Debbie Laskey's Blog: HOLIDAY LEADERSHIP SERIES

With the arrival of the holiday season, it's time for the memorable end-of-the-year advertising campaigns and familiar music to hit the airwaves; our TV's, radios, and computer/tablet/smartphone screens will be bombarded by reminders of the season. Since I've been honored to share several inspiring series on my blog over the last year including my #FallBacktoReadingSeries, #SpringLeadershipSeries, and #OlympicsLeadershipSeries, I've decided to end the year with my #HolidayLeadershipSeries.

I've asked 10 thought leaders to chime in and share some of their holiday thoughts as they pertain to leadership and marketing specifically during the holiday season. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

But first, as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let's review the origins of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.

According to History.com, "Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists from England and the Native American Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

In many American households, the Thanksgiving celebration now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous that it has become synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been part of the Pilgrims' 1621 inaugural feast. Today, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. Other traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate.

Parades have also become an integral part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United States. Presented by Macy’s department store since 1924, New York City's Thanksgiving Day parade is the largest and most famous, attracting 2-to-3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route and drawing an enormous television audience."

The Friday after Thanksgiving is known as "Black Friday," and marks the official beginning of the Christmas holiday shopping season. According to Wikipedia, "Many stores offer highly promoted sales at discounted prices and often open early, sometimes as early as midnight or even on Thanksgiving. Attempts at rebranding to "Big Friday" failed, and the term "Black Friday" solidified by the 1980's, referring to the pivotal point where retailers purportedly shifted from loss ("in the red") to profit ("in the black"). Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States."

And the Monday following Thanksgiving is known as "Cyber Monday," a marketing invention first observed in 2005 by online retailer shop.org. Seen as an online version of Black Friday, Cyber Monday was created to allow customers to shop online from the comfort of their offices and homes.

According to TimeAndDate.com, "The day after Thanksgiving in the United States is traditionally considered to be the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day, brick and mortar retailers have sales and provide massive discounts to attract customers, making it one of the busiest shopping days of the year. As a result, many people tend to stay away from stores to avoid crowds. Additionally, Thanksgiving weekend is also one of the busiest travel weekends in the US when people travel around the country to be with their families. Such travel may mean that many customers miss Black Friday deals and sales. It is thought that Cyber Monday was created as a way to encourage such customers to shop without having to visit brick and mortar stores. Online retailers offer deals, often posting the kind of deals and sales they will have on online forums and websites, several weeks and days ahead. It is thought that a large percentage of the shopping on this day is done during work hours. In addition, other countries including Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom now have their own version of Cyber Monday."

And now, for today's post, I'd like to introduce Shep Hyken. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Shep is a customer service/customer experience expert, award-winning keynote speaker, researcher, and New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. As the Chief Amazement Officer at Shepard Presentations, Shep helps his clients create amazing experiences for their customers and employees.

QUESTION: What BRAND or PRODUCT is the most memorable during the holiday season?

SHEP HYKEN: My favorite holiday of the year is Thanksgiving. So, my favorite product is...Turkey (with pumpkin pie being a close second).

QUESTION: What is your favorite holiday ADVERTISEMENT?

SHEP HYKEN: All the sentimental Anheuser-Busch commercials that feature Clydesdales and dogs. They just make me feel good!

QUESTION: What is your favorite PIECE OF MUSIC or SONG during the holiday season?

SHEP HYKEN: If we stay in the CX world, I have to go with "The 12 days of CX-Mas." Why? I had FUN with some of my CX peeps!

If you want a more legitimate answer, it's a tie between the Charlie Brown Christmas song and Bruce Springsteen's "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town."

Why? They just make me feel good and happy!

QUESTION: Whose PERSONAL BRAND stands out during the holidays? (Think outside the box and no religious choices.)

SHEP HYKEN: Let's go with my favorite comedian, Jerry Seinfeld. I can't think of a holiday that I didn't hear people say at a holiday dinner the line, "Festivus for the rest of us!"

QUESTION: Since this is a leadership series, what is your favorite LEADERSHIP QUOTE?

SHEP HYKEN: For a holiday-themed leadership quote:

"Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more." ~Dr. Seuss

And here's my favorite leadership quote:

"There is only one boss - the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money elsewhere." ~Sam Walton

Debbie Laskey's Blog

Monday, November 25, 2024

HOLIDAY LEADERSHIP SERIES – Featuring Shep Hyken

SHARE THIS: There is only one boss - the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money elsewhere. ~Sam Walton via @hyken #HolidayLeadershipSeries #DebbieLaskeysBlog

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