As I got closer to the check point, I heard laughter mixed with the foreign words. Continual laughter. Did I miss out on some joke that everyone else understood and I didn’t? Then I looked to my left, and there stood a man with a smile from ear to ear and a knack for making people laugh checking passports and boarding passes. Had my hands not been clutching my iPhone and carry-on bag, I would have rubbed my eyes in disbelief. Is this possible? A TSA representative performing his job flawlessly, and being human at the same time?  Who is this guy?

When it came my turn, I just had to ask, “How do you keep such an amazing attitude working in the midst of all these lines?”

He answered, “I’m a faithful man, and I believe that when you do good for others it comes back to you. Most people are pretty tired of lines and even angry by the time they get to me.  I don’t want to add to that. I want to make them happy, so that’s what I do.”

 His smile was electric, his eyes caring, his scanning of my documents precise. I told him what I thought, “You know, you are the best ambassador for the United States that I’ve ever seen. These travelers from other countries will never forget how you made them smile and laugh. They are leaving America with a wonderful last impression. Thank you for doing that.”

With my passport and boarding pass cleared, I bid him goodbye and thought how lucky the TSA is to have an employee like this man, who has found a higher purpose in his job and lives it every day. How lucky I was to encounter him.

I always talk about “moments,” those little instances of time that are surprising and unforgettable.  The language of the heart. I expected my pre-flight “moment” to be when I finally got to relax in the British Airways lounge with a warm cup of coffee. Who would have ever thought my moment would be while passing through security? After that experience, the lounge and the coffee didn’t even come close. Infusing heart in a brand happens one on one.  It happens heart to heart and it can happen anywhere.

Enter the 60’s when few mod girls wanted their guys smelling like their uncool “establishment” dads. And the 70’s disco era brought on designer fragrances like Pierre Cardin with its phallic-shaped bottle conjuring up images of bare-chested, disco-dancing  John Travolta, not dear old dad. 

Tough market. The 80’s and the 90’s weren’t any more friendly; Old Spice was what grandpa smelled like, not Rick Springfield or Kurt Cobain. Old Spice seemed dead in the water never to be resurrected again.  Until…2010 and one of the most brilliant brand revivals ever staged.  Maybe it is because most original Old Spice wearers are long gone, may they rest in peace. Or maybe it is the brilliance of branding–specifically writing and casting–that has put Old Spice back on the map. Whatever it it, a brand that seemed all but gone is back. 

 As if the first ads touting the product weren’t breakthrough enough, enter Isaiah Mustafa, the man your man could smell like and his follow-up YouTube responses to viewer comments. Videos feature “the man” in his iconic towel answering real posts from Justine Bateman, Alyssa Milano, George Stephanopoulos, and others.  Well written, well executed, once you watch one, you’ll watch them all.  And share them too. What a fantastic use of social media and video.

Officially, we’ll call Old Spice a brand resurrected, made relevant, and desirable to a whole new market of people who have no clue that Old Spice smelled like their grandfathers. Branding magic at its best.

The next funny look I get, particularly from the run-and-gun, tough entrepreneurial types happens when I say great companies have heart.  They immediately think that heart means soft, cuddly, weak or loving.  In business, it generally means none of those words. When I say a company with heart, I mean a company that has fire, intensity for what they are doing and more importantly, why they are doing it. It’s a company with a higher purpose and an unstoppable, unflappable drive to achieve it. 

I’ve found most companies have some heart, but they keep it hidden like it’s too embarrassing or too unimportant to reveal.  How strange!  Particularly when you look at the truly great companies, the ones that have either broken through or redefined their industries. What do they have in common?  Most often it is heart.  Google, Apple, Patagonia, Whole Foods, Oprah, these are just a few of the great brands with heart.  In fact, heart is precisely how they got to the top. 

But what are the other benefits of creating, building and running a heart-based company?  There are a lot, but when you read these, you’ll understand why heart is more than a ‘nice-to-have.”  You’ll find out why heart is the precursor to success.

• Heart-based companies attract the best talent – more and more today, people don’t want to work for the heartless corporate behemoth. Even though there might be a lucrative corporate ladder, the sacrifice of self and values along the way isn’t worth it.  Companies that can provide a values-based career path secure the best talent for less. And the better the talent, the better the results.
•  Heart means higher purpose which means more productive employees – it’s true, when people are on a mission, they will care more, they work harder and they will produce more.  Companies with heart have employees that produce well beyond the norm.
• Heart-based companies have more buzz – wouldn’t it be great if other people did most of the horn-tooting for you?  How nice it would be.  Well, heart-based companies, when compared to ordinary mind-based companies, tend to connect better and more often with the people they serve.  And as people, we tend to talk about what and who we like. That’s buzz.
• Heart-based companies have more loyal customers – you’ve probably heard it costs more to get a new customer or client than it does to sell more to the ones you have.  The good news is that when you and your employees deliver your product or service with heart, the people you serve tend to stick around.  That’s good for business.
•  Heart-based companies are more valuable – a brand that is heart based has a certain magic that makes the overall company more valuable.  You probably know that the greatest asset a company can have is its brand, and when created and managed with heart, your brand can bring you millions when its time to sell your company. Summer home in Tuscany, anyone?

More qualified and more productive employees, a company that generates more buzz, has more loyal customers, that sells more and in the end is more valuable as a brand? Those benefits are nothing to laugh at.  In fact, companies that are doing what they do with heart are laughing at the naysayers all the way to the bank.  And leaders who have cashed out big are raising their glasses and saying, “To our competitors, thank you for being so heartless! Cheers!”

Luke Perry Brand 1.0 as Dylan McKay

2.0 has appeared in the HBO series “Oz,” on the Showtime series “Jeremiah” and in the movie “Johnson County War” among others. Luke appeared to have found his new brand and a more mature audience. But then in 2006, it was as if he stepped into his past to star in NBC’s “Windfall,” a show about a group of friends whose lives change post college after they win the lottery.

Rumors abound that he’ll make a guest appearance on “90210.” He says he won’t reprise his role as Dylan, and that’s a good thing. That’s not where the Perry brand needs to go. Fifteen years ago he didn’t fall victim to fickle fans who one day ogled his poster and the next day tucked it in the back of the closet with the rest of the 90’s stuff. Perry was smart, he left them in search of his next brand reinvention. How many times in business have brands held on to the cushy, comfortable gravy train long after they should have jumped off? How many times have brands been blinded by the money and forgot about their heart? Blockbuster Video, Borders and Newsweek are all teetering because they kept doing what made them money and missed the inevitable market shift. They forgot about finding and serving the new customer until it was too late.

Perry, his agent or both were smart.  They knew teen-idol status is short lived, so they shifted ahead of the curve. That meant brand reinvention time, and unfortunately, it’s not as easy as Madonna has made  it look over the years. Finding that next point of relevance is risky. And it often takes a complete brand transformation—around a strong foundation—to find a new audience.

Luke Perry continues to work at his brand. My guess is that Luke 3.0 is in incubator right now. It’s like the quiet period before a company goes public. But here’s a note of caution. The world is moving quickly and you can get left behind even if you are on the treadmill; it’s worse if you appear to be off it entirely.  Luke needs to burst back on the scene to gain relevance fast.  All the best Luke, but know I’m not just talking to you. I’m talking to myself and all of us as brands, too.  Big breakthroughs always require big leaps.

1.  Know who you are – What do you like to talk about most? Is there a pastime you enjoy beyond all others? These are clues to knowing who you are and what you love. I always ask clients, “What was your favorite thing to do as a kid?” When you love something, you can go about it with the obsession it takes to become a strong, successful personal brand. If you’re just so-so, ho-hum, your brand (yawn) will be too.

2.  Change the physical – When you change your outside your inside will go along for the ride. I know, it sounds crazy and hard to believe that a haircut, new make up, new clothing style, will transform you. But understand, the changes cannot be subtle. They have to be big, forcing you to leave your comfort zone. That’s when transforming change happens and your brand begins. Antoni Patrik, image consultant extraordinaire in Scottsdale, Arizona, gave me a new style and my life changed forever.

3.  Learn to present – This is the most important skill you can have. If you can’t speak in public, you’ll have a hard time developing your personal brand in any big way. The first time I spoke in front of a room of 3,000, I recalled a past repelling adventure I took with my Entrepreneurs’ Organization forum group. I kept telling myself, Kathy, you stepped off a 200-foot cliff, backwards, holding a rope! You can do this.” Find your point of strength and if you don’t have one, do something daring that gets you out of your comfort zone. Practice is key, but it takes more than going to Toastmasters.

4.  Find a mentor who will push you – We all need a good kick sometimes. One of my mentors is Robert Kiyosaki, entrepreneur and author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Conspiracy of the Rich and many other books. He pushes me out of my comfort zone all the time. Thanks to him, I learned to speak in public, put Heart & Mind™ Branding on CDs and expand HEASLEY&PARTNERS internationally. Find that person who can challenge you, and then follow the advice. Another mentor of mine is personal trainer Tony Horton, although he doesn’t know it. I work out every day to his P90X program, and he pushes me more than he’ll ever know.

5.  Stop the negative self-talk – Blair Singer, author of Little Voice Mastery, the “Little Voice Master” himself helped me recognize that being in control of your own thoughts is the key to success. He’s helped me overcome my little voice that has told me my entire life, “that’s pretty good—for you.” No longer! Seek out your own Little Voice Master and silence your inner critic. Thanks to Blair, when I hear my little voice, I laugh right in its face, then I go for it!

6.  Write like a leader – Even in the video age, writing has never been more important. Writing like a leader isn’t about just communicating facts and information, it’s about inspiring and creating followers. If you are not a natural writer, don’t fight it or try to fake it. Hire a writer who knows how to engage and inspire while conveying information. We ghostwrite for many people. They have the ideas; we make them come alive.

7.  Be genuine – Even though I said, you need to transform your physical, your new look needs to be genuinely you, only bigger. No matter the kind of person you are, if you put yourself out there, genuinely, you will find your followers and your fans. That means, matching your beliefs, personality and behavior to each person you meet is a BIG no-no. (There’s a politician joke in there somewhere…)

8.  Be meaningful – So on one hand I said to be genuine. Now I’m going to tell you to be sure to stay relevant and meaningful to those you serve. That means evolving with the times and the needs of the people. Keep your eyes and ears open because as they say, what got you here won’t get you where you want to go. We’ve evolved HEASLEY&PARTNERS many times over 15-plus years. We’d be dead if we were the same company we were in 1994. (Yo, politicians, this isn’t a license to evolve with every hand you shake.)

9.  Be different – You can’t be like everyone else. Even if you offer a similar good or service, change up something and make it meaningful to the customer. It could be as simple as packaging, a unique service “moment” or even a money back guarantee. The trick here is to study your competitors and look for the gap in the segment that will matter to customers. For us, that’s Heart & Mind Branding.

Developing your personal brand isn’t an event, it’s a way of life. Make the choice and take action. Don’t start tomorrow. Start today. I waited 15 years to begin, and that was a big mistake for myself, my family and the thousands more people whose lives would have been improved by what we do. I learned from my mistake. Please learn from it too.

Can you believe any company, even one known for no-frills flying would want this kind of buzz associated with their brand when it could simply charge an extra pound or two per flight per passenger and be done with it? But that’s not all, RyanAir will be charging for carry-on bags too. I wonder what’s next. How much will a seat belt cost? Or a flotation device? Sorry no air for you until you cough up two euros for that oxygen mask.

C’mon! This is what you call the “mind” side of a business going into overdrive at the expense of not just the heart, but common sense. They say all PR is good PR, but I don’t know on this one. This brand buzz is the kind that can become legendary. “Oh, yeah, RyanAir. That’s the airline that started charging people to take a _____!” Ha, ha, ha! “Whoever Ryan is of RyanAir, he’s a real ______!” Ha, ha, ha! Those blanks will not be filled in kindly.

Yeah, RyanAir, you are likely going to see the wrong side of the “heart” of your customers. Because just as they can be passionately on your side like Southwest Airline’s advocates are (they’re proud to fly this low-cost carrier) customers can also behave like an angry mob. Maybe the Brits will be too polite to pitch a fit on this one, but the American airline carrier that engages in such outright stupidity will have a firestorm on their hands. Not because passengers can’t spare the buck, but because the whole notion of charging to pee is so offensive. It just reminds everyone who has to fly commercial that we are economy-class citizens. Thanks RyanAir for vividly reminding us of that fact 30 minutes after we drank that Coke that cost us 4 pounds. “Would you like the full can?” Hmmm, are you being nice, or is that just a ploy to make me have to pee pee and pay?!”

I always say that your brand is as much about creating unforgettable experiences—moments I call them—as it is about putting promises out there through advertising. When the mind side of your business overpowers the heart side you can end up with some pretty bad moments. And RyanAir appears to be the prince of bad moments.  (Check out RyanAir Caught Napping.)  Their web site doesn’t promise much, but it promises more than this.

Yes, I understand that there is a place for budget brands in aviation and that airlines must increase revenue, but there are ways to do it and still make people feel special, even without frills. I’ve discovered over the years that everyone wants to feel special, and when you can accomplish that in your business, people attach a value to it. Pay toilets don’t make anyone feel special. Quite the opposite. Budget doesn’t mean treating people poorly. Sorry RyanAir, your bean counters, or should I say pee counters, have gone a bit too far.

The brand lost its way in the 1970’s.  It was purchased by Converse in 1972, but later had to be sold off when the US government filed an antitrust suit claiming that if both companies combined they would have a monopoly for sneakers.  Soon, instead of every kid needing a pair of PF Flyers, they needed a pair of Converse All-Stars.  PF Flyers continued their downward slope until New Balance bought the rights to the brand in 2001 (which had been dormant since 1992) and resurrected it in 2003.  Regardless of their roller coaster ride, movies like “The Sandlot” have given PF Flyers a permanent place in our modern culture.

PF Flyers are well on their way to making a comeback.  They went back to the heart of their company and recently did an Archival Reissue re-launch of the most popular styles from the 50’s and 60’s. You can find PF Flyers anywhere from Zappos to Neiman Marcus. Will PF Flyers ever have the status they did in the 50’s and 60’s? Stay tuned…

Check out vintage PF Flyer commercials!

Blunder #1.   Spending too little time developing your brand voice.

What is a brand voice? Simply put, it’s your brand’s online personality, and it should be genuine to you and your organization.  Whether you are fun or serious, direct or low key, educational or inspirational…pick a voice and stick to it.  This is the first step to creating a standout persona on the web.  ACTION:  Figure out your voice (an important part of your messaging) before you even bother uploading a logo or photo album. Click here to order “The New Brand…YOU” audio CD and workbook.

Blunder #2.   Assuming each platform serves the same audience.

The small talk you make at a business cocktail party would be different than chatting with your friends on a night out, right?  We hope you answer “yes.”  Well, each social media platform, like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, has different audiences who have unique expectations.  Posting the same messages across all platforms can make you look socially inept.  ACTION:  Don’t take a “one size fits all” approach.  Tailor your message to your audience just like you would in the real world and even in traditional media.  It’ll save you hours of time and lots of frustration.

Blunder #3.   Spreading yourself too thin.

Are you a member of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, MySpace, Bebo, Friendster and Meetup?  Does your home page, with all its social icons, look like a catalogue of social media outlets?  Are you letting your sites sit inactive with just your company name, one photo of your co-worker at the holiday party and a single post from 3 months ago?  If so, you just wrote the book on how to lose brand respect.  Stop the madness!  ACTION:  Find the top platforms that are attracting the people you are serving or want to serve, and post quality content.  Get rid of the platforms that miss the mark.  Then actively post a few times per day.  You aren’t jelly.  Stop spreading yourself so thin.

Blunder #4.   Becoming a “used car salesman.”

Do people really look at a used car salesman and think, “I wish I could sell like that”?  If so, sorry but…YIKES!  Social media marketing is not a place to use your “hard-sell method.”  Social marketing is about building communities, engaging in conversation, monitoring feedback, sharing information and in the process creating brand loyalty.  ACTION:  Ask the people you serve what they really want and need from you, and build content from there.  Empathize with them.  When you do, you can really stand out.

Blunder #5.   Missing the benefits of blogging.

We live in the world of the expert, and carving out your own niche is what gets you in the game.  Blogging is how you showcase and share your knowledge while you create interesting content for the people you serve.  A good blog keeps people coming back to your website time and time again.  (That’s the goal.)  Place a blog on your website and it not only declares your own and your company’s opinion, but also boosts your search engine rankings.  Two big advantages!  ACTION:  Get blogging.  We get it.  You’re busy and don’t have time to write a blog.  Well, be creative.  It doesn’t have to be a time-intensive project.  Post an image or a link along with your comment.  It’s an easy way to provide content to your site.   Post daily, weekly and schedule posts in advance.  Or hire a writer to do it all for you.  You can’t afford to miss this, and now that you know, you have no excuse.

If any of these hit home, don’t worry, it’s not too late to adjust.  Remember, making your business “social” is all about building relationships, not selling.  So for those of you are already taking advantage of social media, this list will help refine what you’re doing.  It helps you analyze and adapt.  For those of you who have not yet gotten social, avoid these blunders and get started…it’s really that simple.

The “Tell You Everything” Tell All. “Slept 8 whole hours!” “Had oatmeal for breakfast.” “Paid my bills.” If you think this is fascinating, it’s not.  While some events may be interesting, your multiple Facebook friends probably don’t care if you’re going to sleep or about every meal you had to eat today.

The “My Life is Awesome” Person. We all have triumphs that we want to let people in on.  In some cases, Facebook is a great way to let people know something special that is going on.  Keep in mind though, after a while your friends get sick of you rubbing it in that you just got a promotion, have a new car, your relationship is perfect, and are going on yet another vacation.

The Over-Friender. People with friends between 150-300 are believable.  You have high-school, college and post-grad friends.  Those of you who are more social can have in the 300-400 range.  Those of you with 500, 600, 700 + friends…you’re not fooling anyone.  You can’t possibly care what all of those people are doing.  Meeting someone in line at the grocery store does not mean you need to immediately find and friend them on Facebook.

The Tell-It-All Person. “Hitting up Walgreens for tampons.” While that is true, no one in your social network wants to know that information.  In fact, you probably lose friends weekly for the inappropriate posts.  If you have a fight with your spouse, find out a friend is cheating, or have a weird mole that needs to be checked out…please keep that information limited to the people who actually need to know.

The “Needs a Dictionary” Person. “R U going 2 go 2 the seminar 2 get new biz on friday?”  While the rules of digital speak are different than writing an essay, does it really take that much more effort to spell out the word “you” or capitalize the day of the week?

The Reporter. “Kate Gosselin is causing so much drama on ‘Dancing with the Stars” is not something you should be concerned with posting.  In fact, if people really want to read that information they’ll check out people.com.  With all of the ways to get news these days – text message alerts, daily email updates, google alerts, not to mention countless websites for every subject matter possible, do not kid yourself in thinking you are or need to be the source of people’s news.

The “Debbie Downer” Person. “My life sucks!”  “Could today get any worse?”  “I can’t wait until this week is over.”  We all have bad things happen to us.  If you feel the need to talk about it, call a friend or send an email.  Don’t bring the rest of us down.

The “Photo Freak” Person. Pictures from an event are always fun to see on Facebook.  Pictures of your friend at an event spilling their drink and falling over are not.  Facebook is a public place, please don’t prevent your friends from getting a job or being judged by their current colleagues because every moment of their personal life is publicized and posted immediately courtesy of you.

The “Event Sender/Game” Person. Between the games (Farmville, Café World, Mafia Wars), causes “Sign my petition” “Take this quiz,” gifts “Accept this heart” “Accept this drink” “Accept this pair of shoes,” and “Come to my event, even if you live in another state”…Facebook can be a full-time job.  If you have the time to send out 50 hearts, shoes, invite everyone you know to an event and play games on Facebook all day, good for you.  The rest of us however have jobs and responsibilities.  Let Facebook be a site to connect and look at some photos, not something like going through your spam folder.

So what should you post on Facebook?  Like we mentioned before, it’s anything so long as it’s in moderation.  If it’s a celebration, go ahead and post those pictures.  If it’s 60 pictures of your child or dog at once, don’t.  We’re not saying you can’t post a picture of your child or dog, but we don’t need to see an entire album dedicated to their first bath.  Listen to that little voice in your head.  If you feel like you’re showing off, you’re over-indulging, you’re over-posting…you probably are.