In our previous post, we introduced the role of a business producer and why one is crucial to the success of your brand. Now it’s time to explore what exactly a business producer can do to help you excel in today’s transformed world.
As we mentioned, success in today’s market depends on your ability to do three things:
1. Understand Your Story
2. Embrace Transformation
3. Sell The Beauty
Let’s take a look at each of these things and how a business producer is uniquely positioned to help you achieve them.
ONE: Understand Your Story
One of the reasons James Cameron’s movies are so successful is because they’re based on archetypes—universally understood symbols or prototypes that form the basis for everything from art, to literature, to sacred texts…and yes, to the branding of individuals and companies. All visionary, powerful and lasting brands (and James will tell you his movies are brands) are built around archetypes. There are no exceptions to this rule.
In Avatar, for instance, we have the typical “wounded hero,” Jake. Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker, two other archetypical characters in multi-million- and billion-dollar brands, embody the “orphan” archetype. As they realize they have special talents, they’re transformed into another archetype, “the hero.”
Archetypes affect us so strongly because they resonate with the deep, underlying structure of human motivation and meaning. They evoke strong feelings in us because they’re easily recognizable and tap into emotions and desires that we all share.
J.K. Rowling took an idea that popped into her head while riding a train—the story of a young wizard—and from it created a famous, world-renowned fairytale and literary legacy. In just ten years, the Potter brand generated her personal wealth that surpasses even that of the British monarchy.
How? Through the power of archetypes. The mere story of a boy wizard is interesting enough, but by drawing from the archetype of the orphan/hero striving to realize his potential and avenge his parents’ deaths, Rowling tapped into a well of meaning and emotion that has connected deeply with readers the world over.
Now that’s magical.
Similarly, your brand’s positioning and message must also tell a story that resonates in a deep, archetypal way. So the question you need to answer for your business is: What archetypal story can your brand, company or service tap into to give it that Potter-like magic?
(Here’s a hint: A business producer can help you find out. They will drill until they strike oil for you.)
Now, let’s move on to the next key to success…
TWO: Embrace Transformation
Google CEO George Schmidt recently said, “People aren’t ready for the technology revolution that’s going to happen to them.” Which begs the question: Is your business ready?
James Cameron creates movie magic because he knows how to pull together the right team of talent across the necessary disciplines to bring his creative visions to life. The result is that his movies are some of the highest grossing of all time.
Similarly, business success in our transformed world requires a kaleidoscope of skills and talents, which a business producer is poised to help you bring together.
A few questions for you:
• Do you have an integrated team vested in your market domination?
• Are you keenly aware of all the ways your customers seek value?
• Are you using SEO, SEM, PPC, video, social media and other platforms and environments to “live” where your customers are?
• Do you have all the right players connected to deliver true subject matter expertise and authentically create markets that your competitors never considered?
If your answer to any (or all) of these questions is “No” (or “I’m not even sure I know what you mean—how do you do that?”), you’re in need of a business producer.
As influential writer and management consultant Peter Drucker put it, you will never have to “sell” anything if your marketing is done the right way. If you know and understand your customers and the transformed world they live in—and your business has been transformed along with it—then your products will sell themselves.
But this can only happen under the watchful eye and carefully planned action of an intelligent team, pulled together with the direct help of a strong business producer.
Imagine the influence your brand would have if you, your team, your business and your market all had a shared vision of transformation and true success.
It is possible.
A business producer can show you how.
Now, here’s the last piece of the puzzle…
THREE: Sell The Beauty
Most people can recognize an iPhone or an iPad. You don’t have to be an Apple “fanboy” to appreciate the flawless Apple brand symmetry, the attention to the tiniest of details, the dedication to user experience and the congruent brand packaging of all Apple products. The iPhone box alone is a work of art, so much so that it feels wrong to simply toss it away.
Can you say that about any other mobile phone’s packaging?
That’s beauty—the kind of beauty that gets a brand noticed and beloved.
Apple’s brilliant design has inspired other designers across the globe. There is NO question if a cell phone is an iPhone, a laptop is a Macbook or a tablet is an iPad. You know just by looking at an Apple product that it’s an Apple product. The aesthetics are omnipresent.
Beauty is not just part of the brand; it is the brand.
And consider that we’re talking about technology—which, let’s face it, tends to be ugly, utilitarian, and difficult to fathom. Not for Apple!
And, more importantly, not for Apple customers.
So, how does this translate to your business success and building market share and brand awareness?
Let’s take one last look at the man behind the silver screen, the producer:
James Cameron’s movies—from the imagining, to the casting, to the final packaging—are all congruent. There’s true beauty and grace in motion. The aesthetics of his movies’ brand, from the trailers to the DVD covers, are congruent and evoke the essential elements of his brand.
It’s easy to tell wonderful stories and to create beauty in your market simply by being congruent. With the guidance of a business producer, your packaging and your brand can come into graceful alignment to create a single, powerful market force.
And the impact is PROFOUND.
Human beings are visual creatures. If you can create a congruent brand identity and deliver packaging that conveys exactly what your brand stands for—including all the essential elements of your brand position—you’ve unlocked the secret to Selling the Beauty. You see it first in yourself and your business and then you align it to the market and your customers. This creates a magnetic attraction, and the deals flow for you.
In a sea of cookie-cutter template sites, thrown-together landing pages, and the old internet marketing ploy of yellow-highlighted text, you can stand out like a beacon of hope just by having strong packaging and a congruent image.
And attractive packaging and a congruent brand aren’t just for deep-pocket companies with talented art directors and brand managers.
Anyone can achieve this with the help of a business producer.
And that’s just the beginning…!
To Wrap Up
So, how do you bring all these elements together?
With the expertise and skills of a business producer.
It’s the business producer who helps you Understand The Story, Embrace Your Transformation and Sell The Beauty. It’s the business producer who—like James Cameron—cuts through the fog and the disparate pieces to see the long-term vision, while simultaneously wielding their magical orchestration powers to access the necessary team players and sell a congruent, magnetic brand image.
Sound impressive? It is.
Now It’s Your Turn…
Take a minute, right now, to reflect on your recent personal transformation and the rapid evolution of your business in this dynamic world. Just imagine how much easier everything would be with a business producer in your corner.
In the comment section below, tell me: What’s the first thing you would do when that business producer walks into your door, shakes your hand and looks directly into your anticipating eyes?
What would you tell them?
What could they do for you?
What’s your transformation dream?
