In James Keller’s days as a marketing guru for consumer goods manufacturer Procter and Gamble, he was known to entertain party guests by demonstrating the masterful absorbance of Bounty paper towels – ostensibly proving that his branding strategies simply bolstered what were already top-notch products.
Keller says the same about the other brands he has had a hand in promoting throughout his 40-year, award-winning career. Having worked for the world’s preeminent advertising agencies in Beijing, Hong Kong and throughout Western Europe – and on accounts ranging from General Electric to Campbell’s Soup – Keller says he has been blessed with promoting nothing but the best, and his four-year tenure at Queens Library (QL) has been no different.
Originally from the west side of Chicago, Keller became QL’s chief marketing officer after an executive recruiter tempted him with “the ultimate challenge” – the branding of Queens’ 62-branch public library system, which, at the time boasted the second highest circulation in the country.
“How do you brand a library?” Keller recalled asking himself, perking up at the thought of his next great professional challenge, not unlike the mountains he climbs and marathons he runs in his spare time.
“People would say I am incredibly tenacious,” Keller said. “If there is an object and a goal, I will achieve that goal; I will find a way to make it happen.”
And make it happen he did.
First on Keller’s agenda was outlining the basic principles of marketing with a focus on QL’s mission – “understanding who your targets are, and who your market is and what you’re trying to communicate,” he said.
Keller quickly developed the library’s creative concept of “Enrich Your Life,” a slogan he feels encapsulates the power of the library’s diverse products and services.
When it came time to “humanize” the library, Keller initiated the “I am Your Queens Library” campaign, which featured posters of library employees in public spaces like bus stops. Keller added that his global experience in dealing with different cultures has been a tremendous asset in relating to the people of Queens.
Within a year of Keller’s arrival, QL had positioned itself as the largest circulation system in the United States, a standing it maintains to this day. Yet, Keller is far from complacent. He uses what he calls “quantitative analysis” – examining everything from a daily circulation report to statistics on visitors, new library card applicants and library program attendance – to track QL’s progress.
A recent QL accolade formidably dispelled any doubts Keller and others may have had about the library’s evolution into an industry game changer. For the first time in its history, QL was voted “Library of the Year” by trade publication Library Journal.
While Keller takes pride in the first-place prize – he called it a “once in a lifetime award” – he just keeps setting the bar higher and higher.
“We are competing against everything else out there. We compete against the Barnes & Nobles of the world, the Amazons, we compete against Netflix,” Keller said, noting that QL’s operating budget is miniscule in comparison. “So we have to do things smarter.”
Setbacks, Keller’s story seems to show, do not have to prove insurmountable.
He suffered a stroke in November of 2008 and had heart surgery this March, but he has made a full recovery. And he continues looking ahead – while scrutinizing the previous day’s metrics, that is.
Keller is currently working on a three-year strategic plan and wants to revamp the library’s web site – “I want to have the best web site period, not in the library world but in the regular world” – and has visions of restored seven-day service and library cards for all students and families.
Despite his track record, though, Keller credits QL’s staff with the library’s continued success.
“I have worked overseas and with the top companies, and I’ve never found a more professional, dedicated and passionate group of people as I’m working with at Queens Library,” he said.
“They are devoted to the residents of Queens,” he went on. “That kind of inspires me every day to make sure that everybody appreciates what Queens Library does.”
