Even though it ended after 10:30 PM, I needed a nap after
watching the NCAA Men’s basketball semifinals over the weekend. I was that stressed out and exhausted.
As a University of Michigan Alum (and the father of a freshman daughter there), I
experienced every pass, shot, rebound, and foul with a high level of anxiety, feeling
it in every bone in my body. And I know
I wasn’t alone. At the Georgia Dome and
in front of TV’s across the nation, Syracuse and Michigan fans (short for
fanatics, remember), were going through the same emotions. Living and dying with every trip up the
court.
The joy I felt when they won was pure and lasting. The kind of happiness that stays with you and
coats you in a veneer of pleasant invincibility that can turn pedantic tasks
like taking out the garbage into lovely moments of a-little-extra-exercise.
It’s a powerful thing, passion. Never underestimate it’s sway, in life and in
business. The numbers prove it out. An example:
To get up for the game, I re-watched the fine 30 for 30 ESPN
documentary on the Fab Five (see a piece of it here), the story of the 1992 and 1993 Michigan basketball
teams that featured five extremely talented and highly-hyped freshmen who came to Ann Arbor to play together. Their unprecedented story and unexpected
success led to a huge following and massive fame for the young fivesome.
Among the amazing facts revealed, one spoke to the earning
power of sports licensing: In the year prior to the Fab Five’s arrival in Ann
Arbor, the sales of U of M licensed products created $2 million in
revenue. In the two years after their explosive freshman year, the sales
of U of M licensing products created over $10 million in revenue.
The country was completely captivated by the Fab Five, and by
Michigan basketball. A fan base that was
already crazy in love with everything U of M became even more passionate. They showed their love in many ways: through the
rings of the cash register, by filling every stadium the Wolverines played in, painting
maize and blue on their bodies, getting tattoos… embracing the U of M brand, in
any way possible.
Everybody should have at least one thing to fall unapologetically
in love with. Something they’re committed
to and will stand by no matter what. Something for which they feel unbridled
passion that knows no bounds.
It’s something that marketers should remind themselves of
every day. Because a couple of things happen
when you inject passion into the mix.
For consumers (aka real humans), you have a relationship
between a person and a brand that’s impossible to break.
And for marketers, you begin to change the equation for how
you do your job.
Business is hard.
Technological change and global volatility have created a breakneck
tempo, thinner margins, higher stakes, and cultures of fear. The potential for pain is high and
consistent.
But what would happen if we inserted more joy into the mix? If we found a way to methodically work
towards answers to even the toughest challenges, but did it in a way that would
allow us to celebrate the journey…to recognize victories along the way?
And most important, feel passionate about what we’re doing. Embrace our clients, not just work on their
behalf. Advocate, not just sell.
When was the last time you painted the colors of your
favorite brand onto your face? Where on
your body is the tattoo of your favorite brand?
Do you have to go that far?
Maybe not.
But you can pretend it’s there. I worked on a brand for over 15 years that I
felt passionate about every day. My
partners on that Gatorade team felt the same way as we helped it reach new
heights every quarter, expanding it with double digit growth and creating marketing
materials that won awards and resulted in new and powerful loyalties to the
brand.
I didn’t have a Gatorade tattoo. But sometimes it felt like I did.
So maybe, as you head to work and envision the challenges at
hand, you can picture your brand as your favorite team, tying the game with an
improbable long-range three pointer and winning in overtime. Or imagine your brand’s logo tattooed
somewhere on your body or the colors painted on your face.
So that even within the toughest challenges, you’re armed
with the knowledge that you can come out of it stronger and happier than
before.
The power of passion.
The Joy of Solving. In life and
in marketing.
Give it a shot.
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