There are a few, ever so few, magic projects in one’s life. This was one of those. When it started it was once of those horrible, nebulously defined “branding” projects. Adams wanted to be a ‘cool’ company. They said that they wanted to be like Apple or Nike. But they were a friggin’ outdoor company for crying out loud. And the language they used to describe what they did — and what they wanted to be was terrible.

I butted heads with them. In particular, I butted heads with the President Kevin Gleason. And as we went round and round, I came to understand that they really were trying to do something great. They just didn’t know how to articulate it. And neither did anybody else. In fact, three “branding” firms had tried and failed to complete this project.

So instead of a mission statement and a values statement and a vision statement, I wrote an them  entire book. A book that took all the empty terms of business and gave them precise definitions. And gave the company a voice and attitude all it’s own. And it started with this bit:

Honesty: How many cubic hectares of bullshit have been spread around in the name of honesty? It’s really very simple: We tell the truth. The less convenient it is to tell the truth, the more important it is to tell the truth.

The change was revolutionary. And no one was more surprised than I. I knew I had done a good job, but I did not expect that I would have people grabbing me in the hallway saying, “Are you the guy who wrote our book!” and then regaled with some tale about how it had had an impact on them. Words matter. So do ideas.

Adams Outdoor MVV Book

Adams Outdoor Advertising Website