FOCUS

"Deep penetration on a narrow front" is military mantra for tactical success. Concentration of force and strength equals power. Diversification of force is weakness.

Business success begins with focus. As does advertising and marketing success.

One of my favorite marketing books of all time is "FOCUS" by Al Ries, followed by "Good to Great" by Jim Collins, an "Positioning" by Al Ries and Jack Trout.

I have found over two decades of working with large Fortune 100 companies and small organizations across the nation, that focus and concentration is one of the key ingredients missing in their strategy for success.

Most companies lack focus, concentration and continuity in everything they do, including training, customer service, product or service quality, product offerings, pricing strategy, branding, marketing, advertising and media planning.

It's no wonder so many companies fail to reach their potential, or even survive. They don't know who they really are, who they serve or why. And they can't stay focused or on task long enough to build a brand image with meaning, depth and definition. A brand that the market can believe in and trust. A brand that stands for something of substance and reliability.

Look at In & Out Burger as a case study. They don't advertise at all in the traditional sense. They simply focus their strategy on a few key strategies that as it turns out people like, a lot:
Great locations
Great tasting, fresh quality food
Low prices
Simple menu
Excellent service
Clean and upbeat environment

With all these positive attributes going for it, the only advertising they need is word of mouth and loyal repeat customers, which is exactly what they have. Who needs to advertise when you have all the business you need by simply doing all the right things really well consistently.

To my knowledge In & Out has never had a sale, a coupon, a special or a discount of any kind. They don't need to. They provide a great value backed by quality and great service every day.

People like a good value for their money. They like quality, convenience, and they like consistency and continuity. Pretty simple concepts, but difficult to deliver.

Why? Because most companies and their revolving door of CEOs, CFOs, CMOs and the like want to try and tweak things, to put their own fingerprint on it, to squeeze out another 4% profit margin, to change the direction, the brand,the offereings, or the value proposition.

Most companies are not driven by a focused and rock solid mission statement, set of guiding principles, business plan or values.

And the market sees it and picks up on it. What the market prefers is brands run by integris people, with a clear, simple and conistent objective of delivering honest quality, value, service and convenience, all the time.

The market likes to know what a brand stands for, and what it will not stand for. They like to know they can depend on the brand to deliver on their advertised value proposition on a consistent basis. Regardless of who is in what executive seat at the time.