Talk about drive.<\/p>\n
In its ad push for 2012, BMW is trying to accelerate its image beyond the \u201cultimate\u201d in \u201cultimate driving machine.\u201d The company wants to sell car buyers (and investors, employees and the public) on the idea that one of the world\u2019s top brands means more than you think, and more than a road experience.<\/p>\n
As a loyal Bimmer driver, I\u2019m ready to believe. And as I look around me, I see that Bimmer fanatics are ready to genuflect.<\/p>\n
But believe what? What car brand needs to promise\u2014and deliver\u2014more than great engineering, speed, safety, major fun factor\u2014not to mention the status medallion?<\/p>\n
As a leadership and strategy consultant, here\u2019s my answer:\u00a0 BMW wants\u00a0iconic<\/strong>. I haven\u2019t seen them use the word, but I rank \u201clet\u2019s get to iconic\u201d\u2014ambition plus execution\u2014as the single best strategy to survive and thrive right now. And I read iconic when they say: There\u2019s nothing like owning a BMW. Or when\u00a0Ian Robertson<\/a>, BMW\u2019s sales and marketing chief, talks about transforming the automotive retail experience or setting new standards for dynamic performance.<\/p>\n We know iconic when we see it: the Beatles, the Oreo, and the U.S. Constitution.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It means creating and keeping a reputation that\u2019s near bulletproof. And it means capturing the market with product after product (or service or invention) that proves it. An iconic company isn\u2019t just \u201cBest in Class.\u201d It defines best in class before others even start looking for it.<\/p>\n If that was never easy, it\u2019s harder now. It\u2019s the rare company\u2014or CEO\u2014that can settle into a Blue Chip slot in the DJ 30 and assume a lifetime membership. The Dow 30 might not even be the club you want to join these days. In this economy, old icons (Kodak) and new (Avon, RIM) can be booted off anybody\u2019s short list in no time.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why my first advice to leaders, even those who are already thinking big and innovative, is to sit down and unpack the idea of iconic,\u00a0then\u00a0<\/em>apply it where it counts,\u00a0inside\u00a0<\/em>the organization and what you and your organization do on the\u00a0outside<\/em>\u00a0with consumers, investors, policy makers, the community and people who have no obvious stake in your business.<\/p>\n