Core Values in Marketing

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In the early 1990’s I had an epiphany. I realized it is possible to have, or at least feel like you have a relationship with someone you have never met in person. They may not have one with you, but you can most assuredly have one with them.

I worked in a warehouse everyday and as long as I got my work done, I could listen to the radio or cassette tapes on my Sony Walkman. Do you remember cassette tapes? Every day I would listen to John Maxwell leadership tapes in the morning and after lunch I listened to the Rush Limbaugh talk radio show. It was a Friday afternoon, early in 1991. My wife, I and our friends Robert and Beth Tippett drove to Kansas City from Joplin, Missouri to see Rush Limbaugh in person at what was called “The Rush to Excellence Tour”. At the event, I purchased a black baseball cap that had Rush’s signature embroidered across the front of the hat. In those days I was even more naïve than I am today and had no idea Rush Limbaugh might be an irritation to some people. We got back to Joplin very late Friday night.

The next morning I had a mid-morning board meeting at church. Did I mention I was also on staff as the children’s minister at Fir Road Christian Church? I proudly wore my new head-gear to this meeting of elders, deacons and various church leaders. A lady named older, I’ll call Jane, whom I had known since kindergarten blind-sided me, berating and vilifying Mr. Limbaugh. She told me all kinds of evil things he stood for and how he is a hater of this and that. She went on and on. I immediately dug in my heals and began to defend Rush as though he were my own brother. I was visualizing myself physically hurting this woman for attacking my dear friend. The friend I had never met. The friend I had only seen in person one time from the nose-bleed section of a theater in Kansas City.

I got home later from the church meeting still wounded from the attack on my “friend”. I had to have a serious talk with myself. “Randy, you have known Jane for about 20 years personally and she is a good friend of your parents. You have listened to Rush on the radio for about a year. Why on earth did you take up such an offense today, for a man you have never met, nor will ever?”

My relationship with Jane was never the same and I never understood why until I spent some time a decade later with BJ Bueno. He is a marketing guy who specializes in the area of “Cult Brands”. His first book, (which I recommend) is called The Power of Cult Branding. I’m not talking about some kind of weird satan worship. There are brands in the marketplace considered to have a “cult” following of people. They may not be the biggest companies; they just have the most loyal, die-hard customers. Through meticulous research and scores of interviews, BJ and his buddy Matt Ragas uncovered the remarkable, untold stories behind nine very successful Cult Brands. The brands studied were Apple, Jimmy Buffett, Harley Davidson, Linux computer operating systems, Oprah Winfrey, Star Trek, Vans skateboarding shoes, VW beetle and (at the time) the World Wresting Federation.

Here’s basically what Mr. Bueno taught me. It’s not the product or service that pulls together this “cult” following of customer evangelists. It is their shared core values.

Your core values are as much a part of your being as your arm or your leg. As a matter of fact some people are willing to give up an arm or a leg for their values. We call these people the U.S. Military. These are people willing to give their lives for what they believe in, for their values.

In the same way, Harley riders around the country are a family. When they see each other on the road, they feel a kinship. They are seeing a member of their “tribe”.

I use a PC, but my daughter Ashley is a member of the Apple/Mac community. Mac users feel like they are part of a special computer movement. Most are even a bit smug about their Macishness. Even though Mac computer sales are a fraction of PC’s, they know they are in a special club. It’s like they have a secret, an inward confidence in their machine. The people at Apple have tapped into a special set of values Mac users have in common and they refuse sell out or violate the values.

Ok, back to my Jane and Rush story. My sticking up for Rush had nothing to do with real friendship, again, I have never met the man. When Jane attacked Rush, she attacked my core values. I have many of the same conservative social and fiscal political beliefs and values. She wasn’t just attacking Rush, she was attacking me, my father, my friend Robert, my wife and my version of “The Stars and Stripes”! “Randy-World” was under attack and I had to defend the borders.

In the same way Harley-Davidson riders aren’t standing up for a motorcycle, they are standing up for a lifestyle that represents a certain set of values.

Soooo… What does this have to do with Owner Branding and your business?

Allow me to give you an illustration in order to bring this closer to home.

You have recently moved to a new community. You are in need of a new family dentist. You are a card carrying member of Boxer Dog Rescue Society, which means you volunteer your time to help lost or abandoned Boxer dogs find good safe homes. You have been the foster home for a young male named “Dozer” for the past two weeks. Today you are delivering Dozer to his new home. You arrive at a beautiful home; a lovely, sweet lady answers the door with her two very well behaved elementary aged children who are very excited to have a playmate for their other Boxer. Her name is “Lady”. Within minutes, the dad comes in to visit with you and ask a few questions about Dozer. During the conversation you find out he and his wife have been a part of Boxer Rescue in the past. As you are leaving, you exchange contact information and discover he is a local family dentist.

When the time comes to set that first dental appointment, whose name will you Google first?

Why him? You have no idea if he is any good as a dentist.

Most of all, YOU LIKE HIM; you have a common bond very few people can understand or appreciate. To you and to the dentist there is something special and majestic about dogs and especially Boxers. You have a friend and the only way he will not be your dentist in the future, is if you can’t find him or if his staff offends you or he turns out to be a very, very bad dentist. I repeated “very” because dog-lover-values commonality will make you overlook many sins.

The money quote: "All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust. All things not being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust."
WHEN PEOPLE BELIEVE YOU HAVE THE SAME CORE VALUES, THEY FEEL THEY KNOW YOU, THEY LIKE YOU AND THEY TRUST YOU UNTIL YOU GIVE THEM A REASON NOT TO!