The Dawn of a New Era for Women

Posted December 8, 2020 by Catherine Kaputa in Famous People, Uncategorized, Women / 0 Comments

We’ve had many wrong calls about this being the “year of the woman” over the last decade or so. All the prognosticators were wrong. The march of women leaders wasn’t sustained, but this year might be different. The era of women leaders might be a reality that sticks.

The Wall Street Journal’s Gerald Seib recently gave a rundown of the key evidence for the rise of women power based on their showing in the 2020 elections in the United States (WSJ, November 17, 2020):

• Senator Kamala Harris will become the first woman vice president of the United States.
• An all-time high number of Republican women were elected to the House of Representatives, doubling the last high number of Republican women representatives.
• Women voters were the key reason Biden won. In fact, the entire winning margin for Biden came from women.
• For the second presidential election in a row, a woman was in charge of the winning presidential campaign (Kellyanne Conway in 2016 and Jen O’Mally Dillon in 2020.
• There is a record number of women being chosen for key cabinet positions, such as Janet Yellen for Secretary of the Treasury (another first).

Alas, we may finally be seeing political leaders who reflect the electorate in terms of gender who, hopefully, will bring about a more diverse points of view and a less polarized political environment.

How to Pitch Your Business in a Pandemic

Posted October 22, 2020 by Catherine Kaputa in Branding / 0 Comments

In 2020, we’ve seen a “storm” of disasters: the Covid19 pandemic and a shaky economy with many businesses shut down or partially shut down. As yet there is no word on whether there will be a second stimulus or another round of the PPP loan program. We’ve also been rocked by a contentious presidential election, and protests on the streets.

What’s a small business owner to do?

You don’t want to be seen as taking advantage of a crisis, but you don’t want to be invisible either. You have to figure out when to comfort customers and when to sell them.

Here are four phases from the Madison Avenue playbook on how to market during challenging times.

Phase 1: Launch with inspirational messages

In the early days of the Covid19 pandemic, many big brands ran inspirational, feel good TV spots like McDonald’s ads showing McDonald’s arches lighting up across the country at daybreak and Apple commercials featuring a montage of people staying creative with Apple products.

Phase 2: Tap into the new normal and changing habits

With consumer habits and lifestyle changing so rapidly during the pandemic, businesses needed to respond with something targeted to the new reality. Domino’s Pizza launched TV spots that featured contactless delivery. Anheiser Busch’s research showed how people’s lifestyle was changing and developed a digital campaign with professional athletes playing Call of Duty while drinking Bud Light Selzer. With people cooking and baking at home more, spice maker McCormick introduced cooking videos like “Easy Quarantine recipes.”

Phase 3: Drill down with useful tools and targeted advice

Many small businesses are using social media to provide useful tools, guides and workbooks that target specific customer needs. Many have set up virtual Zoom events that are educational such as the health food company that hosted a webinar with a panel of medical experts on what you can do to strengthen your immune system during the pandemic.

Phase 4: Humor comes back along with more inspirational messages

The pandemic is not over and no one knows when it will end. But there is a need to laugh again, like Progressive insurance company’s campaign with Flo and her coworkers working for home and struggling with the wifi. Because we don’t have an end date, there still is a need for inspirational themes that make us feel better.

The Empathy of Michelle Obama

Posted August 19, 2020 by Catherine Kaputa in Branding, Famous People / 0 Comments

On Tuesday night, Michelle Obama, in her speech at the Democratic National Convention spoke about empathy.

“Empathy: that’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. The ability to walk in someone else’s shoes; the recognition that someone else’s experience has value, too. Most of us practice this without a second thought. If we see someone suffering or struggling, we don’t stand in judgment. We reach out because, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” It is not a hard concept to grasp. It’s what we teach our children.

And like so many of you, Barack and I have tried our best to instill in our girls a strong moral foundation to carry forward the values that our parents and grandparents poured into us. But right now, kids in this country are seeing what happens when we stop requiring empathy of one another. They’re looking around wondering if we’ve been lying to them this whole time about who we are and what we truly value.”

I’ve been thinking about empathy too because it’s a strong feature of most women and female leaders I admire. Women in general tend to have dramatically more empathy than men in assessments like the PONS (Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity) test and EQ (Empathy Quotient). In the Myers-Brigs test, about three-fourths of women tested as “Feelers” in a national study. Feelers use empathy and emotional intelligence to supplement facts and provide meaningful solutions.

Rather than focusing on division, empathetic feelers seek solutions that bring about harmony and consensus. And that’s something we need to see more of in this pandemic moment. #Michelle Obama, #empathy, #Womensleadership, #women

Whatever Your Politics, the Selection of Kamala Harris as the Democratic VP Candidate is Important for #womenleaders #gender equality and #BlackLivesMatter

Posted August 12, 2020 by Catherine Kaputa in Branding, Famous People / 0 Comments

It’s more than an individual choice. Kamala Harris represents the growing political power of women, and Black women in particular. Black women are an important demographic in America. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/12/opinion/kamala-harris-joe-biden-election.html

No other major demographic is as loyal to either party as Black people, according to a 2018 Pew Research study https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/11/08/the-2018-midterm-vote-divisions-by-race-gender-education/

Of course this moment was a long time in coming. A century ago, this month, women got the right to vote in the 19^th amendment. Now momentum is afoot in gender equity. And that is good for all women.

As the saying goes, all ships rise with the tide.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: What Good Leadership in a Crisis Looks like

Posted May 14, 2020 by Catherine Kaputa in Branding, Famous People, Women / 0 Comments

Women are wired for empathy. What a powerful tool that can be in a crisis as New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern has demonstrated twice in the last year.

Her first crisis was the mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019. She immediately shared heartfelt compassion for the victims, condemned the hate talk of the shooter and affirmed the country’s values. Later, she took action by changing the country’s gun laws.

Now, Ardern is being praised for her handling of Covid-19. On March 21, 2020, she addressed the island country from the prime minister’s office, last used for a major announcement in 1982, so it heralded the importance of her message. She spoke of the pandemic with empathy and specifics, outlining her pre-emptive strategy to “fight by going hard and going early.” She followed up with weekly Q&A sessions from her home, and taking a twenty percent pay cut.

This week, on a Facebook Live video, she announced that the country has “won the battle” over Covid-19 with three consecutive days with no new cases and 21 deaths so far in the country of nearly five million people.

What’s next on her agenda? She’s working on a plan to rebuild the economy.

Deborah Birx – The Lady and Her Scarves

Posted April 24, 2020 by Catherine Kaputa in Branding, Famous People / 0 Comments

We’re all curious. What scarf is Dr. Birx going to wear today? What’s the brand? Is it Hermes, Pucci, or Anne Hand?

Not to seem superficial but we’re surrounded by disturbing data and dreary messages, it’s so wonderful to have a diversion. I don’t know whether Dr. Birx thinks in terms of personal branding or not, but she must because that’s what she’s done – she’s a brand.

Her scarves are the power accessory of the moment. They add a bit of brightness, a cheery note to a solemn occasion,

Fans are covering her scarves on social media. Now we have @deborahbirxscarves, @deborah birxscarfqueen, #drbirxscarves to name a few.

Well-known brands like Twitter with its blue bird have long tapped into the power of visual images, logos, color and design to imprint their brand identity into the minds of customers.

Savvy leaders and people in the news can use a distinctive visual identity, too. Women can have an advantage in building a distinct visual identity since men tend to wear a uniform to work with a dark suit and contrasting tie.

Women have a lot more opportunities to brand through accessories, clothing, hairstyle and the like. Madeleine Albright has her pins, Ruth Bader Ginzberg has her collars, and now Dr. Birx has her scarves. Hermes, perhaps the most favored brand in her collection names their scarves like a smart brander, and her fans are quick to identify each scarf. Is it the Rocailles II with its sea shell pattern or the bucolic scenes in Retour a la Terre?.

So, while Dr. Birx may be the only woman at the podium most days, she’s made quite an impression with her scarves, calm demeanor and personal stories. Her personality comes through and it’s augmented by the scarves ans her presentation style. It’s not just the data. She often shares personal anecdotes that humanize her and us too as we try to deal with the pandemic.

It can’t be an easy job for Dr. Birx to handle the other personalities and everything that’s said on the stage at the White House briefings. But we’re counting on her serene presence and her colorful scarves.

March 2020: #AndrewCuomo – A New Leadership Brand is Born

Posted March 31, 2020 by Catherine Kaputa in Leadership, Personal Branding / 0 Comments

What a difference a crisis makes!

Governor Cuomo’s daily disaster briefings on Covid19 are now must-see TV not only in New York but around the country. His live presentations have catapulted his personal brand in a matter of weeks from a governor who was respected but had a likeability problem according to polls into the leader of the moment. Now he has a passionate fan base rooting for him to become the Democratic nominee for president #PresidentCuomo

His detailed slide-show briefings are like chicken soup for the soul in a world caught up in this horrible new reality of the moment.

Here’s the Governor’s winning recipe:

Big on facts – Light on bluster

Straight talk – Not wishes and hunches

Empathy for the sick – And their caregivers

Focus on strategy – Not helter-skelter changes in direction

Intense – Yet calming

I feel better knowing he’s in charge and plan my day to make sure I can tune into his updates live. He mixes the cruel reality of what’s going in in New York portrayed in his slides with words of wisdom like “Find ways to create some JOY,” and gives us an example of how he’s creating joy with his daughters.

His presentations seem to speak to every listener personally as I imagine Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s fireside chats did over the radio during the bleakest days of World War II.

Thank you for your leadership. It gives us hope.

The Branding of the 2020 Democratic Candidates Pete Buttigieg: Small Town Boy with Amazing Personal Story and Likeability

Posted July 11, 2019 by Catherine Kaputa in Branding / 0 Comments

How did a small-town mayor break out of the pack? Well, a disarming, confident and incredibly engaging personal brand helps a lot.

First, there’s Mayor Pete’s unusual and compelling personal story. Harvard College, Rhode’s Scholar, and military service in Afghanistan. Then, he comes out as gay and gets married.

Buttigieg realized early on that in a crowded field with 20+ Democratic candidates, he needed to be nimble, creative and develop a different brand. He focused on social media and television, and went light on town hall and small meetings. He appears very authentic on television, and is quick with quotable lines:

“National service can help us to form connections between very different kinds of Americans, as was my experience in the military.”

“I’m still on the clock,” when asked to join some workers for a beer in Iowa.

Buttigieg has a branded look (and shades of JFK) with his dress white shirts worn with no jacket and a narrow marine blue tie that he wears on the stump. He’s short though his exact height is hard to find online. It’s estimated at 5’8 or so, so Buttigieg would be dominated by Trump at 6’2 on the debate stage. While it may be superficial, height gives you an advantage as a perceived leader. Since 1900, the taller candidate has won 19 times, over twice as many times as the shorter candidate.

But Buttigieg overcame limited political experience and a difficult name to spell and pronounce, so he can turn his short stature to his advantage by setting up a modern-day David and Goliath meme.

#Buttigieg #MayorPete #DemocraticCandidates #personalbranding

Branding Tips from the Democratic Candidates: Elizabeth Warren

Posted May 22, 2019 by Catherine Kaputa in Careers, Famous People / 0 Comments

I’ll be looking at every candidate’s branding over the next months leading to the Democratic primary. Politicians tend to be good at branding, so there are lessons and tips that can be useful in our own careers. I might as well start with Elizabeth Warren who has been so quick out of the gate with her ideas and proposals.

Elizabeth Warren: The Can-Do, Policy-Heavy Brand

Usually, presidential candidates take a safe approach and are very vague about proposals, at least in the beginning. Not Warren. She’s hit the ground running with her ideas and how to implement them. Here are the key ones so far:

Universal Child Care
Wealth Tax
Student Debt Cancellation
Break Up Big Tech

Presidential candidates wrap their brand in red, white and blue. In her banners and website, she stands out with her range of colors including a cool mint blue as her primary color. Visual identity is important, look how far Trump got with his red MAGA hats!

While Warren can project as smart and wonky, she also makes herself relatable with her news bits on Game of Thrones.

Self-Branding tip:Be known for your bold ideas that deal with problems in your company/department/industry.

5 Branding Tips from “Shark Tank” Success Story, Cousins Maine Lobster

Posted June 28, 2018 by Catherine Kaputa in Uncategorized / 0 Comments

If you haven’t tasted a lobster roll from Cousins Maine Lobster, you probably will soon. In five years, the start-up has gone from one food truck to a national franchise company with $20 million in sales.

How did the two founders do it? The cousins struck gold by using savvy branding every step of the way. Here are 5 branding tips from their phenomenal success story:

Start with a “small” idea:

It’s important to realize that “small” ideas grow into big businesses and big complicated ideas confuse and go nowhere. CML’s elevator pitch was “to bring the Maine lobster experience” to the rest of the world: “Shore to truck” in 24 hours to create the freshest lobster roll possible.” In my book, “Breakthrough Branding,” I talk about the importance of beginning with a “small” idea, one that is focused, different and sets up a “unique selling proposition” (USP). The cousins saw an opportunity for their simple idea of a lobster food truck business because, outside of Maine, it was hard to get lobster except at pricey restaurants.

Have a name that markets your story

The name, Cousins Maine Lobster, says it all. The founders were two cousins from Maine who had a reunion in Los Angeles in 2012. Encouraged by an evening drinking, they started reminiscing about their childhoods in Maine, family trips to the beach and eating lobster rolls for lunch. One thing led to another, and the two pooled their money, some $20,000, bought a food truck and launched Cousins Maine Lobster in Los Angeles.

Fuel the brand’s growth with a PR game plan

The cousin’s “creation story” based on their idyllic Maine childhoods and family outings to the shore was made for PR since it had a lot of human interest. The team knew how to tell stories with lots of anecdotes about the Maine lobster experience. Local PR led to appearances on national media. The PR attracted the interest of “Shark Tank,” and the pair got a big break when they were invited to appear on the show. Mark Cuban may have dissed them on the show, but Barbara Corcoran invested $55,000 for a 15% stake.

Evolve your plan to keep the momentum going

The original product was identical to the Maine lobster roll: soft roll, little bit of butter and gobs of lobster. To keep the momentum, they added fast-casual twists such as lobster tacos, and lobster tater tots with cilantro. They expanded their PR tactics beyond the Maine lobster experience story to their business success story. They had a great business startup story to tell. They franchised the business in 2015, and sales bounced from $2.6 M to $20 M in 2017. Now, the cousins have a book out, “Cousins Maine Lobster: How One Food Truck Became a Multi-Million Dollar Business.” They also set up a non-profit, “Cousins for a Cause” that is aligned with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Don’t be afraid to look stupid.

Many entrepreneurs are afraid to look dumb so they don’t ask questions in areas they don’t know well. The two founders realized that they don’t have all the answers. They leveraged Barbara Corcoran’s experience and contacts to aid growth. They traveled to Maine to meet with lobster fishermen and suppliers to understand the business better such as how to cope with fluctuating prices. They include a trip to Maine for the franchisees so they understand what’s unique about the Maine lobster experience and the business.

The founders of Cousins Maine Lobster may not have started out with a lot of assets, but they did have an intuitive savvy about branding and PR, and pursued every opportunity to create a successful business.