Some of you may know or remember Jim and Tracy Xavier. While working at Laughlin Constable, they met and fell in love. Now married with two lovely daughters, they continue to grow within their Christian ministry. After spending many years serving the Lord within the United States, they recently relocated their family to Japan to continue their work.

As you can imagine, the recent quake and tsunami shook their world. They report that they are safe, but heart-broken for the loss that is felt all across Japan. Their work in Munakata-shi, Fukuoka continues although “the event stirred Japan to its core. Recovery will continue for years to come.”

They covet your prayers for their family and the people of Japan. Watch video

I had the pleasure of being in a meeting this week with two co-workers who had recently bought the iPhone 4 and were using the time before the meeting started to get some questions answered. The looks on their faces as they discovered new features was priceless. Big smiles – bordering on giggling.

We’ve all seen this iPhenomena in action. And there are many real world – non Apple – examples, from Netflix streaming to OnStar. Excitement is going mainstream. McKinsey & Company released a report last month titled Wow! Exciting Customers, Creating Value. It’s central premise: Satisfaction may retain customers, but it doesn’t attract them.

If your brand is looking to grow, you need to stop thinking in terms of good and start thinking in terms of great.

Technology is a double-edged sword. The same force that is making it easier for competitors and categories to settle into a pattern of symbiotic parity is also making it easier for that environment to be recognized as such. In many ways, technology facilitates more ennui than energy. And that should be a wake-up call for brands.

While we can all agree that a brand is a valuable asset, The Trouble With Brands reports that most consumer brands are not creating value. And a brand is a terrible thing to waste.

The brands that do create value? They have energy – defined as vision, invention and dynamism. That dynamism “creates excitement in the marketplace.” And, according to the authors of the study, it’s the most immediately visible of the three components. Excitement wins again. Three important reminders about this increasingly important brand equity:

• Exciting is not extreme satisfaction. Satisfaction is a hybrid of rational and emotional factors. It is a need. Excitement is emotional. It’s a motivation. Don’t try to satisfy your way to excitement.
• Excitement gets people to talk. Another McKinsey gem: Word-of-mouth is the primary factor behind 20 to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions. So surprise, fascinate and delight. If you’re about to invest in something that won’t incite sharing, it’s time to at least press pause to consider if that investment can be better spent.
• Excitement does not have to be dramatic. It can live in the little things. Intuitive functionality. Elegant solutions. A cookie on your milkshake’s straw.

The trick for brand managers? Make the journey to Wow! shorter. Because in this case, it’s the destination that matters.

Interested in more stuff I find interesting? Follow me @casey_flanagan on Twitter.

“Planning is everything. Plans are nothing.” – General Dwight D Eisenhower

I absolutely agree. And I left this week’s Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism (#WIGCOT) excited to… do. There was a sense that if we all put our noses down and roll our sleeves up, there is much we can accomplish. I am always energized when people join together to create a greater whole. Beyond this general enthusiasm, I also left the conference with a potentially paradigm-changing framework. A new way to think about a tried-and-true approach.

In her opening remarks, Secretary of Tourism Kelli Trumble talked about a Will Do attitude. I had never heard that before and I thought it was an interesting – and important – distinction from the much-lauded, time-tested Can Do attitude.

In a service industry, a “Can Do” spirit is a prerequisite for success. It does have a limitation, however. It’s a reactive mindset. What if the customer doesn’t know what she wants? Or hasn’t asked? Or is tolerably satisfied against a very low set of expectations?

A “Will Do” mindset is a game-changer. It is a commitment to action, not just optimism. It’s proactive. It’s an invitation to think about what you will do for a customer, prior to being asked. In doing so, it increases the odds of a positive customer experience.

If a Can Do attitude is a prerequisite for success, a Will Do attitude is the foundation for loyalty.

Daryl Morey is the General Manager of the Houston Rockets. But his impact on the game of basketball is greater than that. Back in 2004, he initiated one of the first MBA programs with a sports analytics business class at MIT Sloan. It’s a blossoming field.

So how does a GM whose career is based on numbers sum up statistical analysis? I heard a podcast interview with him this morning where he was talking about really wonky basketball statistics. But in the chaos of his analytics, he shared a nugget of clarity. And I believe his perspective to be invaluable. His take? “There are issues with every analysis. The best thing (good) analysis does is raise the right questions.”

Well said.

Data does not equal knowledge. And knowledge does not equal results. There is a lot of rigorous work involved. Getting good data allows you ask the right questions. Executing on the right insight lays the foundation for good results.

That’s why a Google Analytics dashboard is just the first step. Our ability to capture data is phenomenal. We just need to make sure our analytic capabilities are functioning at that same level.