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Michael Jordan once scored 63 points in a double overtime playoff game against a 1986 Boston Celtics team that started Larry Bird and three other Hall of Famers, and for that he was considered a hero. Without a doubt, Jordan and all the other greats exhibit qualities that we associate with heroes: superhuman physical abilities, a Quaker-like work ethic, an unquenchable thirst for victory.

For many, this is the definition of a hero. It’s the reason kids have posters of athletes in their room and the reason Dwight Howard puts on a Superman cape at dunk contests. However, these are not the qualities that made Superman a hero, they made him a fictional superhero.

This Veterans Day, let’s contemplate the things that make a person an actual hero and redefine the term.

It seems there aren't many complicated tasks that can't be boiled down to pushing a button or reading a pie chart, these days. Automatic transmissions make shifting gears effortless. Point and shoot cameras eliminate the need for interchangeable lenses and aperture adjustments. And, in the web metric analysis world, Google Analytics makes evaluating site traffic easier and more intuitive than it's ever been. But what about those of us that want full manual control? What about those of us who know what we're doing and don't want to be constrained by ease-of-use features? Where do we turn when we want maximum performance, not just a pretty interface?

Fort Collins, Colorado. Pull into a meticulously landscaped parking lot lined with custom cruiser bicycles. Behold a pointy, log-cabin style structure past the walkway. Step inside and stand at the foot of a giant, metallic slide connecting first and second floors. Out the back door, dig your toes into the sand of a recreational volleyball court and think…

… what is this place?

SEO has evolved quite a bit over the past decade, but its evolution over the past two years has been especially frenetic and dramatic.  Luckily for us, we were never a digital agency that relied solely on template tactics or cookie-cutter strategies.  Our SEO team has always focused on increasing visibility across the digital ecosystem, enhancing brand recognition, and creating and optimizing content for the audience rather than the search engines.

Even if I don’t agree with a brand’s stance, I’m prone to admire purpose-driven brands.  Organizations that simply stand for pushing more product are typically less successful than those with a clear and distinct purpose.  Many would argue Chick-fil-A is the embodiment of a purpose-driven brand.