What a 95-year-old woman can teach you

Today, I’m traveling to the little town of Chesley in Ontario, Canada to visit my grandmother, who turns 95 years old this week.
Since I work at an agency that specializes in marketing to women, I thought I’d share a few things I’ve learned from one incredible 95-year-old woman.
1. Change the vehicle, not the core values.
My grandmother watched horses turn into horsepower, hemlines rise and fall, phonographs and mimeographs replaced by MP3s and VDPs. Through it all, whether a carriage or a car got her to church on Sunday, what stayed true was in her heart. I think about my clients’ brands the same way. Bring on new tools! Have fun with Facebook groups, timely Tweets, pop-ups and pre-sales! Just don’t let tactics get your brand distracted from the heart of the conversation.
2. Get to know who lives on the back 40.
My grandparents lived for decades on a 150-acre farm. They knew every neighboring farm family for miles around, including friends and pets. I’m reminded of them whenever I map an influencer landscape for a client: it’s critical to understand the web of contacts and connections around a brand. That thought-leader lurking in the way-back might fulfill or foil your best intentions.
3. To everything there is a season.
Although I no longer spend summer weekends alongside my grandmother in her garden, I plant the seeds of stories for my clients every day. It’s vital to respect and respond to media’s “seasons”, the winds of change, the dark clouds overhead, and nurture your big idea until its season is ripe. PS: I’m surrounded by great gardeners at MMC!
4. Life’s going to surprise you. Don’t just plan to survive.
Wise advice for everyone, but especially in my profession, where storytelling is my daily work and I always have to expect an unexpected chapter or two. Today, a single headline can change a whole story arc! Going from “survive” to “thrive” mode reacting to life’s plot twists is a lesson I’m grateful my grandmother taught me early.
5. Make it matter.
A client may well be wondering how they’ll stay in business next year. My grandmother never expected to celebrate this many birthdays. She taught me not to assume I’ll get chances for “do overs” in this life, so professionally speaking I “make it matter” with programs that work hard for my clients right this minute – as well as being the best building blocks for their long-term brand health.