I'm a voracious traveler. For the past 30 years, I've traversed nearly every state, trekked through Central American rainforests, swam the rough Pacific seas, and sampled Europe's refined cultures.
Nothing, however, compares to Anthony Bourdain's travel log. In case you do not subscribe to cable TV, Bourdain hosted a highly acclaimed show on The Travel Channel, No Reservations. He is a prolific food author and speaker with a penchant for food porn. He just landed a food-documentary series on CNN, Parts Unknown.
Bourdain doesn't sample new cultures; he feasts on them. He lives in the moment with every episode. It's a Zen experience to watch his shows. He is on a mission to help our society connect with and embrace other cultures through shared food experiences.
As a senior marketer, do you have the same voracious appetite for your organization and your customers?
Recently my husband and I attended Bourdain's one-man lecture, "Guts & Glory", in Washington, D.C. Actually, it was more like a two-hour rant on the U.S. junk food industrial complex. He also shared some savory video nuggets from his 20-year global food journey. That's where his mission became very clear to me. These highlights may give you some food for thought on how gutsy you are when it comes to expressing your personal and organizational brand:
- Tell the truth. Now. Bourdain's first vignette offered scathing words on the Paula Deen cooking empire. According to Bourdain, Deen waited at least three years before telling her community about her diabetes. Reports indicate she was diagnosed in 2008. He also believes that she waited for the ink to dry on her sponsorship deal with drugmaker Novo Nordisk. In early 2012, she teamed with them to promote a Novo diabetes drug. In a 2012 interview with Eater, Bourdain challenged her decision: "When your signature dish is hamburger in between a doughnut, and you've been cheerfully selling this stuff knowing all along that you've got Type 2 Diabetes... It's in bad taste if nothing else. How long has she known? I suspect a very long time." Delay and deception are the ingredients to launching a phony brand.
Choosing acceptance over rigor, sharing your personal story, and responding rapidly take guts. You need to tap into your "inner marketing guru" to find what's true. Bourdain's boundary-less brand beliefs will keep you on the road to brand glory. Bon appetit.
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[Image: Flickr user C. G. P. Grey]