Comments on: The Law of Complexity Demands Clear Branding http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/ Marcom - Marketing Communications :: PR/Marcom Pros Mentoring Students Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:20:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Stephanie http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-5620 Stephanie Tue, 03 Oct 2006 03:00:39 +0000 http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-5620 Wow, I have never heard it put that way before. Adding the mathematical aspect to it really puts it into perspective. It is so easy to see how the message or brand of a company can easily become distorted. PR practitioners are often given the challenge of unifying the voice of a corporation in order to better convey the purpose, mission or goals of an organization. In many cases, an unaligned brand or message can lead to very negative outcomes for a company or organization. Continuity and consistency in branding and message delivery is one of the key aspects that leads to the success or failure of a PR, marketing or communications campaign. Wow, I have never heard it put that way before. Adding the mathematical aspect to it really puts it into perspective. It is so easy to see how the message or brand of a company can easily become distorted. PR practitioners are often given the challenge of unifying the voice of a corporation in order to better convey the purpose, mission or goals of an organization. In many cases, an unaligned brand or message can lead to very negative outcomes for a company or organization. Continuity and consistency in branding and message delivery is one of the key aspects that leads to the success or failure of a PR, marketing or communications campaign.

]]> By: Harry Thanos http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-5578 Harry Thanos Sun, 01 Oct 2006 18:34:10 +0000 http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-5578 Dear Mr. Wolf: Who/when developed The law of complexity ? Where did you discover it? Thank you, Harry Thanos Ballwin, MO Dear Mr. Wolf:

Who/when developed The law of complexity ?
Where did you discover it?

Thank you,

Harry Thanos
Ballwin, MO

]]> By: Tricia http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-2015 Tricia Tue, 04 Apr 2006 17:26:13 +0000 http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-2015 This is an interesting concept. In every PR class I have taken so far, the importance of one message has been stressed. Even though this is important and specific cases of how different messages can hurt a company can be found, it still gets overlooked. Consistency is key. Not just in messages either, in everything. I work for an organization now that is struggling to stay consistent in their products and services. It frustrates the customers and the employees and ultimately hurts the company. The Law of Complexity is an interesting way to put everything in perspective. I am a big fan of simplicity myself. I have found that if I break big tasks into smaller components, they are easier to handle. I think too often in business and everything else people complicate things too much and forget where they started. Going back to the airplane, they are complex machines. But all I know is that when I get on one, I want to know it was built right. It is definitely a situation where all the components are important. I don't want the people building the plane to be confused because they were all told something different. The same goes for brand messages and communications. Again, consistency is vital. This is an interesting concept. In every PR class I have taken so far, the importance of one message has been stressed. Even though this is important and specific cases of how different messages can hurt a company can be found, it still gets overlooked. Consistency is key. Not just in messages either, in everything. I work for an organization now that is struggling to stay consistent in their products and services. It frustrates the customers and the employees and ultimately hurts the company.

The Law of Complexity is an interesting way to put everything in perspective. I am a big fan of simplicity myself. I have found that if I break big tasks into smaller components, they are easier to handle. I think too often in business and everything else people complicate things too much and forget where they started. Going back to the airplane, they are complex machines. But all I know is that when I get on one, I want to know it was built right. It is definitely a situation where all the components are important. I don’t want the people building the plane to be confused because they were all told something different. The same goes for brand messages and communications. Again, consistency is vital.

]]> By: lance http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1941 lance Mon, 27 Mar 2006 12:23:54 +0000 http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1941 Wes is right...tough to get that one voice for a company, but man is it essential. One voice = unity. Unity = clear communication. Clear communication USUALLY = success. As PR people, our jobs one day will be to establish this unity within the place where we will work/contribute. I am curious to see how Dale will answer this question. What IS the best way of getting on the same page with EVERYONE in the company? I believe it is much tougher to stand united today than any other time. With blogging as a huge vehicle of PR, rumors upon rumors can surface about a company within seconds of an occurrence. In addition, BECAUSE there is such an access to information and channels through which to share your own, EVERYONE wants to speak their mind. It makes it easier on those wishing to learn more about consumers, but it makes it tougher on those whose job is to maintain the perfect image of a company. Just my two cents. Wes is right…tough to get that one voice for a company, but man is it essential. One voice = unity. Unity = clear communication. Clear communication USUALLY = success. As PR people, our jobs one day will be to establish this unity within the place where we will work/contribute. I am curious to see how Dale will answer this question. What IS the best way of getting on the same page with EVERYONE in the company? I believe it is much tougher to stand united today than any other time. With blogging as a huge vehicle of PR, rumors upon rumors can surface about a company within seconds of an occurrence. In addition, BECAUSE there is such an access to information and channels through which to share your own, EVERYONE wants to speak their mind. It makes it easier on those wishing to learn more about consumers, but it makes it tougher on those whose job is to maintain the perfect image of a company. Just my two cents.

]]> By: Ashley Imsand http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1939 Ashley Imsand Mon, 27 Mar 2006 00:55:14 +0000 http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1939 I really think this is where internal public relations comes in, and internal communication needs to happen frequently and efficiently to keep everyone informed and on the same page like we have discussed. But I don’t know...how do major corporations keep all of their employees informed? Newsletters, memos, email, fliers around the office, meetings? However you do communicate, I have learned it needs to fit the way your employees and internal publics communicate and will be able to respond and feel informed. One problem I have heard PR pros complaining of is that techies and creatives putting together and distributing messages and ads, aren’t always communicating as well as possible with the marketing and PR folks who are trying to pay special attention to crafting their messages just right for their publics. So even though it seems like it should be easy, obviously it can be a big problem in the day-to-day hectic business life of a major organization. So are email correspondence and meetings out of the question in such big firms, why doesn’t it happen enough to fix these communications problems? Or if the companiy is using all of these modes of communication, why aren't they working? I really think this is where internal public relations comes in, and internal communication needs to happen frequently and efficiently to keep everyone informed and on the same page like we have discussed. But I don’t know…how do major corporations keep all of their employees informed? Newsletters, memos, email, fliers around the office, meetings? However you do communicate, I have learned it needs to fit the way your employees and internal publics communicate and will be able to respond and feel informed. One problem I have heard PR pros complaining of is that techies and creatives putting together and distributing messages and ads, aren’t always communicating as well as possible with the marketing and PR folks who are trying to pay special attention to crafting their messages just right for their publics. So even though it seems like it should be easy, obviously it can be a big problem in the day-to-day hectic business life of a major organization. So are email correspondence and meetings out of the question in such big firms, why doesn’t it happen enough to fix these communications problems? Or if the companiy is using all of these modes of communication, why aren’t they working?

]]> By: Amy http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1931 Amy Sun, 26 Mar 2006 10:26:13 +0000 http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1931 One voice from a company is very important to keep a company's audiences from being confused. But giving the audience many different messages can also have an effect on a company's credibility. If customers are constantly hearing many different messages from many different sources within a company, then they will begin to wonder about how true the message is to begin with. They will ask "Why does everyone have a different story?" or "If they were telling the truth, they would all be saying the same thing." On the other hand, if the company is sending out the same message from a few different sources, then they are sending out a strong, collective image. Audiences are less suspicious of the information they are receiving because they are getting the same facts from everyone. One voice from a company is very important to keep a company’s audiences from being confused. But giving the audience many different messages can also have an effect on a company’s credibility. If customers are constantly hearing many different messages from many different sources within a company, then they will begin to wonder about how true the message is to begin with. They will ask “Why does everyone have a different story?” or “If they were telling the truth, they would all be saying the same thing.” On the other hand, if the company is sending out the same message from a few different sources, then they are sending out a strong, collective image. Audiences are less suspicious of the information they are receiving because they are getting the same facts from everyone.

]]> By: Wes http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1921 Wes Sat, 25 Mar 2006 17:26:00 +0000 http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1921 The problem with one voice comes up very frequently where I work. We order a lot of books...this is what we know: it USUALLY takes 5-7 business days to get there. ALL employess know this. That should be our one voice. "It will probably be in here in 5-7 business days." But there are employees that guarantee the customer that it will be in on the 5th day. Usually customers get mad when this happens. Thus, hurting our business. I agree with everyone that one voice is essential for an organization or corporation to succeed. But my question is how do you enforce the one message?? I have no idea. But it seems to be impossible if the employees don't want to include the actual mission statement. There has to be a way to enforce it.....I just don't know it. The problem with one voice comes up very frequently where I work. We order a lot of books…this is what we know: it USUALLY takes 5-7 business days to get there. ALL employess know this. That should be our one voice. “It will probably be in here in 5-7 business days.” But there are employees that guarantee the customer that it will be in on the 5th day. Usually customers get mad when this happens. Thus, hurting our business.

I agree with everyone that one voice is essential for an organization or corporation to succeed. But my question is how do you enforce the one message?? I have no idea. But it seems to be impossible if the employees don’t want to include the actual mission statement. There has to be a way to enforce it…..I just don’t know it.

]]> By: Sarah http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1916 Sarah Sat, 25 Mar 2006 02:26:29 +0000 http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1916 I agree that there should only be one spokesperson for the organization. Otherwise, there will be 80,000 variations of one message. It reminds me of the game of telephone. One person says something to one person and then that person messes up a couple words and relays the message to another person. Before you know it, the intended message is given a new meaning. This is how gossip starts. In your situation, poor communication leads to customers being exposed to different messages for the same brand. I agree with Amanda and LC that one voice is necessary for effective communication. It’s not as easy as it seems though because not everyone is capable of being a spokesperson for a large corporation. As explained by Ronald Smith in Strategic Planning for Public Relations, the CEO may not be the best fit to be the organizational spokesperson. First, you don’t want to overexpose the boss; he or she should be saved for the big issues. Another reason is the CEO may not have the calm, credibility, charisma or other characteristics of an effective spokesperson. Regardless, I think that speaking with one voice is essential in order for any organization to be successful. I agree that there should only be one spokesperson for the organization. Otherwise, there will be 80,000 variations of one message. It reminds me of the game of telephone. One person says something to one person and then that person messes up a couple words and relays the message to another person. Before you know it, the intended message is given a new meaning. This is how gossip starts.

In your situation, poor communication leads to customers being exposed to different messages for the same brand. I agree with Amanda and LC that one voice is necessary for effective communication. It’s not as easy as it seems though because not everyone is capable of being a spokesperson for a large corporation.

As explained by Ronald Smith in Strategic Planning for Public Relations, the CEO may not be the best fit to be the organizational spokesperson. First, you don’t want to overexpose the boss; he or she should be saved for the big issues. Another reason is the CEO may not have the calm, credibility, charisma or other characteristics of an effective spokesperson. Regardless, I think that speaking with one voice is essential in order for any organization to be successful.

]]> By: LC http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1915 LC Sat, 25 Mar 2006 00:23:41 +0000 http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1915 Wow- Six Sigma is something I haven't heard in a while. We studied it in my Case Studies class a few semesters ago. I remember that Motorola did a huge overhaul of their efficiency and quality production with that program which resulted in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. It is interesting that you applied that to a communication strategy like branding. In a large company such as Motorola or your company, having a clear and simple message that comes from everyone in the organization could be impossible. But if you could achieve that or even close to that- it could solve many communication problems. Like Amanda said, one clear voice is a foundation for effective communication. It is one of the key points of a crisis communication plan. Having several messages come from one company undermines the real message and breeds distrust in publics. The speech you gave was right on. Keep it simple. Teach your employees the importance and meaning of your positioning statement so that they will use it! Wow- Six Sigma is something I haven’t heard in a while. We studied it in my Case Studies class a few semesters ago. I remember that Motorola did a huge overhaul of their efficiency and quality production with that program which resulted in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

It is interesting that you applied that to a communication strategy like branding. In a large company such as Motorola or your company, having a clear and simple message that comes from everyone in the organization could be impossible. But if you could achieve that or even close to that- it could solve many communication problems.

Like Amanda said, one clear voice is a foundation for effective communication. It is one of the key points of a crisis communication plan. Having several messages come from one company undermines the real message and breeds distrust in publics. The speech you gave was right on. Keep it simple. Teach your employees the importance and meaning of your positioning statement so that they will use it!

]]> By: Amanda Freind http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1911 Amanda Freind Fri, 24 Mar 2006 20:02:35 +0000 http://www.marcomblog.com/2006/03/24/the-law-of-complexity-demands-clear-branding/#comment-1911 Interesting post Dale! I enjoyed it! When reading your post, I couldn't help but think about the principle of "One Clear Voice" that we have studied throughout many of our Public Relations classes at Auburn University. Maybe I immediately thought of that because all of the numbers and math in your post scare me... At any rate, we have learned that having one clear voice or message for your organization is of utmost importance. Once clear voice helps to clear up any confusion. Publics/audiences are able to hear the same message from an organization, even if multiple spokespeople are delivering it. On that same note, if there are multiple spokespeople, each should be aware of what the others are saying. Messages should not conflict each other. On a slightly different note, messages that are delivered to publics need to be somewhat uncomplicated in nature. Long, drawn-out, complex explanations, stories or messages make it difficult for employees or other publics to understand. It could be that a complex message that some employee misundersood winds up being a huge mistake for the company, financially or otherwise. So, marketers and companies, Keep it simple! Interesting post Dale! I enjoyed it!

When reading your post, I couldn’t help but think about the principle of “One Clear Voice” that we have studied throughout many of our Public Relations classes at Auburn University. Maybe I immediately thought of that because all of the numbers and math in your post scare me…

At any rate, we have learned that having one clear voice or message for your organization is of utmost importance. Once clear voice helps to clear up any confusion. Publics/audiences are able to hear the same message from an organization, even if multiple spokespeople are delivering it. On that same note, if there are multiple spokespeople, each should be aware of what the others are saying. Messages should not conflict each other.

On a slightly different note, messages that are delivered to publics need to be somewhat uncomplicated in nature. Long, drawn-out, complex explanations, stories or messages make it difficult for employees or other publics to understand. It could be that a complex message that some employee misundersood winds up being a huge mistake for the company, financially or otherwise.

So, marketers and companies, Keep it simple!

]]>