Since I last posted here, I’ve moved my family to Pittsburgh, flown back and forth across the country and driven two different vehicles full of stuff east from San Diego to Pittsburgh.
Disruptive to anyone with as many irons as I have to keep hot, but we’ve pulled it off reasonably well, with Hunter in school at at the excellent Waldorf School here in Pittsburgh and Heather re-establishing her jewelry studio and online shop just in time for the holidays.
Even though I’ve been doing some painting, most of my work time has been spent online for Heather and some of my other clients developing more avenues for connecting with people online, a prime directive of the San Diego Finishing School mission.
In the general state of craziness of the last few months, its been very reassuring for me as an artist and a business person to see some of my developed opinions on business, the economy and the state of culture in general reflected (and sometimes far more clearly articulated) by other bloggers and commentators.
I’ve bookmarked a few of them to share as I redefine the San Diego Finishing School project in new contexts, this one is from BrandForward a smartly written blog by Michelle Tripp, article just published November 1.
I couldn’t agree with this more.
“Consumers today are more educated, more savvy, have access to more options, AND THEY HAVE HIGHER EXPECTATIONS.
If a company isn’t consistent, honest, connective, and emotionally relevant to the consumer, they’ll move on to do business with another company. Consumers are drawn to what’s real and genuine. If a company isn’t living its core value, if it doesn’t offer an experience that “feels right,” consumers smell a fraud or don’t make a connection. They may not detect the reason on a tangible level, but their subtle discomfort causes them to look for other options. That’s why uncovering a company’s core value and leveraging and living it consistently will draw consumers into the brand community. They subconsciously crave being a part of experiences (and brands) that are aligned, balanced, and represent something higher.
And most importantly, when you begin to subtly and consistently integrate the core value into your marketing and operations, the energy of the company begins to shine. Your customers have a renewed sense of why they do business with you, and new customers feel an energetic pull toward you.
Customers are always drawn into the light.”
