Blog Archives
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May: Public Perception & Reputation Management
By Ben May - Thursday April 4, 2013
How sincerely gratifying to see the results of the IAFC's Fire and Emergency Service Task Force's " Taking Responsibility for a Positive Public Perception " report. This document is an excellent foundation for action. From a public service marketing perspective, the findings are right on target. The underlying premise of the work is the responsibility we share in creating a positive image for our department. The reason this is so important is that the effects - positive or negative - reflect the image of the entire fire service nationally. Our local behavior dictates our national reputation. Social media and instantaneous communication bring this reality home. Our behavior in public, especially - but also among our fellow firefighters... -
Chaos: The Dangerous Opportunity
By Ben May - Thursday February 28, 2013One of the cool things about getting older is that you get a different kind of perspective. I don't know about you, but looking back on my life, every opportunity came to me just after I had hit what I thought was the bottom in the midst of some kind of chaos, and possibly, danger.Most of the time, I brought myself to it. It was usually some kind of necessary lesson. This has probably happened to all of us at some time in our lives. The question is: what do you do with the lesson? Where can it take us? That is up to each of us in the fire service. I was at a retreat for men last weekend and it was just eight of us. We were sharing our stories with each other - all of the things and people in our lives that molded us into the men we... -
May: Service Design, Marketing and Leadership
By Ben May - Friday February 15, 2013
Keeping "service" in the fire service is not just a marketing imperative. It's a leadership responsibility. And, if you are the leader, the essence of leadership is not just about empowering people to execute the organizational mission as a result of your presence, but making that impact last and grow in your absence. When it comes to the marketing mission of the fire service, every department and firefighter represents the best of us - protecting life and property after we have done our best to prevent an emergency incident in the first place. We do not have the luxury of segmenting our markets. We are a "democratic service." Every citizen receives the same quality of service regardless of socioeconomic position. Whether you are an... -
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... -
Common Sense
By Ben May - Sunday August 15, 2010Over the last couple of years we have seen the effects of the economic turndown for sure. And if we are to believe the latest economic news, there may be more to come. Most of us seem to follow the same old patterns of behavior, some of which defy common sense. Think about it. We are trained to plan for emergencies: unusual incidents that bogle the mind of most people. Why don't we plan for our own, but on a long-range basis? First, most of us have no plan. Second, we lay off public education and prevention personnel: the least expensive and most effective long-term solution to the fire and injury problem. Next we have knee-jerk reactions to government administrators and the public by creating a sales fire drill ( "the... -
"What We Have Here is A Failure to Communicate"
By Ben May - Thursday July 15, 2010Over the last year I am constantly struck by the lack of of understanding between two simple terms: " marketing and sales." This has everything to do with the way many of us go about gaining financial support, especially in the very difficult economic conditions we all face. Because the history of the US Fire Service is based on suppression , we sometimes have a reaction mentality when faced with a problem. But even when this happens on the fireground, we do consistently plan in adance. We do have pre-fire plans and incident command systems when the alarm comes in. Still, our mentality seems to reside in the "respond" mode when it comes to the future growth of the department. Sales / Fire Fighting I would equate...
