a strategy without truly understanding the ins and outs of that business and its strategy. At the end of the day:

• YOU are accountable for immersing yourself in business, you are accountable to make the strategy a reality.
• Your STAKEHOLDERS expect you to understand the business and embrace the strategy.
• Your TEAM expects you to understand the business and communicate the vision and strategy in an inspirational way and insure they are engaged and motivated.

You can't expect your stakeholders to give you their full support and you you can't expect your team to be motivated and engaged if you don't roll up your sleeves and get dirty along side them. I should note here that there is a fine line between getting your hands dirty to understand the business so you can help your team plan and remove roadblocks, and micromanaging the team. You do NOT want to do the latter.

In 2000, I was asked to put the Target registries online when I joined Target.com. I had used the registries at a department store when I got married 10 years prior, but I had never used the Target registry. I had 2 choices, 1) ask the team to start working on a plan and a timeline to implement the registry strategy or 2) personally understand the registry business before working with the team to create a plan. I chose #2.

I spent my first week meeting with the registry stakeholders to understand their wants and needs. I spent my second week out in the field actually creating registries and working with the Target team members and guests to understand the experience. I got my hands dirty and it was invaluable.

By taking the approach of getting my hands dirty to truly understand the business, 1) I gained credibility with the stakeholders- they trusted that I understood their business and they were extremely cooperative in all phases, 2) I gained credibility with my team- they saw me doing the work, understanding the business to be able to help them plan the project and remove roadblocks and 3) the project was delivered on time, on budget and with rave reviews.

Take the time to get your hands dirty- the outcome will be more successful!

Setting Unrealistic Goals

In a recent blog, written by Jill Konrath, Jill challenged people to set unrealistic goals. I personally set a 90 day unrealistic goal- to continue my career with one of my 3 focus companies withing 60 days. I agree with Jill that setting unrealistic goals can help you to achieve great results and setting incremental goals can keep us thinking and acting small.

It is extremely important to talk unreachable goals as it relates to a team. If you set unrealistic goals and your team performs over and above, but does not reach those goals- CELEBRATE with your team. Explain to them the concept of unreachable goals and how much they have achieved. If you don't do this, your team will become unmotivated and will fail in the long run.
Years ago I had a boss who set unrealistic goals. My first year I was incredibly energized by this because it stretched me beyond where I would have gone had the goals been incremental.
After the first year I, and my other co-workers, slowly became frustrated. As soon as we reached that stretch goal another was set higher than the first. Who doesn't want to grow and be challenged? The frustrating part was that we never stopped to celebrate any of the successes we achieved. What was once a fresh, motivated, talented team became a frustrated, unmotivated, talented team.

People love to be challenged to grow. Just be sure to acknowledge and celebrate that growth- this is all part of the strategy of creating an outstanding team.