A tribute to a man and his brand.

This week’s blog is dedicated to a man who really believed in the power and meaning of his brand.

Allan Gantt passed away last week. He was a young man at 64 years old and a very dear friend of my wife, Jodi.

A born leader, he served our country and was awarded a Purple Heart and most impressively, a Bronze Star which is the fourth-highest U.S. Armed Forces award a soldier serving our country can receive. He also proved to be a leader in his chosen profession of real estate where the list of his achievements, accolades and elected offices in the North Orange County Association, California Association and National Association of REALTORS® would take much longer to recite than this blog could hold. One thing Allan firmly believed in was the value, importance and power of the REALTOR® brand and the ‘R’ that identifies a member of their local, state and national association. Allan wore his REALTOR® lapel pin religiously everyday whether he was going to the grocery store, an open house or an industry meeting…and didn’t understand why other people wouldn’t.

Allan believed in what the REALTOR® brand stood for: doing better, doing more, and treating people ethically when they were going through the most complicated and most valued transaction they might ever engage in. He carried that same belief into every aspect of his life. He believed wearing the REALTOR® ‘R’ lapel pin distinguished him and showed peopled just who he was: A man of honor and a professional who subscribed to a Code of Ethics, much like he subscribed to a code of honor in the military.

Allan never lost that sense of honor in dealing with his clients, or advising and mentoring young professionals in the business, or in fighting for homeowner rights when he visited the statehouse or Capitol Hill or how he treated his friends.
Allan always felt it was an honor to serve his country, and an honor to wear the REALTOR® ‘R’ lapel pin. It separated him from ordinary agents and he believed that well beyond the day he left this life.

I didn’t know Allan for as long as a lot of the attendees at the standing room only service I attended this week. I met him several times and he was always friendly, offering a open hand in friendship. I knew he loved his wife, Diane; he loved his profession and the people he interacted with daily. I didn’t know Allan was a hero in so many ways. We, who knew Allan; who he was and what he stood for are better people for our time with him. Everyone who knew him will miss him.

This past Tuesday, Allan Gantt, father, soldier, patriot, husband, mentor, friend and REALTOR®, was laid to rest. He could have chosen to have his Purple Heart and his Bronze Star accompany him into eternity. But Allan chose to have only the REALTOR ‘R’ pinned over his heart. We wanted it that way; he insisted on it.

Brand Distinction: The New York Yankees clearly have it.

Alright, I am admittedly a diehard Yankee fan. Yes, that was me you could hear all the way from the left coast screaming as they won their 27th World Series Championship.

The Yankees are indisputably the greatest and most successful sports franchise—EVER!

That, my friends is not the ranting of a crank fan after a few too many brews before the 7th inning cut off…it’s your friendly neighborhood certified brand strategist stating a fact…and a claim of distinction that no other team can make. In fact, no other team, EVEN comes close.

The Yankees’ 27th championship is over twice as many as the next team in MLB history. Who is that? The St. Louis Cardinals with 10. (Sorry Red Sox fans, you have a long way to go with your 6.) In the NBA, the Celtics recently won their 17th Championship—now 10 behind the Yankees. And in hockey, Les Habitants, the Montreal Canadiens, have 24 Stanley Cups. Sadly for the Montreal fans, their team hasn’t been close to Lord Stanley’s cup in decades.

The point here is that as a raving fan I have a great brand to root for and an irrefutable brand distinction to hang my hat and build my argument/strategy on: More than any other major sports franchise in history. In the same sense, however, Montreal also has a great brand distinction in their own universe of the National Hockey League. They have won 26% of all Stanley Cups ever contested. The Celtics in the NBA are the only original franchise to have won as many championships—17. The Lakers of LA started in Minneapolis. Try to make the connection that winning in Minneapolis is as pressure packed as L.A.? I don’t think so.

Brand Distinction is what it’s all about. It what separates the men from the boys, the boys from the girls, and the true brands from those products who blend into the woodwork like so much bad wallpaper. Brand Distinction is what companies many times want but fail to deliver upon. They fail to deliver on the wish list and promises kept which require that brand distinction to be adopted and embraced all the way through the organization. The CEO is the person who must understand and articulate just what that brand distinction is…in this case it was George Steinbrenner—The Boss, who accepted no other win as a victory unless it was a World Championship. He invested, and does to this day, millions on talent to do nothing other than win the World Series. And, like him or not—he has relentlessly pounded that notion, that belief, that brand distinction into every person in his organization.

Now it doesn’t take Steinbrenner’s billions to do that. Any company can be just as successful—once they’ve gone through the Brand Development process and identified those elements, the distinctions that will assure greatness. The real challenge is the backbone, the fortitude and the unswerving willingness to see it through—year after year, decade after decade.

Congratulations to The Boss—no matter your opinion. His distinction and place in business and baseball history is assured.

Brand Value: In the Eye of the Beholder

Perception is sometimes reality. In our brand-driven world, the value people place on brands (i.e. the perception of what price they may be willing to pay as a result of a brand’s value to them personally) differs as widely as the Mississippi River.

I’ve come to understand a lot about consumer luxury goods in my career—whether understanding the mindset and price point for an everyday luxury like Grey Poupon, or higher-end watches and jewelry you might find at Tiffany.

Recently, my home was robbed.

It was a typical quick entry and exit, and today’s burglar has a specific target for what they are stealing. Jewelry is usually high value, portable and can be easily moved at the local pawn shop. I found it interesting, after my blood-pressure returned to normal, the types of things that weren’t stolen. Manolo Blahnik shoes, Coach purses, Armani and Hugo Boss suits, Taylor and Gibson guitars. Clearly, the garden variety, scummy burglar doesn’t take items like these, possibly because they don’t know the cost or value. (The police actually related they are too bulky to carry, too.)

Now what is interesting in the brand perception model is how the insurance companies “value” brands. Put more simply, they don’t.

The police advised, and it was later confirmed by my insurance agent: the insurance company values a lost piece as equal to its current value, meaning it’s worth is determined by what you could buy it for at a tag sale/flea market. Great.

Tough on my psyche as a Brand Evangelist and even tougher as a person who had several thousand dollars worth of goods stolen. Not to mention they also had a lot of sentimental value, too. Basically, I care about sentimental value—Allstate doesn’t.

There are strongly internalized intrinsic factors that brands have that sometimes just can’t be articulated or measured. I remember when I had to switch from Mac to PC. I demanded a Dell with an Intel Pentium II processor. Why an Intel processor, my IT guy asked? I literally had NO logical or rational answer. But, I was convinced that the Intel brand was one that would deliver fast, reliable high quality. So for me, enough said.

We make these brand decisions—consciously or unconsciously, rationally or emotionally, on factors like brand values each day.

I guess I am thankful that the burglar wasn’t as discerning about all of the brand choices he had when he robbed us. Otherwise, my wife would still be mourning the loss of her Manolo’s right now.

By the way, I just invested in a new brand…it’s called ADT.