How to create Superfans!

Well, in this week's short solo cast, I want to talk about the psychology of fandom and looking at two incredible examples, one being Formula One and the other being Manchester United. Now, those are two great brands, right? They're known around the world, arguably in every single country. So what makes them special? Well, look, I sat down with Ellie Norman recently and she was the former Global Marketing Director of Formula One and also their comms. Global for comms as well. She is currently the Chief Communications Officer at Manchester United. Fascinating human, really passionate about what she does and incredibly humble. So we sat down to chat about her role, what it involves, but really, I wanted to get down to what is it that Manchester United and Formula One do to go viral, to go into people's homes to build a brand that's going to outlast everyone that's currently working there? And she started to share some of the incredible things of how they think and how they position. And I want you to think about this in your life, because you listening right now. You're a brand. Whatever you do online, in person, at work, written on a newspaper, whatever it might be, a podcast that you go on, a conversation you have with friends that portrays your brand. So my challenge to you is, what is your brand? How do you build it? How do you build that reputation so that you're known in your industry or in your nature, in your community? Because at the end of the day, you're either known for doing good or not. Now, Ellie talked about it's really important to get clear, and this is something she's done at Formula One and also now at Manchester United. Get really clear on why. Why is it that I do what I do? And from a team perspective, why is it what we do? So, obviously, Simon Sinek wrote an incredible book. Start with why. I would highly recommend you read it, if you don't already have read it. It's amazing. But it's about getting clear on why we do what we do. So can you answer that question for you personally? Why do you do the thing that you do professionally? What is it that you do for work? Why do you choose to do that? Is there a deep meaning and reason, or did you fall into it and you're just passing the time? Well, brands that are iconic and personal, brands that really push through and beat obscurity, they always are driven by purpose and driven by why. So do you know what your why is? If not, ask yourself, why did I start this? Why did I get into this in the first place? Why am I willing to stay here for another 5 years or 10 years or however long, get clear on those answers that's going to help you shape your brand. And then next, what is it that we do? And often it's better. And Ellie shared this to start with. Figure out what it isn't that you do. What do you not do? What are the things that they're not in your realm. You're not going to touch them way over left field and leave them, all too often individuals. So personal brands and companies in larger brands tend to try and be everything to everyone, but get clear on what you don't do. So that really highlights what you do do. Look, I'm totally honest. I'm not for everyone. I don't serve 7 billion people. I simply want to help good humans and great humans become the greatest at what they do. And I do that through the work that I do through keynote speaking, through the things that I'm writing, through the different content that I put out, through the amazing guests that I bring on. I help great people become their greatest selves. That's what I do. Why do I do it? Well, I think this world relies on great people doing great things to make a difference philanthropically, financially, politically. And I go into all those different areas and influence and help and support people, but also learn a lot from those people in those different industries. So why is it that we do what we do individually or as a company? And what is it that we do? Look, another thing that we talked about, because I said to Ellie, I said, look, no matter what country I've traveled to, Dubai, Fiji, America, anywhere around, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, I always see a Manchester United jersey. It's everywhere. That brand is prolific. How do we create that? And she said a few things. One, keep it simple. You know, don't constantly reiterate and change your logos and change your mantras. You know, keep them the same. You know, that red devil logo, Manchester United one has been the same for a long time, and they're consistent with their brand image, brand colorings, you know, the color of their top consistent brand mantras. So are you consistent with how you show up? Is your team or your company consistent with that? And the other thing she talked about, and I think this is really, it comes down to influence, because if you want to go from people who kind of like what you do to raving fans or raving customers, you've got to do something really important, and that is this. You've got to tap in to their emotions. If you're not tapping into their emotions, you're not going to create raving fans. Simply if you think of English soccer and you know all these different teams have all these fans, they are passionate and when you do something great as a team, they let you know. And when you do something not so great, they also let you know. That's what passion is all about, is tapping in to a feeling. Great companies like Red Bull, when you look at their short form content on Instagram, on TikTok or whatever it might be, they don't have a can of Red Bull and someone drinking it going, drink me. They have amazing, awe inspiring videos of people doing stunts and amazing events and traveling the world. Why? They are painting the picture of how it feels to be a part of the Red Bull family. If you're drinking Red Bull or you're at a Red Bull event or you're driving a Red Bull form.

They are masters of understanding. When you are building influence and trying to build traction and build a brand, it's about tapping into emotions. Look, when I'm on stage, I often try to think as I'm stepping on there. How do I get everybody in this audience out of their heads and into their hearts? I don't want someone to hire me and come along to their annual conference or their big exhibition and have everyone be bored and everyone go, that was a good old waste of 45 minutes. I really want more than anything to have them leave that room that I've spoken feeling something. Feeling challenged, inspired, motivated, equipped, elevated in their thinking. I want there to be a feeling. How do I do that? I have to tell stories. Yes, I share tactics, I share tools and frameworks. But to get people out of their heads and into their hearts, we've got to share stories. So my question this week to you is, what's your story? You have a story. Your story is truly unique to you. Your upbringing, your ambition, your challenges, your failures, all these things, they're yours. But do you know how to tell your story? Often when I get brought in for, say, a workshop with a company, I'll ask everyone to learn what their story is and be able to articulate it. Because when we can share our stories, we're able to share our strengths. And I see that in teams. Shared stories, shared strength, better people, better teams, you know? So I want you to think about how do we improve ourselves and have better teams and better people. We do that through opening up and letting people in. We do that through sharing our stories. And I often share my story of when I grew up in Northern Ireland and the things that unfolded and what inspired me to move and the different failures I've had, whether it's marital failure or working through earthquakes and pandemics that most of us had to work through, that's what let people in to go, oh, cool, you're going through the same stuff we did and how did you do it? And what are some things you've learned? I'm constantly sharing the story so that I can connect with people. It's not trying to stay in the head with numbers and metrics and facts and figures. If we want to build influence and brand and build that, like Manchester United in Formula One, we've got to do it by getting people out of their heads and into their hearts. Something was shared with me many years ago and it really stuck with me. And it's what comes from the heart lands in the heart. So what comes from your heart lands in the person that you're speaking to in their heart. So being more vulnerable, being more open to me, that's a real big strength. And I know some people perceive it as a weakness, and you're giving people insights to what your flaws and your faux pas are. But I've seen it time and time again where it's just simply a really powerful thing to do. So, two things. One, what's your story? If you don't know it, get pen and paper tonight. Get that journal. I mention it on almost every podcast. Get your journal and write down what some of the key pivotal moments in your life were. Good, bad and indifferent. And then the second thing is, how do I start speaking from the heart more often? What are the things that will help me do that? How can I do that today with one person? How can I share how I feel? Not what you think, how you feel? So, look, I'll drop that episode with Ellie, as I say, who's the CCO at Manchester United, formerly Global marketing and Comms Director at Formula One. I will drop that really soon, but I just wanted to give you a few insights there that will hopefully help you and support you on your journey. And thanks again for all your support. Please share this podcast with one friend. I sincerely appreciate it. And until next time, please get out there and lead your life on purpose.