Organized Proof and The C-Suite.

By
Steve Poppe
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0

C-level executives have been known to devalue brand strategy. Politely, they nod in presentations but deep down they view it as more of a marketing thing than a business thing.  “All altruism, no profit.” 

What’s the Idea? is 100% about making money for clients. Hard stop.  

Here’s how:

Let’s start with some framework background.  At What’s The Idea? brand strategy comprises one brand claim supported by three proof planks. The proof planks are organized to bring the brand story to life, both backward and forward. Proof is the secret sauce of a powerful brand strategy. Proof convinces people.  

And while a small proportion of What’s The Idea? brand claims might come off as altruistic, mark my words the executional planks proving the claim are hard-as-nails selling points. Think of the brand claim as the strategic packaging surrounding tangible slam-dunk reasons to buy. By themselves brand claims — which may never be seen by a consumer– are headline-like. Sometimes pithy, sometimes boring, they are ideally poetic and memorable. When CEO’s, CFOs and Chief Marketing Officers, people steeped in the business fundamentals, hear the claim, the feel it and they get it. It speaks to them. Especially when brought to life by the proof planks.

Proof sells. Organized proof is branding.   

Peace.

 

Hellmann’s Haters Campaign.

By
Steve Poppe
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0

There’s a new Hellmann’s Mayo radio spot out now which breaks a key branding rule.  The ad promotes a number of new mayo flavors yet the creative talks about Mayo Haters. The introduction of the new flavors is a means to turn Mayo Haters around. As a father who taught his young kids never to say the word “hate,” explaining it’s the ugliest word in the world, I’m not a fan. I know haters is a new member of the American lexicon but as the center of a new advertising idea, it’s a branding fail.  

Many years ago, we undertook some quantitative print ad testing for AT&T. In one of the ads a person was doing something dangerous. Standing too close to a cliff. The ad tested poorly. It seems danger is off-putting to consumers.  I therefore suggest negative imagery, and negativity is not a good selling scheme. Once a colleague told me P&G would never allow their products to be filmed thrown into the garbage. Even when the product was used up. Bad Ju Ju.

I’m no prude but I do subscribe to the idea that negativity sends a conscious and subconscious message to consumers that’s not brand-positive. This ain’t no disco and it isn’t Never Never land but good branding is about establishing positive associations. Focusing on negatives is not brand-productive.

Peace.

 

Common Brand Values

By
Steve Poppe
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0

“Advice Is Our Craft” is the UBS wealth management advertising line. Which means, for all intents and purposes, it’s their tagline. And brand claim. At least that’s the way one might parse it in the brand strategy business. It’s singular. It’s an important customer care-about. And it is pithy.

What it is not is unique.

Most every wealth management company offers advice. Brand strategists will tell you it is best to have a brand strategy claim built around a unique value. I heartily agree.  But sometimes a customer care-about is so strenuous a second-tier value is not a market mover. So, what do you do? 

What you do is adapt your culture, ethos and customer experience to that value. Just know it’s hard to own when other competitors profess the same thing. And it’s expensive. But if you truly commit and put as much wood behind the arrow as possible it can work. It must become a singular undertaking. It can’t be diluted. In the case of UBS, it has to be operationalized and proven every day. 

Strategy, as Mark Pollard rightly states, is your words. It’s the deeds that deliver the brand. And that is particularly so with a common brand value.

Peace.

 

 

Claim, Proof and Kandee Johnson.

By
Steve Poppe
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0

I write a lot about “claim and proof.” ChatGPT tells me so.  I write about it because it’s fundamental to my business.  Claim and proof is the proof of my brand strategy chops.

I came across a “Poster” by the name of Kandee Johnson 10 plus years ago when working with Megan Kent and David Kessler on a brand called Plus White, an inexpensive teeth whitening system. Kandee is a prolific social media icon, who at the time posted about inexpensive fashion hacks. Kandee was a Plus White fan and one of her hacks was buying the whitener by itself sans boxed system and using it with a $1.99 sports mouthguard, thereby cutting the cost in half. Kandee would also demonstrate how to cut up a tee-shirts to make a cool dress/cover ups (sorry, man speak) and she also counseled fans to use olive oil to clean make-up brushes.

Kandee’s vibe was supportive of her audience, penny-wise and very, very real. And her creatively was unbound. Her followers loved her and still love her today as her career has taken off. The reason I bring her up is because her “authenticity” (that’s a joke, I hate that word), her motivation was grounded in proof. Some, today, might call them receipts. Kandee has a role, a motivation, and she delivers it every day.

I often say advertising is 90% claim, 10% proof.  Kandee built a mini empire out of proof. Much love to Kandee Johnson and all her loyal followers.

Peace.

 

 

Brand Strategy Framework

By
Steve Poppe
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0

“Tell me about your brand strategy framework?”, is the single best question you can ask brand planners when evaluating whether to hire them.

If they can’t answer the question in less than 30 seconds or write it on the back of a business card (ageism alert!), ask them to. Don’t get caught up in the gobbledy.

I’ll be first to say developing brand strategy is not a simple process.  Love-at-first-sight, it’s not. It requires lots of study.  Lots of time. And lots of thinking.  But the delivery of that thinking — the packaging of that thinking needs to be understandable. Specific. Thorough. And memorable.  (Current brand-o-babble theory asserts it should also be “differentiated” or “distinctive.” To that I will say, the product should be differentiated and distinctive but that’s a story for another post.)

If brand strategy were a science, it would fail. You can’t measure the value of voice and personality against sales. Ah, the ephemora. Strategy, by its very nature is measurable. It works or it doesn’t. But not if it can’t be articulated. And that requires a tight framework.

Ask your brand strategist about their framework. Have them show you the formula.

Peace.

Steve@WhatstheIdea

Brand Stalker?

By
Steve Poppe
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0

The metaphor is a critical tool of the brand planner. It creates context, clarity and often gives creative people a source of inspiration. Brand planners ask a lot of questions and do a lot of research on their brands.  Planners — the good ones at least — are like dogs on a bone. We immerse ourselves in a category and have a hard time letting go. Even when sleeping. It’s stalker-ish.

Dare I say, for a one- or two-month paid engagement I often find myself a brand planner for life. Always on the hunt for proof of brand claim. It’s no way to run a business yet it is part of the planning life.

Strategy is timeless. It never really stops. In as much as I need to dump the cache on past clients, I just can’t. Unhealthy? You decide. But it’s part and parcel of the curiosity that is the brand planner’s world.

So, me droogies, stalk away on your brands. Find a good strategy and prove it.

Peace.

Poster, Pasters and Posers.

By
Steve Poppe
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0

Back in the aughts, working at a social media startup, I created a meme Posters and Pasters. Posters were original content creators and Pasters were people who curated and posted others’ content. A ZDNet newsletter dude Jakob Nielsen (I think) thought 93% of the web’s content was the work of Pasters.  My qualitative thinking agreed.

As a brand planner I love studying Posters: Smart, committed writers and thinkers who share their topic-love on the web – mostly for free. They inspire me. They delivered great grist for the brand planning mill.

I grew up in the business (ad agencies) reading trade press and insider looks at their respective category. One trick was to religiously read the most respected and talented journalists on a given beat. It helped with sources, interview leads, data and trends.

We’ve come a long way since those days.  Trade magazines have moved online. Journalism has changed. Influencers have sullied the waters. Some Influencers might even be called Posers. Be careful with Influencers.

Still, I seek out Posters in my work and you brand planners should as well.

Peace.

 

 

Little Q & Large A.

By
Steve Poppe
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0

I was driving through the Beaucatcher Tunnel this morning, listening to NPR (Don’t judge, okay judge.) and knew I was going to lose reception for a few seconds. Upon realizing I would miss the interviewer’s question it struck me the important part was the answer, all things considered. Hee hee.

As a brand planner who has made a modest living asking questions, it was a bit of a slap in the face. Or was it? 

Upon reflection it hit me all my brand strategies are the result of answers. Consumer answers. SME answers. Corporate answers. Market insights built on answers. In fact, many of my best questions are redirects and probes based upon answers. As a quiet self-promoter I will admit it takes skill to set interviewees at ease and get them to truly share.  Tone, interest, humor, self-deprecation, eagerness to learn — in addition to truly listening — are all tools the brand planner needs to generate fruitful responses. No doubt.

That said, were I to weight questions versus answers, I’d have to go with answers every time.

Any answers?

Peace.

 

 

 

 

A Strategic Welcome To Burger King.

By
Steve Poppe
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0

I’m a big Burger King fan.  Flame broiled has long been one of my favorite brand strategy elements. It’s visual. It’s olfactory. And it is an inherent (endemic) product quality. Flame-broiled differentiates Burger King.

When you drive by a Burger King, even sight unseen, you know you’re nearby. BK has made a wonderfully smart and experiential change to its stores that reinforces its flame broiled strategy – it has replaced traditional door handles with replica BBQ spatulas. With every visit you can’t help but be reminded of the flame broiled advantage.

This is genius brand management and genius brand strategy stewardship.

If anyone knows the originator of this idea, please the name.  Big move.

Peace

 

 

Starbucks New Dress Code

By
Steve Poppe
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0

Building a brand is about everything. Everything a company spends money on.  And if done well, everything employees touch. If done perfectly, it extends to consumers who share brand love and value(s) with other customers. The latter two behaviors are free.

I read today that Starbucks, in an effort to strengthen brand and bottom line, has instituted a bit of a dress code tweak for baristas beginning May 12th. Under their green aprons, baristas must wear black or dark colors. 

Starbucks rationale:

“By updating our dress code, we can deliver a more consistent coffeehouse experience that will also bring simpler and clearer guidance to our partners, which means they can focus on what matters most, crafting great beverages and fostering connections with customers.”

This is certainly a brand building effort. Consistency of “product, message and experience” is a smart brand-building strategy. Hence, the green apron. And hence the more controlled uniform. As for allowing baristas to focus more on crafting great beverages and fostering connections with customers, that’s a bit of a stretch.  

One of the best ways to demonstrate commitment to brand values is through deeds. Remembering names, engaging beyond the order (small talk?), discussing the product are process deeds. These are behaviors Starbucks should suggest to baristas if connection is the goal.  

Brand strategy in “an organizing principle for product, experience and messaging.  This dress code thing is smart. Behavior change is also smart.

Peace.

 

 

 

 

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