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michaelvincent V.I.P. 567 Posts |
Hello John
Welcome and thank you for joining us this week for what I am sure will be a stimulating conversation. I want to acknowledge you for your outstanding contribution to the craft of magic. I discovered you and your approach to card magic while researching various handlings for The Mcdonald's Aces. Your "Vino Aces" appealed to me because I have been engaged in a process of transferring a lot of my routines to a Stand-up Parlour setting with great success. With "Vino Aces", I found your handling to be elegant, deceptive, engaging and totally practical, it is in my program. Your new book is wonderful and it has expanded my appreciation for your train of thought, particularly through your essays. Your thoughts on branding I found particularly stimulating because I hadn't thought of branding in quite this context. I always had two questions in mind which drove my magic which are; What do I want my audience to say when my performance is over? and How do I want them to feel? With your branding essay, you have provide me and our community with a unique pathway to becoming even more "memorable and magical" with our offerings to our audience. Is there anything else regarding Branding/"Promise" that you would like to add or have you said it all in the book? In either case thank you for your generosity of spirit and I look forward to a super session with you someday. Cheers with admiration Michael Vincent London
Magic for the 21st Century
"Why be mediocre, when you have excellence as an option" Mastering Magic Elegant Decpetions Learning Tools The All Cards Blog The Vincent Academy of Magic |
JohnG V.I.P. 372 Posts |
Hey Michael. Thanks for the kind words about Vino Aces, branding, etc.
You're two guiding questions are right on the money..."What do I want my audience to say?" and "How do I want them to feel?" As you know, explore these questions and others in the book...including the Epilogue, which explores more deeply the notion of being intentional about how we want the audience to FEEL. The essay on branding captures the topic succinctly, yet substantially in the book. I'm glad I chose to put myself out there and share the elements of MY personal brand/promise. To be honest, I was feeling a bit vulnerable in sharing details of my own brand priorities and strategies. In the end, I'm so pleased I did, because I think it's a valuable learning tool to see real life examples. It was my goal with all the essays to INSPIRE ACTION, not hand feed every detail under the sun. If I were to say more, I would talk about the idea of speaking in ONE VOICE. I'm working with the YMCA right now, who is going through a national re-branding as "the Y." The ONLY way any successful brand can deliver on their promise is to speak in one voice...meaning EVERY available touch point with the public/customer. As I mention in the book intro, it's vitally important to ensure that every element of our "voice" (words, delivery, expression, movement, eye contact, etc.) are purely aligned to our brand (the promise we make through our magic). In another post here, I gave an example of Disneyland and it's Mickey Mouse-shaped pancake. See http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=376178&forum=286&3. This is one of MANY one-degree actions my eyes have become open to since the book was published. I'm sure the reader will also recognize one-degree action every day, all around us, from successful major brands, to individuals we admire. My blog is devoted to this kind of stuff. You can explore past blog posts, and look for future posts at: http://johngmagic.blogspot.com/ I hope I've provided a launching pad for your to build upon your already admirable approach to magic. John G http://www.johnGmagic.com
John Guastaferro
Website: www.MagicJohnG.com Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/MagicJohnG Twitter: twitter.com/johngmagic YouTube: www.youtube.com/johngmagic Email: johnGmagic@mac.com |
michaelvincent V.I.P. 567 Posts |
Thank you for your feedback John
What I got from your comments speaks to "Authenticity" and "Integrity". "One Voice" I get, is all about congruency in being, material, delivery etc. Thanks again Mike http://www.londoncardexpert.co.uk
Magic for the 21st Century
"Why be mediocre, when you have excellence as an option" Mastering Magic Elegant Decpetions Learning Tools The All Cards Blog The Vincent Academy of Magic |
JohnG V.I.P. 372 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-08-11 18:23, Michaelvincent wrote: I would also add that strong brands don't just happen, the are BUILT. This takes "Creativity" and "Intentionality" to turn the best intentions into action. John G
John Guastaferro
Website: www.MagicJohnG.com Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/MagicJohnG Twitter: twitter.com/johngmagic YouTube: www.youtube.com/johngmagic Email: johnGmagic@mac.com |
Tyler Wilson V.I.P. Calgary 123 Posts |
Hey John,
It's apparent that you have clearly defined your style and "branding." And you've inferred that it was purposely built. Can you take us through that development? Did you take note of what you were naturally doing, and then refined it from there? Or did you build it from the ground up? Was there a younger John Guastaferro out there doing Run Rabbit Run, the Magic Coloring Book, and Needle Through Arm before he decided to build a new brand? On a separate note, who is your favorite Wilson in magic? (Excluding Greg Wilson, Gregory Wilson, Mark Wilson, R. Paul Wilson, and Ron Wilson.) Tyler Wilson |
JohnG V.I.P. 372 Posts |
Tyler, what are you doing here? I thought you got banned from every forum site.
Looking back over the past 15 years, I'd say my brand priorities have been fairly consistent. Did I intentionally recognize this a decade ago? No. I just kept getting more focused on what felt genuine and capitalized on my strengths. So, in the discipline of actually DEFINING my brand, it was a fair amount of digging back to find what I was naturally doing. The next step was identifying the specific strategies (the things we do in an intentional and ongoing way) and building upon those. Some brands go through complete changes, such as Banana Republic (which used to be know for more "safari" outdoor attire, but now is known for high-end quality clothes). Other brands go through revitalization...not actually changing their promise, but making sure the public is clear who they are. Apple Inc. (formerly Apple Computer Inc.) is more than just computers...they are about hip, easy-to-use, great looking tech products. I bring up these examples because I see myself more as having gone through revitalization...bringing to the forefront things that were innately there for awhile, but expressing it more in clear in compelling ways. When I said brands are BUILT, it means being intentional about your all actions rather than letting things happen by chance. As I suggest in the book, if you were sitting across from someone and asked to define your brand, using nothing more than a pen and napkin, what would you draw/write/say. For many, this exercise would take some introspection in uncovering what is already there. In other cases, there may still be a blank napkin, and an opportunity to start building. You had an interesting analogy in your new book, the amazing REINVENTING THE REAL, where you talk about how you viewing yourself as a hampster. As corny as it initially sounds, you described your "brand" in a creative and lucid way. Would love to see your napkin sketch. John G
John Guastaferro
Website: www.MagicJohnG.com Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/MagicJohnG Twitter: twitter.com/johngmagic YouTube: www.youtube.com/johngmagic Email: johnGmagic@mac.com |
motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
John,
just to expand on your napkin example. If you've been successful at building your brand, the consumer or in this case your audience should be able to write on that blank napkin the characteristics that make up your brand.
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
JohnG V.I.P. 372 Posts |
Yes, absolutely. Great insight.
I express a similar point in the book in terms of what words will your audience use to describe you after a performance? They should align with your "napkin." John G
John Guastaferro
Website: www.MagicJohnG.com Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/MagicJohnG Twitter: twitter.com/johngmagic YouTube: www.youtube.com/johngmagic Email: johnGmagic@mac.com |
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