Letter to AOA

Barry J Barresi O.D.  Ph D

Executive Director

American Optometric Association

243 Lindbergh Boulevard

St. Louis, MO 63141

Dear Sir;

No doubt the current business and economic environment have had an impact on your plans and goals as an association. Challenging times require extra care in association management and as you evaluate alternatives. Going forward, marketing and communications will play an important role in shaping the future. As I have thrown my hat in the ring as a candidate to be a part of AOA, I hope you do not mind a few unsolicited thoughts on just how my background and experience might be relevant and how I might contribute if I am fortunate enough to be selected.    

Building a plan and using that plan as a benchmark

AOA has a mission and a number of exceptional programs and initiatives. The annual meeting/conference, ongoing efforts to guide regional membership, thought leadership/position papers and publications – to name just a few. Resources are always limited, but your chances of making progress on an annual basis are more likely to be achieved if they are part of a dynamic planning process that organizes and prioritizes activity. Given the opportunity, I would be happy to share examples from my experiences at HBE, Clayco and Thermadyne. In addition, as a 12+ year chapter leader for the American Marketing Association I would be happy to show you how that successful association addresses ongoing challenges. Done well, a dynamic plan becomes a documentation of success as well as o commitment to focus on best practices.    

Budgeting for success

The plan document is important and should have broad readership. The budget, on the other hand, in my experience, is best managed with a smaller circulation. Budgets for marketing and communications activity can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Many companies simply do the best they can with a ballpark that has been established within in the past two-three years. Consumer products marketers often battle for a reasonable “share of voice” and budget based on best estimates of competitive spending. New products often try to obtain targeted rating points against the target prospect. When all is said and done, the budget should be a companion document to the marketing and communications plan. It should be realistic and fair. The budget also needs to be evaluated at least quarterly as the year unfolds. My experience has been within a relevant range of a wide variety of budget scenarios. Examples: I was account director at D’Arcy when they rolled out a campaign on behalf of Caller ID in the Pacific Bell territory that totaled $17 Million. At Crossland Construction, their budget for marketing and communications was decidedly more modest. (Less than one million dollars for a company with annual revenues of $500,000,000.)

Engaging membership

Your association must attract new members and retain members each year. To accomplish this you must understand what products and services add value. If your value proposition falls short or it not fully understood, you will experience attrition among your ranks. At Thermadyne, we were keenly aware of the industry-wide problem and growing shortage of skilled craftsmen interested in metal cutting, welding and fabrication. To address this we launched an industry leading campaign that featured Thermadyne brands while celebrating the end-users themselves. As membership VP  for the American Marketing Association I saw firsthand the very real impact of reaching members as they faced the annual membership renewal decision. In both cases, we recognized the influence and impact on schools (welding and trade schools for Thermadyne/marketing programs at area colleges and universities for the American Marketing Association)

Managing the brand

AOA is a brand. Like all brands, it is a reflection of a positioning in the minds of members and others who interact with the association. The brand comes with a promise. The promise must be reliable and true. Otherwise the brand loses equity and can be tarnished.  I have come to believe that marketing and communications programs designed to reinforce the brand are a critical pieces to the puzzle. If you visit a Starbuck’s Coffee Shop, anywhere in the world, you see a dramatic illustration of a company effectively managing their brand. I have been fortunate to have built my career from the very beginning with a keen understanding of the enormous impact branding can have on the perceptions of the products and services. A well managed brand can command a premium because it is trusted and respected. My experience with some well known brands and some less famous caused me to adopt the challenge to “Make good brands better and new brands known.” It has been my privilege to leverage brand equity in the context of a number of new product launches from JVC consumer electronics to Matchbox die-cast miniature vehicles (toys) to the TRUE series plasma cutting line from Thermal Dynamics and the EDGE series regulators from Victor.   

Innovation and thinking outside the box

AOA is a brand platform, just as Thermadyne’s Victor and Thermal Dynamics brands are. I mention this to reinforce the fact that as a newcomer to the metal welding and cutting hard goods market, I was able to apply brand building strategies that resulted in meaningful success that added value to the brands and the company overall. I mention only two examples here, but there are countless others. The discipline and processes for uncovering this equity and leveraging it is very real and palpable at AOA.

Social media and thought leadership

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogs and a host of other digital media options are generating opportunities for exponential exposure (and at a modest cost). It begins with understanding the attitude of key stakeholders. But the only way to earn exposure is to go viral with news that is relevant, compelling and timely. In short, it starts with CONTENT. AOA is an organization that has a unique opportunity to showcase best practices and expertise. At Thermadyne, we were able to use our industry leading brands as leverage in ongoing e-mail blasts to distributors and drive traffic to our website, newsletter and trade show activity. Like all media, the interactive media presents opportunities to be an important part of a bigger picture. The AOA whole has an opportunity to be far more significant that the sum of its parts!

Targeting market segments

The association has, like many brands, a number of market segments that will merit effort and attention. Underdeveloped segments may require some investment, mature segments may require some fresh thinking and new products might require exploration. My career has cast me in the role of managing product launch assignments. Examples: Over a two year period we introduced 25 new products from Matchbox. Some were simple innovations we knew would attract our existing following (like themed multi-packs) and others were completely new territory (like a radio-controlled skateboarder called R.C. Radskate). 

Reputation Management

AOA needs to be mindful of its brand and its reputation. Being prepared with crisis communication and smart about the brand is essential. I could elaborate on how we were able to reinforce brands with an ongoing program of public relations activity. (I can also share with you a process by which the successful measurement can guide ongoing programs designed to add credibility and showcase expertise but instead I will share a personal experience that dramatizes the potential negative impact if reputation management is not a part of your overall plans for your brand.)

In 1999, I found myself in the center of a big national story around the Adam’s Mark Hotel chain. What began as a small group, snowballed into a class action that was joined by the NAACP and the Department of Justice (DOJ). While the Adam’s Mark Hotels (and their parent company HBE) were never convicted of any wrongdoing or required to admit any guilt, the damage was done. The settlement and all of the publicity around the chain of 24 hotels, resulted in setbacks of which the company could not recover. The list of actions the company could have taken to prevent the brand from taking this hit is long. Today, the Hyatt Regency enjoys the premier location (in the shadow of the gateway arch) where Adam’s Mark once sparkled.    

AOA needs innovation and creative thinking. Membership at all levels want to be a part of an organization and profession that is viewed in a positive light. There needs to be a sense of urgency and a desire to be pro-active. AOA has an opportunity to reinforce itself the place to go for answers and leadership.   

Managing the team

Marketing and communications are often undervalued. The activity can boost sales, enhance value and dramatically improve an organizations performance. Yet, so often,  much activity falls on a small cadre of soldiers motivated more by the art than the commerce of their daily tasks. This is as it should be. Let’s face it, movies would be boring if actors and directors thought of nothing else but box-office draw. Instead, you need actors and directors who are passionate about telling a story and telling it well. Managing such a team, takes finesse. It also requires discipline and guidance to contain and focus energy on priorities. At the start of each day there needs to be a sense of purpose. At the end of each day a feeling of accomplishment (and being a part of a larger mission). 

cc: Renee Brauns, Chief Operating Officer

So, how did it go?

I managed to navigate the scrutiny of a top retained executive search firm and a round of interviews with a division of a global manufacturing firm. The company is based in college town about two hours west of me, so an offer might mean relocation and starting over with a host of daily rituals (coffee shop, library, grocery stores, networking and meeting people to name just a few). On the other hand the opportunity seems well worth the sacrifice. Those thoughts are bumping into each other inside my head but, I know, these issues tend to work themselves out if it comes to “getting the offer.”

“So, how did it go?” is the opening question from my wife and a short list of colleagues who know I am in the running for this position. It is sometimes followed up with the question “How did they leave it with you? Next steps?” I can only respond with impressions of a victim of a flawed process.

In my case, I struggle a little with the idea of running my own business vs. becoming a hired gun in another corporate scenario. I’m not gonna lie. I’m flattered when somehow my resume, reputation and experience rise to the top in a search. I have a solid track record of managing marketing communications.  I’ve done it all of my professional life. Notably, in the past dozen years in roles as head of communications and marketing. My consulting practice has helped me realize that marketing communications in recent years, in particular, has a tendency to be undervalued, misunderstood and even neglected. So, when a company is considering restoring that function, chances are they have no frame of reference - or worse a bundle of unrealistic expectations.

Nevermind the simple fact that cutbacks and reorganization have decimated the in house staff and eliminated outsourcing for marketing communications, what seems to be left is an organization with operations people and number-crunchers. Sadly they have to assess what’s missing. So how did it go? I have no idea.  

What does it all mean?

 My grandfather graduated from Saint Louis University more than 100 years ago with a medical degree. (I love that connection with St. Louis and my own family tree.) Unfortunately the study of medicine didn’t prevent John Benjamin Morgan (my grandfather) from losing his life to heart disease before he reached the age I will celebrate later this month. Meanwhile my dad is still living and expressing himself in water color paintings every day at the age of 93. My father remembers when his mother (my grandmother) passed away. She lived into her 80s. On her deathbed she asked, “What does it all mean, Jimmy?” I can’t help reflecting on that innocent question from time to time. Especially when you lose someone.

Years ago, when I was on my way to my own High School Graduation, I was listening to Cat Stevens (probably on an 8-Track player in my father’s Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme). “Oh very young, what will you leave us this time? ...You’re only dancing on this earth for a short while…” I was moved by that song to the point of replaying the tune over and over again.

Tragically, recent news in St. Louis of a hit-and-run driver resulting in the death of Amber Wood, a young woman in her 20s with everything to live for becomes another painful reminder of how fragile this life really is. Her mom is bravely dealing with the incredible loss with periodic posts on facebook. Friends are quick to offer prayers and expressions of sympathy. I can’t imagine the grief. I hope and pray the memories of Amber will give her mom courage to carry on.

Oh very young, what will you leave us this time? You’re only dancin’ on this earth for a short while…

The Tailored Idea

Build-to-suit or Settling for Low Cost Alternatives. Real estate professionals, architects, engineers, builders and owners can find themselves faced with a dilemma in an environment of economic uncertainly. It has always been true that buying exclusively based on lowest price is a dangerous way to do business. Catering to such clients can be hazardous as well. 

Consider the guy looking to buy a new suit. He enters a clothing store but he doesn’t want to spend too much money. The tailor shows him a designer brand nice suit for $400. “It is too much,” he says. Shown another suit for $200, he says, “It’s still too much money.” After several others, finally he is shown one that only costs $10. “That’s more like it!” the guy says, and tries it on. He looks in the mirror and one sleeve is about two inches shorter than the other.

“No problem,” says the tailor, “Just hunch up your right shoulder.”

So the guy hunches his right shoulder way up, and the sleeves look OK, but the lapels are crooked.

“No problem,” says the tailor, “Just stick out your left arm and cock it like a bird’s wing.”

So the guy sticks out his left arm and the lapels look OK. But then he notices that one pant leg is shorter than the other.

“Well, just keep that leg stiff,” says the tailor, “and no one will notice.”

“I’ll take it!” the guy says.

The guy leaves the tailor shop wearing the suit. Walking with his left leg stiff, one arm stuck out like a bird’s wing, and one shoulder hunched way up. Walking down the street he passes two orthopedic surgeons.”I have never seen anyone in such bad shape in my twenty-five years of practice!” says one of the doctors. “Me neither,” the other doctor says. “Nice suit, though.”

Maybe we all need to remember, even in the face of increased pressure to deliver low-cost solutions, the integrity of our collective professional lives depends on value without compromise, appropriate quality, and sustainable building that will serve well into the future. Ultimately, when someone says “Nice building!” let’s hope it is true for the intended life-cycle of the project.

Huddle Up

I gave my first tour as a docent at the Laumeier Sculpture Park this past week. I’ve been on a crash course of training of weekly meetings, internet searches and online art exploration to prepare. Art is a lifelong passion for me. Now I  am charged with sharing a little with a classroom field trip of Kindergarten kids. Big impressions can be made at such a young age. I am anxious to see if I can share some of my enthusiasm with these youngsters. The Park is 105 acres and has something like 70 major works - some part of the permanent collection, some on lone and others that are “site specific” installations that eventually erode or must be removed due to the effects to the outdoor elements. My plan was to keep is simple and hope to make an impression.  

“Okay kids. I’m Wes Morgan and I am your docent. That means I am here to introduce you to some of the art and teach you a little about this museum. It is a museum too – even though it is outside. All of the work you will see today is created by internationally acclaimed contemporary artists who have produced monumental work.” I know some of this introduction was not going to be retained. I also knew, on a glorious Spring day like this one, it would be hard to leave this place without an impression.

Ten (10) five year olds require a high energy teacher and a few extra adult supervisors to coral so the tour begins with an intro and a bit of a gameplan. “Here’s what we are going to do. I have a playbook – and like a coach or a quarterback I will let you know what we will be doing as we go. So when I ask everyone to bring it in and huddle up - that means I am going to need your attention.” It worked like a charm. Inside an hour and a half I was able to brief this group on ten remarkable works of art. They were engaged and excited.

Nikki de Saint Phalle, Ernest Trova, Judith Shea, Mark de Suvero, Alexander Liberman, Robert Chambers, Charles Ginnever etc. They won’t remember the artists’ names. But they will remember something - colors, shapes, design and how the art made them feel. That’s something.    

The Best of All Possible Worlds

I had the pleasure of joining my daughter, Lindsey, for the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music production of Candide, the opera composed in 1956 by Leonard Bernstein. We made the trip from St. Louis to see her friend in one of the lead roles on Friday Night (a road trip from St. Louis – some 225 miles.) It’s a journey and a chance for quality time. 

Candide is Voltaire’s magnum opus. I read it in college and am now reading it again. (Not in its original French of course.)  Candide is characterized by its sarcastic tone, as well as by its erratic, fantastical and fast-moving plot. Voltaire, through this story, ridicules religion, theologians, governments, armies, philosophies, philosophers and optimism in general. The main character, Candide, experiences a slow, painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world. Voltaire is not rejecting optimism outright but advocating an enigmatic precept, "we must cultivate our garden", in lieu of the mantra of Candide’s mentor Pangloss, "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.”

Candide has enjoyed both great success and great scandal after its secretive publication in 1759. Candide, however, with its sharp wit and insightful portrayal of the human condition, inspired many later authors and artists to mimic and adapt it.

All that said and with all due respect to Voltaire. I count myself pretty lucky to be spending this time with my daughter in this, the best of all possible worlds. 

P.S. As a bonus - we got to see that fantastic Alexander Calder Sculpture in front of the Jacobs School of Music (shown in photo above).  

In Transition

The PGA Tour is in full swing. This past week the greatest golfers in the world visited the Tampa Bay area at the event sponsored by Transition Lenses. TV spots during the broadcast of the tournament demonstrated how a pair of glasses with Transition Lenses will adjust to light to protect your eyes and help you to see the world better – especially if you happen to be a professional golfer. The glasses automatically adjust and filter the light.
“I’m in Transition.” Is a short declaration we hear a lot lately when we participate in networking events or business social gatherings. It’s a word that quickly identifies a person exploring job opportunities and is currently unemployed or at least not fully employed. That “I’m in Transition” conversational ice-breaker will likely lead to a short summary of career achievements and perhaps a more pointed challenge to share potential connections at a target company(s).

The word is like a lot of business buzz-words and phrases that get used so frequently it almost becomes cliché. The overuse of the word is unfortunate. But for now, it solves a real problem thousands of smart and talented people have in a tough economy. It is part of a vocabulary that will hopefully begin the facilitation of personal economic rebound. It puts a harmless description on what is often a rough time for a business person.

But aren’t we all in transition? Isn’t it part of the human condition? Change is natural and should be expected. We aren’t butterflies moving from caterpillar state anticipating a total transformation in which we spread our wings and take flight? We are people living with all the ups and downs that go with a full lifetime of experiences. We need to understand that our world changes and we change over time too. We need to make adjustments in ourselves and how we view things.

Too bad the people at Transition Lenses can’t manufacture the technology that permits each and every human being to get an automatic adjustment to environment they are in so that everything seems just perfect all the time. Funny, they used to criticize people who were looking at the world through “rose colored glasses.”