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The CEOs from BubbleLife Media, WD-40, 16 Handles, and Gorkana Group discuss:

Cutting Through the Clutter: How to Position Your Company Effectively

in the MarketplaceJeff Farris

President/CEO, BubbleLife Media LLC

Garry Ridge CEO, WD-40 Company

Solomon Choi CEO, 16 Handles

Jeremy Thompson Chief Executive Officer, Gorkana Group

Very few products are so unique that only one company holds the entire market share. Instead, there are millions of com-panies producing similar products squabbling over the same

customers. How do you differentiate yourself in such a crowded space? The answer is simple: a quality product, branding, and niche marketing. To succeed, you need to create a product that meets your customers’ needs reliably and upholds the promises you make them. Almost as important is branding: the sum total of packaging, customer service, IT, sales, and management. Finally, finding the right niche and crafting a short story that concisely tells a customer everything they need to know is key to getting the attention and interest of customers. In this ExecBlueprint, CEOs from a variety of industries discuss the basic stepping stones that will clear a path to success. n

Action Points

I. Top Ways to Move into PositionIn this new digital age, finding the best way to utilize social media is a sure way to become a market leader. Use relevant platforms such as Twitter and Instagram to reach your target market and encourage the entire company, not just the marketing team, to work together to promote the brand.

II. The Bottom LineYou will never stand out in your industry without a quality product. Focus on meeting genuine customer needs rather than following trends, and deliver reliable functionality and service. Create innovative products where you can, but don’t innovate just for the sake of it. Meet the promises you make in your advertising, and customer loyalty will follow.

III. Must Haves for Successful MarketingMarketing is not just about having the best product — it is about having the best brand. Customers expect excellent products as well as excellent customer service and will hit the social media airways to either celebrate or decry your efforts. Offer them ways to express their opinions and truly listen to what they have to say. Their ideas can lead to innovation and greater success.

IV. The Golden Rules for Defining a NicheThe most basic rule of marketing is to keep it simple. The more information you give, the less people will remember. Customers don’t want a sales pitch; they want a story, so give them a short one that will stick in their memories.

V. Essential Take-AwaysCustomers no longer just want a product; they want a relationship with the company that makes the product. Find ways to build relationships and customer confidence.

Contents

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.2

Jeff Farris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.3

Garry Ridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.5

Solomon Choi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.7

Jeremy Thompson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.10

Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points . . . p.12

© Books24x7, 2014 About the Authors ExecBlueprints 2

About the AuthorsJeff FarrisPresident/CEO, BubbleLife Media LLC

Garry RidgeCEO, WD-40 Company

Solomon ChoiCEO, 16 Handles

Jeremy ThompsonChief Executive Officer, Gorkana Group

Jeff Farris is president and CEO of BubbleLife Media LLC, a Dallas-area startup focused on reinventing neigh-

borhood news and the ways in which local merchants connect to their customers. Prior to BubbleLife Media, Mr. Farris was the founder in 1988 of Saber Software Corporation, a developer of network sys-

tems management software. Under Mr. Farris’s leadership as president and CEO, Saber Software ranked 26 in Inc. maga-zine’s list of Fastest Growing Private Companies in 1993. In 1994, Mr. Farris led Saber Software to a successful initial public offering and positioned the company to become the industry leader for network

systems management products. In 1994, Saber Software reached $20 million in worldwide annual sales, and the company was acquired by Network Associates (McAfee) in 1995.

Garry Ridge is president and chief executive officer of the WD-40 Company headquartered in San

Diego, California. WD-40 Company is the maker of the ever-popular WD-40® multi-use product and, 3-IN-ONE®, BLUE WORKS®, and WD-40 Specialist™ prod-uct lines.

Mr. Ridge has been with WD-40 since 1987 in various management positions, including executive vice president, chief operating officer, and vice president of international. He has worked directly with WD-40 in 50 countries. A native of

Australia, Mr. Ridge has served as national vice president of the Australian Market- ing Institute and the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association.

Mr. Ridge received his Masters of Science Degree in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego, CA, in June 2001. He is now an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego. He teaches leader-ship development, talent management, and succession planning in the Master of Science in Executive Leadership program.

Mr. Ridge’s honors include Director of the Year for Enhancement of Economic

Value by the Corporate Directors forum in 2003, the Arthur E. Hughes Career Achievement Award from the University of San Diego2004, and the Ernst & Young – Master Entrepreneur Award in 2006. In 2009, Mr. Ridge co-authored a book with Ken Blanchard titled Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called “Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A.”

Creative entrepreneur Solomon Choi got his start in the restaurant busi-ness working for his parents, fran-

chise owners of the largest seafood buffet in San Diego, who put him to work at a young age. Over the years he learned the operations side of the franchise business, starting as a busboy and graduating to managerial positions that eventually led to a vice president role in the family busi-ness. He also worked as a director for a hospitality group that included a gelato

franchise and full-service restaurants in Los Angeles. During this time, Mr. Choi gained even more business operations knowledge as his responsibilities increased to manag-ing food costs, margins, leases, and more. In 2008 the very first 16 Handles opened in New York City’s East Village. There are now 40 stores operating in the East Coast and the business is poised for growth throughout the U.S.

A multiple-time guest panelist for NYU Stern’s Annual Marketing Conference,

Mr. Choi has been featured on MSN, Bloomberg News, ABC News, Fox Business, and in The New York Times, among many others. He is a graduate of the Marshall School of Business at USC with a degree in marketing.

Jeremy Thompson is Chief Executive Officer of the Gorkana Group, the market-leading media intelligence busi-

ness with offices in London and New York. Working with a team, he put together a group of market leading data and insight services which allow over 4000 organiza-tions around the world to connect with the media, manage reputation, track the effec-tiveness of PR campaigns, and demonstrate

return on investment in communications programs. He sets the strategic direction for the business as well as overseeing day-to-day operations.

Mr. Thompson started out on the graduate scheme at Thomson Reuters before being introduced to the public rela-tions world at United Business Media. He has experience of building businesses

organically and through acquisition, and has worked in a private equity environment for the last 10 years. He has experience of several mergers and acquisitions and has led Gorkana Group to a position of market leadership in the U.K. He now has global growth aspirations.

☛ Read Jeff’s insights on Page 3

☛ Read Garry’s insights on Page 5

☛ Read Solomon’s insights on Page 7

☛ Read Jeremy’s insights on Page 10

© Books24x7, 2014 Jeff Farris ExecBlueprints 3

Jeff FarrisPresident/CEO, BubbleLife Media LLC

The Growth of Marketing and BrandingTwenty years ago, when I was start-ing the company I would eventually take public, I only had to advertise in one trade magazine to reach the majority of my potential custom-ers. Now, this landscape features hundreds of news sources with much less effective online ads. Simply running a good advertise-ment has given way to a new story-centric marketing strategy that utilizes every part of the organiza-tion for marketing. To understand how marketing has become part of every company function, it is neces-sary to understand the ability of companies of any size to create their own brand. Unless you have tens of millions to spend on mar-keting, a brand is not a logo or a color scheme; a brand is how you are perceived by your customers.

When it comes to shaping this per-ception, every part of the company has a role to play.

Defining Your NichesLinking your company to a par-ticular niche is important in helping customers and employees create their own elevator pitch for your company. Before Apple became one of the world’s most valuable com-panies, they were the leading pro-vider of workstations to graphic professionals. Before Amazon became the largest online seller, they were the world’s largest book-store. These niches gave customers an easy way to explain Apple or Amazon to their friends.

The tighter the niche, the easier it is for customers to describe your business. For example, a company that defines a broad niche such as

“health foods” leaves many unan-swered questions. Do they sell fresh goods? Do they sell vitamins? Low calorie? Heart healthy? “Health foods” sounds like a good niche but is hard for customers to explain to friends. Contrast that niche with “healthy vitamins and supple-ments.” Now, all the previous questions get answered and it is easier to explain and understand.

It is easy to get the niche wrong in search of a broader audience. But, as the market gets broader so does the competition and the noise.

Jeff FarrisPresident/CEO

BubbleLife Media LLC

“A brand is defined as Brand = Niche + Stories. This formula actually works for any size business in any market.”

• Founder of Saber Software Corporation

• Saber Software ranked 26 in Inc. magazine’s list of Fastest Growing Private Companies in 1993

• In 1994, Saber Software reached $20 million in worldwide annual sales

• Saber Software was acquired by Network Associates (McAfee) in 1995

Mr. Farris can be e-mailed at jeff.farris@execblueprints.com

In an advertising-centric world, scale and integration are huge advantages. In a story-telling centric world, clarity and simplicity are the huge advantages.

Jeff Farris

President/CEO BubbleLife Media LLC

Keep It Simple: Brief Descriptions of Large Companies

Instagram – Share pictures with friends Groupon – Half-price coupons for goods and servicesTwitter – 140 character conversationsUber – A classy taxi service Freshbooks – Get paid faster with easy invoicingDiapers.com – Do I need to explain this one?

© Books24x7, 2014 Jeff Farris ExecBlueprints 4

Jeff FarrisPresident/CEO, BubbleLife Media LLC (continued)

In technology, you see how impor-tant a niche is in defining a market advantage. Many of the companies receiving the most attention are often based on just a single feature. However, in focusing on that one feature, the companies make it easier for early customers, review-ers, and media to tell their story. For example, Apple Computer broadened their mission by drop-ping “Computer” from their name. The initial niche was critical in ris-ing above the noise and the completion of potentially thou-sands of competitors, many of which were substantially larger and better funded.

Companies that are not compli-cated are easy to understand and explain. Compare these startups with much larger and integrated technology companies such as Microsoft and Oracle which are impossible to describe in a single sentence. In an advertising-centric world, scale and integration are huge advantages. In a story-telling centric world, clarity and simplicity are the huge advantages.

Create Stories That Get RetoldWith a good niche forming the base of everyone’s experience, it is easy for the organization to help shape the brand with customers with every department playing their part:

• Product Development – Use quality, design, packaging, and functionality to create a prod-uct that people want to tell others about.

• Sales – Create a selling process that creates positive interactions with customers.

Timeliness and quality of response, pricing fairness, and consumer education all play a role. Customers are still very impressed with quality interactions.

• Customer Service – Good people and fair policies are keys to successful service. Great people with bad policies create an opportunity for a social media thrashing.

• Information Technologies – Fast websites, plenty of online and easy to access account information, and online methods of routine interactions are often the first impressions companies provide potential or new customers.

• Management – A good customer experience is easier to talk about than to achieve. It is no surprise that the companies most celebrated for excellence are the ones where management is also frequently working to keep departments collaborating and focused on the customer.

When every department is doing its part, the last thing companies should do to rise above the clutter involves using the market-ing department. A successful marketing department can only achieve success if all the other parts are already working.

Essential Marketing ComponentsAlthough marketing has greatly changed, it is still vital to a com-pany’s succes. Marketing should:

• Document company successes with customers, including both growth metrics and individual benefit stories

• Distribute those stories to their fragmented audience in the press, social media, blogs, e-mails, and forums

• Encourage sharing from company fans by spreading the word digitally with e-mails and social media posts

In a fragmented marketing envi-ronment where it is impossible to reach prospects directly, companies must rely on new customers telling their friends for growth. Amazon, Tesla, PayPal, Skype, and many others have all achieved huge suc-cess with little or no traditional advertising-centered marketing. They all have marketing depart-ments but they are busy telling the stories created by the quality prod-uct or experience their companies deliver. n

Successful Strategies: Keep It Simple

Some new car dashboards display over thirty pieces of information at once, which is clever, but useless when I am getting a ticket for speeding. Overstimulation and information overload are the new normal. If a company wants to stand out, it must rise above the clutter, not only of its competitors, but also of people’s dashboards. The only way to do this is with simple to understand strategies and the retelling of stories that are easy to tell when someone asks, “What’s new?”

© Books24x7, 2014 Garry Ridge ExecBlueprints 5

Garry RidgeCEO, WD-40 Company

Defining the CompetitionWe are in a very competitive indus-try. Everyone competes for the mind share and purchase intention of end users. While there are not a lot of specific brand competitors, we do compete for general shelf and floor space. I like to joke that we are in the real estate business; we need to invest in delivering good values to those that stock our prod-uct so that they give us ample and prime location in their stores. Of course, it is also necessary to pro-vide value to our buyers or their first purchase will be their last.

Building Positive Memories Around the BrandIn the United States, the WD-40 fan club is 100,000 members strong and that is because we are in the memory business. When you ask someone about WD-40, they will tell you exactly how they feel about the product and a memory of when they used the product. This helps us to develop our brand equity and increases our reputation among end users that our product works. We are always battling the wants, needs, and outcomes against other factors, but in the end, we create good value and offer a good product.

Research and Development In order to drive product and ser-vice development decisions, we have a global information gather-ing process where we use one of the major global market research com-panies. They measure brand saliency and effectiveness across a number of markets. This also allows us to set geographic bench-marks. Shelf movement is tracked

as well as the attitude and usage patterns of our end users. As a result, over the past five years we have extended the WD-40 brand a great deal. We created the WD-40 Specialists products line, a category of products that leverage the power of our logo, which is a blue and yellow shield. In the last year alone, we have brought 30 to 40 new stock keeping units (SKUs) for product items to market.

Following TrendsWhile we always keep tabs on the economy, we have a very robust business model. We much prefer to focus on the long term, so when we watch the news, we want to make sure we know the difference between a trend and an event. Luckily, we have endured the dif-ferent economic trends over the past decade. Since WD-40 is a multi-use product, unless end user habits change dramatically, our product will still work. In fact, we currently have 2000 uses for our product listed on our website, so even if people no longer need it to shine stainless steel, they can use it to remove crayon marks.

Solving Problems through InnovationOne of our values is that we want to make life better tomorrow than it is today. We don’t indulge in

innovation just for the sake of it. Instead, we do it to solve problems. When looking at our customers, we always try to define whether they needed our product specifically or if they just need a product to solve a problem and chose ours based on our reputation. Our goal is to make the choice to purchase our product the easiest part of the problem-solving process. We focus on areas where our brand is meaningful.

Garry RidgeCEO

WD-40 Company

“WD-40 is an honest product and it does what the label says it does.”

• Served as national vice president of the Australian Marketing Institute and the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association

• Received the Arthur E. Hughes Career Achievement Award from the University of San Diego in 2004, and the Ernst & Young – Master Entrepreneur Award in 2006

• With Ken Blanchard, wrote Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called “Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A”

• Masters of Science Degree in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego

Mr. Ridge can be e-mailed at garry.ridge@execblueprints.com

We don’t indulge in innovation just for the sake of it. Instead, we do it to solve problems.

Garry Ridge

CEO, WD-40 Company

© Books24x7, 2014 Garry Ridge ExecBlueprints 6

Garry RidgeCEO, WD-40 Company (continued)

Competing in Global MarketsBefore entering a foreign market, it is first important to establish that there is a need for our product. In most cases, we automatically become the lead product due to our global reach. We have a lot of infra-structure in place that allows us to

go global. We are also never foolish enough to believe that the market we just left is the same as the mar-ket we are about to enter. For example, many years ago in China, our product was unnecessary because people used dirty diesel oil and a hammer to encourage lubri-cation and manage rusted parts.

Now, due to the increase in high quality products, we are able to offer a higher quality solution in the form of WD-40. We can now fill a need that previously didn’t exist. n

We try to be disciplined thinkers and focus on areas where our brand is meaningful, rather than being distracted by opportunities that appear more beneficial than they really are and that ultimately don’t align with the nature of our brand. It is an easy trap to fall into; running off and wasting resources because you are chasing a dream without taking the time to first prove its worth.

Garry Ridge

CEO, WD-40 Company

© Books24x7, 2014 Solomon Choi ExecBlueprints 7

Solomon ChoiCEO, 16 Handles

Branding and Product DevelopmentMy company, 16 Handles, has a reputation for being a market leader and pioneer when it comes to branding and product develop-ment. In terms of number of units, we are currently in the middle of the frozen yogurt retail category. There are a handful of frozen yogurt franchise companies that have over 100 units and a few in the 50-100 range followed by another handful in the 30-50 store range. With 40 stores and count-ing, 16 Handles is in the middle of the pack in terms of number of stores but ranks highest in average unit volume (sales per store) as well as in brand recognition in the Tri-State Area. 16 Handles also ranks among the top brands when it comes to social media engagement and PR placement and is also the only non-agency brand that was nominated for a Mashie, which is an award that recognizes the best social media campaigns across all industries.

It took three years to secure this position, as 16 Handles needed to grow in number of stores and mar-kets, gain brand ambassadors, and have media exposure across TV, print, and digital mediums. One of the reasons for this is that 16 Handles started in the media capi-tal of the world, New York City.

Once the brand was accepted as the leader in frozen dessert in the mar-ket, the media opportunities came to us. This continues to be the case as we have grown both in and out of the New York metro market while competitors have come and gone along the way. We have lever-aged the media exposure along with great press release placements to establish our position as the most innovative brand within the frozen yogurt industry. Each time 16 Handles launches a new product or technology upgrade, the media channels have been eager to share the news with their followers.

Thought LeadershipAside from the products and tech-nology, 16 Handles is also posi-tioned as a thought leader in the frozen dessert space. An info-graphic was created and later released in the press after we gath-ered the survey results of several hundred of our customers in rela-tion to their thoughts on frozen yogurt in general. In April of 2013, we launched the “Better For You” campaign. This campaign high-lighted the various products that were gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan. This was a response to those individuals who were not coming into 16 Handles because they were under the impression that there was nothing available per their dietary

restrictions. This campaign further solidified 16 Handles as a thought leader in the space.

Retail PositioningIn the past five years, we went from being the only self-serve frozen yogurt retailer in NYC to a regional multi-unit franchise organization operating in six states. Our posi-tioning has not changed, as we are still identified as a cool and hip frozen yogurt brand that tran-scends all age groups. The top three components to creating the right positioning for the company have

It is imperative that I do not lose sight of what the brand is trying to achieve but also that I am not afraid to make mistakes. I work closely with the operations, marketing, and innovation team and am involved with the ideation and execution phase of innovation.

Solomon Choi

CEO, 16 Handles

Solomon ChoiCEO

16 Handles

“My role as CEO is to ensure that we are always driving forward and being the first to try new things.”

• Has held various management positions in restaurants and hospitality

• Opened the first 16 Handles in 2008

• Has been featured on MSN, Bloomberg News, ABC News, Fox Business, and in The New York Times

• Graduate of the Marshall School of Business at USC

Mr. Choi can be e-mailed at solomon.choi@execblueprints.com

© Books24x7, 2014 Solomon Choi ExecBlueprints 8

Solomon ChoiCEO, 16 Handles (continued)

been creating a fun environment, being a responsible brand, and offering innovative new flavors and products. Fun means that ensuring that everything from the colors in the store to the uniforms of our team members to the lan-guage in our signage collectively promotes a message of freedom and bold flavors. Team members are allowed to wear a functional hat of their choice so that they identify with the brand’s “flaunt your flavor” message. We have found this tactic to be an empower-ing vehicle for the employees to feel more comfortable and be them-selves at the workplace. In addi-tion, the stores’ music playlists consist of fun and energetic songs to provide an uplifting and high-energy environment for both the guests and the employees.

Environmental Awareness16 Handles has always used com-postable or recyclable packaging in its commitment to the environ-ment. In addition, each 16 Handles store helps plant 16 trees per day through its partnership with Trees

for the Future. Our internal research has found that the millen-nial customers prefer brands that are aligned with a cause that impacts change in the world. By demonstrating responsible business practices, our guests feel better about making purchases at a store that gives back to the community and the world in which it operates.

Product InnovationFrozen yogurt’s increased popular-ity in the last seven years has been met by an explosive growth in number of retail stores across the country. This has led to a satura-tion of frozen yogurt stores in many markets. In order for 16 Handles to stay competitive and engage the customer, we need to continue to differentiate with new product and technology innova-tion. Understanding that product innovation would be a key driver, 16 Handles made a decision two years ago to hire a chef consultant. This chef has created proprietary topping selections and offered fro-zen yogurt flavor suggestions. Toppings such as a Goji Granola,

six spice streusel, almond brittle, and the Coney Island Crunch—a cluster of graham crackers, pretzel, and potato chips held together with white chocolate—are a few exam-ples of the custom toppings only available at 16 Handles. We have also taken into account that some guests are focused on healthier options so we released an Artisan Collection of flavors that are made of all natural ingredients. This commitment to new flavors and product innovation has allowed 16 Handles to test new products and has given the brand permission from our guests to play in different sand boxes. Our customers antici-pate that 16 Handles will come up with something new regularly. These three combined efforts posi-tion 16 Handles in a category of its own within the frozen yogurt industry. The methods shape who we are as a brand and how we do business in our stores.

Company Innovation16 Handles is innovative when it comes to incorporating new tech-nology to communicate with our

1. Create a fun and en environment

2. Demonstrate brand responsibility through concrete initiatives

3. Innovate constantly to keep customers interested

Top Ways to Build Positioning

© Books24x7, 2014 Solomon Choi ExecBlueprints 9

Solomon ChoiCEO, 16 Handles (continued)

consumers. As an example, we decided to use LCD screens to dis-play the 16 different flavors. By using the screens, we are able to display nutritional facts and show a much more appetizing picture of the flavor in a video. Our custom-ers are used to communicating by way of smartphone, computer, and tablet—all of which have color screens—so we used this informa-tion to apply it to how we com-municate the yogurt flavors at the point of interaction within the store. Another example of innova-tion with technology is our com-mitment to being the first to incorporate the latest social media applications. From Twitter’s Vine video application to Snapchat, 16 Handles has found a way to engage

our customers in a relevant way using these new platforms. This innovation has led to numerous articles and blogs praising our efforts, even in media channels that do not relate to food.

Promoting Innovative EffortsWe promote our innovative efforts by using traditional methods such as magazine and print as well as

social media and e-mail. Our Communications/PR specialist and Social Media Manager get the mes-saging out. 16 Handles is at the forefront in the frozen yogurt industry when it comes to product and technology innovation. Our efforts have always been focused on promoting this aspect of the brand and we have put more resources behind PR and social media communication as the com-pany has grown. n

From Twitter’s Vine video application or Snapchat, 16 Handles has found a way to engage our customers in a relevant way using these new platforms.

Solomon Choi

CEO, 16 Handles

© Books24x7, 2014 Jeremy Thompson ExecBlueprints 10

Jeremy ThompsonChief Executive Officer, Gorkana Group

Evolving MarketThe global media intelligence mar-ket is a fragmented and evolving landscape. After a number of years of consolidation, Gorkana Group dominates in the U.K. and has his-torically had one significant com-petitor. That has started to change as new entrants move into the mar-ket. Some are technology start-ups who enter with a blank sheet and a new type of offer, mostly appeal-ing to the system management market. Others are backed by large corporates keen to cash in on the boom in reputation management. Others are technology giants who have stumbled across our niche quite by accident. However you dissect it, the media intelligence landscape has changed, is getting increasingly competitive, and that competition is becoming global.

Premium ServicesGorkana Group has a clear vision to be the world’s pre-eminent source of data and analysis that helps business, brands, organiza-tions, and governments effectively manage their reputation in the media. We measure the impact of media coverage on reputation. We also have a clear philosophy to do that by offering the best data

and the smartest insights, delivered before an incident becomes a crisis or an opportunity is missed. We are a data and insights business, deliv-ered by technology. We have a great reputation for doing that and are a clear leader in our home market, the U.K. That position has been cemented through three legacy brands over a number of years. Durrants had the heritage as a 130 year-old press cuttings agency. Gorkana was the upstart, going from zero to market lead in seven years, driven by PRs who identi-fied an opportunity to deliver a better service. Metrica was a steady business with a reputation for quality. But the combination of all three—integrated, digi-tized, and linked—is so much more compelling and we are start-ing to see the benefit of that.

Quality ControlThere is no doubt that maintaining a premium position in the market when others around us have rushed to discount has been chal-lenging, especially in the face of the worst recession that we have

It is all about making sure that your market knows exactly how much value you add and what difference that makes to them.

Jeremy Thompson

Chief Executive Officer Gorkana Group

During a recent customer forum, our customers were focused on delivering instant research back to PRs from consumers using river sampling techniques and panels. We flashed the idea in front of some clients; they loved it, and we’re going to be launching shortly with three of the clients from the forum as beta testers. That took an idea from concept to testing to market in a matter of months.

Jeremy Thompson

Chief Executive Officer Gorkana Group

Jeremy ThompsonChief Executive Officer

Gorkana Group

“My vision for the future expressly has customer confidence at its heart.”

• Sets the strategic direction for Gorkana as well as overseeing day-to-day operations

• Began career at Thomson Reuters

• Has worked in a private equity environment for the last ten years

Mr. Thompson can be e-mailed at jeremy.thompson@execblueprints.com

© Books24x7, 2014 Jeremy Thompson ExecBlueprints 11

Jeremy ThompsonChief Executive Officer, Gorkana Group (continued)

ever experienced. Ultimately, I believe that people value quality over price in the long run, particu-larly given the risks or the oppor-tunity costs of not having good, timely visibility on reputation. It is all about making sure that your market knows exactly how much value you add and what difference that makes to them.

InnovationOne of the things we are increas-ingly trying to do is to become more customer facing as a business. That starts at the top; most of our senior management team will have some customer relationships. That ensures that they get to hear what the customer wants, firsthand, and are not only relying on what the sales team says about the market. We have also established regular feedback channels for customers, including a forum where they can tell us what they think face-to-face in our offices. We regularly shop the market to make sure that we are staying ahead of the competi-tion. More recently, we have taken advantage of new social channels to engage more regularly and more directly with our customers. We have built a community through our events and our Twitter follow-ing of over 14,000 people, all of whom are directly relevant to us and to our content. Through that community, we engage directly with our market every day, and use it as a continuous feedback loop. Finally, as CEO, I strive to lead the customer-facing approach to busi-ness. We are a people business serving an industry built on real relationships.

Measuring SuccessOur business is all about helping brands, organizations, and govern-ments measure the return on invest-ment which they make in their PR and digital programs. That is at the heart of what we do, so it is safe to say that we must measure ourselves effectively. We use Salesforce to track customer interactions, we use NPS to measure customer satisfac-tion, and we constantly trawl the media—and more relevantly, social channels—for conversations about Gorkana. We also use our events and briefings to get direct feedback. We take that data and use it to drive constant improvement.

Future InnovationsNow that we have registered suc-cess in the U.K., it is time to prove

that we can export our unique blueprint. Our current focus is North America, the world’s largest PR market, and one which I believe is fundamentally underserved. There are numerous vendors, and many of the same vendors. But they are all doing the same thing, invest-ing in technology to automate and drive down cost. We are introduc-ing something different—quality data, smart insights, and a com-munity wrapper that helps to build relationships in a market obsessed by the network. Fortunately, for us, it is working. Once again, Gorkana stands out and represents some-thing different, something worth paying a premium for. n

Combining Legacy Brands

Gorkana Durrants

Metrica

© Books24x7, 2014 Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points ExecBlueprints 12

Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points I. Top Ways to Move into PositionWhile print media is still essential, use recent innovations to your advantage by:

• Leveraging media exposure through press releases, blogs, e-mails, and forums

• Engaging customers via Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and Vine

• Constantly updating customer-facing technology

Make sure that marketing hits all areas by designating different people within the function into different areas. One person can focus on PR and communications, another can focus on social media.

II. The Bottom LineUltimately, your product or service must always fill a real need – even if it is a need your customer doesn’t yet know they have. Make sure you listen to the needs of your customers and the market, and avoid chasing trends that don’t hold long term potential. In order to ensure your products are valued, remember to:

• Solicit feedback from customers

• Focus on the quality of your products and services

• Explore new uses for existing products

• Evaluate trends before jumping in headfirst

III. Must Haves for Successful MarketingIn the long run, people value quality over price. The goal is to provide them with information that shows how much value your company adds and how your company can make a huge difference in terms of their success. The best way to do this is to be more customer facing by:

• Expecting senior management to maintain customer relationships so that they are able to hear about the market directly from clients

• Setting up feedback channels for customers

• Shopping the market so that you stay aware of the competition

• Utilizing social media to engage regularly and openly with customers

• Listening to ideas from customers and them implementing the best ones, using those customers who suggested the ideas as beta testers

IV. The Golden Rules for Defining a NicheA brand is not a logo. It is not a color scheme. A brand is how you are perceived by your customers, and there is no greater currency than a well-loved and respected brand name. Ways to define a niche include:

• Starting small by building a niche market and growing it slowly. Apple Computer sold workstations to graphic professionals. Now Apple is a brand leader in all things electronic.

• Making your story short and sweet. Selling health foods is too broad, but selling healthy vitamins and supplement is narrow enough to get a specific idea across.

• Keeping it simple. A concept that can be explained in a brief phrase is much easier to sell than one that needs explanation. Think of successful new ventures like Groupon, Instagram, Twitter, and Uber — their concepts can each be clearly and concisely summed up in one sentence.

• Avoiding over-stimulation and information overload. You can always provide more information later. Start with the basic facts and move on gradually from there.

• Allowing every department to get creative to sell the product. From packaging, to sales, customer service, to IT, every function should play their part to make the brand successful.

V. Essential Take-AwaysNot every person enjoys shopping, but it is essential that when a person does shop for your brand they find it a pleasant experience. Create the right positioning behind your brand so that when customers enter your stores, the entire experience is on brand. For example:

• If you align with a social cause, such as environmentalism, then your store should have recycle bins.

• If you want to focus on healthy options, then you should highlight features like all natural ingredients or low fat products.

• If your company sells itself as fun, then use bright colors, bold design, and allow employees some creative outlets to express their individualism n

© Books24x7, 2014 Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points ExecBlueprints 13

Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points (continued)

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10 Key Questions and discussion Points

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What is your company’s current reputation and position in your industry? Would you consider your company a leader in your industry? How has your positioning changed in the past five years?

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On average, how many new products/services do you introduce in a typical year? How has this number increased or decreased in the past five years? How do you think this number compares to competitors?

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How has the state of the economy affected your strategies with regard to company positioning? Have you altered your market strategy as a result of economic challenges?

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How does your company utilize market research to drive product/service development decisions? How has your company specifically benefited from developing products or services based on market research?

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What are your best practices for promoting and differentiating your company’s offerings? How do you align the organization to these goals? What role does marketing play? HR? IT?

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How do you ensure your company remains innovative rather than maintaining the status quo? What role do you, as CEO, play in driving this innovative mindset?

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What are the top challenges your company faces in positioning your products/services successfully? How have these challenges changed over the past few years? What steps have you taken to overcome them?

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In the next 12 months, do you plan to make any changes that will affect your company’s position in the industry? What do you hope to achieve? How will these changes enhance your competitive edge?

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What benchmarks can be used to determine the effectiveness of strategies for stimulating an overcrowded marketplace? What impact have they had on the company’s reputation? What is measured?

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