MarketingProfs

It’s Spring Break season. Road trip season! Did you ever take road trips while in school or with your family when growing up? Planning and figuring out how to get there was part of the fun of the experience.

Where are we going to go? Can we drive straight thru or have to stay in a motel? Who will drive which shift? How much money do each of us need? Who’s bringing the munchies?
I remember my parents planning our family trips from Rhode Island to Walt Disney World, Florida. It was quite an undertaking with two young boys. Mom and dad worked out the best route to get there. What sites we wanted to see along the way. How many overnight stops we would need (before the kids start getting crabby?). How much money we would need when we get there?
These questions – the ones to plan a road trip – can also help you grow your brand, develop new products, and more…

Let’s get motoring…

(1) Where Are We?

This question is obvious when you’re sitting in your living room in Rhode Island, but not as clear when sitting in your board room identifying the status of your company.
Too often we’re not critical enough of our business and put ourselves closer to the destination than we really are. Just like a road trip, underestimating the distance could mean preparing for a 350 mile trip, but actually taking 500 miles. You’ll find yourself stalled and stranded 150 miles short of your destination.
Be honest. Be brutal. Better to overshoot the goal then to fall short.

(1a) Where Have We Been

As a brand where you have been – your history and background – may guide where you need to go. Are you the kind of brand that stays in cheap motels or are Five-Stars a must?

(2) Where Do We Want To Go?

For a car-full of college students it may be about the journey not the destination, however most companies need a specific destination. Where or what is that place? Do you have it clearly pegged out? “Heading to Florida” may not offer enough specificity. “The Super 8 Hotel on Highway 192 in Kissimmee, Florida” is specific.

(3) How Do We Get There?

Select your route. Can you head straight to your destination or are there side trips you need to take along the way? (Perhaps there are things you need to learn before you meet your final goal?)
Do you have the resources to make the trip without stopping? Or do you need to break the journey into chunks to allow you to recharge and rejuvenate along the way? Just like you risk wrecking your car by driving when you’re tired… you can wreck your brand by pushing too far too quickly.

(4) What Do We Need To Get There?

Whoosh! We now know where we are, where we want to go, and the route we need to take us there. The final step is figuring out what resources we need to do this. How many people? What type of skill? How much money? How much fuel do we need? How much time?

Happy Travels

I hope you find these Brand Road Trip Tips helpful.
Any other factors we should consider? More importantly, should we stop at Stuckey’s?