Tag: Summer Brand Camp

Hug it Out of Slug it Out? More from Summer Brand Camp

Dana PhelpsBlog, Professional Development, , , Leave a Comment on Hug it Out of Slug it Out? More from Summer Brand Camp

In my last post, I talked about some of my favorite things about Summer Brand Camp. Today, I wanted to dig a little deeper into the first thing from that list which was the collaborative song writing exercise, led by Banding People Together. In addition to thinking things like this are just really fun, I love to observe the human dynamics in these types of situations.

The first thing I noticed was all the different backgrounds represented in the room. People came from different states, some were in marketing while others were in HR or operations, we had cat lovers and dog lovers (if you know me at all, you know…), we had people who thought we should write our song in a major key to make it sound uplifting and others wanted the darker sound that comes from a minor key, and we had those who enjoy curse words and those who do not. Sound familiar? It should. It describes most people’s work environments.

Our first task was coming up with a name. Brant, our facilitator, stressed the importance of consensus to teamwork. When it seemed there wasn’t one choice that everyone loved (sounds familiar again, eh?), Brant did something that I thought was brilliant to bring in the few folks who didn’t agree with the majority. He gave them something special… or I suppose you could say he played to their egos. Either way, it worked! The females in the room agreed on The Summer Brand Cramps. Two guys, George and Michael, were opposed. So, we became George Michael and the Summer Brand Cramps, and eventually George Clay Michael and the Summer Brand Cramps to include the name of the third guy in our group. With their names getting the spotlight, we reached consensus. Hmmm, I’m going to remember that little trick.

Next we debated style, lyrics, should we use the f word in our song, all kinds of fun things! Then, we were down to the wire to finish our song in time for the performances, and we had the biggest debate about how the song should end. When you read the lyrics below, you’ll get a sense for the path the song was taking and musically, there was a lot of angst in it. Brant advised that it wouldn’t go with the flow for it to end all happy happy. It came down to one line. Should it be “slug it out” or “hug it out?” “Slug it out” really fit more with the overall tone and feel of the song, but really everyone in the room was of the mindset of resolution when applying our song to real life and we just couldn’t feel right with “slug it out.” Plus, @IamCathyMac (follow her — she’s new on Twitter. Tell her she’s doing a great job!) who was so sweetly persuasive really wanted “hug it out.” See, sweetness can get you so far in negotiations!

The last thing I have to say is that I was originally adamantly opposed to putting something about a cat in our song. But even my canine loving heart found myself agreeing to change a “now” to a “meow” because from across the room I had started to adore and respect a (gasp!) cat lover for her creative ideas and the collaborative way she played the game. We even added a little kitty choreography, and man oh man, what a great time we had performing our song! We were a team that overcame our differences, and we were proud to be teammates. And we still think we were better than all of the other teams! With that said and without further ado, I give you the lyrics to “Meow”….

I hear you b!+@#ing but we ain’t listening

Your lips are moving but words aren’t sinking in

You say you really care, but I just don’t see it there

We gotta do this or we’ll be outta here

Just shut your big mouth

Stop messing around

Let’s get the job done

It’s time to have some fun, MEOW

You say you’re trying, but it’s not working out

I think you’re lying, so let’s just hug it out (awwww)

Just shut your big mouth

Stop messing around

Let’s get the job done

It’s time to have some fun, MEOW

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This One Time at Brand Camp…

Dana PhelpsBlog, Professional Development, , , , Leave a Comment on This One Time at Brand Camp…

This week I’m attending my first Summer Brand Camp, a conference hosted by People Report for people in marketing, operations and human relations, in the restaurant industry. Having worked with several national restaurant brands and franchised operations, it is really fun to be here and feel like I’m part of the inside circle of such a passionate group of people.

Here are some of my favorite things that have happened at Brand Camp so far:

  1. The first night, as a total newbie in this group, I went into a room with about 15 other people and wrote a song. As a collaboration exercise led by Banding People Together, this was the perfect icebreaker and a wonderful way to learn more about my fellow campers and the challenges they face in their daily jobs. In a short period of time our “band” named George Clay Michael and the Summer Brand Cramps created a hard-driving song with a lot of angst about the communications struggles that occur between departments and colleagues. Watch the video to see for yourself how the words “shut your big mouth,” a hug and meowing can all come together in one song.
  2. One of the absolute best stories came from two guys, Jason Lauritsen and Joe Gerstandt, who talked about how difficult it is to always be authentic during a time when the words authentic and authenticity  have turned to buzzwords. Jason and Joe encouraged campers to work hard at being original and for people and brands to shake their tail feathers and fly their freak flags. The story they told was about a doctor they both went to for vasectomies. (I’m telling you, these folks at Brand Camp REALLY share a lot.) Picture Dr. Sloan who comes in for the procedure with a “Surgery for Dummies” book under his arm as he asked the nurse (in front of the patient) “Was this the vasectomy or the sex change?” The point is, you might not think of a doctor as being funny and perhaps a tad inappropriate, but that’s who Dr. Sloan is. He’s authentic, and being his patient was a memorable experience. And Jason and Joe endorse him everywhere they go!
  3. Simon T. Bailey challenged the campers with defining their Vuja De moments. You know what deja vu is, right? Well Vuja De is when you say, “I haven’t seen it yet, but I intend to create it.” How do you know you are getting close to having a Vuja De moment? You start becoming uncomfortable with being comfortable. Wow! That gave me a flashback to the moment I decided I wanted to open a Raleigh PR agency. Simon offered some other interesting thoughts including this: A job is something you are paid to do. Creating a moment of brilliance is something you are made to do.
  4. William Tincup, Bryan Wempen and Craig Fisher talked about the importance of having a social framework versus a social strategy. The energetic and interactive discussion about how to let your audience influence your online engagement and asking the question of “what are you trying to do” before deciding which tools seemed like a page out of the Clairemont playbook. Such validation to hear these highly regarded experts in the HR industry — a different space than PR — reinforce the advice we give our PR clients about social media and overall communications.
  5. Christopher O’Donnell told an inspiring, funny and motivational story about becoming the CEO of Famous Dave’s. My favorite part was when he was in a company meeting and told the founder, the board and the franchisees, “I am the CEO. I’m Christopher O’Donnell, and I am the CEO. CEO’s are hired to be leaders, and that’s what I plan to do. I plan to lead.” Then he went to his office, locked the door, took a couple of deep breaths and said, “Oh, shit.” Great example of the responsibility you accept when you take on a leadership role.
  6. Marc Buehler, president of O’Charley’s, said the answer to the question of, “How do you turn a business around?” is simple…. go back to what made the company great. Why did people love it in the first place? I’m going to be honest, I’ve refused to eat at an O’Charley’s for a few years now. But knowing that Marc has been at the helm for a year and seeing his passion, I just might have to give it another try.
  7. Realizing that two shout-outs in the same post to William Tincup and Jason Lauritsen will likely fuel their already healthy egos (and you know I mean that in a loving way!), I have to share the link to their performance at last night’s talent show. LMFAO would be proud, don’t you think?

This has been a wonderful learning and networking experience, and I hope I am able to attend Summer Brand Camp next year! Fellow campers, what have been your favorite moments?

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