Today's guest post is by Peppercommer Maggie O'Neill.

As a semi-lapsed Irish Catholic, my memories of halos are all stained glass windows and guardian angels. 

But today, it’s the brand halo that would-be, angelic marketers are chasing.  But can we create one, manage one or keep one -  that is the real question.  Or is someone else, i.e. the consumer, calling the shots?

So non-angelic halos are the rippling effect that one good, or bad, product, deed or development can have on an entire corporation.  Apple has a halo effect – think I love my iPad therefore I will get a Mac.  Samsung sells refrigerators because people love their cell phones.  A few good shows are driving Netflix buzz.  The preceding are examples of how halo effects of one product or service drives brand preference. 

And yes, there are fallen angels and broken halos.  Think recalls, environmental dumping, bad leadership.

So as a marketer what can you do?  Nurture the halo yes; create it no. 

Consumers make or break a corporation’s halo.  If they believe in a brand or product, their preference, loyalty and hard earned dollars feed into that brand’s corporate entity (something easy to ID nowadays with one Google search). 

But companies, if aware of the halo effect’s existence, can certainly nurture it.  And, if an organization thinks they can hide from it, they need to pull their head out of the sand, and fast. Some believe no one will ever know the company behind their brand, or care if they try to brush one little misstep under the rug.  Untrue.  Each, and every, move can polish or dull the halo.

Second, companies need to look beyond the bells and whistles that first made their consumer brand loyal, and talk to their audience about the benefits that matter most to them.  An oven isn’t just about cooking and a camera isn’t about the best zoom in the industry.  They’re about taking care of family and creating memories, respectively.

Finally, it’s about doing good.  Not just CSR type of good— which does help support both brand and corporate— but doing good as a company: treat employees well, provide unmatched customer service, embrace practices that think about a company’s impact on the world.  This is a lot to think about, but an every increasingly important element to the savvy consumer. In a recent white paper on this, we found that companies like Unilever have 10-year plans to achieve a sustainable halo effect.  

So as Sister Anne Marie always told me, if I was a good girl, nice to my classmates, and did what I was supposed to, I would be rewarded.  With the three nurturing thoughts above, and with a long-term vision and commitment to transparency and constancy, I guess that’s true for brands too. 

AMEN.

Join Matt Conroy and Steve Cody as they debate the outcry over Abercrombie + Fitch's controversial sales policy. Watch as moderator Ted Birkhahn flails helplessly in an attempt to keep both combatants from engaging in fisticuffs in this latest installment of PepperView ("Where frank talk is never out of fashion."):

Oh, and feel free to post your comments in support of Steve's far more open-minded POV.

Today's guest post is by Peppercomm president, Ted Birkhahn.

((Note from Rep: While I'm climbing in Wyoming, Peppercomm President and Partner Ted Birkhahn, has whipped up a very special guest blog. Enjoy. And, let Ted know what you think of his lessons.)

This month marks the 26th anniversary of my father’s death. He passed away suddenly and without warning from a brain aneurysm on a brilliantly beautiful Saturday morning. I was 12. My life would never be the same.

I didn’t get much time with my dad, but the time I did spend with him has paid off in spades. Here’s what I’ve taken from him and learned from the experience of losing him at such an early age.

1.)    Don’t sweat the small stuff: It’s easy in life and business to focus on the wrong things. We often obsess over issues and events that have very little impact on the big picture. Prioritizing where and what to stress over is critical. Stress on the things that matter, which is to say the things you have control over and that will have a significant impact on the desired outcome – whatever that may be.

2.)    Common sense: In the global information economy, common sense is the new currency. With a world where power and influence has shifted to the masses and the web has forever changed how we live and work, the missteps made by those who lack common sense are amplified. Conversely, those who apply smart street sense rooted in strong common sense will separate themselves from the pack. We recently had an employee resign and for no good reason burn multiple bridges; a short-sighted move that will no doubt come back to haunt this individual. An example of a lack of common sense failing for the entire world to see.

3.)    Laugh: Humor and the ability to see the lighter side of most circumstances will make you a nicer person. Your friends, family and co-workers will enjoy you more. There’s always a time and place to be serious but the ability to laugh or even smile will put others at ease and make you more endearing. This is true at home and in the workplace. Think about a boss that you’ve had that wouldn’t know humor if it landed in their lap. Now think of another boss who embraced humor in everything they did. With whom are you likely to be more loyal or use as a mentor?

4.)    Smell the roses: I rarely do this, but we really should stop and smell the roses more often. We don’t celebrate our accomplishments often enough. Too many of us go from one task, job and right of passage to another without reflection. What’s the point of succeeding if you don’t enjoy it along the way?

5.)    Family first: I save the most important lesson for last. Most of us want to succeed. We want to make money and earn recognition for the work we do. We crave getting that promotion and we want to achieve financial security that will allow us to ride off into the sunset. Heck, many just want to get rich. None of it -- and I mean nothing – matters if you don’t put family first.  Having breakfast with your kids. Taking the day off to be with your significant other. Whatever your family situation is, investing in it will make you happier and more successful at work…and in life.

As my wife, kids and colleagues will attest, I don’t always practice what I preach, but I am trying. Twenty six years ago was a hellish day followed by lots of ups and downs. But the silver lining is that bad things can make you stronger.  And, perhaps, that is the most important lesson of all.

And a tip o’ Rep’s cap to Thomas J. Powers, Jr.* for suggesting this post.

* Thom is a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Man of the Year Candidate. Please support this charity and "vote" for Thom by donating to the LLS: Click here.