An entrepreneur at the forefront of marketing, branding, positioning and communicating “The Next Big Thing,” Andy Cunningham has played a key role in the launch of a number of new categories including video games; personal computers; desktop publishing; digital imaging; RISC microprocessors; software as a service; very light jets; and clean tech investing. She is an expert in creating and executing marketing, branding and communication strategies that accelerate growth, increase shareholder value and advance corporate reputation. Her first book, Get to Aha!: Discover Your Positioning DNA and Dominate Your Competition, was published by McGraw-Hill Education in October 2017.
Andy came to Silicon Valley in 1983 to work for Regis McKenna and help Steve Jobs launch the Macintosh. When Steve left Apple to form NeXT and acquire Pixar, he chose Andy’s public relations agency, Cunningham Communication, to represent him. She continued to work with Steve for several years and has developed marketing, branding and communication strategies for game-changing technologies and companies ever since.
Andy is the founder and president of Cunningham Collective, a marketing, brand and communication strategy firm dedicated to bringing innovation to market. The 10-year-old firm has worked with many companies in various markets including aviation, artificial intelligence, education, information technology, big data, cloud, finance, healthcare, media/publishing, mobile apps, search, security, semiconductors, software as a service, telecommunications, video games, and virtual reality.
Can you tell us more about your Aha! Framework and how it guides leadership teams through the process of discovery and alignment?
We know alignment and buy-in drive strategies forward, that's why our Aha! Framework is designed to engage the entire leadership team. Through a series of workshops, we work with executives to review their company and the market through what we call the Six Cs of Positioning: Core, Context, Community, Category, Competition, and Criteria.
We start with why- identifying and articulating the North Star elements of a brand's identity: DNA, purpose, vision, mission, product vision, and BHAG (big hairy audacious goal). We start here because a brand's position should help a company achieve its vision and make progress toward its goals. We have to know who you are, before we can talk about why you matter.
Then we identify a company's position of maximum opportunity within the market. We examin target market and personas, contextual trends that should be leveraged for urgency, category strategy, and competitive landscape (four of the Six Cs). By the time we've reviewed each lense with the team, the ideal position typically makes itself apparent.
Finally, we look at brand expression. We believe it's critical to be strategic and intentional with the emotions you associate with your brand and create within your customers. So we decide on things like tone of voice, archetype, brand promise, emotional levers, and so on.
At the end of the workshops (outlined above), we have what we call a Message Architecture. The Message Architecture outlines a brand's positioning strategy, detailing everything from purpose and behag, to target market and differentiator, to personality traits and brand driver. Not only is our Message Architecture the most robust in the industry, it's also the most likely to propel the client forward. Why? Because we do this work with our clients, not for them. Because the entire executive team took part in developing the positioning strategy and brand story, they are much more likely to execute it with consistency and vigor. If you'd like to read more about our Aha! Framework, we encourage you to read the book Get to Aha! or reach out to us directly at cunninghamcollective.com. In addition to software companies, do you also work with clients from other industries?
Regardless of company size or industry, our framework works. In fact, as consultants, we pride ourselves on the diversity of our client base. While we do have a lot of experience in technology (hardware and software), we have had the pleasure of working with companies across every market, from health care to cannabis. We view the breadth of our client base as a competitive advantage because it allows us to have a finger on the pulse of multiple markets. We can apply strategies from one industry to another. We can connect dots others don't see. Could you elaborate on the lessons you learned from working with Steve Jobs and how they continue to inspire you?
I had the opportunity to step up and lead communication for the Macintosh launch as a twenty-something go getter from Chicago. Regis McKenna--marketing guru, my first boss in Silicon Valley, and life-long mentor—assigned me the Apple account, which meant working with and for Steve Jobs to launch the Macintosh. Although I was stretched beyond my limits, I persevered and played a small role in helping Steve Jobs change the world. The lessons I learned working on that account shaped the entrepreneur and leader I would later become. I often joke that I graduated from the Steve Jobs school of marketing, because the experience had such a profound impact on my career and life.
I think a lot about how Steve was able to change the world. He had a few remarkable characteristics I think all of us can learn from:
Steve was a masterful marketer. He innately understood and respected marketing’s role in growing a business. It’s a rare quality in a CEO, but one we should all learn from.
Steve controlled the Apple narrative with intense precision, often using design as a key form of communication. He was always in control of the narrative, whether he was designing the product, the store experience, or the hotel room in which his press conference was taking place. He understood the importance of carrying the brand expression through in every touchpoint better than almost any other CEO on the planet.
Steve hired 100 people to work on launching the Macintosh. We worked under a pirate flag in a small building at the campus in San Jose. I once asked him how he hired the right people for the team and he told me he would sit people down in front of the Macintosh and simply watch how they interacted with it. He hired the people who touched it, played with it, asked questions. If your eyes sparkled when interacting with the computer, you were hired. To this day, I find this an inspiring way to hire and build teams. Hard skills can be learned, passion can’t.
Steve was a true visionary and, to use my vernacular, built a true Missionary company to execute his vision. Although he cared immensely about product, what he wanted to do was “build tools for the mind that advance humankind.” His relentless pursuit of this vision changed the world.
Steve wasn’t afraid to change the rules and changed the game in the process. There are many examples of this, but a lesser known one might be his decision to stop selling personal computers through third party distributors. What’s seen as an obvious strategy today was pretty revolutionary back then. And it’s a pattern we continue to see today. New industries often breed distributors that help products get to market, but as these products become commoditized there is no need for the middleman. I strongly encourage anyone who currently ‘needs’ to sell through a third party to challenge the status quo and prepare yourself for disruption because I promise, it will come.
Steve never did market research, but he was always watching the market. He understood that people are inherently resistant to change and skeptical of things they haven’t seen before. So, he didn’t test his products or his messages. He told people what they needed and they believed him. I wish more leaders pursued their vision, strategy, and story with such conviction. But that isn’t to say that Steve didn’t pay attention to his customers. In fact, he originally positioned the Macintosh as a competitor to the business computer. And it failed miserably; so much so that it led to his departure from Apple. But Steve watched from afar and noticed that while the Macintosh was all but ignored by accountants, it was getting snuck into companies through the creative departments. Artists and marketers loved it. Steve realized his mistake, and once he was back at Apple, he repositioned the Macintosh for a new tribe: The Crazy Ones. He highlighted the computer’s creative capabilities and played into every artist’s (and arguably every person’s) feeling of being different, and gave them a place where thinking different was celebrated.
Personally, the lessons I learned from Steve Jobs and my early years in Silicon Valley can best be encapsulated in the values I developed for my first firm, Cunningham Communication. These values still hang in my office today as I inspire my current employees to work and behave in the same way.
The Cunningham Way
Challenge the status quo: Just because it’s always been done that way, doesn’t mean there isn’t a better way to do it. Think big. Think different.
Have the courage to say no: Not every opportunity is a good one. Know your worth, know your limits. This is important for everyone, but especially the women out there.
Adopt a game-changing mentality: You have a better chance of changing the world if you believe you can. But you also have a better chance of winning the game-whichever game you might be playing-if you adopt a game changing mentality.
Mentor someone: Mentorship is key to personal and professional growth. But you don’t have to establish an official mentoring relationship with someone to learn from or teach them. Steve Jobs was one of the best mentors I ever had, and he never knew it. Don’t think of yourself as a boss or a manager, think of yourself as a mentor. Because when one person grows, we all grow.
Maintain personal integrity: Values, both personal and corporate, are critical for maintaining integrity. Be clear about your own values and seek out companies and teams that share them. If you are ever in a situation in which your integrity is being put to question, refer to Lesson 2.
Treat people fairly: This is the golden rule. Treat your customers, employees, peers, board members and everyone else in your ecosystem with respect, transparency, and fairness. Do this, and the experience of working with you will return ten fold throughout your career.
Take intelligent risks: Recklessness is rarely a sustainable path to progress, but avoiding risk altogether is a sure-fire way to stay stagnant.
Be a team player: All boats rise with the tide. Teamwork makes the dream work. Insert whatever cheesy saying works for you. But business is a team sport and you cannot win if you play alone. Hire for holes in your own skillset, surround yourself with intelligent people, get out of their way, and support them when they need it.
Keep others informed: Gatekeeping information is the opposite of being a team player.
Play an active role in the industry: This lesson came directly from Regis, who advised me to be not only an expert in PR and marketing, but also an active member of the industry I served: tech. Being seen as an expert in your craft is great, being seen as an expert in your client or customer’s space is better. It keeps you at the cutting edge of innovation, improves your work tremendously, and buys invaluable credibility.
Appreciate new ideas and new technology: Don’t be one of those people who looks back on their life and career with rose colored glasses, thinking “everything was better back in my day.” Learn from the next generation, embrace change, try new things, and take intelligent risks.
See the forest as well as the trees: Train yourself to see the big picture and the details.
Contribute at every juncture: This is important for everyone, but especially for people early on in their careers. ABC! Always be contributing! Even if your contribution is asking questions, taking invaluable notes, following up with action items—there is always an opportunity to contribute. Picture yourself in a meeting, with your team or client, if you get up to go to the bathroom, you should be missed.
Find possibility where others don’t: Let optimism and enthusiasm drive your actions. There are always many reasons why something can’t be done, and many people saying “no we can’t,” be the person who says “yes we can.” Believe in the power of possibility and watch progress happen.
Strive for the highest quality always: This is pretty self-explanatory, but it’s worth mentioning. I like to say, the best marketing you can do is great work.
Help others win: This applies to your teammates, clients, customers, and anyone else you can think of. When you’re developing products and programs, you need to consider how you’re helping others win. The best brands help their customers win. The best leaders help their people win.
Perform miracles: I used to tell my team “All I ask for is a miracle a week.” It sounds like a lot of pressure, but I firmly believe if you truly adopt the lessons listed above and behave accordingly, you can perform miracles. You will go above and beyond. You will come up with new ideas. You will be a driving force for progress. And you will out perform others in your same position.
How do you envision the role of digital PR evolving in the future, considering advancements in technology and changing consumer behaviors?
PR (which actually stands for public relations- not press relations) initially leveraged the press because it was the only channel by which companies could get their message to the public. With the advent of the internet, and more recently social media, this is no longer the case. Every company should be leveraging the owned channels they have at their disposal. And that's the role of digital PR- building a large digital footprint to connect with the public.
The key to success in the digital age is going to be building a large digital footprint, built on strategy of course. You must have a clear, concise, and compelling message that you share consistently and frequently across every channel you have access to. The takeaway here is really consistency and frequency of message. Keep it short, keep it simple and keep it consistent. If you say the same thing in 20 different ways, no one will remember who you are and why you matter. It’s like your audience is hearing the message for the first time, every time. But if you say the same thing the same way 20 times, your audience will start to remember it. When you confuse you lose. You must control the narrative.
"I'm incredibly excited about the technology being developed that makes this easier. Generative AI is making research, drafting, and planning much more efficient and effective. And lest we forget video. The future of communication is through video and I am loving all of the advancements I'm seeing in that space."
And of course, we can't ignore consumer behavior when building a digital footprint. There is a tangible shift from customer to community taking place. Every company should be thinking about the ecosystem they’re building around their brand or product. It’s no longer enough to provide a transactional experience to a persona. We need to be engaging people on multiple different levels and through multiple different channels, prioritizing brand affinity over brand loyalty. Many B2B companies think this doesn’t apply to them, but it does because regardless of whether you’re selling to an individual or a business, you’re selling to a person. The B2B companies that don’t pay attention to this will lose to those who do. I genuinely hope companies stop wasting money on smile and dial PR campaigns that don't move the needle for their business and start investing in digital PR programs that leverage technology to build authentic relationships with their communities.
For more information, visit https://www.cunninghamcollective.com/!
