By Holly Bowyer, CEO/Partner, Media & Marketing Minds
Motivated by a Mouse
I recently attended my weekly networking meeting, virtually of course! Since we no longer meet in person, we try to do something different during the meeting to drive engagement. Each week we end the meeting with a quote from our Quotemaster—yes, that is a real position in the group and his job is to inspire and motivate us to go take on the week. This week we were all asked to be Quotemasters and share a quote that inspired us or was relevant to our business. I decided to search for a quote from someone who I think was an amazing, creative and innovative marketer - Walt Disney.
Just to set the stage a bit. Our family has been to Disneyland and DisneyWorld a number of times. In full transparency, my husband works for Disney, so we have had our share of visits to various parks. We have raised 3 girls - I still have almost every princess dress packed away - and we have watched a ton of Disney movies and purchased many Disney-related toys over the years. My girls still break out into a Disney song and know all the words! I do not regret any of those purchases or trips because Disney sparks imagination, creativity, and memories.
Our last trip to DisneyWorld was the first time we experienced Pandora, the world of Avatar at the Animal Kingdom in Orlando. The imagineers thought of everything from the ground you walk on to the trees you pass by, to the overall structures, the ride and of course the characters that roam around. And, the experience is different during the day and night so you could go back a number of times and see something new and different each time. The attention to detail is awesome.
Which brings me to my quote from Walt Disney:
“Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future”.
I think it reflects the current times we are in while also alluding to the need as a business owner to constantly innovate and think about what’s next. As I read the quote, I pondered what we could do differently in the future to make interacting with our company a more memorable experience for our clients.
The Future is Now
Disney is a great brand with longevity and a proven track record. No matter what they do, they are always looking to innovate and are remarkably mindful of their brand personality, philosophy, tone, image and approach. You don’t have to be a BIG business to do all of those - every business should be thinking about their brand and how they deliver on their promise to clients each and every day.
Things will look different as we move into 2021 and get on the other side of Covid-19 and adopt the “new normal”. I encourage you to focus on the future now and think about what you will do in your business to innovate while keeping true to your brand. Take a minute to ponder these questions:
What problem do you solve for your clients?
How has the pandemic changed your business? What will you do differently to proactively address those changes?
Have your customer’s expectations changed?
How will you modify your business to adapt or enhance your customer’s experience?
How can I change my product/service offering to adapt to the new normal?
How will you communicate any changes to your business to your customers?
What can you do differently in the future to make the experience with your business more memorable for your customers?
As you contemplate your answers, be mindful about maintaining a balance between staying present and managing your current challenges while keeping your aim constantly focused on the future...just like Walt.