Small Business Today Magazine APR 2015 POSSIBLE MISSIONS

EDITORIAL FEATURE how to honor the Past and build support for the Future BY HANK MOORE, CORPORATE STRATEGIST™ The disney Corporation took advantage of an opportunity that would offer great marketing and positioning opportunities when they celebrated Walt disney’s 100th birthday in 2001. Great organizations work tirelessly to celebrate and involve their customers. A great way to honor the past and build support for the future is by celebrating milestones such as anniversaries. This way, organizations can reflect on their heritage and accomplishments and in doing so, they are able to build and widen stakeholder bases and enable growth in the future. Companies that take the time to mount anniversary celebrations can have phenomenal results. One of these companies that I advised for was Uniroyal Tire Company. They wanted to sponsor a 40th anniversary in 1979 for Little League Baseball. My research revealed that their company had in fact been their first corporate sponsor when they were U.S. Rubber. A lot of people were not aware of their contribution including the younger generations of management, so this was a great opportunity for them to draw attention to their company and gain new clients. The Disney Corporation took advantage of an opportunity that would offer great marketing and positioning opportunities when they celebrated Walt Disney’s 100th birthday in 2001. Great organizations work tirelessly to celebrate and involve their customers. Some recent celebrations that drew acclaim and participation include Rice University’s 100th Anniversary Celebration in 2012, Star Furniture’s 100th Anniversary Celebration 2012, Houston Symphony Orchestra’s100th Anniversary Celebration in 2013, and the Port of Houston’s 100th Anniversary Celebration, 100th in 2014. There are seven kinds of anniversary reunions: 1. Pleasurable which includes seeing an old friend who has either done well, moved in a new direction, and is genuinely happy to see you too. These include chance meetings, reasons to reconnect and a concerted effort by one party to stay in the loop. 16 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ APRIL 2015 ] 2. Painful. Talking to someone who has not moved forward. It’s like the conversation you had with them 15 years ago simply resumed. They talk only about past matters and don’t want to hear what you’re doing now. These include people with whom you once worked, old romances, former neighbors and networkers who keep turning up like bad pennies and colleagues from another day and time. 3. Mandated. Meetings, receptions, etc. Sometimes, they’re pleasurable, such as retirement parties, open houses, community service functions. Other times, they’re painful, such as funerals or attending a bankruptcy creditors’ meeting. 4. Instructional. See what has progressed and who have changed. Hear the success stories. High school reunions fit into this category, their value depending upon the Z[

Small Business Today Magazine APR 2015 POSSIBLE MISSIONS | Page 18