B2A? Marketers ... Tear Down These Silos

In this edition of Get off Your Mass?, we celebrate ideas, people, and companies demonstrating the will and spirit to empower heroes ... the stories that show us how to break down silos.

Breaking down silos, at its core, is about collaboration. It’s about creating win-win situations for all stakeholders connected in a personal or professional transaction. And collaboration starts from within an organization, where strategies that foster communication, reduce misunderstandings or accelerate decision-making propel cross-functional company champions to greatness.

Collaborate, and silo-smashing sledge-hammers begin to fly.

The further down the Digital Transformation Road you are, the closer you are to breaking down those stifling silos once and for all … the closer you are to streamlining workflows, to eliminating redundancies, to optimizing resource sharing -- and the closer you are to empowering your audience.

That opens up opportunities.

Cultivating cost-effective innovation in the style of “B2A? – Business to (A)nyone” is about building omni-presence, it’s about emotional engagement through personalization and authentic connections … and it’s about breaking down the internal and external silos to reveal the underlying possibilities – and that’s a place where you can empower anyone to be a hero.

2024 Paris Olympics … The Wait is Over

That the world will be riveted watching Simone Biles is almost a given at this point, and deservedly so … but I’d be remiss not to begin an Olympic segment with Ms. Biles, the G.O.A.T. in gymnastics. No one universally connects to their audience better than her.

But I’m also kinda excited about athletes like John John Florence, the surfer from Hawaii competing in his second Olympic games. The surfing vibe is flat out attractive – so determined and yet so chill, and Florence’s friendly on-going competitions with the esteemed surf-master Kelly Slater motivates not only would-be surfers, but sustainability enthusiasts as well.

I’ve done consulting work with Slater’s company, Outerknown, a sustainable lifestyle brand made “For People and Planet.” The company is populated with wonderful, authentic people who know how to tell a story, who know how to personalize and who know how to connect. Outerknown definitely walks the motivational walk.

Speaking of energetic groups of overachievers, Scott MacGregor’s ‘Outlier Project’, who counts former Olympians like Brandi Chastain and Joe Jacobi as members, has long championed its community by consistently emphasizing what matters most -- “People Over Everything”.

Combining that sentiment with his core message, “Anyone Can Be Ordinary”, MacGregor has created a powerful community of motivated members who love to empower others. People who live to connect.

I encourage you to Get off Your Mass? and subscribe to his Outlier Magazine, where you’ll find a wonderful collection of “inspiring stories, thought-provoking interviews” ... and one cool group of people.

On the Brink with New Balance and the WNBA

The first women's basketball player ever signed to the New Balance brand, Cameron Brink is a dynamic force to be reckoned with, both on and off the court -- and now, they’ve even collaborated with the WNBA.

I’ve worked with talented people at New Balance in Lawrence and Boston, MA and I like where they’re headed – “mass” marketing not in the traditional “let us tell you what to think” way; rather, a more diverse, personalized approach that proves they are in sync with their community. That’s a brand determined to smash down any silo in its path. To me, it looks like they already have.

I’m disappointed we won’t be able to watch to Cameron Brink in Paris … but tell me, who are you excited to see?

Deadpools & Wolverines & Adidas … Oh my!

My favorite collaboration? Adidas, who created a ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ assortments of sneakers, cleats and apparel items in collaboration with Marvel Studios.

And in a solid brand-enhancing effort that breaks down competitive internal team-silos, the main characters are joining forces with Adidas in comic book adventures … a move that fosters intra-brand partnerships, expands touchpoints, grows the OmniChannel ecosystem and presents an all-around exciting, collaborative customer journey.

Look, even Blake Lively is excited about the collaboration! (Check out that bracelet)

Get Off Your Mass? — Think Smart. Think Personal.

Get off your Mass? isn’t about thinking small; it’s about thinking smart.

And big or small, getting personal is smart.

Like New Balance, Nike is a silo-buster. I can’t speak to internal processes, but Nike’s external message in the newly released “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” ads are a deep dive into the psyche of their audience, using actionable data straight from the horse’s mouth; that is, feedback from the athletes themselves – be they amateur, influencer or professional.

Nike has tapped into a B2A? ethos of its own ... getting personal, connecting to its audience and pivoting to a creative form of Olympic spirit.

And the Nike campaign is visceral.

I admire the approach. Because champions know that sometimes it’s OK to have a notoriously B.I.G. chip on your shoulder – just ask Tom Brady.

Love or loathe Nike’s new ad campaign? Let us know in the comments below.

B2A? in Action: Connecting and Personalizing.

At B2A?, we’re not against Mass Marketing – we simply stand FOR personalized connections.

The ideas, the people, and the companies in this edition of Get Off Your Mass? … they all exemplify what we’ve been talking about in B2A? – Business to (A)nyone – connecting, personalizing, building personas, finding touchpoints, uncovering meaning, and establishing brand affinity.

Because mass marketing at its best is when it’s personal.

Branding on a personal level starts internally, with the right people on the bus, developing an army of Cross-Functional Company Champions -- champions that break down old-school silos by connecting with their audience, by understanding what matters to their community, and by sharing compelling stories that motivate and guide.

Together, we can.