I was never really a big fan of “America’s Got Talent,” and with a 4 and 6 year old, I don’t have much time to watch television. However, I am a fan of Howard Stern, so I was finally compelled to watch.
As I watched a recent episode of “America’s Got Talent,” there was a split second after one of the performances in which Howie Mandel leaned over to Sharon Osbourne and said, in all sincerity, “Now that was a moment.” Howie’s comment got me thinking about “moments.” What is a moment?
At HEASLEY&PARTNERS™ we always talk about the power of moments. As a branding company, we work with hundreds of companies to help transform their businesses into brands by showing them how to use our proprietary tool called Moments Maps™. We define a moment as those small, unexpected instances in time that make someone feel special. This is what Apple, Starbucks, TOMS and other great brands do. But it never occurred to me that this is also what reality shows do until I heard Howie’s comment.
Moments are the reason millions of Americans are glued to their televisions watching 
shows like “America’s Got Talent,” “Dancing with the Stars” and “American Idol.” These talent showcases are all about creating the small, unexpected instances in time that make people feel special.
If these moments are so powerful, why don’t we try to create more of them at work? Is it unacceptable to show heart, compassion and empathy in business? Are these moments only for talent shows? I think not.
We need to start giving companies and C-level executives permission to show their “heart” and to encourage their employees to start showing theirs. We can do this by creating moments within a company and with its customers.
Moments generally don’t cost much; they just take understanding and creativity, first to discover a company’s genuine brand, to understand how it is meaningful to the people it serves and then to find out how to make it different from its competitors. Three simple words—genuine, meaningful and different—are the keys to great brand moments that are unforgettable and that get people talking. All that talk creates buzz, and buzz is what builds what we call “breakthrough brands.”
Moments are what separate good brands from great brands. Creating moments in your company is one way to create an environment with happy employees, happy customers and increased profits.
Does your company create moments? Can you remember a moment you created or experienced? Tell us about it.