Involve your crew in your annual review.

With 2017 fast approaching, it's time to look back at the year and start planning for the year ahead. I'm not just talking about the corporate planning most executives do tucked away in their office somewhere in complete solidarity. I'm talking about having a company meeting involving all your employees.

In an article written by Tim Miles, another of the many talented Wizard of Ads partners, he lists the 10 simple questions he sends out to ALL his employees in preparation for the company's annual meeting.

They are:
Feel free to replace "MCo" (Miles and Co.) with your company name.

• What's been right about MCo in 2016?
• What's been wrong with MCo in 2016?
• What's been missing from MCo in 2016?
• What's been unclear about MCo in 2016?
• Who's your favorite client? What is it about them that makes them your favorite?
• If you had a magic wand, what 1-3 things would you change?
• What's working well for us? What shouldn't we change?
• Imagine it's one year from today... and we are firing on all cylinders and everything is both hunky and dory... paint that picture of your idea of big honkin success for me.
• What was your greatest professional accomplishment this year? Of what are you most proud?
• What do you imagine will be our biggest challenge as a company in 2017?

Providing these questions ahead of time allows them and to think about their answers. Additionally, by involving the entire crew, you are demonstrating that you value them and what they have to say.

This way, your hardworking crew will feel like they are an integral part of the greater picture, and more importantly, you won't find yourself wondering why your employees aren't owning the company plan.

What are you doing to make sure your employees feel like valued individuals and not just subordinates who follow orders?

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner

A company`s mission to maintain its high standards.

Rules; they are put into place to maintain order and ensure consistency. The house rules teach our kids right from wrong, touch on ethics, and focus on values but most importantly, they outline the shape of the family brand. This parallel can be made to rules in a workplace. Rules and guidelines aren't always pleasant but they are necessary to capture and preserve the heart and soul of the company brand.

Walt Disney was a man with a clear vision. In our article, Come on in! Be our Guest!, we explored the lengths to which he went to preserve the magic in the Disney parks. Today, these high standards have never been clearer to anyone than the people who work for the Disney Company. These appropriately named Cast Members are expected to adhere to a long list of rules. Many Cast Members who first apply for they're "dream job" do not always realize how much hard work goes into "being Disney". As a company focused on providing the best guest experience, having strict rules makes perfect sense.

In order for anyone to become a Disney Cast Member, he or she needs to abide by a set of strict rules. Here are a few interesting ones.

Pointing with only one finger is not allowed.
If you ask a Cast Member for directions, they will either point with two fingers or gesture with their whole hand. There are two main reasons for this. First, it is considered rude to point and second, children can see two fingers more easily than just one.
 
Cast Members are not allowed to answer "I don't know".
Disney prides itself on its guest experience, so it comes as no surprise that Cast Members should be there to help no matter what the issue, good or bad. They must always attempt to help guests in any way possible, whether it's making a phone call or seeking the answer from another Cast Member, you must every effort to get an answer.

You have to FIT the part.
If you plan to portray certain iconic characters, be sure you fit the bill. For example, a Disney Princesses' height ranges between 5'4" to 5'8". You’ve gotta be a certain size and shape to convince those littler guests. Each character must be in correct proportion to each other.

EVERYONE picks up the trash.
It doesn’t matter who you are, if you see trash, you pick it up. Even if you’re a manager, a princess or a pirate. It's everyone's responsibility to pick up the trash. But that's not all. Disney doesn't want you to stop, bend over and pick it up. You have to gracefully "swoop" it up as you walk by.

Never break character.
A Disney character is never allowed to "be themselves". They cannot break character, even if they are speaking to an adult or other Cast Member. They must maintain their character's personality, voice and story because you never know when a child might be looking or listening. Breaking character would definitely ruin the magic. Imagine if Mickey Mouse removed his head in front of a crowd of youngsters!

Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!
In this workplace, there is no frowning or bad posture. After all, it is the "Happiest Place on Earth".
 
Disney officials believe these rules are essential to providing a magical experience to their guests. Guests interact with Cast Members at the front gates, in shops, at mealtimes and again as they leave the park. It's a responsibility that Disney does not take lightly and you shouldn't either.

Rules like these should be celebrated. It shows that Disney cares about their guests and every aspect of their experience.

What rules or guidelines does your business have in place that puts the happiness of your customers first? Are the members of your staff Cast Members or just employees?

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner

The proof is in the pudding.

A while back, we published an article that touched on the fact that Chick-fil-A dropped their relationship with their ad agency, The Richards Group, after 22 successful years. In light of this bold move, Boston Market ceased the opportunity to hire The Richard Group for themselves.

When it comes to the fast-food industry, The Richards Group has a strong track record of persuasive advertising; remember the "Eat Mor Chikin" ads? Boston Market is best-known for it's always fresh, never frozen rotisserie chicken and home style meals.

Boston Market's Vice-President of sales and marketing Tim Hartmann stated:

“The Richards Group will play a key role in Boston Market’s efforts to refresh our brand and appeal to new customers as we grow and open new restaurants”. “We are working across all of our marketing and communications channels to develop creative and compelling messaging that positions Boston Market as the go-to dining establishment for fresh, all natural, rotisserie chicken and delicious home style cooking. We were impressed with the caliber of strategic thinking that The Richards Group demonstrated and believe they will be a great partner as we execute our growth plan and marketing strategy.”

We are likely to see The Richards Group's first media work in early 2017. Mr. Kroencke also added that a new campaign for the brand should be expected sometime in the second quarter of next year. He goes on to say:

"We haven't concepted the new campaign idea yet, but as always, we're going to look for an insight we can build an idea around, then execute that consistently across multiple points of contact."

The Richards Group will be dedicating approximately 20 of its people to the Boston Market business.

Boston Market has some great core values as seen in this brand essence video. I predict great things for them next year.

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner