Your heart races and breath quickens. Your pupils dilate and face flushes. You’re under attack. In that split second, you decide whether to stand your ground or flee the scene.
Oh, and I ought to mention, you face this scenario gazing at Twitter on your phone. Someone’s dissing your company. Questioning your services. Impugning your integrity. Who knew 140 characters could convey so much negativity?
The best time to decide on a response isn’t in the heat of the moment. So, give me a minute to offer some tips now that might help you later.
Years ago our agency developed high-level response guidelines that we’ve refined over time. They offer an at-a-glance means to chart a prudent course of action. Both we and our clients have used them. Check them out. Discuss them with your team. If you haven’t already established guidelines for your company, you should. Feel free to use ours as a starting place. Play Nice in That Big Social Media Sky
Social media follows the rules of any good relationship. Treat others like you want to be treated. Be genuine. Deliver something of value whether that’s information or inspiration. Pay attention. Do your best to steer clear of needless social media dogfights. Save your firepower for things that truly warrant a strong, unequivocal response. Because, as in war, even victory can come at a great cost.
Take the High Road
Amelia Rose Earhart and copilot Shane Jordan
Even the youngest woman to fly around world in a single-engine aircraft (while live-streaming her adventure) has to deal with her fair share of tweeting trolls. Glance through Amelia Rose Earhart’s Twitter feed @Amelia_Earhart or follow the hashtag #FlyWithAmelia. You see a few folks’ snarky, this-is-just-a-PR-stunt comments, but the deluge of encouragement from people around the world creates a overwhelmingly positive platform. The 31-year-old aviatrix covered 28,000 miles on her 17-day flight piloting a Pilatus PC12. Her iPhone and iPad let her share her adventure directly and in real time. When she and copilot Shane Jordan landed in California on July 11, she posted this Instagram photo with the words, “We did it! We are earthrounders.”
This quarter, we are highlighting a wellness benefit offered at Greteman Group which specializes in full-service aviation marketing, advertising and public relations. Click here for the company website.
Doggie Fridays
Friendly, well-behaved dogs are welcome to join us in the office on Fridays…Please be courteous to other team members (addressing behavior concerns immediately, controlling barking, minimizing distractions, etc.)
Along with this policy, the staff have scheduled “Winston Walks” on Fridays and have continued the walk on days that Winston (the dog) is not in the office. “It’s a wonderful way to reenergize the afternoon!” says wellness contact Carol Farrow.
NBAA regional forums like last week’s in Van Nuys deliver a concentrated punch of information and inspiration. Greteman Group colleague Rachel Groene and I attended this one-day event on June 26. Signature Flight Support and TWC Aviation threw open their doors to exhibitors and cleared tarmacs for static displays at Van Nuys Airport (VNY). Located northwest of Los Angeles, it serves as California’s busiest general aviation airport, used by private, chartered and small commercial aircraft.
The tremendous service, perpetually sunny skies and ease of access make it my personal favorite.
Nothing invites quite like the sight of aircraft stairs down and doors open.
Gain a Frontline Perspective
Just like online courses can never fully replicate the experience of in-classroom learning, nothing beats hearing industry leaders share their thoughts. In person. To you. Jay Mesinger provided insights into the global market for business aircraft. NBAA President Ed Bolen brought us up to date on No Plane, No Gain advocacy efforts. George Rice suggested how business aircraft owners can stay on top of – and maybe even ahead of – ever-changing state property-tax policies. Suzanne Moller moderated a panel that explored fuel-buying best practices.
Be Where Your Competition Is
Face it. Competition makes us better. The other guy keeps pressing forward; you need to also. Now’s not the time to skip a show. Business aircraft owners and operators are actively looking for better solutions. If you don’t provide them, someone else will. Smaller, regional forums give you the chance to tell your story in a more relaxed, peer-to-peer setting.
Aircrew Emergency Procedures Simulator
Liberate Your Thinking With Defined Limits
Everyone has the same booth space, which has a bit of a leveling effect. Maximizing that space calls for some creativity and also narrows your focus. With these parameters, you know exactly what you – and your competitors – have to work with. Reduced scope helps you refine and pare your message. Seize this restriction for the true gift that it is.
Learn Something New
Hands-on learning teaches like a presentation alone never could. Aircare Solutions Group, one of Bombardier Safety Standdown’s many subject-matter experts, offered our educational experience of the day. Rachel and I were walking along with no intention of going into the Aircare FACTS inflight fire and smoke aircrew emergency procedures simulator. A bit of cajoling by the Aircare FACTS team, though, and soon the two of us and were inside and buckled into our seats with four other passengers. The cabin quickly filled with simulated smoke while the cabin attendant began instructing us for an emergency landing. “Brace, brace, brace! Hold tight!” Smoke was so dense, I couldn’t see the passenger next to me or the emergency exit light. We landed with a bump and were instructed to evacuate. We groped through the claustrophobic haze, feeling seat tops – and other people. This simulation taught us several lessons. One, you can’t see a darn thing when a cabin’s full of smoke. Two, trust your trained crew to tell you what to do. And do it fast.
Leave With at Least One New Connection
Regional forums offer tremendous access to aircraft, with fewer lines and more opportunities to try a cabin on for size. While not every OEM was in attendance, Van Nuys delivered a nice sampling of aircraft.
Regional forums have a friendlier, more relaxed vibe than the big-hall conventions. Having all the exhibitors under one roof is conducive to connecting with old friends and meeting new ones. When you sit down to eat lunch, you discover the person at your table shares a seven-degrees-of-business-aviation connection. “Oh, you’ve lived in Wichita? We’re from Wichita!”
We all know that word of mouth is the best marketing there is. Well, regional forums let you take WOM to the nth power by adding a firm handshake, a direct look in the eye – and maybe even a hug.
At Van Nuys, I spoke to one person who insisted on the latter. Even though we’ve not done business together, we always see each other at the shows. Over time you start to look for each other. We’ve become friends simply by showing up.
Orlando or Bust
Regional forums give you a chance to solidify partnerships prior to the national convention, this year in Orlando (October 21-23). Or you can make initial introductions and follow up on the floor of the Orange County Convention Center. All seven million square feet of it.
The static included more than just aircraft. Several of the mobile response units were on hand to show attendees who takes care of them throughout the lifecycle of their aircraft. Gulfstream’s Field and Airborne Support Teams (FAST) and Dallas Airmotive’s F1RST SUPPORT, for example, were there, reinforcing their ability to be dispatched anytime, anywhere.
Hutton Construction has concrete vision. But it took Greteman Group, a Wichita-based marketing communications agency, for Hutton to truly claim the stuff it’s made of.
The identity Greteman Group created for Hutton Construction was selected for inclusion in LogoLounge 8, which publishes in July. LogoLounge serves as a highly respected online resource, showcasing current work and inspiring future design. More than 35,000 logos were entered for consideration in LogoLounge 8; 2,000 were chosen.
Hutton’s new logo showcases the shapes of both the H and C in a three-dimensional tubular form, which reinforces the team’s rounded, collaborative approach. The typeface conveys strength, with the joined T’s that form a structural beam. The sky-blue color symbolizes vision, while a strong yellow suggests light and creative energy. Since its creation, the identity has been applied to everything from trucks and hard hats to advertising and site signs. A new website serves as a key platform for the brand.
“Ben Hutton and his team were invested in the process every step of the way,” says Sonia Greteman, agency president and creative director. “They dedicated the intellectual capital and hard work that helped us break through to bold, strategic creative.”
Hutton’s new brand conveys experience, expertise and a team orientation. While much of the construction industry has struggled to survive an ongoing downturn, Hutton Construction has continued to grow, building on solid relationships forged through its intensely collaborative approach.
About Hutton Construction
Mark Hutton founded Hutton Construction in 1992 on the principle that the company would do whatever it takes to make the job right. It quickly grew into a major regional company capable of managing and completing virtually any type and size of project. Its portfolio includes hospitals and medical offices, community and municipal projects, manufacturing facilities, churches, schools, senior living, financial institutions and recreational facilities. The company completes both new construction and major renovations, following an integrated project delivery approach that combines people, systems and business structures. This collaborative process harnesses the talents and insights of all participants for optimum results. Ben Hutton became president in 2010. Hutton maintains its headquarters in Wichita and a western Kansas office in Garden City. For more information, please visit huttonconstruction.com.
