Vinyl

Wandering through the audio section of my local large chain electronics retailer - I was struck by the array of Vinyl bins proudly boasting an enormous array of LP's.

I did not stop too long however it did gfet me thinking about how things that really deliver stand the test of time. So as part of my break over summer I decided to add some research into brands that had held up through all of the hype and hyperbole.

I wanted to then find our why they had held up through all of the change we have - as humans - thrust upon ourselves - in search of......

The reason this was interesting to me is the constant battle I see businesses face in getting a message across about what they offer and why they should be chosen to offer the goods or services they deliver.

So Vinyl triggered the thinking as to why things and people for that matter stand the test of time.

Here is what I gleaned about why things (like our friend the Vinyl record) can stand the test of time.

1. Reliability - Brands, people and things stand the test of time because your can simply rely on them. Look at some examples from the vast array we found. I will start with McDonalds as it has stood the test because they drum the same level of customer service into the newest millennials as they did the baby boomers who first asked you "do you want fries with that?" You know every time what you will get - the menu has of course had some alterations however you can still get your two all beef patties, specials sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion on a sesame seed bun. (and now any other bun). Levi Strauss - making jeans and denims for generations through three different centuries. A remarkable tale of a brand that simply "stuck to the knitting" and ensured you know that when you buy this brand it will last forever. Thirdly - Yes - you guessed it - Vinyl - never really went away and the resurgence is again testament to the fact that people buy it because it sounds great and there is a romance to it that you can not get from a CD or a download. In this age of us being told that we want it all "online" again this little friend of us all over 50 bucks the trend. Why? you can rely on the sound and you know what you need to do to look after it!
2. Appeal - Appeal is something not too many think about when thinking of why things stand the test of time. The appeal of something is somewhat intangible however it provides people with a level of desire to own it, be part of it, want to be connected in some way to it. It can be tribal - look at the creation of the 20 over version of cricket - it has the appeal of connecting to the appeal of being part of a tribe. Much like most team sports create the same appeal.
3. Connected to achievement - In the market today if you want to own a very high end luxury car - you will wait for a long time from the moment you put your money down to the time you put your foot down is a wait like hardly any other. The reason you wait is that you know it is hand made, it is being treated in the most meticulous fashion and you enjoy the anticipation. The manufacturer knows they can make many more and sell many more sooner if they choose to - simplify the process and make the parts easier to create - the reason they don't is that as soon as they commodotise the prized possession it will no longer be prized - no longer connected to achievement.
4. They become part of the fabric - Think about the loss of people in 2016 as one year in time - each of these "brands" we lost to the mortal clock had created a persona of value. Not in terms of money - although many did - however many became part of the fabric of the world as we know it. Think about any of them that passed and then think why they had such an impact. They ran there own race, they followed a passion and became the top of their game, they gave unconditionally and they shared themselves with us all. They became people we will never meet for ream and yet they provided joy, certainty, entertainment and love at times we needed one or all of these.

These were some of the thoughts that I had when musing over the vinyl display I wandered past, why do things stand the test of time when we are changing so much around us.

The final word that seems to fit is the word we all love and we all seem to have in mission statements and in business plans and in strategy papers. That word is TRUST.

Whenever you look at anything or anyone that stands the test of time it is because the very essence of our relationship with that person, brand or thing is TRUST.

Work hard to build your business on this relationship key and your business and you as a business person will be able to stand the test of time.

We will all fail at times to live up to the promises we try to keep in business - as long as when we do we put our hand up and take full responsibly for not delivering at those times - you will maintain the TRUST connection with all you do business with under your own personal brand. Then work hard to only promise what you say you will deliver - MCDonalds don't deliver Pizza - Levi don't make bow ties & Vinyl records won't fit into the CD player in your car.