Fresh after the Olympics, Taurus Marketing CEO Sharon Williams explains how to go for marketing Gold.
Like many Australians, for two weeks I was glued to the TV watching our incredible Olympians compete and break records in the most extenuating circumstances. It’s fair to say that winning lots of medals helped to boost Aussie spirits at home during what is becoming the most challenging COVID lockdown yet. But it was their resilience and bravery that stood out to me the most.
What these sports people understand is the importance of perseverance and the desire to fight-back when times are tough. And it isn’t just the medal winners that provide this inspiration. There are athletes who have trained so hard for the past four years to perform on the world stage and then are disqualified for breaking at the start of an athletic race or clipping a hurdle while leading the field. Some faced challenges out of their own control and some, like Olympic champion Simone Biles, faced the challenge of public scrutiny when she bravely put her mental health first.
To pick yourself up after these setbacks takes real grit. An inspiration and a lesson for everyone when facing acute personal challenges and disappointments.
As the founder and CEO of Australia’s longest running privately-owned marketing and PR agency, I have faced challenges many times over that threatened to lose us business or shut us down completely. However, these past 18 months have presented unprecedented hurdles for the marketing industry and challenges that not even I could foresee.
Going for Marketing Gold
But this is where the gold is. This is where we have an opportunity as leaders, to demonstrate our tenacity, our bravery and our resilience.
Six months ago, after possibly the hardest year our business had faced in its 26 year history, I decided to follow the advice I had been giving my clients and refresh the Taurus brand. Our Going For Gold campaign, complete with a new gold logo, embraces the Olympian spirit. It was a particularly poignant time to launch our new logo, as Australian athletes were competing at the highest level, on the global stage. Speaking in an interview after being crowned the most successful Australian Olympic medal winner of all time, Emma McQueen said: “I don’t normally say something like this, but I came to Tokyo to win gold.” It made me wonder why we feel a need to be humble, or downplay our bravery when these are the qualities to be celebrated. Our new logo in gold pays tribute to our athletes and their unapologetic pursuit to be the best.
For business owners out there doing it tough, the key to resilience is to invest. Invest in your people, in your clients, reassure them that it is going to be ok and that you have their back. Invest in your brand by reinventing, or as we call it – a refresh – to stay relevant and ensure brand longevity. By refreshing your brand, you are sending a message of hope to your clients, industry and team.
Don’t forget the perks of being in charge of your own destiny. If your business suffers, it is your fault. But equally, if it’s successful, it is also your fault. That is very empowering if you are someone who is up for the challenge. Sure it is stressful, and it is hard work – it is particularly wearing at times – but then anything good is worth fighting for. You have to believe in yourself and back who you are and what you stand for.
Below Sharon Williams joins Women Love Tech publisher Robyn Foyster for her series InProfile Live.