Diva Marketing
... marketing that's bold, savvy and strategically aligned with your brand's objectives

A New Number For Your Act

by Toby Bloomberg

What's Diva Marketing?

Diva Marketing is an attitude spin that combines a dash of moxie with your own personal style. It's looking at where you want to go and understanding what it will take to get there. Diva Marketing can be a little risky, but it's always strategic and never boring.

We're taking cues from the Divas of the arts as well as the business world. What sets these women apart? What do they have that elevates them to Diva status? Entrepreneur or corporate player, you can use their secrets to position yourself and your brand center stage.

We'll use this space to explore ideas that will help you walk the red carpet without wobbling. Because dahling, Divas turn heads and we wouldn't want you to stumble or fall.

Set Your Performance Apart
Stroll through the multiplex or browse the concert listings… star after star after star in option after option after option... I don't know about you, but, honey, I'm on a budget - both time and money. How do you choose which tickets to buy?

Think Diva: how do you position your products/services to win market share in an environment where your competition is well… Award winning good? How do you increase box office profits or your company's ROI?

There's more involved in performances that bring down the house than memorizing lines. Divas look for insights that add dimension to their characters or depth to a song.

Here's an insight you can utilize to set your brand's performance apart. In a recent survey of U.S. marketing executives:

• 74% of respondents found innovation was "important to the success of their company"
• Only 33% thought their company was "very innovative"
• And 59% didn't think their company "invested enough in innovation"

The Diva Secret … Innovation!
What does the research mean to you? Few companies are leveraging innovation as a marketing strategy. Conformity traps you in the mundane. Girlfriend, it's time to take a chance and add a new number to your act!

Think Madonna. How many times has she reinvented herself? You, too, can use innovation to enhance your offerings and compete in the marketplace. You and your brand can be Diva stars that don't fade after the credits roll.

In The Diva Bag:
Director's notes to help choreograph your marketing programs

1. Script Strategies
Leverage innovation to break out of your traditional thinking

• Develop new products and services
• Enhance customer service programs
• Increase employee satisfaction
• Challenge your internal systems to do it better, faster or cheaper

2. Rehearsal Ideas
Build innovation strategies into marketing planning

• Plan brainstorming sessions. Checkout: http://www.mindtools.com
• Kill the "it's always been done that way" attitude
• Provide opportunities for cross-functional communication
• Recognize innovation and creativity among your staff
• Allow employees a "license to fail"
• Ensure your entire staff understands the company's/department's goals
• Keep your pulse on industry trends
• Look outside your industry for fresh ideas and best practices
• Remember innovation and reality testing are not mutually exclusive

3. Understudy Notes
Don't whine if you're not "management." Follow these directions and the spotlight will shine on you.

• Present more than just a new idea … develop an implementation plan that includes benefits to the company, your boss, your boss' boss and the end user
• Position yourself as a customer feedback resource … report information to people who have back row seats when it comes to customer interaction
• Think outside of your job description … take on additional roles if that's what it means to put your idea on stage
• Build a portfolio of your best ideas … present it at your next review or job interview

Before the curtain goes down on the last act … dance a little faster, sing an octave higher and draw with all the colors of your imagination. Remember Divas don't live in boxes. Don't limit using innovation strategies to your business life; innovation can enhance your personal life, too.

Diva Inspiration Quote of the Month

"Imagination is the highest kite that one can fly." Lauren Bacall

Diva Marketing is a feature column of the BroadSheet, an online women's lifestyle publication.