

#BeVital
#BeVital
As pressures mount to reopen the economy and “get back to normal,” now what? Our blueprints for success have been thrown out the window. Many marketers will be faced with decimated budgets that will lock away familiar brand building tools.
Perhaps this provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to spend less time on the “cosmetics” of our brands and instead focus our efforts on improving its “complexion.” Perhaps we have the opportunity to push back on our own C-Suites and re-establish a sensible normal.
What Is Normal Anyway?
But what is it that we as marketers should do, and what is normal anyway? The birds are still chirping, and the fruit trees are blooming so I’m glad to see that some normal continues. As we start to restore order, let’s take a look at what our “normal” has been pre Covid-19:
Whether you agree or not, you have to admit that what I described has become way too normal… and that’s not normal!
File Under Your “Better Angels” Tab
I have had the privilege of traveling to many countries and firmly believe, that in spite of our flaws, America provides the best opportunities for innovation and global impact. I can’t think of any other place that has the DNA to look inward and self correct when it needs to. It is in that spirit that I believe we all deserve better. We all deserve to be better. And there is much in our control in each of our respective companies.
We can take this little Corona break we have and figure how we can make our own lives better, the lives of the people we serve better, our companies better, and overall country healthier.
Whether you believe in Divine Intervention, Mother Nature, or plain old Coincidence, this situation is a shot across the bow, at the very least. So, Chief Marketing Officers, many of you’ve been pushing to align your brand with various Social Justice causes. Well, perhaps that big cause landed in your lap.
Maybe now is not the time to worry about the money you don’t have to promote your brand. Perhaps it’s more about the time you spend on your value chain to assure your brand is vital in a swiftly changing landscape.
Below are a few thoughts that came to mind – it’s really about appealing to our better angels:
You Can Do This!
And finally, in terms of employment models, what learning can we take away from all this that we can apply in a Post Covid-19 World?
True Social Justice In A Post-Covid World?
There is so much more to be said and done. Perhaps we can use this as a new era to “right size” Normal. Perhaps this is the opportunity for real change in our way of working and our way of serving. Perhaps we will redefine what true profitability is. Perhaps we will find that this deadly virus helped cure a number of ailments. Perhaps there is nothing new here. Perhaps our role is and always will be to truly serve what is in the best interests of our customers. And by doing so, we truly serve our own best interests. Truly!
Perhaps that is the real Social Justice marketers should embrace. Perhaps! #BeVital
Author Ed Faruolo led marketing and brand development for 3 Fortune 500 companies and runs his own business consultancy, VitaLincs LLC
Most train rides to NYC are pretty non eventful… and the riders pretty much want to keep it that way. Very little eye contact, never mind a “good morning” — even though we are sharing our personal space for between 1-2 hours. Which brings us to this day.
Seated in front of me was a young woman, late 20s/early 30s… carrying her oversized handbag that was half as large as her in one hand… some kind of large iced coffee drink in the other… and her ears safely blocked from the outside world with those trademarked white Apple ear buds.
I didn’t even notice the middle aged gentleman that sat down next to her. He came in with the crowd from Fairfield where the hunt for a seat intensifies to a winner take all battle stance. In fact, I wouldn’t have noticed him if she didn’t turn around with a look of panic on her face about 20 minutes into the trip. I was one of the few that actually had his head buried in a newspaper as opposed to an iPad (which I think protects you from having to share a seat far more than an iPad does).
She caught my eye probably the second or third time as she turned around and was trying to mouth something to me… it was almost like she didn’t want to break some kind of Quiet Car Train Code. But then it registered… “he is having a seizure!”
I got up and thought the gentleman had already passed on… he was very pale, his eyes were open but little sign of consciousness. A conductor was near by, I got his attention and told him about the seizure. He called for help and the train proceeded to Stamford where it stopped for Rescue to board and attend to the sick man. That distance seemed to be an eternity. During that time, the man regained consciousness and wanted to know what we wanted of him. He acted like he was just sleeping and I started wondering if that is really what had happened. “Thank you for your concern but I am fine.”
The Rescue personnel had the train stopped for about 10 minutes or so…
The man was polite, soft spoken but firm in not wanting any help. He said, “I just passed out for a couple of minutes, it’s nothing!” I really started thinking we made a big blunder and were totally embarrassing this poor soul until one of the Rescue workers asked, “has this happened before?” To that he said, “3 times in the past 2 months.” Rescue finally convinced him to get off the train and at least sign some paperwork. When he realized that he was holding things up and folks were starting to look up from their iPads, he agreed to get off.
I don’t know what happened next, whether he continued to refuse help but I do know this much. If he was sitting next to me I might not have noticed there was a problem. The young lady did tell me that he started shaking and is eyes were rolling into his head. Sitting behind him I could detect no such activity. I might have thought he was asleep… I might have left him there… He could have been having an embolism, or a stroke, or a heart attack. But the young lady next to him did notice…
If she wasn’t there, we might have walked by, figuring he’s still sleeping as lots of the long haul commuters do.
It doesn’t sound like much does it? Someone needs help and you get if for them? Thankfully, this young lady had the good sense to notice. To realize there was something wrong… and to act. When something is obviously catastrophic, your attention is riveted and your better instincts and adrenalin kicks in. But this was subtle, quiet, camouflaged. How easy it is to overlook the quiet cry for help. But she heard it…. right through her ear buds!
I spoke to her before she got off the train… and thanked her for paying attention. She was shaking and crying a little. I told her she might have saved his life. She said, “I don’t think it was that drastic!” I said, “who knows, maybe you stopped him from getting in a car later in the day, and hurting someone else.” I guess you never know when you’re going to get called for an opportunity to make a real difference.
I wondered what happened to that gentleman. The other day I was in NYC again and as I was getting off the train I noticed him walking on the platform… so I guess things turned out all-right.
But this young lady, whoever she was, knows what it is to #BeVital.
Ed Faruolo
A few short years ago while heading marketing for one of the top global health benefits providers, I had just come out of a meeting with the CEO and immediately called my own staff to provide all the answers to several burning issues. At the end of that meeting my head of research, MY HEAD OF RESEARCH… stood up and said, “I’m going outside to have a cigarette and find out what is really going on!”