June 22, 2020 • 17 mins
The 4 P’s of Innovative ICONIC Brands - Part II
Episode #3
A product, service or idea is innovative when it truly makes your customer lives’ easier, whether it's something new or making something better–an improvement. During Part Il of this two-part series, we unpack the last two of the 4 P’s of Iconicity, Passion and Perseverance.
Learn how to magnify your vision (own it, live it, love it) and focus on what matters to your customers. The future is already upon us and some iconic brands have taken the lead to engage, empower and inspire our life’s experiences.
- 0:01:02 - Intro: Passion and Perseverance
- 0:01:25 - The third P of Iconicity = Passion
- 0:08:08 - The fourth P of Iconicity = Perseverance
- 0:13:59 - ICONIC Points
To learn more about John Avola and Calvin Stovall, visit iconicpresentations.net. All The ICONIC Mindset episodes can be downloaded at theiconicmindset.com. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, please subscribe to our show. Remember to select a star rating and/or write a review for The ICONIC Mindset podcast.
Connect with us!
- John Avola: @johnavola (Twitter) and LinkedIn
- Calvin Stovall: @ICONICspeaker (Twitter), Facebook and LinkedIn
To leave a podcast review:
- Open your podcast app and search/navigate to The ICONIC Mindset
- Scroll to the subhead titled "Ratings & Reviews"
- Tap to give a rating and/or select "Write a Review"
- Once you've finished, select "Send" or "Save" (top-right corner)
Thank you for listening! We value our listeners and subscribers.
Don't just be, Be ICONIC!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Introduction (00:07):
Welcome to the iconic mindset podcast with John
Avola and Calvin Stovall.
This is the only place thatuncovers the multiple levels of
iconic businesses and brands.
Every episode reveals thesecrets behind what it takes to
make your business, idea, ormovement iconic.
(00:27):
Now, here are John and Calvin.
John Avola (00:34):
Calvin, how are you today?
Calvin Stovall (00:35):
Great, John.
I'm doing great, man.
Welcome.
This is our third one!
John Avola (00:40):
Third one, Calvin.
Great to be here with you.
I have to tell you, this podcasthas changed my life.
I'm getting so immersed iniconic brands.
Calvin Stovall (00:50):
I'm excited too.
And today is going to bewonderful as well because we're
following up on our last podcastwhere we talked about the four
Ps of innovative iconic brands.
We're back with part two.
In the first part we talkedabout purpose.
We covered convenience, savingpeople time and all of that, and
some organizations under thatumbrella.
(01:12):
And then we also talked aboutpeople and connection in the
museum and remember the wholerobot thing we covered.
This time we are going to coverthe last two Ps of the iconic
framework, which of course arepassion and perseverance.
We have some great content toshare with our listeners on
(01:35):
that.
They are really going to enjoywhat we have to talk about
today.
As you know, I have two littleboys and they love their games.
Fortnite has just taken over myhousehold.
The company that I want to talkabout here is Nintendo.
You remember Mario brothers,right?
(01:59):
Nintendo entertainment has beenaround since 1983 and they've
released over a dozen video gameconsoles and handhelds.
But what I want to talk aboutfrom an innovative standpoint is
their Switch.
That new thing is a dream cometrue for gamers.
(02:21):
It's a full blown console thatyou can take with you wherever
you go.
Switch has created an entire newgeneration of Nintendo fans.
Carson, my little boy, has oneand he thinks it's the best
gaming thing ever made.
He's been through a ton of them.
(02:42):
It's the perfect size.
They have a ton of games and itcan seamlessly dock to a TV.
The controllers put smartphonesto shame.
It's one device that you canplay on a plane.
You could travel with it in abackpack or a pouch.
It can be played wherever youwant without an external control
(03:03):
screen required.
And it actually was a big gamblefor Nintendo.
They combined the best of theircompanies.
They had that 3DS handheld.
They also took the learningswhen they stumbled with the WII
U and they've sold, since it'sbeen out on the market, 55
(03:24):
million of these things.
John Avola (03:25):
That's amazing.
I just have to laugh.
Calvin.
I remember blowing in thoseNintendo games trying to get
those things to work.
Your son, Carson has no idea.
Calvin Stovall (03:36):
He has no idea the pain we went through.
I wanted to put them in therebecause I think they've done a
great job continuing toinnovate, continuing to make
great products for theiraudience.
Nintendo's fantastic.
John Avola (03:56):
They've come such a long way, from back, like you
said, in1983 to today, with theNintendo Switch.
I need to get one of those.
Calvin Stovall (04:06):
My next company is Adidas.
John Avola (04:08):
Adidas is a great brand.
Calvin Stovall (04:09):
I'm going to highlight what they've been
working on.
What do you do with your gymshoes after you've worn them
out, John?
John Avola (04:15):
Calvin, I enjoy running and I would say every
500 miles or so I have to tossthem out.
That's it.
I rotate them maybe through someyard work, but after that they
go in the garbage.
Calvin Stovall (04:26):
Well, Adidas is trying to change that.
They're on a quest to develop afully circular product.
We're facing a grave,environmental threat in the form
of plastic, which is cloggingour landfills and oceans.
What they're focusing on iscreating this 100% fully
(04:50):
recyclable gym shoe.
It's like a product that livesforever.
The raw material is never thrownaway.
It just becomes another product.
And then another one, and thenanother one.
It's called Adidas FuturecraftLoop.
And it's the first 100%recyclable performance running
(05:12):
shoe.
You would probably think that ashoe like this is probably going
to be pretty ugly, but that'snot the case.
It's a really good looking shoe.
John Avola (05:21):
Tell me, Calvin, would you wear it?
Calvin Stovall (05:27):
I would wear it.
It's nice, it has a nicegarment.
It's a nice woven plastic andit's really a nice looking shoe
and it's very comfortable.
What I also want to share withyou is what they said.
And it's going to tie in greatwith our podcast here.
This is from one of the peopleon the team that's created this
shoe, and this is his quote,"This is about mindset.
(05:49):
It's about pushing boundaries.
We are acting as explorers orpioneers.
We're trying something new.
For this type of work, you needthe mindset of we're going to
learn and we're going to takewhat we l earned and apply that
into a setting where theultimate goal is that it becomes
a commercial reality." That isan iconic mindset right there.
(06:10):
I love it.
John Avola (06:11):
That's cool.
Adidas, they're such a greatcompany, hearing about that
fully recyclable sneaker.
I love the Loop.
I love the name.
It actually clicked, right asyou were saying they're going to
continue to reuse over and overand over again- that's the loop.
And the fact that it's madefully from plastic, a lot of
that plastic, like youmentioned, is fished out of
(06:32):
oceans for the composite of thatshoe.
Speaking of Adidas, recentlythey actually had an
announcement where they'rejoining forces with Allbirds.
Allbirds is a new brand.
It's only a couple of years old,but they're known for their
shoes where that you do not haveto wear socks.
Allbirds was founded on theconcept as well of kind of
(06:54):
reducing that carbon footprint.
You may even see ads for them onFacebook.
They're collaborating to createa performance shoe similar to
the Loop.
The idea behind this shoe isthat it will have the world's
lowest carbon footprint at justtwo kilograms.
So I had to look into that.
What is two kilograms versusanything else?
(07:16):
How do you know two kilograms isgood?
The answer is that a normal shoeactually contains 12.5 kilograms
of carbon footprint.
They are reducing that down totwo.
But what I really loved aboutthis innovation is that
technically these brands arecompetitors.
They're both in the performanceshoe market, but Allbirds
(07:37):
doesn't have the scale or themanufacturing capability to
produce or reproduce a carbonfootprint to that caliber.
However, that's where Adidascomes in.
That's how they enter the game.
They have that manufacturingcapability and they believed
that by working together, theycan bring their respective
expertise to the table to createthe most sustainable shoe in the
(07:58):
world.
Calvin Stovall (07:58):
Wow.
That's awesome.
Love it.
John Avola (08:03):
All right, Calvin.
We're rounding out here, withthe fourth P.
Calvin Stovall (08:07):
Rounding out.
Here we go.
Fourth P is perseverance.
And John, this quadrant is allabout innovation really, and
continuing to look for ways tomake your customers' lives
better again, and really thefocus on what matters.
I have two brands that I thinkexemplify this quadrant very
(08:27):
well.
John Avola (08:27):
This is probably your favorite P.
Calvin Stovall (08:29):
Oh yeah, this is my favorite P.
It really is.
John Avola (08:32):
We talk about it, never losing the beat.
Calvin Stovall (08:34):
That's right.
Never lose the beat! The firstone is Netflix.
They recently had one of theirbiggest quarters.
They actually had 60 million newsubscribers signing on because
of COVID.
These guys have 182.8 millionsubscribers worldwide, and I'm
putting them here.
I don't know if you're a fan ofStranger Things.
John Avola (08:55):
I watched all three seasons.
Calvin Stovall (08:56):
They had a great advertising campaign and they
pulled together some of thebiggest brands to help promote
that show, Burger King,Coca-Cola, Nike, Lego, Baskin
Robbins, to really hype thatshow up.
And they even actually convincedCoke to relive their New Coke
(09:17):
disaster.
We all remember that situationand they turned it into a
marketing master stroke.
So I want to put Netflix therebecause they're continuing to
grow and innovate and I'm justhappy they were there during
this COVID thing.
I would have just lost my mindfor sure.
The great thing about Netflixtoo, is that they've done a
(09:40):
great job at personalizingexperiences.
When you look at a movie,they'll make suggestions and
that's just awesome.
John Avola (09:49):
It's so cool.
I think Netflix are the kings ofpersonalization.
Everything is perfectlypersonalized.
Everything from what'srecommended to the order in
which it's recommended, even theimages that you'll see before
you select your show, even thoseare personalized to the
individual.
(10:10):
They're changed based on yourviewing patterns.
And it's just really neat to seethe connection cross channel as
well.
You can get an emailrecommendation, a new
documentary uploaded, or asuggestion to check this out on
a Friday night.
With all that personalizationthough, I have to share
something.
My wife keeps using my accounts.
(10:33):
She gets in there and I'll say,you know, Kim, there's multiple
accounts for a reason.
She gets in there, watches hershows on my account.
And then I get in there and I'mgetting ads for Golden Girls and
The Crown.
All I want to see is MoneyHeist, or some Breaking Bad, and
I just can't seem to get it.
So an unfortunatepersonalization from Netflix is
(10:55):
being caused by some self error.
Calvin Stovall (10:59):
That's too funny.
My second one is Nike.
They are the epitome ofperseverance.
Of course, you know the historywith them.
Founded in 64 as Blue RibbonSports, had their first retail
outlet in 66, launched Nikebrand shoe in 72, and the rest
(11:21):
is history.
The Just Do It ad campaign.
They signed some of the greatestathletes of our time.
Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter,Tiger Woods, LeBron James, and
Kobe Bryant, rest in peace.
In 2018, which is what I reallywant to highlight here, they
made the controversial decisionto name former NFL quarterback,
Colin Kaepernick, as one oftheir spokespeople.
(11:44):
How timely could this be, withwhat we're going through right
now?
Two years before, Kaepernickfamously took a knee during the
national anthem to protestracial inequality and police
brutality.
And basically he was reallypretty much locked out of the
NFL a fterward.
But despite that, despite theboycotts, all of the noise, all
(12:05):
the craziness, Nike stood by itsdecision and they made money.
Shares and sales rosedramatically.
When you're silent or y ou'rejust in the middle, it probably
goes unnoticed.
Nike will step out there andthey will do something no other
(12:27):
brand will do.
And i t's successful.
I would say they're probably oneof the brands that seem to be
about a couple of years ahead ofsociety.
T hey probably saw something inthis whole thing with Kaepernick
and just stuck by it.
And now here we are dealing withthis whole worldwide thing with
(12:48):
George Floyd.
So I've just got to commendNike.
They were on it quick and theypersevere.
John Avola (12:56):
All right, Calvin, as we finish up here, I don't
think you can have aconversation about passion,
products, and perseverancewithout mentioning Apple.
Apple constantly is committingto innovation, literally
transforming our lives from thefirst iMac to smartphones,
tablets, smartwatches.
The list goes on.
(13:18):
Steve Jobs was brilliant,arguably one of the best
innovators of our time, and hisfamous quote that continues to
reside with me is that decidingwhat not to do is as important
as deciding what to do,narrowing that focus can be an
effective innovation.
Keeping it simple.
Calvin Stovall (13:36):
You can't have a conversation about innovation
without Apple.
They're so integrated into ourlives today.
John Avola (13:45):
Calvin, we talked about a lot today.
I always like to recap.
We like to leave our listenerswith a few takeaways.
Why don't we look back at someof the things we talked about,
maybe kind of recap a couple ofkey takeaways for our listeners
today.
Calvin Stovall (13:57):
All right, here we go.
Iconic points.
I'm going to give you three.
You can't develop innovativeproducts or services in a
vacuum.
It's imperative that you involvethe voice of the customer.
And in many, if not all cases,your employees, particularly
those that are customer facing.
These guys are out there in thetrenches every day.
(14:18):
They're talking to yourcustomers on a daily basis.
They're a critical resource youshould tap into.
Unfortunately the frontlinepeople don't feel like they can
be involved in innovation.
A recent study of more than3,000 workers across industries
conducted by Survey Monkey,doing a study for Fast Company,
(14:39):
revealed that while 71% ofC-level respondents believe they
have opportunities to personallycontribute to new or innovative
ideas at work, only 22% of lowerlevel individual contributors
felt that way.
Number two, you must cultivatethe right work environment that
encourages and celebratesinnovation.
No risk, no reward.
(15:00):
Your employees have to feel safeto share their ideas, even those
that challenge the norm.
Number three, never lose thebeat.
John Avola (15:07):
My favorite, I think about that all the time, ever
since we started workingtogether, Calvin, never lose the
beat.
I bring that into my daily life,and not just necessarily on a
business mentality, but neverlose the beat with your family,
your friends, your personalgoals.
Calvin Stovall (15:24):
Never become too comfortable or complacent.
Ask Circuit City or Blockbuster,they probably remember this one.
Customer expectations arechanging and evolving all the
time.
Always seek out new ways toimprove the lives of your
customers as well as youremployees.
There's a quote, you'll get runover if you just sit there.
John Avola (15:45):
You've got to think about that for a minute.
Calvin Stovall (15:48):
You've got to keep the beat.
That's right.
John Avola (15:51):
And Calvin, those are great points.
As you were talking throughthose, a fourth point came to
mind.
And that is iconic innovationtakes, not just inspiration, but
also purpose, people, passionand perseverance.
See what I did there.
Well, I can't thank you enoughfor being here, doing this
(16:23):
together, and for your time thismorning.
It's awesome.
I'm loving this podcast andloving where we're headed here.
Calvin Stovall (16:29):
I'm having a blast.
John Avola (16:30):
Well, shall we give a sneak peek into our next
episode?
Calvin Stovall (16:33):
I think we might want to revisit COVID-19 a
little bit.
It might help some companies,small and large, with how they
can deliver iconic customerexperience in a post COVID-19
world.
Customer service, customerexperience is going to change
after all of this, so I want totalk a little bit about that.
John Avola (16:52):
That's a great topic.
We mentioned a little bit ofCOVID-19 even today in this
podcast.
There are definitely someinnovations that have come out
of it and to look at how iconiccustomer experiences are now
being evolved due to COVID isgoing to be a wonderful topic.
I'm pretty excited about it.
All right.
(17:12):
Well, that's it Calvin.
So, if any of our listeners wantto learn more about the iconic
framework, you can contact usthrough iconicpresentations.net.
And until next time, don't justbe, be iconic.
Welcome to the iconic mindset podcast with John
Avola and Calvin Stovall.
This is the only place thatuncovers the multiple levels of
iconic businesses and brands.
Every episode reveals thesecrets behind what it takes to
make your business, idea, ormovement iconic.
(00:27):
Now, here are John and Calvin.
John Avola (00:34):
Calvin, how are you today?
Calvin Stovall (00:35):
Great, John.
I'm doing great, man.
Welcome.
This is our third one!
John Avola (00:40):
Third one, Calvin.
Great to be here with you.
I have to tell you, this podcasthas changed my life.
I'm getting so immersed iniconic brands.
Calvin Stovall (00:50):
I'm excited too.
And today is going to bewonderful as well because we're
following up on our last podcastwhere we talked about the four
Ps of innovative iconic brands.
We're back with part two.
In the first part we talkedabout purpose.
We covered convenience, savingpeople time and all of that, and
some organizations under thatumbrella.
(01:12):
And then we also talked aboutpeople and connection in the
museum and remember the wholerobot thing we covered.
This time we are going to coverthe last two Ps of the iconic
framework, which of course arepassion and perseverance.
We have some great content toshare with our listeners on
(01:35):
that.
They are really going to enjoywhat we have to talk about
today.
As you know, I have two littleboys and they love their games.
Fortnite has just taken over myhousehold.
The company that I want to talkabout here is Nintendo.
You remember Mario brothers,right?
(01:59):
Nintendo entertainment has beenaround since 1983 and they've
released over a dozen video gameconsoles and handhelds.
But what I want to talk aboutfrom an innovative standpoint is
their Switch.
That new thing is a dream cometrue for gamers.
(02:21):
It's a full blown console thatyou can take with you wherever
you go.
Switch has created an entire newgeneration of Nintendo fans.
Carson, my little boy, has oneand he thinks it's the best
gaming thing ever made.
He's been through a ton of them.
(02:42):
It's the perfect size.
They have a ton of games and itcan seamlessly dock to a TV.
The controllers put smartphonesto shame.
It's one device that you canplay on a plane.
You could travel with it in abackpack or a pouch.
It can be played wherever youwant without an external control
(03:03):
screen required.
And it actually was a big gamblefor Nintendo.
They combined the best of theircompanies.
They had that 3DS handheld.
They also took the learningswhen they stumbled with the WII
U and they've sold, since it'sbeen out on the market, 55
(03:24):
million of these things.
John Avola (03:25):
That's amazing.
I just have to laugh.
Calvin.
I remember blowing in thoseNintendo games trying to get
those things to work.
Your son, Carson has no idea.
Calvin Stovall (03:36):
He has no idea the pain we went through.
I wanted to put them in therebecause I think they've done a
great job continuing toinnovate, continuing to make
great products for theiraudience.
Nintendo's fantastic.
John Avola (03:56):
They've come such a long way, from back, like you
said, in1983 to today, with theNintendo Switch.
I need to get one of those.
Calvin Stovall (04:06):
My next company is Adidas.
John Avola (04:08):
Adidas is a great brand.
Calvin Stovall (04:09):
I'm going to highlight what they've been
working on.
What do you do with your gymshoes after you've worn them
out, John?
John Avola (04:15):
Calvin, I enjoy running and I would say every
500 miles or so I have to tossthem out.
That's it.
I rotate them maybe through someyard work, but after that they
go in the garbage.
Calvin Stovall (04:26):
Well, Adidas is trying to change that.
They're on a quest to develop afully circular product.
We're facing a grave,environmental threat in the form
of plastic, which is cloggingour landfills and oceans.
What they're focusing on iscreating this 100% fully
(04:50):
recyclable gym shoe.
It's like a product that livesforever.
The raw material is never thrownaway.
It just becomes another product.
And then another one, and thenanother one.
It's called Adidas FuturecraftLoop.
And it's the first 100%recyclable performance running
(05:12):
shoe.
You would probably think that ashoe like this is probably going
to be pretty ugly, but that'snot the case.
It's a really good looking shoe.
John Avola (05:21):
Tell me, Calvin, would you wear it?
Calvin Stovall (05:27):
I would wear it.
It's nice, it has a nicegarment.
It's a nice woven plastic andit's really a nice looking shoe
and it's very comfortable.
What I also want to share withyou is what they said.
And it's going to tie in greatwith our podcast here.
This is from one of the peopleon the team that's created this
shoe, and this is his quote,"This is about mindset.
(05:49):
It's about pushing boundaries.
We are acting as explorers orpioneers.
We're trying something new.
For this type of work, you needthe mindset of we're going to
learn and we're going to takewhat we l earned and apply that
into a setting where theultimate goal is that it becomes
a commercial reality." That isan iconic mindset right there.
(06:10):
I love it.
John Avola (06:11):
That's cool.
Adidas, they're such a greatcompany, hearing about that
fully recyclable sneaker.
I love the Loop.
I love the name.
It actually clicked, right asyou were saying they're going to
continue to reuse over and overand over again- that's the loop.
And the fact that it's madefully from plastic, a lot of
that plastic, like youmentioned, is fished out of
(06:32):
oceans for the composite of thatshoe.
Speaking of Adidas, recentlythey actually had an
announcement where they'rejoining forces with Allbirds.
Allbirds is a new brand.
It's only a couple of years old,but they're known for their
shoes where that you do not haveto wear socks.
Allbirds was founded on theconcept as well of kind of
(06:54):
reducing that carbon footprint.
You may even see ads for them onFacebook.
They're collaborating to createa performance shoe similar to
the Loop.
The idea behind this shoe isthat it will have the world's
lowest carbon footprint at justtwo kilograms.
So I had to look into that.
What is two kilograms versusanything else?
(07:16):
How do you know two kilograms isgood?
The answer is that a normal shoeactually contains 12.5 kilograms
of carbon footprint.
They are reducing that down totwo.
But what I really loved aboutthis innovation is that
technically these brands arecompetitors.
They're both in the performanceshoe market, but Allbirds
(07:37):
doesn't have the scale or themanufacturing capability to
produce or reproduce a carbonfootprint to that caliber.
However, that's where Adidascomes in.
That's how they enter the game.
They have that manufacturingcapability and they believed
that by working together, theycan bring their respective
expertise to the table to createthe most sustainable shoe in the
(07:58):
world.
Calvin Stovall (07:58):
Wow.
That's awesome.
Love it.
John Avola (08:03):
All right, Calvin.
We're rounding out here, withthe fourth P.
Calvin Stovall (08:07):
Rounding out.
Here we go.
Fourth P is perseverance.
And John, this quadrant is allabout innovation really, and
continuing to look for ways tomake your customers' lives
better again, and really thefocus on what matters.
I have two brands that I thinkexemplify this quadrant very
(08:27):
well.
John Avola (08:27):
This is probably your favorite P.
Calvin Stovall (08:29):
Oh yeah, this is my favorite P.
It really is.
John Avola (08:32):
We talk about it, never losing the beat.
Calvin Stovall (08:34):
That's right.
Never lose the beat! The firstone is Netflix.
They recently had one of theirbiggest quarters.
They actually had 60 million newsubscribers signing on because
of COVID.
These guys have 182.8 millionsubscribers worldwide, and I'm
putting them here.
I don't know if you're a fan ofStranger Things.
John Avola (08:55):
I watched all three seasons.
Calvin Stovall (08:56):
They had a great advertising campaign and they
pulled together some of thebiggest brands to help promote
that show, Burger King,Coca-Cola, Nike, Lego, Baskin
Robbins, to really hype thatshow up.
And they even actually convincedCoke to relive their New Coke
(09:17):
disaster.
We all remember that situationand they turned it into a
marketing master stroke.
So I want to put Netflix therebecause they're continuing to
grow and innovate and I'm justhappy they were there during
this COVID thing.
I would have just lost my mindfor sure.
The great thing about Netflixtoo, is that they've done a
(09:40):
great job at personalizingexperiences.
When you look at a movie,they'll make suggestions and
that's just awesome.
John Avola (09:49):
It's so cool.
I think Netflix are the kings ofpersonalization.
Everything is perfectlypersonalized.
Everything from what'srecommended to the order in
which it's recommended, even theimages that you'll see before
you select your show, even thoseare personalized to the
individual.
(10:10):
They're changed based on yourviewing patterns.
And it's just really neat to seethe connection cross channel as
well.
You can get an emailrecommendation, a new
documentary uploaded, or asuggestion to check this out on
a Friday night.
With all that personalizationthough, I have to share
something.
My wife keeps using my accounts.
(10:33):
She gets in there and I'll say,you know, Kim, there's multiple
accounts for a reason.
She gets in there, watches hershows on my account.
And then I get in there and I'mgetting ads for Golden Girls and
The Crown.
All I want to see is MoneyHeist, or some Breaking Bad, and
I just can't seem to get it.
So an unfortunatepersonalization from Netflix is
(10:55):
being caused by some self error.
Calvin Stovall (10:59):
That's too funny.
My second one is Nike.
They are the epitome ofperseverance.
Of course, you know the historywith them.
Founded in 64 as Blue RibbonSports, had their first retail
outlet in 66, launched Nikebrand shoe in 72, and the rest
(11:21):
is history.
The Just Do It ad campaign.
They signed some of the greatestathletes of our time.
Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter,Tiger Woods, LeBron James, and
Kobe Bryant, rest in peace.
In 2018, which is what I reallywant to highlight here, they
made the controversial decisionto name former NFL quarterback,
Colin Kaepernick, as one oftheir spokespeople.
(11:44):
How timely could this be, withwhat we're going through right
now?
Two years before, Kaepernickfamously took a knee during the
national anthem to protestracial inequality and police
brutality.
And basically he was reallypretty much locked out of the
NFL a fterward.
But despite that, despite theboycotts, all of the noise, all
(12:05):
the craziness, Nike stood by itsdecision and they made money.
Shares and sales rosedramatically.
When you're silent or y ou'rejust in the middle, it probably
goes unnoticed.
Nike will step out there andthey will do something no other
(12:27):
brand will do.
And i t's successful.
I would say they're probably oneof the brands that seem to be
about a couple of years ahead ofsociety.
T hey probably saw something inthis whole thing with Kaepernick
and just stuck by it.
And now here we are dealing withthis whole worldwide thing with
(12:48):
George Floyd.
So I've just got to commendNike.
They were on it quick and theypersevere.
John Avola (12:56):
All right, Calvin, as we finish up here, I don't
think you can have aconversation about passion,
products, and perseverancewithout mentioning Apple.
Apple constantly is committingto innovation, literally
transforming our lives from thefirst iMac to smartphones,
tablets, smartwatches.
The list goes on.
(13:18):
Steve Jobs was brilliant,arguably one of the best
innovators of our time, and hisfamous quote that continues to
reside with me is that decidingwhat not to do is as important
as deciding what to do,narrowing that focus can be an
effective innovation.
Keeping it simple.
Calvin Stovall (13:36):
You can't have a conversation about innovation
without Apple.
They're so integrated into ourlives today.
John Avola (13:45):
Calvin, we talked about a lot today.
I always like to recap.
We like to leave our listenerswith a few takeaways.
Why don't we look back at someof the things we talked about,
maybe kind of recap a couple ofkey takeaways for our listeners
today.
Calvin Stovall (13:57):
All right, here we go.
Iconic points.
I'm going to give you three.
You can't develop innovativeproducts or services in a
vacuum.
It's imperative that you involvethe voice of the customer.
And in many, if not all cases,your employees, particularly
those that are customer facing.
These guys are out there in thetrenches every day.
(14:18):
They're talking to yourcustomers on a daily basis.
They're a critical resource youshould tap into.
Unfortunately the frontlinepeople don't feel like they can
be involved in innovation.
A recent study of more than3,000 workers across industries
conducted by Survey Monkey,doing a study for Fast Company,
(14:39):
revealed that while 71% ofC-level respondents believe they
have opportunities to personallycontribute to new or innovative
ideas at work, only 22% of lowerlevel individual contributors
felt that way.
Number two, you must cultivatethe right work environment that
encourages and celebratesinnovation.
No risk, no reward.
(15:00):
Your employees have to feel safeto share their ideas, even those
that challenge the norm.
Number three, never lose thebeat.
John Avola (15:07):
My favorite, I think about that all the time, ever
since we started workingtogether, Calvin, never lose the
beat.
I bring that into my daily life,and not just necessarily on a
business mentality, but neverlose the beat with your family,
your friends, your personalgoals.
Calvin Stovall (15:24):
Never become too comfortable or complacent.
Ask Circuit City or Blockbuster,they probably remember this one.
Customer expectations arechanging and evolving all the
time.
Always seek out new ways toimprove the lives of your
customers as well as youremployees.
There's a quote, you'll get runover if you just sit there.
John Avola (15:45):
You've got to think about that for a minute.
Calvin Stovall (15:48):
You've got to keep the beat.
That's right.
John Avola (15:51):
And Calvin, those are great points.
As you were talking throughthose, a fourth point came to
mind.
And that is iconic innovationtakes, not just inspiration, but
also purpose, people, passionand perseverance.
See what I did there.
Well, I can't thank you enoughfor being here, doing this
(16:23):
together, and for your time thismorning.
It's awesome.
I'm loving this podcast andloving where we're headed here.
Calvin Stovall (16:29):
I'm having a blast.
John Avola (16:30):
Well, shall we give a sneak peek into our next
episode?
Calvin Stovall (16:33):
I think we might want to revisit COVID-19 a
little bit.
It might help some companies,small and large, with how they
can deliver iconic customerexperience in a post COVID-19
world.
Customer service, customerexperience is going to change
after all of this, so I want totalk a little bit about that.
John Avola (16:52):
That's a great topic.
We mentioned a little bit ofCOVID-19 even today in this
podcast.
There are definitely someinnovations that have come out
of it and to look at how iconiccustomer experiences are now
being evolved due to COVID isgoing to be a wonderful topic.
I'm pretty excited about it.
All right.
(17:12):
Well, that's it Calvin.
So, if any of our listeners wantto learn more about the iconic
framework, you can contact usthrough iconicpresentations.net.
And until next time, don't justbe, be iconic.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.