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Brand Equity, Marketing & the Fire Service: It's All About the Story
by Ben May - Tuesday April 3, 2012Many of us in the fire service have two jobs. My "day job" involves working for this big mouse and I have learned a few things along the way allowing me to blend that job with a passion for the fire service. It's a nice gig and I enjoy it immensely. At the risk of repeating myself, here are a few things to think about. Some of this I have learned from the mouse, and some I learned from loving the fire service so much. First the mouse: it is all about the story. What stories are you telling your firefighters, your community, and the people who support you financially and politically? The stories are part of the brand. Brand equity is who we say we are, and all of the symbols and actions that achieve that goal. Reputation equity is who... -
Reputation Equity in the Fire Service
by Ben May - Friday January 27, 2012What's your reputation worth? If you think about it, your reputation as a firefighter in your community is worth the value of the reputations of 1.6 million firefighters in this country. Any and every person, family, business and organization coming into contact with you sees the brand - either a firefighter or fire department - through you and just you. Our citizens rarely differentiate between jurisdictions. They only see fire department. And when they are in trouble they only see you. There is no greater honor than contributing to that brand equity. It's like constantly reinvesting in our brand and reputation. It's an investment for our future so you can continue to be public servants. Think about it so we make sure our thoughts... -
Getting Real, Now: A Marketer’s Quick Take on a Looming Crisis
by Ben May - Tuesday July 5, 2011One of the few great things about being older is the ability to enjoy the twin gifts of perspective and experience. I can remember when the idea of marketing the fire service was seen as a bit strange. The approach then - as now - is not really to market in the way many people think of marketing: selling. Marketing, of course, is the combination of a number of strategic and tactical tools to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of a product or service based on the needs and desires of the customers the marketer serves. Like all of you I love the fire service; and when it’s threatened, I get upset. But, when some fire service folks set their own houses on fire that is a problem! The public aspect of marketing the fire service... -
Leading Heroes
by Ben May - Sunday October 31, 2010In the last scene of the movie, "Saving Private Ryan," Tom Hanks' character whispers into the ear of Matt Damon's character: " earn this ." True leadership is an earned privilege in any organization, or among members of a team. Just because someone is given a title doesn't mean he/she is a leader. And it doesn't matter if the leader has done some significant things in his/her last assignment, or the degrees he/she carries. Every new organization, and every new challenge requires earned 'currency' with which to ask the troops for the right to lead. In each fire deprtment fire fighters have earned the right to be a part of a noble brotherhood. In rookie school many years ago my training officer, Lieutenent Scafeede, used... -
Leadership Begins at Home
by Ben May - Sunday August 15, 2010One of the great things about getting older is that after doing some things the wrong way a number of times you really can start do things the right way...and seeing the results you want. Leading companies, organizations and teams really comes down to providing guidance, inspiration and support for the people you have sworn to lead, care for and love. Yes love. Think that's a soft thing? Think again. It's not. Bottom-line, leadership is an act of love. In very few other areas of human endeavor is this more true than the fire service. As the Lebanease poet Kalil Kabran wrote, "work is love made visible." Putting their lives on the line is an act of love fire fighters provide for the citizens they protect, and...
