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Last Thursday the 2019 Annual Holmes Custom Olympics took place at company headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida.

Following a festive barbecue lunch, members of the executive team stepped up to the microphone to share big news with the room full of ‘holmies’ (the affectionate nickname for all company employees). Alice Viego, Head of People Operations, opened with a warm welcoming statement.

Bryan Croft, CEO and President, gave a state of the company address.  He shared some of the obstacles and achievements of the last year. He spoke about where the company has been been and where we are going. He shared his excitement to make it to 65 years in business with a forecast of many more to come.

Steve Fernandez, CFO and Vice President, provided insight on how the company plans to pursue the next goals. He introduced holmies to the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and why the company chose this strategy. He then passed the torch to Jim Gruhn, Chief Technology Officer, who went on to explain how the EOS business model will help the propel the company’s productivity, accountability and growth. He described how the EOS will be the pulse of Holmes Custom’s next evolution.

Bryan returned to the stage  for the big moment everyone was anticipating. Bryan announced the new core values. The Holmie Nation will strive to embody these core values: Grit, Accountability, Passion, Curiosity, Collaboration, and Winning!

After the announcement about new values, Sarah De Nicolais, People Operations Coordinator, shared the rules to the next challenge, and the company broke off into teams to take on this year’s Olympics.

The first challenge was a scavenger hunt. Each team was to search for clues that led to a token representing one of the core values. The teams scrambled around the premises to find the hidden treasure and attempt to finish first. Once everyone conquered the scavenger quest, it was time to huddle up again.

The final competition centered on the question “What do our Core Values mean to YOU?” This challenge turned out to be a great platform for holmies to give shout outs to individuals they have seen demonstrate core values in everyday work. In true Ninja spirit, people shared praise and thanks for employees that have seen model values in tangible ways. The teams brought humor, creativity, and passion into their presentations.

The games ended with scavenger hunt and presentation awards, as well as handing out a specially designed 65th anniversary company t-shirt and water bottle featuring the new core values.

 

When a friend invited Bryan on a mission trip to Haiti a few years back, he didn’t realize just how much it would change his perspective on life. The same can be said about every other missionary that traveled to the third world country in early November. For a few, it was their first trip there, and for the others, they return year after year to help the beautiful people of Haiti.

Haiti180 is the incredible organization that makes these mission trips possible. Founded in 2002, it’s mission is to “turn it around”. Since its inception, Haiti180 has established an orphanage with a church, a school, an elderly home, and a medical clinic, all near the village of Miragoane . While there is still a long way for Haiti180 to go, the impact this organization has had is tremendous.  

Katie, a 31-year-old missionary, is the orphanage director. She is also a cancer survivor and a modern day Mother Theresa. She left Ohio to live in Haiti and run the Catholic orphanage more than 7 years ago. During our week-long stay, she led us to individual huts to spend time with families in need.  Katie showed us how to serve the Haitian people through relationship. She does this by learning about the lives of the people in the village around her, identifying specific needs, and personally bringing goods and spending time together. We brought medicine, toothbrushes, diapers, clothing, food, vitamins and even candy right into each hut. We learned about every person we brought supplies to and Deacon, one member of our group, prayed for each.

Most of the stories we heard about their lives were heartbreaking and unimaginable. We heard about a family of nine living in a tiny hut who struggled to have enough to eat and slept on straw mats on the ground. We stepped into their lives for a moment to treat them with the respect and dignity they deserve. We visited an elderly woman, named Vanaella, who spent the last 3 years in her hut, unable to move herself or even turn over. There were 4 generations all sharing a tiny space and an outdoor kitchen area. We brought them food and Vanaella had a message for us. She said, “Every morning, if you wake up, thank God that you are alive. And then at night thank Him again for all the things that happened throughout the day.”

Every time we went on a hike to the huts, our group filled our backpacks and bags to the brim with candy, Cliff bars, dolls and the essentials Katie knew the village’s families were in need of. The moment we walked out of the orphanage gate, flocks of kids would gather around us. They would grab our hands and walk with us for miles, smiling from ear to ear. I don’t know whose smiles were bigger, the children or the missionaries.

The Texas, Massachusetts, and Florida Trio of 14 Missionaries trekked all around rural parts of Haiti. Joe drove us over mountains, into rivers and through the mud to bring us to the orphanage. During our time there, we also worked to complete various manual labor tasks. We shoveled dirt and rocks which will be used to make cement for two projects. These projects are adding a separate boys house to the orphanage and building onto the senior living home. We painted parts of the orphanage to help prevent rust. It took high ladders, reaching long arms and balancing to get the edges of the second floor and roof. We painted the Cantor (missionary bus) which involved hovering around the roof to paint the top and climbing ladders to touch up the window grids.

We toured all the facilities Haiti180 built from the ground up, including the school where we taught the kids how to play basketball. Katie translated the rules from English to Creole and we played a 5-on-5 game with the students in some serious morning heat. We also passed out school supplies that had been donated, and the way the students’ faces lit up over something as simple as a notebook, pens and pencils was heartwarming. During our trip, we were able to spend time with the kids at the orphanage, from playing soccer, dancing on the kitchen steps and getting braids, to attending mass and being a part of their service through Bible readings.

There were many moments during this trip to Haiti that will stay with us all for years to come, but one stands out in particularly – our visit with John Simon, a man paralyzed from the neck down. Because he spends every day lying in bed and how long he had been neglected when Katie first met him, he’s now in need of daily treatment. So on day two we all went to visit and care for him.

Aimee, Sarah, Jesse, Karen, and Anna worked with Katie to address some of John Simon’s immediate medical needs by treating bedsores, cleaning excrement, and redressing wounds. They bent over his bed to complete this slow process and offer this man what help they could. When Katie first met John Simon, he was depressed and living a very lonely life, and while he’s still confined to his small hut in the middle of the village, he’s in much better physical and mental shape then he was a few years ago. He now has daily visitors to care for him and brighten his day.

It’s often hard to put into words an experience like the one we all shared in Haiti, but each and every missionary would agree it’s life changing. When you have the opportunity to witness such a beautiful country, filled with such loving and welcoming people, but who are struggling so deeply, you can’t help but to want to return each year to make whatever impact you’re able to.  

Have you noticed that the oldest and most established companies change their voice and messaging over time?  In the 1980s, for example, Pepsi’s “The Choice of a New Generation” campaign used Michael Jackson’s iconic music along with other popular culture idioms to attract the ears and eyes of a youthful audience. (As early as 1961 Pepsi branded itself as the cola for “those who think young.”) Through the years, Pepsi Co. successfully positioned itself as the brand for a younger, hipper generation. (This messaging adversely marked Coke as the soda for a more mature demographic.)

This kind of messaging is powerful and it keeps brands growing, thriving and competing with one another. Company branding is fluid and should be intuitive to the voice of its consumer base and a constantly evolving marketplace. As this week’s “The Business of Branding” post, we will focus on creating a brand voice that not only speaks directly to your target customer, but that also stands out amid a sea of competitors.

First, it is helpful to define what brand voice IS NOT. Brand voice is not music, jingles or sound effects. Once you have reached the point of creating your brand voice and position, you ideally have your visual elements in place, including your color palette, imagery, patterns and other cues that draw the eye in and create an aesthetic identity. Your brand voice should work in collaboration with visual elements to build a cohesive, unforgettable message.

Six basic steps to creating a brand voice:

1. Define your brand’s personality in words. These words should precisely say who you are. They should speak definitively to your target audience. At this point in building your brand, you should have a strong idea of who you’re trying to reach. Are they young, energetic and ready for the latest trends, or are they older, more mature and established in their beliefs? For decades, Pepsi chose to reach out to a youthful audience, while Coke was the “classic” of soft drinks. Start with 3 words that define your brand, and build from there. (Example: Young, bold and energetic, or mature, established and steadfast.)
2. Stand apart from the competition. Review what your top competitors are doing. What messaging and verbiage are they using to speak to their customer? Once you find out, DON’T copy what they’re doing. Say something unique. What do you offer that your competitor doesn’t? Reflect this uniqueness in your verbiage.
3. Ask yourself “How does my audience communicate?” Are they sarcastic, funny or formal? Once you understand the way they speak, you can use this to communicate with them.
4. Use a call to action; don’t be passive in your messaging. Your visual elements and written communication should work in tandem to grab your customer’s attention.
5. Find a way to engage your audience. No matter how formal your business is, or how serious your products are, you can find a down-to-earth conversational way to engage your target customer. Speak to them. Consider what is important in their daily life, and how your brand can help solve their problem. Don’t be afraid to use humor or even daily annoyances to get on a human level with your customer base.
6. As mentioned above, don’t feel confined to your brand voice. It can change over time and fluctuate in response your audience’s needs. Pepsi and Coke are 2 of the oldest and most successful commercial brands, and they continue to find ways to engage their customer while competing with one another in the marketplace.

Positioning your Brand and Product:

At this point, you have ideally pinned down the audience you want to speak to and you’ve begun establishing the diction and visual language you will use to reach them. These elements will also help you position your brand in the marketplace. Consider Pepsi and Coke once again. Which is your favorite and why? If you can answer these questions, you can begin to understand your own business’s position. Is your product essential and affordable, or luxurious and uncommon? Only you can answer these questions, but once you do, you’re on your way to a distinct voice and strong position on the market.

Information we found useful in the creation of this post:

http://www.advergize.com/marketing/history-of-pepsi-slogans-connect-generations-years/

http://larsen.com/insights/creating-the-right-brand-voice/