Director of Luna equity and advanced product development
Clif Bar Inc.
Berkeley, California
What's unique about Luna nutrition bars -- and what inspires me -- is that the brand honors and supports women. There's a whole world of products that stereotype us and tell us what's wrong with us. Luna is there to lift us up.
In the beginning, a lot of our business was built by word of mouth -- women telling each other about Luna bars, sharing them with their sisters, mothers, girlfriends. My favorite Luna story is from a woman working in an ad agency, in a fast-paced, stressful environment. Her boss, also a woman, would pull the younger, female, more-junior workers into her office during times of stress, sit them down, open up her bottom drawer, pull out some Luna bars, take a deep breath, and have what she called a "Luna moment."
Why do people feel this way? I think the first layer of loyalty is they love how the bar tastes, the nutrients in it, that it's all natural. But beyond that, they quickly move up and join the Luna movement: social purpose, balance, healthy living, wanting it all. These are very much the values we stand for, and because we have that in common with them, they feel like they've found a friend.
A couple of years ago, we started something on the back of the bar called "Luna Dedication," where the women of Luna wrote personal dedications to women who have touched their lives in some way. By giving them a piece of ourselves, they feel part of the Luna family. It's a two-way street. It keeps them excited and passionate, and it also keeps us internally passionate.
Yana Kushner was particularly moved by the woman who requested Luna wrappers in bulk so she could sew Luna purses for all of her girlfriends.
Vice president, marketing
Harley-Davidson Inc.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
I am still awed by the lengths our customers will go to show their commitment. Recently, I saw a man who had tattooed a portrait of our four founding fathers and our 100th anniversary logo on his back. When Harley hired me 14 years ago, they told me, "This will be the best job you're ever going to have because it isn't just about working at a company that makes motorcycles. The founding fathers actually seep out of the walls here." Back then I thought they were totally nuts. Now I know that that sense of freedom, individuality, independence, and irreverence has always been part of Harley.
We have a lot of people call us who want the manual on how to keep customers passionate. There's no manual. And there are so many ways to screw this up. In the '90s, we couldn't satisfy demand, so people had to wait up to two years for a bike. When we would place ads, I'd personally get letters saying, "Tell me where this product is. I've been looking at 10 dealers, and they don't have it." That was really frustrating. We tried to bottle demand and show customers other opportunities to experience Harley -- through the clothing, through events we hold. Don't give up the dream. Just give us a little time. Everyone's thinking we've got the best job because the product was basically sold out, but what marketing really had to do was keep relationships going.
We never forget that this is a brand that none of us can individually own. We are a tribe that carries on its traditions so it's here for future generations.
It took Joanne Bischmann only 10 months after starting work at Harley to "get the itch" and apply for her motorcycle license.
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