By SONJA CARBERRY
July 17, 2009
Investor's Business Daily
How to keep turning consumers' heads:
Polish that diamond. Who hasn't heard of "Chicken Soup for the Soul"? William Rouhana and Robert Jacobs acquired the publishing concern last year with intentions of adding some shine.
"There was a magic in that title," said William Rouhana, CEO of the life-improvement company that takes its name from the book. "We saw a beautiful asset that was underutilized."
Since the Web is a vast resource for the self-help crowd, Jacobs and Rouhana are building Chicken Soup's presence online.
"We want to provide a kind of front door for the life improvement space," Rouhana told IBD. "We need to adapt to the medium."
Retain natural beauty. Rouhana and Jacobs are also developing a Chicken Soup TV series, forming a branded book club and approving new licensing deals. Each new effort will retain the essence consumers expect from Chicken Soup.
"They have tremendous trust that we will never abuse," said Jacobs, company president.
Make it personal. Consumers want to have positive relationships with the companies they buy from. "They crave this sort of engagement," said brand strategist Mary van de Wiel. "It's like a magnet -- people just want it."
A self-described Master of Zing, van de Wiel helps executives figure out how to connect with clientele.
"Don't hold your target audience at arm's length," she said. "It's actually a time to be fearless."
Capture that character. Want to inject personality into your corporate face but not sure what it is? Record your CEO speaking, and listen for philosophies and catchphrases that could spark your branding message.
"It's about tapping into that real place," van de Wiel said.
Combine two looks. To revive a near-bankrupt Christian university, Brent Richardson added a digital layer. His aggressive approach as CEO made Phoenix-based Grand Canyon Education (LOPE) one of the country's top online institutions.
"They didn't have an online program when I got here (in 2003)," said Richardson, now executive chairman of the board. "Today we have 25,000 online students."
The 60-year-old for-profit university is equally invested in its bricks- and-mortar offerings. Students like the hybridization of old and new.
"We're a traditional private campus that is looking to utilize that campus to build our brand," Richardson said.
Tap star power. Heavy hitters turn heads. Richardson brought in prominent author and business consultant Ken Blanchard to head GCE's College of Business.
"We are focused on building a brand that attracts not only students and faculty, but other people who want to be involved with the university," Richardson said.
That includes '70s rocker Alice Cooper.
To help teens stay out of trouble, Cooper's Solid Rock Foundation is building a complex at GCE that will expose high school kids to digital media and theater arts while giving them a place to hang out.
"It's a great marriage for Grand Canyon," Richardson said. "We're here to educate students and make sure they can go out and be successful in their careers."
