It's Complicated

To prepare quickly for the Aug 30th cross country race at Rim Rock, I knew I'd have to adjust my regular summer training, consisting of moderately paced runs between 6 and 10 miles. Time to step it up with some interval work. Besides, I remember I used to visit a track near my home. It sounded like a good idea anyway, but, like so many things, my relationship with the track is complicated.

I used to love the track. Back in college, we had a very close relationship. I saw her everyday. We spent a lot of time together- sure there were some rough patches, but we had some great times too. Unfortunately, some time after college, I fell in love with other things, like cheeseburgers, a good beer, and well, we stopped seeing each other.

So I was a little apprehensive visiting the track last night for the first time in years. Would she even remember me? Would she be glad to see me, or not? Maybe, I thought, I could just pick it up where I left off...

No chance. Turns out, the track did remember me, and she wasn't happy about the way I had left her. Now, I found myself pleading for her forgiveness, and mercy. No such luck. She kept reminding me how long it had been, how I was taking things too fast. She said, "take it easy, we've got a lot of catching up to do." She was right. I was jumping the gun, so we slowed things down.

After a long night of getting reacquainted, I think we may be able to patch things up. I don't think I'll ever love her the way I once did, but maybe, one day, we can become friends again. We'll just have to take things very slow. One step at a time.

In defense of logos

Yesterday, a jury sided with the University of Kansas in its lawsuit against Joe College for selling t-shirts that infringed upon KU's trademarks. This should have been an open and shut case. Still, there are a lot of people out there who just didn't get it and viewed the case as an example of a big, bad university out for profits. How can you own the word "Kansas?" they wondered. How can you own the color blue? Simple. You can. You can within a given context. Put Kansas on a blue t-shirt and sell it in Lawrence, Kansas, then yes, common sense tells you that's a KU t-shirt.

What about letters- can you own a letter? If so, who owns the letter A? Sesame Street? Well, if you're in Oakland, selling green hats with As on them, I'm guessing Major League Baseball will have a problem with that. If you're in Tuscon, Arizona selling navy blue hats with a red letter A on them, the University of Arizona might believe they have the right to do that. In Big 10 country, how important is the letter M to Michigan? Or the word "Wisconsin" printed in white on a red shirt? Now, put Wisconsin on a green shirt and sell it in Florida- not only will no one think it's a Wisconsin University t-shirt, no one will buy it. Why? Context.

Context matters. Now I'm no attorney, but I know that sometimes the letter of the law is what matters. Other times, it's the spirit of the law. Larry Sinks, owner of Joe College sold shirts that clearly were intended to capitalize on a local affinity for the University of Kansas. He would admit as much, so the context here is obvious. But rather than obtain an official license granting him the right to sell KU merchandise, he willfully tried to skirt the system by selling shirts KU would never approve under a licensing agreement. Sure, there's a market for tasteless, inappropriate t-shirts, but this isn't a "free speech" issue. It's commercial.

It's not free speech for me to sell a basketball jersey that says "Jordan" with the number 23 on it. I'm pretty sure Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls and maybe even Nike would have something to say about that. Sinks knew what he was doing, and he foolishly believed he had every right to do it. It reminded me of the man who ran across the street when the light was red and the sign said "Don't Walk." The man argued, "well the sign didn't say anything about running!"

Context is important. The law is important. Certainly there are more important things than logos to defend in the world, but I believe there are two kinds of people. There are those who endeavor to understand and do the right thing, and there are those who will try to get away with things, using whatever justification they can. I believe yesterday's ruling was more than just a legal victory for KU. It was a victory for common sense.

Olympic Uniforms Unveiled

Today, Nike unveiled the new uniforms designed for the U.S. team competing this summer in Beijing. The design sports the familiar red and contrasting light & dark blue scheme, reminiscent of those worn at the Sydney games of 2000. An additional design feature is a stylized, tattoo-inspired graphic, called "We the People," depicting symbols of America's patriotic and cultural heritage. And then there's the technology.

According to Nike, "Another innovation for the Nike Swift Suit was Aerographics; Nike’s engineered mesh system that was added at the back to increase cooling. Now the suit has a 7% drag reduction over the Nike Swift Suit for Athens, which translates to .02 seconds in the 100m. The new version is made with 100% recycled polyester yarns, fitting into Nike’s Considered design ethos. Now, Nike has combined its fastest ever Nike Swift technology with an environmentally preferred material." All I know is, they look good. All together now, "U S A! ...U S A!"

The Girl Effect

Last month, the Nike Foundation and Peter and Jennifer Buffett announced a $100 million investment in, well, girls. They call it “the girl effect”: the ability of adolescent girls in developing countries to bring unprecedented social and economic change to their families, communities and countries.

As the father of 2 girls, I can assure you there's no more powerful force in the world than the potential of a girl when given a chance. There are a lot of causes out there, approaching the world's challenges from many different angles. This one that makes a heck of a lot of sense to me. Check it out.

Stretching the Brand

This week, the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and Demand Media announced the launch of LIVESTRONG.com, an online community dedicated to healthy living, built on the brand essence of LIVESTRONG (e.g. health, fitness, nutrition, balance), a brand Nike created and nurtured for the LAF in 2003.

Containing more than 600,000 pages of content, LIVESTRONG.com includes more than 15,000 videos and articles, 50,000 questions and answers, plus personal profiles, photo galleries, discussion groups, personal action plans, recipes, interactive tools and calculators... (whew) let's face it, it's a behemoth. More to the point, it's a stretch.

I get the strategy- it's an evolution of the brand, leveraging it's key attributes. I'm just not sure I buy it. Where does it leave the foundation? I'm looking at my little yellow LIVESTRONG wrist band today, and I'm not sure what to make of it. Yesterday it said I was united in the fight against cancer. Today, however, I think it says a lot more ...and means a lot less. Let's watch- I could always be wrong.

Nike's Air Native

This week, Nike unveiled the new Air Native N7, a shoe designed and marketed specifically to Native Americans to promote health and wellness issues toward a population affected by high obesity rates. The shoe was designed to have a "culturally specific" fit and look, and it will be distributed solely to those populations through tribal wellness programs and schools at wholesale prices. In some cases, individuals may receive the shoes at no cost.

Niche marketing and cultural segmentation are certainly not new ideas, nor is Nike's approach to giving back to a particular community. But Nike's approach here is not altruistic, nor is it pure public relations. It's good business. I think it leads a trend we'll see that capitalizes on increasing consumer personalization, cultural affinity, and global consciousness. And it's a good thing.

Nike's Sport Culture division has taken these insights into account for the past several years to create trend-forward products appealing to credible "connectors" or "mavens", as Malcolm Gladwell calls them, on the streets of Manhattan or at Miami Beach. I predict Nike's efforts to serve the Native American market will be rewarded with consumer loyalty and commercial success.

Online Communities

Online networking is nothing new, but online communities and social networks have exploded in recent years. Depending on your perspective, this either means too much of a good thing, or endless opportunities to make a positive connection. How do we make sense of it?

Simple. When I went off to college, like most kids, I was overwhelmed. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to be a member of the track team and live in a fraternity. Add to that the classmates I had in my major, and I had at least 3 distinct groups of friends- the group I lived with, ran with and went to class with. Throw in a smattering of clubs and other groups, and you can see my point- I was no different than most people in college, with groups of friends defined by common interests and activities. In this way, a large community becomes very small.

The internet community has evolved the same way. The biggest communities (facebook, myspace), like most colleges and universities, provide ways to connect in the broadest sense, around user-generated content, interests, friends or spur of the moment activities. But among these broadbased social communities are a new generation of online communities that represent, in my opinion, an evolved and more specialized state of online networking.

One such advance in online networking is Linkedin.com, built around a simple common interest: professional networking. Think myspace at work. It works because there's relevance in its specificity (connecting employers and employees), asking users "what do you do?" and "who do you know?" (view my page here).

Companies like Nike are ahead of the curve, building communities around innovative products, like Nike Plus, enabling runners to track their workouts and compete against a virtual community of runners. This camaraderie, a critical element in sport, is finding relevance online through social networking, as Nike Plus allows users to share and discuss routes, music playlists and running-related topics.


Universities are following suit as they look to engage alumni and donors through affinity networks, such as inCircle, whose clients include everyone from Stanford University to the University of Phoenix, as well as Oregon, Texas, Wisconsin, Georgetown and Kansas. Within a common interest group (university alumni) can live specialized groups (cross country runners, business majors, fraternity members, etc.). Makes sense.

Non-profits are taking advantage too, as communities rally around a cause. Purpose-based groups will use these networks for advocacy and event planning, fostering very real engagement in a virtual environment.

Improving the signal to noise ratio, these affinity, permission-based groups represent the best evolution of the web, and they define, for me at least, the very concept of an online community. Hardly rocket science. The best connections are those allowing for mutually beneficial exchanges and stronger relationships. Proving, as always, the best ideas are usually the simplest.

Guiding Principles

I admire organizations that have a strong corporate culture, which usually begins with a clear sense of purpose. In some cases, it's a "mission statement." In other cases, it's a statement of values or guiding principles. You might even call it a conscience. Regardless of how it is defined, it is critical. It's certainly no coincidence that the most successful companies infuse these principles into everything they do.

It's hard to believe you can boil a company like Nike down to 2 words, but they can: Nike claims to Bring Inspiration and Innovation to Every Athlete in the World. Meanwhile, the BBC asks potential employees to test their personal values against the company's to determine whether the candidate would fit in (Take the test here). In Kansas City, Sprint promotes its value internally as a "single, ownable idea," while other companies, like Disney, go so far as to implement "service standards," defining not only what they do, but how they do it.

It all starts with a clear understanding of WHAT the organization does- and better yet, WHY it matters. This is where the company finds its value. I'm always suprised by how many organizations get by without a clear sense of purpose. Instead of empowering employees to be creative and collaborative, purpose-less organizations breed employees who are often risk-averse, siloed and territorial. Yet, for those with a clear and well-articulated purpose, the best organizations go a step further by not only defining the WHAT and the WHY, they also articulate HOW their mission will be manifested. This permeates all levels from the chief executive to the entry-level hourly.

Fortune Magazine annually lists the 100 Best Companies to Work For, including Google (this year's no. 1) and Kansas City's very own American Century Investments (no. 15). A common thread? Every company on the list provides its employees with a clear purpose, and they are rewarded with loyalty and productivity- which is just as good for morale as it is for the bottom line.

It's Chicago!

Today, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) selected Chicago over Los Angeles to be the U.S. entry in the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) bid process for the 2016 Olympic Games. The official bid launches September 15, 2007 and the host city will be determined in October 2009 from among the most likely candidates: Madrid, Tokyo, Rio deJaneiro, Rome, Prague and Chicago.

This is great win for a great sports city. L.A., which held the Olympics in 1932 and 1984, would have brought a new style of glitz and glamour to the games, still struggling to keep commercialism at arms length since the 84 games turned a profit and bribery scandals (linked the bid process) ensued.

Meanwhile, Chicago, known as a hardworking city- "the city that works"- with midwestern values, will bring a renewed spirit of ingenuity, integrity and sportsmanship to the games. The city's diverse, rich culture and proud tradition make it the best choice for the U.S., which will have gone 20 years since hosting the centennial games in 1996. Also, Chicago's plan for new facilities tied to urban development- including a "temporary" Olympic Stadium that will be converted to park land after the games- will help Chicago win the bid.

No South American or African city has ever hosted the games, but even though Rio may be the sentimental favorite, it will be overburdened hosting the 2014 World Cup. Meanwhile, Africa is expected to take its time presenting a solid bid for 2020, making 2016 America's best shot in years. Every American should be excited about the prospect of the Olympics coming to the heart of America.

I worked in Chicago from 1997-98 at Leo Burnett and lived just a block away from Wrigley, spending most of my summer nights with a hot dog and an Old Style in the bleachers. Despite that fact, my marathon p.r. was set in Chicago (2:46). Besides Chicago's world class sports, with the Magnificent mile, Sears tower, Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium, there's always something to do- and the "El" makes it so convenient to get around.

I think it's great that the world may get a chance to experience an American Olympic Games in one of its greatest cities- Chicago. You can bet I'll be there.

Thoughts on branding

For centuries, man has relied on symbols to tell stories, represent ownership and invoke emotion. In the modern business world, this concept has become known as branding, taken from the common practice of ranchers who branded their livestock to denote ownership.

Over time, businesses learned to develop brands as a means to differentiate themselves from one another. This practice has become so ubiquitous, it can now conjure an entire experience, sensation or story from a simple color (What can brown do for you?), letterform (the golden arches) or graphic element (the swoosh). As a result, a brand is not merely a symbol or logo, but a complete set of perceptions held by consumers that define their expectations of the brand, and in the best cases, their relationship with it.

Though brands were embraced by the corporate world, higher education viewed itself as a public service, practically immune to the pressures of commerce and public scrutiny. That all changed in the last 20 years, as competition for the best and brightest students intensified, funding sources tightened and calls for accountability soared. The colleges and universities that thrived were the ones that had compelling stories to tell, and could make a singular, lasting impression with their audiences.

Unfortunately, the natural decentralization within institutions of higher education has led to a dizzying array of disparate logos and messages as departments have succeeded in differentiating themselves from one another instead of uniting behind the institution’s mission. In many cases, the success of a unit’s brand identity has come at the expense of the institution’s image and reputation.

For this reason, the most progressive institutions- including the University of Kansas- have sought to unify their identities by strategically positioning themselves and defining their brands. Although this requires discipline from all participants and the support of institutional leadership, the result will enhance the university’s long-term image and reputation, while improving the bottom line.

Ultimately, an institution and all of its departments will function more cohesively given the proper communication tools and the context within which they can tell their compelling stories. When audiences can make an immediate and lasting association with a brand, it is the first step toward building a long-term relationship that is based on trust and the shared values a brand communicates.