Creatingminds.org

Tuesday 25th December 2007

If you need some inspiration for a little creative thinking, have a look at this website. Choose from areas such as “articles about effective creativity” and “tools for implementing creative ideas”. A good range of methods and techniques are at your fingertips, with an analysis of each approach given, such as how to use it, when to use it, and how it works. http://creatingminds.org

Ice Lolly!

Friday 21st December 2007

Customers of America’s Umpqua bank know how to live. Comfy chairs, yoga classes, staff trained by hotel chain Ritz Carlton, and a chocolate with their receipts are all part of the package. This all came about when Chief Executive Ray Davis asked, “How do you keep the branch relevant when customers increasingly do not need to walk through its doors?” Umpqua’s fees aren’t low, but customers might find themselves presented with an ice cream on a hot day, or even flowers if they aren’t feeling too well. Now that’s what we call service! Doing something remarkable is what Seth Godin's Purple Cow is about - recommended reading!

Useful links:
Seth Godin’s book Purple Cow at Amazon – click here
Seth Godin’s blog - http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Values you can bank on

Monday 17th December 2007

It’s been a tough week for the clearers as bank overdraft charges hit the headlines, this time following allegations from a whistle blowing temp regarding complaints handling policies.

According to the British Bankers' Association (BBA):  “a number of banks and financial services organisations are taking the initiative, working jointly with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA), to ask the UK courts to clarify the legal position regarding bank overdraft fees.” Angela Knight, chief executive of the BBA, said: "Establishing legal clarity on the issue of bank charges is of paramount importance, not only for the banking industry, but for all customers now and in the future. The banks have always been firmly of the view that the fees they charge customers are fair and clear. The court case will clarify these points and provide certainty for customers and banks alike."

The area that is worth exploring from the banks’ perspective is whether the brand experience is really what the board and most importantly their customers would wish it to be. Has the brand essence of your bank or finance company been cascaded effectively to management as well as front and back office staff - in such a way that the bank consistently demonstrates its core values through the team’s behaviours and actions as genuine brand ambassadors?  

You can read more about the BBA initiative here: http://www.bba.org.uk/bba/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=145&a=10108

Lloyds TSB Online Banking tops Hitwise Chart

Wednesday 12th December 2007

I have listed the Top 15 websites in the 'Business and Finance' online industry for the month of December, 2007 based on visits. It makes interesting reading. The Business and Finance category includes sites that are related to money, banking, corporations or the conduct of business.

1. Lloyds TSB Online Banking online.lloydstsb.co.uk 3.41%
2. Lloyds TSB www.lloydstsb.com 3.27%
3. HSBC Bank UK www.hsbc.co.uk 2.55%
4. Apple www.apple.com 2.19%
5. Halifax Online Service www.halifax-online.co.uk 2.17%
6. Barclays UK www.barclays.co.uk 2.10%
7. Google Maps United Kingdom maps.google.co.uk 1.95%
8. NatWest Online Banking www.nwolb.com 1.86%
9. NatWest www.natwest.com 1.75%
10. Barclays IBank www.ibanking.barclays.co.uk 1.37%
11. Nationwide Building Society www.nationwide.co.uk 1.33%
12. Google Checkout checkout.google.com 1.32%
13. NationWide Internet Banking olb2.nationet.com 1.29%
14. Halifax www.halifax.co.uk 1.23%
15. Rightmove.co.uk www.rightmove.co.uk 1.22%

Notes: Total websites that ranked with currently selected options: 37,180 Category Contribution Percentage: 6.27%

Fast Movers - Finance Daily is high on the list of Fast Movers, the category that indicates websites which have witnessed substantial increases in rank in the 'Business and Finance' online industry. Finance Daily provides advice, information and tips on insurance, stocks and shares, mortgages, pensions, savings, daily breaking financial news.
Finance Daily http://www.financedaily.co.uk/
 
Source: Hitwise Industry Snapshot Report for Business and Finance

What do coffee shops, resorts and bikers have in common?

Thursday 06th December 2007

Well, they are certainly all different from one another at first glance, aren't they? And if we mention Harley-Davidson, Club Med and Starbucks, we conjure up some very different pictures in our minds. Yet these brands are united in a very deep sense, one that makes a significant difference to each and every customer a distinctive Core Essence and a Brand Story that we hope will inspire you to take the next step to Create Your Own Space. Here are the three Brand Stories, which I call Refuge, Rediscovery and Rebel:

Nancy Orsolini, District Manager articulates the Brand Story for Starbucks and talks about a third place: "We have identified a third place. And I really believe that sets us apart. The third place is that place that's not work or home. It's the place our customers come for refuge."

Jean-Marie Dru,CEO of TBWA/ChiatDay and author of 'Disruption' says: "Club Med is more than just a 'resort'; it's a means of rediscovering oneself, of inventing an entirely new me."

In experiencing the rebel lifestyle, a Harley-Davidson exec sums up their Brand Story as follows: "What we sell is the ability for a 43-year-old accountant to dress in black leather, ride through small towns and have people be afraid of him."

Each one of these Brand Stories is memorable. Each makes you think. These brands use their Brand Stories to take you deep, deep down into how they make you feel and to form strong beliefs about them. What is your Brand Story? Does it make your customers respond emotionally as well as intellectually? Maybe, just maybe, there's something remarkable about your Brand Story that's waiting to be told and heard.