Freedom: How You Will Make Your Results Improve

Dear Reader,

Let’s celebrate freedom!

While this past weekend and coming week mark various independence-related events:

Gay Pride Day (June 28, 2020) commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots. In the early hours of Saturday, June 28, 1969, police raided The Stonewall Inn.

Outraged and angry, the Stonewall patrons were joined by all kinds of people. Collectively they felt they had reclaimed their freedom at last.

This key event led to the Gay Liberation Movement and ultimately to LGBTQ+ Rights in the US. Photo of Stonewall.

Canada Day (July 1, 2020) marks Canada’s official birth. The Constitution Act of 1867 combined Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec into one country. Also, Canada became a “kingdom in its own right” within the British Empire.

Canada officially became independent in 1982.

US Independence Day (July 4, 2020) celebrates the approval by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Their sacred words are immortalized in the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass gave this Independence Day address, “What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?” [Read the full text here.]

“[W]ith a sad sense of the disparity between us.
I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary!

Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common.

The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me.

The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me.”

We need to understand what freedom really means since it’s at the core of this country of ours.

And this holds true regardless of your race, religious beliefs, ethnicity (including language differences), citizenship (including immigrants), financial resources, educational level, age and/or sexual orientation.

Freedom is defined by these attributes:

Have the power to act, speak and/or think as you want without hindrance or restraint.
Are NOT controlled by or required to obey foreign domination or a despotic government.
Are NOT enslaved.
Have the power of self-determination attributed to the will.

What does this mean for you as a marketer?

Mars, Incorporated, a 100+year old family owned business, answers this best:

“With 125,000 Mars Associates working in 80 countries across the globe, clear direction and a moral compass are essential. The long-term future of our business and the planet depends on us to stand for more and take bold action.

The 5 Mars Principles at the center of every decision are:

Commit to quality of work and contributions to society.
Embrace our responsibility (as individuals and a company) to act now.
Base decisions on mutuality of benefit to our stakeholders.
Harness the power of efficiency to use our resources to maximum effect.
Have the financial freedom to make our own decisions, unrestricted by motivations of others.

These 5 Principles are represented in the Mars Compass.

“The Compass outlines the shareholder objectives for Mars, Incorporated, laying out the Family’s expectations for what responsible business can and should do. I believe that performance without purpose isn’t meaningful, and that purpose without performance isn’t possible.” — Grant F. Reid, CEO

Actionable Marketing Tip (via Mars, Inc.) :

The consumer is our boss and each individual sale should be considered our most important sale.

As my friend and colleague, Katie Martell says:

“Accept no one’s definition of your life, define yourself.”

“Fail. Fail hard, Fail gracefully. Fail with purpose. Fail with bravery.”

Katie’s Weekly Newsletter is on my MUST-READ list. The more important question is: Why isn’t it on yours?

Since it delivers the unvarnished truth you need to hear and fearlessly calls out bad players, pandering and window-dressing.

My heart remains heavy due to the continued increase in COVID cases and deaths. Because, despite its resources, the US has NOT “Flattened The Curve”!

According to the CDC, the trusted US resource, COVID continues to spread.

US COVID TOTALS as reported by the CDC and updated daily.

Total COVID Cases: 2,545,250 people are sick; of these, 41,075 people are newly diagnosed.
Total COVID Deaths: 126,369 people died from COVID; of these, 885 people just died.

Also, the CDC estimates that among the frontline healthcare workers treating COVID patients:

87,696 healthcare workers are sick with COVID.
478 of these healthcare workers have died from COVID.

Further, peak COVID locations continue to exceed their capacity to treat patients in ERs (Emergency Rooms), ICUs (Intensive Care Units) and other hospital facilities.

Want to hear and engage with Heidi Cohen in real time?

I just joined The Project Voice 2020’s special online conference, Voice of Branding.

This conference gives you THE information you need to get your marketing up-to-date to face current and evolving challenges in today’s COVID challenging environment.

Voice of Branding Details:

WHY: To get the Voice Branding scoop to improve your results
WHO: Top experts in Voice Branding including Actionable Marketing Guid’s Heidi Cohen
WHAT: Leading-edge branding information every organization (B2B, B2C, Not-For-Profit, Government, and Small Businesses) needs to increase visibility and measurable profitability
WHEN: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm EDT.
WHERE: From the comfort of your favorite device
HOW: Register for your FREE ticket NOW!