Brand Autopsy

Would you miss Denny's

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

---

Does Denny’s provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Denny’s treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Denny’s forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another similar restaurant that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would You Miss Costco?

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

---

Does Costco provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Costco treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Costco forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another hardware store that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Brands We Would Miss

If you've enjoyed the "Would You Miss" series on Brand Autopsy, then you'll enjoy Denise's BRANDS WE WOULD MISS series.

Denise is riffing off the 24/7 Wall Street article highlighting 12 brands they've singled out as being on the endangered species list.

Yesterday Denise made the case for why Budget rent-a-car deserves to exist. Today, she pleads for Saturn to survive. I wonder what endangered brand Denise will talk about tomorrow...

Would you miss Ace Hardware?

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

---

Does Ace Hardware provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Ace Hardware treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Ace Hardware forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another hardware store that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you miss Dairy Queen?

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

---

Does Dairy Queen provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Dairy Queen treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Dairy Queen forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another fast food restaurant that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you miss Crate & Barrel?

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

---

Does Crate & Barrel provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Crate & Barrel treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Crate & Barrel forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another retailer that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you miss Dunder Mifflin?

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

---

Does Dunder Mifflin provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Dunder Mifflin treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Dunder Mifflin forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another shipping company that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would You Miss BusinessWeek?

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

Does BusinessWeek provide such a unique publication and reader experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does BusinessWeek treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does BusinessWeek forge such unfailing emotional connections with its readers that they would fail to find another magazine that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you miss UPS?

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

---

Does UPS (United Parcel Service) provide such a unique service and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does UPS treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does UPS forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another shipping company that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you Miss Pizza Hut?

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

---

Does Pizza Hut provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Pizza Hut treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Pizza Hut forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another pizza joint that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you miss Walgreens?

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

---

Does Walgreens provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Walgreens treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Walgreens forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another retailer that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Will You Miss Polaroid's Instant Film?

Recently we learned Polaroid will stop producing its instant film for their iconic Polaroid cameras. This was inevitable as the company stopped making the instant camera years ago. The hope is someone, somewhere, will acquire the licensing rights to continue producing the instant film. But that likelihood seems slim given today's digital dominance.

Digital photography has its many advantages, but so does Polaroid’s instant photography. Geno Church from Brains on Fire is lamenting the loss of Polaroid instant film. For various marketing projects, Geno uses Polaroid instant film to capture a moment and immediately share that moment with others. Geno writes … “I’m a techy-geek type, but I’ve always liked the instant and open development of the photo. I’ve always thought that a Polaroid captured the moment in an authentic, fun way.”

All this begs one of those “Would You Miss?” questions …

---

Did Polaroid’s instant pictures provide such a unique product and customer experience that we will be sad when it ceases to exist? Did Polaroid’s instant pictures forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another instant camera that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would You Miss Advertising Age?

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

---

Does Advertising Age provide such a unique publication and reader experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Advertising Age treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Advertising Age forge such unfailing emotional connections with its readers that they would fail to find another magazine that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would You Miss World Market?

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

---

Does World Market provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does World Market treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does World Market forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another retailer that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you Miss The Cheesecake Factory?

BACKSTORY | In the book, MAVERICKS AT WORK, the authors included a very provocative question every business must ask itself: "If your company went out of business tomorrow, who would really miss you and why?” That inspired me to run a series of posts in 2007 asking if you would miss a certain business if it went out business.

I'm restarting the “Would You Miss” series with a question about The Cheesecake Factory.

---

---

Does The Cheesecake Factory provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does The Cheesecake Factory treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does The Cheesecake Factory forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another restaurant that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Would You Miss the NHL?

Continuing my “Would You Care” series ...

---

---

Does the National Hockey League (NHL) provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does the NHL treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does the NHL forge such unfailing emotional connections with its fans that they would fail to find another sports team that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Chilly Sales at Chili’s

According to the Wall Street Journal, Chili’s "… is mired in a sales rut and could post its 12th straight negative same-store-sales period this month.” Ouch. One financial analyst went so far as to describe Chili’s situation as “treacherous.” Double ouch.

Can’t say we should be surprised given the surprising HMOs (hot marketing opinions) y’all shared about Chili’s in my “Would You Care” series.

Comments ranged from Chili’s being forgettable because they are just another generic casual restaurant to folks saying that they visit Chili’s not for their food, but for their convenience. In other words, Chili’s is boring. And boring is the last thing you want your business to be.

Here’s a not-so-boring takeaway quote from pg. 50 of Seth Godin’s book on being remarkable, PURPLE COW …

“The lesson is simple—boring always leads to failure. Boring is always the most risky strategy. Smart businesspeople realize this, and they work to minimize (but not eliminate) the risk from the process.”

---

UPDATE: Did you know Chili's has a MySpace page? They do. And with it, they give away tickets to their 535,000 friends to super-secret concerts. Heck, even their Secret Shows marketing program has its own MySpace page. Does this make Chili's un-boring?

Would you miss the Memphis Grizzlies?

Continuing my “would you care” series ...

---

---

Do the Memphis Grizzlies provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Do the Grizzlies treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Do the Grizzlies forge such unfailing emotional connections with its fans that they would fail to find another NBA team that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you miss Wells Fargo?

Continuing my “would you care” series while I am on vacation in Belgium…

---

---

Does Wells Fargo provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Wells Fargo treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Wells Fargo build such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another retail bank that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you miss Sears?

Continuing my “would you care” series while I am on vacation in Belgium …

---

---

Does Sears provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Sears treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Sears forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another retailer that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you miss Subaru?

Continuing my “would you care” series …

---

---

Does Subaru provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Subaru treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Subaru forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another car company that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you miss Chili’s?

Continuing my “would you care” series …

---

---

Does Chili’s provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Chili’s treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Chili’s forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another restaurant that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you miss Gateway?

Continuing my “would you care” series …

---

---

Does Gateway provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Gateway treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Gateway forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another retailer that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

Post inspiration | Mavericks at Work

Would you miss Eddie Bauer?

In January, I asked you this question: If the Gap went out of business tomorrow, would any of us care? This worthwhile question was lifted directly from the Mavericks at Work book and sparked because of Gap’s sluggish sales and the recent ouster of its CEO.

This “would you care” question is a great one to ask of any business because it tells us how well they have formed relationships with customers. If a business has formed unfailing relationships with its customers, then we would truly care if that company went out of business. On the other hand, if a business hasn’t formed a meaningful bond with customers, then we wouldn’t care if that business ceased to exist.

Throughout 2007 I am going to ask this “would you care” question of other businesses. Please offer your opinions in the comments section.

---

---

Eddie Bauer has seen better days. In recent years sales have been slow and its lost relevance. It’s CEO abruptly quit. They’ve been in a turnaround phase for years now and recently rejected two buyout offers from private equity firms.

Eddie Bauer used to be a relevant retailer. They were once a leading outdoor clothing company but in its attempt to broaden to the brand’s appeal, Bauer drifted into selling casual everyday wear and into selling linens and things for the home.

So it’s back to the drawing board for Eddie Bauer. But should Bauer even try to live for another day? Does the company still have cachet with us consumers? Do we want Eddie Bauer to live? Do we need Eddie Bauer to live? Would we care if Eddie Bauer went out of business?

Would You Miss the Gap?

In their book MAVERICKS AT WORK, Bill Taylor & Polly LaBarre include a very powerful question every company must ask itself. And given its sluggish sales and uncertain future, it’s a question Gap must answer today to better prepare for tomorrow. That question is …

“If your company went out of business tomorrow, who would really miss you and why?”

Bill & Polly go on to further explain why people might miss a company …

“Because it’s providing a product or service so unique it can’t be provided nearly as well by any other company. Because it’s created a workplace so dynamic that most employees would be hard-pressed to find a similar environment somewhere else. Because it has forged a uniquely emotional connection with customers that other companies can’t replicate.”

So … if the Gap (and/or its Old Navy & Banana Republic stores) went out of business tomorrow, would any of us care? Does the Gap provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does the Gap treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does the Gap forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another retailer that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

In thinking about the Gap, I answered ‘NO’ to each of those questions. The Gap doesn’t provide anything unique. The Gap isn’t ranked as one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. And, the Gap hasn’t forged unbreakable emotional connections with its customers. I wouldn't miss the Gap if it went out of business tomorrow.

Now ... try asking those same questions about the company you work for. How does your company rank? Can you answer YES with conviction? Or, do you have to concede by answering NO? (Really, you should ask those questions of and about your company.)