Ivan Newman | Sherie Griffiths

January 19, 2012

Healthy Brand, Healthy Business

Filed under: Business, Business Startup, Communication, Marketing, Media, The Enterprise Gateway — Tags: 3pm, Afternoon Show, Asap, Baby Buggies, Business, Business Startup, Coca Cola, Cocacola, Gateway 97.8, Hell, Instincts, Ivan, Ivan Newman, Last Minute, Live Radio, Living Inside The Brand, Lok, Long Time, Occasional Series, Paul Smalley, Pilot Edition, Radio, Santa Claus, Sherie Griffiths, Sixpence, Smalley, Speak for Yourself, Spontaneity, Startup Revolution, The Enterprise Gateway, Thursday Afternoon, Tradition — sheriegriffiths.com @ 8:52 am

Back on 1st December last year (doesn’t that seem like a long time ago now?!) on the Thursday afternoon show, we ran the pilot edition of ‘The Brand Doctor’ with Ivan Newman of Living Inside The Brand. On that occasion, I – or rather my new brand, was the patient.

We had another patient lined up to see the Doc in January, but unfortunately, she was ill at the last minute. Yes, I know, ‘to ill to go to the Doctor’ – ironic, isn’t it?; but true.

So, in the tradition of live radio, we thought on our feet, turned on a sixpence – and employed every other cliché we cold think of – and decided to take a general lok at what makes a strong, healthy brand.

All my training and instincts tell me that good shows need preparation; careful planning – but just occasionally, something which you pull together at the last minute really works. It has a spontaneity about it. You wonder how the hell it all comes together so quickly – but it does – and it’s a great feeling! A lot of it, I have to say, is down to having a guest who really knows their stuff.

The conversation Ivan and I had (which we’d only planned in very general terms, in reception before going on air – yes, really!), ranged from baby buggies to the link between Cocacola and Santa Claus! I won’t tell you any more because I’m aiming to get the show online asap. I’ll let you know when that happens.

This afternoon, I start another new, occasional series: ‘Where do I start?’, with Paul Smalley of Startup Revolution.

As always, you can catch the show at 3PM on Gateway 97.8 if you’re in the area, or listen anywhere at gateway978.com – and if you have any feedback, or any ideas for possible one-off shows or a series, get in touch.

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December 1, 2011

‘The Doctor will see you now’

Filed under: Business, Communication, Marketing, Media, The Enterprise Gateway, Websites — Tags: 3pm, Basildon, brand, Brand Doctor, branding, Business, Business Person, Constructive Critique, Distant Future, Doc, Enterprise Gateway, Fingers, First Appearance, Gateway 97.8, Heart, Ivan, Ivan Newman, Living Inside The Brand, market, Marketing, Mission Vision, Out Of The Blue, Personality, Pilot Episode, Radio Show, Sherie Griffiths, Speak for Yourself, Thurrock, Vision Values — sheriegriffiths.com @ 9:22 am

This afternoon’s Enterprise Gateway is given over to the pilot episode of a new monthly series – The Brand Doctor, with Ivan Newman of Living Inside the Brand. The idea came out of the blue, in the middle of Ivan’s first appearance on the programme, to talk about the essentials of branding, as set out in his book, ‘Put Brand at the Heart of Your Business and Watch it Grow’.

Once a month, he’ll sit down with a business person to give them a constructive critique of their branding – from their website to their mission, vision, values and personality.

The first patient is – well, it’s me – or rather, my new brand, Speak For Yourself. I never like to ask anyone else to do something that might be the least bit challenging, unless I’m prepared to do it myself first – so here goes!

Catch the show live at 3PM, on 97.8 FM in Basildon and East Thurrock, or anywhere at http://www.gateway978.com. The programme ill also be available for download in the not too distant future – I’ll give you the link as soon as I have it.

Just keeping my fingers crossed that the Doc doesn’t find anything too horrendous in the course of his examination – and that the prescription isn’t too hard to swallow…

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October 25, 2011

How strong is the heart of your business?

Filed under: Business, Communication, Customer Service, Marketing, Media, The Enterprise Gateway — Tags: Anecdotes, brand, brand excellence, branding, Business, Customer Service, Customer Time, Gateway 97.8, Ivan, Ivan Newman, Last Thursday, Living Inside The Brand, Managing Director, Marketing, Mission Values, Operatives, Oven Cleaners, Oven Cleaning Company, Ovens, Overalls, Personality, Podcasts, Pride, put brand at the heart of your business and watch it grow, Question The Answer, Radio, Sherie Griffiths, Spick And Span, Surprise, The Enterprise Gateway, Uniforms, Vision Mission — sheriegriffiths.com @ 7:33 am

On last Thursday’s radio show, my guest was Ivan Newman, founder and Managing Director of Brand Excellence consultancy Living Inside The Brand and the author of ‘Put Brand at the Heart of Your Business and Watch it Grow’. He was in to talk about the five essentials of branding.

We’ve worked together before. We made a series of audio-visual podcasts on various aspects of customer service. In each of those, Ivan illustrated his points with anecdotes – so it came as no surprise to me when he did something similar on the radio.

All the examples in the podcasts had been real, but just before we went on air on Thursday, he came up with the idea for a fictional business, which we could brand on the spot. Gateway Oven-cleaners was a simple model – their operatives would come into your home, clean your oven, and leave. ‘So what’s to brand?’ I hear you ask! Yes, well, I was asking the same question. The answer is: more than you imagine.

The five essentials which Ivan set out were: ‘Vision, Mission, values, promise and personality’. He then proceeded to look at each one in turn, in relation to our instantly created oven-cleaning company

By the end of the show, we had a team of uniformed cleaners (I did point out they couldn’t keep their uniforms spick and span if they were going from one oven to the next –but naturally, Ivan had the answer: ‘overalls’!). Their vision was to leave the customer with restored pride in their newly shined ovens; their mission was to save the customer time and grime; their values included safety – of the products and the people (I’d never have thought of oven-cleaners being CRB checked, but obviously for any vulnerable customers that would be very reassuring); their promise was to achieve it all quickly and efficiently; and their personality?

Now, I thought that was all about how friendly they were etc. That was part of it – but there was more to it than that. Our oven-cleaners were ‘defenders’, Ivan decided – defending us against encroaching dirt – hence the uniforms.

Speaking as someone whose oven keeps giving her reproachful looks every time I open the door – and who keeps looking away – because I HATE cleaning the oven! – I wish someone would take Ivan’s ideas and run with them. I NEED that company!

If you missed the show but want to know more about branding your own business, Ivan is going to be back on the radio very soon, with a new monthly series: ‘The Brand Doctor’. We’re running a pilot edition in December (I’ve volunteered to take the first spoonful of medicine!) We’ll be looking at my own new brand, which launches this Monday, 31st October. we’ve already got a booking for the January show – but after that, it’s all yours. I’m acting as Doctor’s receptionist (but I promise not to be fierce!), so if you want a consultation, just let me know and I’ll book you an appointment.

This week’s programme is another change of direction (one thing I love about the Enterprise Gateway is the variety). I’m talking ‘amazing support’ – no, I haven’t got Gok Wan on the show – yet! – and there’s no LYCRA involved … So what am I on about? Well, you’ll have to listen on Thursday afternoon, won’t you? 3PM on Gateway 97.8 FM in Basildon and East Thurrock, or at gateway978.com everywhere else.

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