It’s a simple question that needs to be answered: How do you want to be talked about and recommended—as a person, a son or daughter, a parent, grandchild, friend, partner, spouse, employee, business leader—whatever the case?I was dressed in full graduation regalia—stiff black mortarboard, flowing black gown, and a regal purple and white stole. And I was nervous.
In two minutes, I’d be stepping on stage to deliver the commencement address for Northwestern University’s Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) graduate program.
What in the world could I say of value to students (and their families) who had just completed two grueling years of learning from some of the best marketing minds around?
These students already knew that the world of business and marketing was fundamentally shifting—much of it happening while they were getting their graduate degree. When I delivered this address in late spring 2012, social media was clearly transforming where, how, and why consumers learned about, engaged with, and bought all sorts of products and services.
Clearly I wasn’t going to capture their hearts with theory alone. Expounding on the newest platform would only make me sound like every other so-called social media expert. And I’d never ignite their passion with an “it’s a tough world out there; let me tell you how to really succeed in this business” soliloquy.
So, I remembered why I had been asked to speak in the first place.
After years as a communicator, marketer, entrepreneur, and educator, I launched a word of mouth, digital, and social media marketing company called Zócalo Group. In six years, an extraordinary team grew the agency to represent some of the world’s leading brands—and among the largest digital and social media agencies in the Omnicom Group.
We began Zócalo with the insight that 92 percent of all consumers report that a word of mouth recommendation is the “leading reason they buy a product or service”—a fact initially posited by Roper Research and later confirmed by Nielsen. We shaped our model to ensure that the companies and brands we work with become the most talked about and recommended in their category. In the age of social media, word of mouth took on a whole new level of significance, turning every consumer into a human media channel.
That story was good. But it didn’t seem enough for a graduation speech—at least one that was going to have any sort of impact.
So I applied the idea of business recommendations to how students should think about living their lives. I called it “Living a Recommendable Life.”
My 12-minute remarks seemed to hit their mark. At the reception, students, professors, parents, and business leaders let me know that the idea of guiding your brand and living your life to become recommendable was a big idea—it was clear, focused, actionable, and measurable.
And it touched a human chord. We all want to know that what we do and how we live our lives is meaningful, positively pointed to, talked about—and recommended.
Shortly afterward, the respected marketing consultant and blog-ger Brian Solis, posted the article “How to Live a Recommendable Life” on his website and referenced the video.1 It drew some of the most shares, comments, and recommendations of all of Brian’s posts.
I knew from the brands that Zócalo Group worked with that the idea of focusing marketing efforts on becoming recommended was market changing—one that could guide all aspects of how a multinational brand, small business, or organization shaped and guided its business.
And every time I shared these thoughts in a presentation, someone would say, “You really need to write a book.” The encouragement I received from the Northwestern speech finally convinced me that this was the right time.
I hope you agree and, of course, recommend this book to others. Here, in its entirety, is the speech I gave that day:
Living a Recommendable Life
What an honor it is to be with you here today.
You are graduating from one of the world’s leading universities with a degree that is recognized and respected in the marketing and communications industry—and beyond.
So, I know you have received a top-notch education and have the fortitude to make your career—and your life—really count.
But before you embark on this next journey, I’d like to share a simple, yet incredibly powerful insight with you.
If you follow this insight, you will never go astray personally. You will become one of the best and most sought after marketers around.
If you follow this insight, you will have a road map for your life. You’ ll save thousands of dollars in therapy. You’ ll have a clear sense of purpose.
If you follow this insight, you’ll be able to develop precise and impactful marketing strategies. You’ll shape brands. And guide organizations.
Quite a buildup, eh?
So, here it is: Live a Recommendable Life.
Let me say it again: if you want to succeed personally and professionally, live a recommendable life.
Let me tell you what I mean.
I am here with you today because of a recommendation. Five years ago, someone recommended me as a guest lecturer to Tom Collinger (associate dean of the IMC program). And when IMC was looking for a commencement speaker, Tom threw my name into the mix. Another recommendation.
About a month ago, Nielsen published a compelling marketing study. The headline? Ninety-two percent of respondents reported that a positive recommendation from a friend, family member, or someone they trust is the biggest influence on whether they buy a product or service. In comparison, only 42 percent said they trusted radio advertising, and 58 percent said they trusted editorial content.
Think of that: 92 percent.
Unfortunately, the opposite also holds true. In fact, 67 percent of consumers in another study reported that seeing as few as three negative reviews was enough for them to not buy a product or service.2
Recommendations and word of mouth, of course, have always been important. But in the age of social media, they are essential. One-to-one communication has become one-to-millions. Word of mouth is now on steroids.
This change, of course, is profoundly affecting the marketing world. How a product or service is talked about and recommended is becoming recognized as one of the most essential, if not the most essential, part of the marketing mix.
This change also affects our personal lives. Before you get hired, your prospective employer will review your Facebook page and LinkedIn profile. New friends will explore the people you know in common. And, if you are like most of your peers, that information will be readily accessible.
Today, you must think of yourself as a brand—a brand worthy of a passionate recommendation by your friends, family, and coworkers.
Some of the most brilliant minds in business can argue incessantly about marketing strategy. But ask them how they want their product to be talked about and they get focused very quickly. That clear purpose should drive all marketing strategies. It most certainly drives search. It drives product differentiation. It drives people to buy—or not to buy. And it is extraordinarily measurable.
I can tell you that from working with some of the world’s leading brands that word of mouth success doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of a deliberate strategy and consistent day-to-day—and year-to-year—execution.
This same insight applies to each of our own lives. Chances are you counted on recommendations from professors and employers to get into the IMC program. Same thing for getting a job after graduation.
What’s most compelling to me is that the proven foundations and principles of driving recommendations for brands are almost identical to those that shape personal recommendations.
So, after many years of learning how influence, recommendations, and word of mouth work, I’d like to offer five key lessons.
Lesson 1: Develop a clear and purposeful story of how you want people to talk about and recommend both you and your brands.
It’s a simple question that needs to be answered: How do you want to be talked about and recommended—as a person, a son or daughter, a parent, grandchild, friend, partner, spouse, employee, business leader—whatever the case?
Same thing, of course, applies to any brands you are marketing. Buyers have a staggering amount of choices. Why would someone recommend your product or service over another?
Lesson 2: Live your brand.
It’s as simple as that. If you want to be recommended as a thoughtful and caring friend— make sure you are always a thoughtful and caring friend.
If you want your brand to be recommended for having the most advanced features and design— make sure your energy and focus go into owning that role and not ceding it to any competitors.
Lesson 3: Be human, be transparent, and live up to mistakes quickly.
Yes. We need to live our brands. But we are human beings. And our brands and organizations are run by human beings. So we and our brands will occasionally veer off course and make mistakes:
In this era of social media, consumer journalism, and always-on news, years of thoughtfully lived lives or well-managed brands can be undone in astonishingly short order.
Own it when you or your brand goofs up. Fix what you can, and ask for forgiveness when needed.
Lesson 4: Stay engaging and interesting.
Ever been cornered by the party bores? They drone on about themselves, don’t ask you any questions, and seem oblivious to anyone’s needs or interests beyond their own.
Marketing success used to be defined by how well we could interrupt consumers and compel them to give us their attention. Success today is based on how well we engage our audiences before, during, and after the sale.
This doesn’t happen by accident. We often talk to brands about following the 90/10 Rule. Spend 90 percent of your time on your social channels listening, paying attention, and engaging with your consumers on their terms. Spend 10 percent of the time talking about yourself. Not a bad approach for life either.
Lesson 5: Regularly evaluate and evolve—but stay true to your core.
People and brands must always evolve. Lives and markets change:
Take time to be introspective and ensure that you are living the life—and being recommended—in the ways that you want to be. It’s good—actually it’s essential—to evolve, change, and grow. Same thing for the brands we represent.
But don’t let these changes happen by accident or get forced into them. Then it’s often too late. Take ownership of your life and your brands.
It’s a few years old, but many of you may have seen the movie Saving Private Ryan. As the story goes, all of Private Ryan’s brothers have been killed in World War II. A team of soldiers, led by Tom Hanks, is sent to retrieve the private before he too is killed—and his mother has no more sons. After a fierce final battle, Private Ryan thanks Hanks for saving him. In his dying breath, Hanks looks at the private and says, “Earn it.”
In the poignant ending scene, Private Ryan is an old man. He and his adult children and grandchildren have gone to Arlington National Cemetery to pay respects to Hanks’s character. The private looks at his wife and says, “Please tell me that I am a good man. That I’m a good husband and father. That I earned being saved.”
In other words, what he really wanted to know was whether he had lived a recommendable life.
Being recommendable is a very commendable goal for ourselves. And essential for the brands we represent.
Congratulations, graduates. What you have accomplished so far is amazing. And I’m willing to bet you have just begun. Now go and create your own recommendable life.