Makeovers that make you cry: The ones worth having

I love nothing better than a marathon of my favorite shows to get caught up on weeks of missed episodes. For this I suggest Modern Family, NCIS, Finding Bigfoot (don't tell anyone about that one) and What NOT to Wear. Tonight is dedicated to TLC's What Not to Wear.

I swear I've gotten better at dressing myself. (mom jeans rule!)

I absolutely love this show. I love clothes, I love shopping, I love changing my hair--and I love seeing the women on What Not to Wear go through these major transformations. They fight the change, they cry when Stacy London and Clinton Kelly make fun of the wardrobe they've sported for years. Eventually, they cave. They take the $5,000 gift card and start out buying the same crap they already own. Stacy and Clinton swoop in, stop the madness, remind the subject of what she has learned. She heads down the proper path, and comes out looking amazing.

I usually cry at this point. (I love a good happy ending story--or commercial for that matter.) I'm excited for the plane-Jane girl who dresses like a hooker, a homeless person, or an old-maid. She is unveiled as elegant, sophisticated, re-styled and reinvented.  Ah, success!

This is a seriously amazing process. I've never seen a woman take a different route. Each subject is hesitant to change, but in the end takes the advice of the pro's -- and the result is nothing short of amazing.

Why am I rambling about this fashion show on a Marketing blog? Well, for one: I'm watching it right now and am amazing at multi-tasking. But more importantly, the process is the EXACT same for a marketing makeover.

I just helped to launch my first User Experience (UX) web project. It, too, was nothing short of an amazing process. It began with a group of people so close to the project that naturally they saw nothing wrong with the way things were. The web pages were frequently visited, the content was updated when an update was due, and the product was a rock star.

The product champions have decided to move ahead with the UX process, taking the advice of the pros. While were discussing user flows, click paths, content creation, and new ways to view the product--our Subject Matter Experts begin to back up... They're worried about the unknown, not sure they want to go down the path that requires so much work, so much time, so different than what they're used to.

In the end, they decide to move with forward--struggle with change and VIOLA! The entire product team ends up elegant, sophisticated, re-styled and reinvented.

What I'm getting at, is sometimes it's a small change--but sometimes an entire make over is eminent. As the marketing pro, or the person in charge of the product under the microscope: Change is GOOD! Sometimes the people--I mean the product most in need of an upgrade have no idea what a difference a new look will make.

People or Product: People will notice the extra effort. People will hear the real you -- you won't have to scream from underneath that outdated facade. When change is due, accept it with open arms. Be kind to those making the recommendation. Be kind to those TAKING the recommendation. In the end, it's so worth it.

Kind of makes me want to go buy some new shoes! Maybe even get a perm.

A little change goes a long way. Botox for your Brand. Or just take your braces off.

In case you haven't noticed, I can relate just about every instance in my personal life back to my marketing life. Basically the two are merging and I'll soon not be able to change from corporate to mom alter-egos. I'll remain a mother-marketer forever. Almost superhero-like.

Today is a big day for motherhood in the Macik household. Jessica gets her braces off. We've taken the entire day off, I'll buy her a dress, take her to eat corn on the cob and she'll flash those slimy pearly whites to everyone she comes in contact with. She can hardly wait. I'm pretty sure she believes this day will change her life forever, opening the doors of complete hotness, boy craziness and perhaps some modeling contracts. (Hey, she's 5'9+"!)

I was debating if I should get up and be productive this morning, or just sleep in...and started thinking about our day and thinking about how such a small change will change her self image and outward appearance forever.

So my question is, when is the last time you made any alterations that would change the perception of your brand, your image, or your company? Sure its true, a brand is created so our audience has immediate recognition of who we are and what we stand for... BUT.... if you see the same logo at trade shows, during broadcasts, or flashy online banners, then eventually they become white noise.

I'm not suggesting you need an entire makeover, but maybe just a little botox. A simple color refresh or design alteration goes a long way. My corporate alter-ego is a little bored. Why not be more accepting of change? Why not be a little more bold? HP is using Alicia Keys and Dr. Dre in their recent advertising campaign Everybody On. Or Microsoft's To The Cloud commercial spots using real life scenario from everyday people. I think both of these campaigns are great for their companies. A little out of the box of what they would typically do. I like it. It makes you notice them. The other day, the buzz around the neighborhood was that a kid got that "Dr. Dre laptop!". Now that's branding.



We can't all endorse rap stars, (and too bad, because that would be amazing! Hey Dre--call me ;) But we can change up the face of our image. Its the little things. An unexpected email campaign? Someone who tweets with personality? An ad using humor (that people actually understand)?

That said, I'm going to review my company website... what can I do different to shake things up and still stay within our brand guidelines? I'm planning for SAPPHIRENOW, now can I keep within brand and still make a splash at the event?  I manage several twitter accounts for Atos Origin, how can I shake those profiles up a bit and make them more engaging. Get ready for my mini-makeover. Long overdue.

Note to self. Get a pedicure while you're at it.

When do you stop growing?

This blog post is dedicated to my little/big daughter, Jessica. She says I only blog about Lauren. (I posted one blog about Lauren, and to my credit, neither girl remembers I blog in the first place.)

So, fine. I'll post a blog about Jessica. (who probably won't read it anyway.) Sounds easy enough, but really this blog is dedicated to the Macik Market, and all things marketing. So how can I relate Jessica to marketing? Got it.

Lately, she can't stop eating. Mind you, this 13 year old girl is already over 5'9" tall. I tell her she's hungry because of a growth spurt (up or out, I don't know which). She asks, "When will I stop growing? I'm tall enough!" I think it's funny. I finished growing in 8th grade at 5'5.5". Her older sister is in at 5'4" (she'll lie and say 5'5").

Everyone is back to work after the holiday, so we're all swapping holiday stories about kids and family. As I'm talking about Jessi getting even taller, they say they'd love to be taller and think its cute she's still growing--how awesome it is to be 13 and full of the unknown. And really how cool is that?

So here I am wondering... Am I still growing? Am I still looking toward the unknown? Man, I sure hope so.

Awesome Giant Lawn Chair seats too-tall-teens Comfortably

If you've kept up with my employer, Atos Origin, we're looking toward a big year in 2011. North America is set to triple in size, the company is set to more than double their expertise and gain one of the largest IT contracts in history. For me--for marketing, this means lots of changes ahead. With change, I can only hope for growth. Growing to unknown heights is kind of exciting, right?

You never know where you'll end up. All you can do is feed your charisma, feed your inhibitions, and watch how far you can go (or "grow" in this case). As you enter the new year, why not wonder where your career will take you. Are you finished growing? Do you want to be finished growing? Do you think you've grown enough? Clearly, my answer is no. I'm not finished. I want to see how far this ride will take me.

I'm booked for New York next week. I hope to learn from the Argyle CMO Leadership Forum around all things Marketing in 2011. I'm begging for the departments first iMac for video production. I'm learning how to better utilize Microsoft Project to track true costs of project work. I'm learning to research the market better, to research our clients needs and expectations. I'm learning to groom my marketing team for reaching new heights. I'm learning to grow, I'm learning not to stop. I'm learning to love it.

How far will you grow in 2011?