It was never my intention to make this a post on The Brand Chef.  A sudden turn of events made me reconsider.

A friend - no, really, a guy I’ve met a handful of times - died yesterday. While driving to see his mother in a rural area of Iowa, he had a heart attack and crashed his car.

I always admired Ray. From what I could tell, he was a good man. He was infectious and passionate. He spent true, quality-time with his family. He gave back to his community - so much so that they elected him Mayor. He raised what I consider to be great children (My daughter goes to school with his daughter, and his son is a leader in professional football).  But, with all his goodness, all that generosity yet to give, God decided it was Ray’s time to leave.

I’m shocked and saddened.

So, this is how I choose to deal with the passing of someone I’d wished was a closer friend. This is how I choose to deal with my own mortality.

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I wrote this Thursday night, before Ray’s death, but with the intention to give to my father. I never did.

Stand Proud

Stand proud my father. Stand proud.
Bring the past with you - leave it at the door,
For, with me, the past has gone.

Step up and walk with me, father. Walk.
Ease your mind. Soften your brow.
Breathe easy and talk.

Keep your eyes high, father. Look ahead.
Raise your thoughts, your gaze your spirit,
For your work is done and done.

Take my hand, father - hold tight.
Let me guide you,
As father and son like when we were young.

Stand proud my father. Stand proud.
Bring our past with you - for all to see.
For from here, we start again. We start anew.

I’m going to read it to him tonight.

There are lessons here, but I’ll let you figure them out this time.

Keep Cooking! (to strengthen connections to those that matter)
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Ray, you’ll be missed.

2/2/10 - I didn’t call my dad and read the poem to him.  I chickened out.  But this morning, I emailed him this link.  At least the door has been opened.

This post is for my fellow Midwesterners that have, over the last 60 hours, braved the cold, wind and driving snow from one of the worst blizzards seen in this area in almost a decade.

Last time Iowa had snow like Tuesday and Wednesday’s storm was 1992. I was still cuddled warm in my dorm room at Coe College and didn’t see the need to venture out in the gale winds.  We had plenty of TopRamen,  plenty of Keystone Light, and cable television to keep up safe, warm and entertained for the two days we were snowed into our dorms.  Heck, I didn’t even need to shower if I didn’t feel the urge (although roommates made it evidently clear that one was needed.)

This time, circumstances were different. I’m now a “bonafied” grown-up with responsibilities like a family, home, and a real job.  I have a mortgage to pay, I have children to protect and keep warm and fed.  I even have a dog that needs to be cared for – a long leap from the last blizzard that crippled the area.

So, how did I get through it this time?

Winter-time brands, baby…

Here are 16 brands I’d like to thank for getting me through “Death Storm 2009:”

• Jeep - My trusty Liberty was sideways a few times, but that was probably operator error … probably?
• Toro - Without my trusty snow blower, I would STILL be shoveling through the 4′ drifts.  I *heart* Toro!
  
• Old Navy - “Economical” Winter coat…  ’nuff said.
  
• Thinsulate - mmmm…  toasty warm snow pants for the kids (and dad).
• Encore Movie Channels - what a great way to decompress from 4 hours of pushing snow…  some mindless classics (Die Hard, Step Brothers, and soooo many more…)
  
• Cartoon Network & Nickelodeon - although the kids spent most of the time outside (crazy!)
  
• Apple Computers - without = SOCIAL MEDIA PANIC…  No blog Posts!  No Twitter? No Facebook? The end of civilization as we know it!  Cats and Dogs living together…  complete, mass-hysteria!
  
• Pillsbury - two words: Christmas Cookies!
  
• Pork - The Other White Meat - The kids and I made “home-made” pizza… Between you and me, nothing goes better on pizza than oodles of Italian pork sausage!
  
• Skittles - Can you say “Taste The Rainbow?” and, no they didn’t go on the pizza… dessert…  ?
  
• TownHouse Crackers - a perfect part of a late-night snack… (kickn’ Web site as well!)
  
• Shullsburg Cheese - and what else to top those crackers?  Say Cheese!  And they’re a Midwestern brand to boot!
• KCCI TV8 - my favorite weather tracking team…
  
• Iowa DOT - the folks in those big, yellow trucks that kept burying the end of my driveway… but I’m DARN glad they’re there to get the city moving again!
• Aspercream - ’cause I’m not 18 any more… (OR: go out strong and don’t let them see you limp back in.)
  
• Serta - the best way to end the day…
  

So, by the list, you can pretty much tell what I did over the last 60+ hours.  Brands defined my day…

What brands did you depend on to make it through the storm?  Were there some that you counted on more during the storm than any other day (Toro, Aspercream)?

Here’s hoping you all are happy, safe and warm. Just think…  this Winter just started.

Keep Cooking (warm thoughts)!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Do you know anyone that you’d call a “Go-Getter?” Yeah, that guy/gal that always seems to be working on getting results at virtually any cost?  Sure, I know ‘em quite well. I know, because I have always been one… A “do-er,” as one employer labeled me.  I wore it like a badge of honor, holding my head high as if I’d been knighted by the Queen.  That’s all I knew.  That’s how I defined my work days and eventually, my personal brand.  But it always seemed to take so much effort.  So much time.  And “getting” rarely received equal return, let alone a satisfactory profit.

If you’re wondering why that work seems so much like…  well…  WORK, maybe those efforts are being focused too much on the end result and not the path that gets you there.

There IS a path to success, and the authors of The Go-Giver, Bob Burg and John David Mann, see it much differently than I or most other Go-Getters do…  did…

Burg and Mann made me ask five simple questions:

1. How do I add value every day?
2. How do I serve those around me?
3. Do I place others’ interests as a priority - even to my own?
4. Do I relate to others genuinely?
5. Do I expect the same in return?

The story of The Go-Giver follows one of these “Go-Getters” on a journey of realization that giving and sharing can be MUCH more profitable than he previously expected.

I have been called a Go-Getter.  I don’t think I want to be called that any longer…

********

On that note, this week is the Meals from the Heartland packaging event in central Iowa.

Starting this Thursday, September 3rd and going through the 7th, church organizers, nursing homes, schools, businesses, housewives, children, and anyone else that you can think of will merge on downtown Des Moines, Iowa; bringing hearts, hands, and the passion for helping others to Hy-Vee Hall to package meals for those around the world less fortunate than us.

Meals from the Heartland is a non-profit organization that annually coordinates and administers the biggest food packaging and fundraising event in the United States. For five days, volunteers of all ages, races, and religious beliefs gather, side by side, and scoop, drop, pour, and seal millions of meals for distribution to starving communities around the world.

In 2008, Meals from the Heartland packaged over 4,000,000 meals.  This year, by the looks of the amazing influx of volunteers and in-kind donations, they’ll be well on their way to matching and surpassing that amazing number.

Your support would be appreciated. You can (for a VERY short time) still Volunteer to package.  Or a donation to help buy the supplies is always a good way to show your support.

To Volunteer, please go to this link.

To Donate, please go to this link. (Only $25 funds over 100 meals!)

With that, go be a Go-Giver.  Make your path to success rewarding for you and everyone around you!

Keep Cooking (for everyone around you)!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

With last week’s death of Oscar Mayer, I had more than one friend call or contact me asking if I remembered the old television ads we grew up with - OF COURSE I DID! They were fun.  They literally made ME (and in-turn, my mom) want to buy Oscar Mayer bologna (and hot dogs).

Some 20-odd years later (maybe more), as an “advertising professional” I think back on these spots and say, “That’s what we need to do for our clients. Create indelible brand impressions that form decade-long advocates of the brand.” (Man, I just made my life’s work sound geeky.) To this day, I find myself picking Oscar Mayer products over any others I may find in the meat case.  And I attribute my decisions on those great commercials from my childhood.

So below, are a few commercials that made this particular kid sit up and pay attention…  What commercials do you remember affecting you as a child (and subsequently impacting your adult buying decisions)?

Facebook & RSS Feed readers may need to click this link to see the videos.

O-S-C-A-R  M-A-Y-E-R

Where’s The Beef?

I’ve Fallen, And I Can’t Get Up

Don’t Squeeze The Charmin

Tidy Bowl Man (Thanks, Rich… I looked for years, too)

There were SO MANY more…

Let’s keep this conversation going.  What commercials made early branding impressions on you? Have they lasted into your adult life?

Food for thought.

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Well, the last couple of weeks have been chaotic – a real whirlwind of buttoning up projects and helping clients check their lists for the end of the year. Since I plan (operative word “plan”) to take the last week of the year off, I wanted to make sure everyone got my Christmas message with plenty of time to spare…

2008 has been a seriously wild ride - a real crazy one. It’s been eye opening. It’s been filled with wonder, learning, progress, and new opportunities. Some opportunities were there from the beginning, and others revealed themselves in ways that still astonish me. I’ve found new friends and lost some old ones. God has blessed me with the perfect family. And, simply put, I have everything I could have ever wanted.

I just wanted to thank you ALL!

So, with my hand on my heart, my present to you –

Here’s hoping this holiday season is just as rewarding for you and yours.

God Bless!

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
-The Brand Chef