Many companies use a communication strategy to target new customers. But one vital thing is often overlooked: alignment.

Alignment. The characteristic of honest people is that you can basically give them the same subject in different forms and their reaction is the same. If you link that to company communication, what does that mean?

Consumers form an opinion about and start building a relationship with companies. That’s why one drinks Coke and the other Pepsi. Attitude and behaviour determine your success and the level of loyalty you will receive from your buyers.

The problem with most companies is that they don’t seem to understand the importance of alignment in communication strategy. Showing the company/brand has a personality creates a relationship. Relationships are based on trust, whatever kind of relationship you’re talking about. So when you shift between one way of communicating (let’s say acting like an 80 year old) to another (say a teenager) you aren’t recognisable and therefore not able to build up or maintain a relationship.

A week ago I was talking to my dad about his decision to buy a new car. He was going over several brands and considering 3 different cars. None of which were a Volvo though. Then I started to make some jokes about him being in his 50’s and said, “Well, dad, what about a Volvo?” On which he answered me that he actually considered the C30. Now, you don’t know my dad, but he used to refer to Volvo’s as Vulva’s. I think that says enough.

My point: earlier this year we saw Volvo repositioning in order to introduce the C30. Volvo has chased away a lot of ‘old’ customers in order to promote the new ‘younger’ C30 to the targeted audience. Whether this was a mistake or not is another question, but it did raise a big question about who Volvo is. What do they stand for and, if you are an ‘older’ Volvo customer, do you still want to be associated with this brand that creates cars driving in fantasy worlds with gossiping eyes.

It blurred who Volvo is. Still does. My old association was safety, golf and golden retrievers. Now, I’m not sure whether I should see golfers on acid walking their neon green retriever or a very safe, 5 star NCAP all seeing eye which is on a gossip role. That might be a problem.

Repositioning isn’t a problem. But you need to make sure it’s intensive and has an immediate follow up. Just one campaign on a new product and then media silence for half a year blurs your image and effects the trust your existing customers have.

Alignment needs to be developed in a company itself. Internally the company needs to make sure everybody is heading in the same direction. People make a company and the end user considers them as the personification of the brand. They have their own input and attitude, no matter how strict your communication guidelines are. Make sure they too are convinced of what the brand is and does. Gut feeling needs to become company feeling – not vice versa.

It’s not what you think you are. It’s what they think you are.

Denmark goes to the polls next week. But will the next government really improve our lives? Designers could teach politicians a thing or two about how to run the nation.

There’s less than a week until Denmark goes to the polls to vote for its next government. And like in many other countries today, red is fighting blue.

Each day the nation’s attention is focused on two people – our potential prime ministers – and who is winning the verbal duel. What a waste. Whatever happened to the more important issues, like making life easier and better?

The current government hasn’t made life easier – at least in terms of bureaucracy. They’ve issued a record number of new laws and legislation. They say it’s for our own benefit. But I doubt the average Dane understands them. These new laws just complicate our lives.

Why not let designers deliver some serious service design for the nation? On a local, national and European level, we could create politically unbiased solutions that aim simplify and improve our world.

Yes it’s possible, fairly easy and the impact could be felt far beyond Denmark’s small borders. All we need is political support – and a few good ideas.

My idea number one: simplify the rules for law-making. For example, permit law changes only if it simplifies the existing law and deletes two existing laws.

Number two: improve our education system by involving external experts. Form teams that work intensively on a project basis.

Number three: reduce performance testing to a minimum and delegate. Right now we’re too focused on testing others that we create unnecessary bureaucracy.

An old Chinese saying says: when the wind of change blows, some people build windshields while others build windmills. Let us build windmills. Let us be proactive, sustainable and innovative – and cut the bureaucracy. Because if we want live in a prosperous country, we need solutions that make our lives work.

Innovation is painful, or so people keep telling us. Don’t you believe it.

I’ve lost count of the number of articles I’ve read recently expressing the Woe-Is-Me-I’m-An-Designer-and-It’s-Difficult Attitude.

According to these design ’gurus’, innovation is painful. Arduous. And downright difficult. Only REAL experts should be allowed to tamper with this precious process. Well, I don’t buy it.

So when I read yet another article selling this theory – published last week in a leading Danish newspaper – you can imagine my reaction. Enough is enough. This debate is careering off-track at breakneck speed. Now’s the time to set the record straight.

Innovation is not rocket science. Nor is it painful. It’s about delivering solutions for us all – consumers, politicians, the environment, businesses. Solutions that help us meet the challenges we face as nations, individuals and organisations at a global and local level.

Transforming a good idea into reality can be painful. But searching for that idea isn’t. Nope. It’s fun. And everyone can play the game.

So stop the guff, so-called inno-gurus. Your mantra that innovation is difficult is a load of ego-driven rubbish. And it’s alienating the very people design should speak to. No wonder businesses shudder with fear in response.

We need to a more down-to-earth approach. Let’s stop focusing on the rights and wrongs of the innovation process and get down to the nitty-gritty: ideas. Innovation is about transforming ideas into a product or service that the world needs – and having fun while we’re at it. It’s that simple.

So when this innovation hype finally stops, people will realise that innovation isn’t rocket science. It’s about solutions.

And in Denmark we have the world’s best and most unique innovation think-tank. So let’s move the debate on. Now. Want to talk about REAL innovation? Start discussing solutions.