John Kennedy Helped My Branding

On January 20, 1961, John Kennedy was inaugurated as America’s president. Legend tells how, despite 8” of snow falling on Washington the previous day, Kennedy made his speech sans hat to demonstrate his youthful vigor.

Hat sales plummeted nationwide in the year that followed. Coincidentally, perhaps, the trend persisted and few people wear hats today. Presumably, JFK set the tone and fellow citizens followed his lead.

Baseball caps abound, of course, but little differentiates them beyond colors and stitched-on phrases. As they say in the trade: “One size fits all."

But hats with style and grace haven’t had widespread exposure for years. SIGH!

I’ve spent my life thinking differently. That desire, layered atop perilously thinning hair, drove me to years of wearing a Panama hat. Over two decades it’s become part of my personality, helping me stand out of any crowd.

Plus I’ve learned over time that anyone regularly wearing headwear with panache will add flavor and spice to your life.

The point was driven home to me recently when a prospective alliance partner attended a meeting wearing REALLY cool headwear. Her inspiration? She saw my hat, and wanted to follow suit.

I’m helping reinstate personal flair? AWESOME!

Effective marketing isn’t merely a matter of building a mousetrap that’s better, cheaper, or more readily available than the other guy’s. Effective marketing is also about acquiring mindshare, so that people remember you when you’re not there.

Creating such social consciousness may involve developing a character, a snappy tagline, or a snippet of music that becomes an earworm.

Building a marketing idea that sticks in the public mind requires hard work, an openness to new ideas, and time for those ideas to mature.

Perhaps most importantly, cultivating successful creative results usually demands a team of visionaries capable of connecting dots that most people don’t even see.

Because the odds of one person creating an idea that goes viral are slim, and there’s no magic drawer where you’ll find clever marketing solutions.

With all the hope our new year bestows upon us, it’s time to shift from survival mode to strategizing your next big success. Build your team now, understand your objectives and audience, and invest time and resources wisely.

Before long, you may have everyone talking about you.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

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Put a cap on your branding at www.askmrmarketing.com.