Category: Show Notes

Building a World Class Brand on a Shoestring Budget

Posted on by Drew Neisser

Dara Royer sat alone at her desk pondering the seemingly impossible–how do you rebrand a global organization with only a $50,000 budget?  She knew in her heart of hearts that rebranding was not just a nice next step for Mercy Corps, but it was a critical requirement for the organization to realize its global ambitions. She also knew there is little glory in being right, what really mattered was getting the rest of Mercy Corps to join her on the journey and embrace the forthcoming change.  Royer’s journey as Chief Development and Marketing Officer is chronicled in detail in Episode 15 of Renegade Thinkers Unite and it is profoundly instructive for all businesses especially those with modest budgets and massive expectations.

And just in case you were wondering if I was hyperbolizing, the outcome of Mercy Corps rebranding was an increase in awareness, revenue via donations and recognition by the Harris Poll as the 2017 EquiTrend “Brand of the Year” and “Most Loved Brand” in the category of International Aid Nonprofits. Those are results that would delight any chief marketer and leads to the question, how the heck did Royer and her team accomplish so much with so little?  Once again, you’re encouraged to listen to this very special podcast episode, but in the meantime here are three key takeaways from this episode related to frugality, storytelling and leadership.

Ultimately, these key takeaways can be seen as a mini-marketing plan. For starters, Royer took the idea of “DIY,” or do it yourself, to a whole new level in her rebranding efforts. Wanting to develop a solid strategic foundation for rebranding, Royer knew that conducting research would be invaluable.  The only problem was cost — typically a global study involving hundreds of interviews can cost more than a hundred thousand dollars, money her organization did not have. So what did Royer do? She made sure her team was trained in research methodology and equipped them with the communication skills to work with their team members, government officials, and the beneficiaries of the people they help. By dedicating that time and energy into training her team, they were able to produce consistent and valid results that allowed specific themes to emerge and guide their rebranding efforts.  Involving the organization in the research had the added advantage of making all the key stakeholders feel like owners of both the process and the ultimate outcome.

Once the research was concluded, Royer drafted a clear strategy statement that focused on telling an “epic” story that would resonate across 42 countries and a broad array of cultures.  For her, it wasn’t about any particular ad. She wanted to make sure that regardless of the marketing channel, the “big picture” was clear and rooted in Mercy Corps’ fundamental belief that a better world is possible. This belief extends to meeting the urgent needs of individuals in the present, while building a stronger world for tomorrow.  With this strategy in hand, Royer focused on telling emotionally-charged stories that resonated with all stakeholders including employees, donors and those affected by Mercy Corps actions.

Without revealing the entire podcast, the final takeaway is a leadership lesson. Royer found that the toughest lesson she had to learn when it comes to rebranding is that being right doesn’t matter. Even if you have THE idea, you can’t just expect a large organization to fall in line. Consensus building is an art form that no enlightened leader can succeed without mastering.  Fortunately for Royer, the necessity of conducting the research in-house had the added benefit of involving a large number of employees in the process, making the ultimate adoption of the new brand positioning less of a sales effort and more of a “look what you all helped create” success story.

Marketing’s Torrid Trio: Storytelling, Data & Tech

Posted on by Drew Neisser

While most of us are driving into the future of marketing with limited visibility, Spotify’s Mayur Gupta not just sees what’s ahead, but also shares his vision with helpful precision. In this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, Gupta talks about how he views marketing and innovation from the eyes of an engineer, and the importance of putting human’s needs at the top of the marketing ecosystem, which consists of technology, data, and storytelling. As the Global Vice President for Growth & Marketing at Spotify, Gupta emphasizes that you cannot effectively market only using technology, or data, or storytelling – the three are completely intertwined, and wholly dependent on the marketer’s understanding of unmet human needs. To see what’s ahead, just listen!

For the readers of my book and long-time blog subscribers, Mayur Gupta shouldn’t be a stranger.  We met back in 2014 when he won The CMO Club award for Programmatic Marketing and his interview revealed a truly facile understanding of the rapidly evolving “martech” (marketing technology) landscape.  With over 15 years of experience in leading the digital transformation at places like Kimberly Clark, this digital rock star shares insights that are applicable to both small and large companies alike,

Over at Spotify, Gupta drives the vision and strategy to establish a connected marketing ecosystem as THE growth engine for his company. His goal is to connect the right artist with the right fan through discovery and accessibility, which is why he trains his team to deliver always-on, data-driven, and contextual experiences for both the fans and the artists.

Gupta believes that today’s marketers have all the tools they need to weave together technology, data, and storytelling to predict and address unmet needs. Here are 3 reasons why your brand always needs to be “on” in order to effectively utilize this data:

The consumer is always “on”

Consumers aren’t just tech-savvy, they’re tech dependent. That means more work for brands to engage, inspire, acquire, and ultimately retain that consumer. Consumers have set the bar really high for brands. They know what they want, and they know how to use tech to get it on their terms. That being said, don’t make the mistake of becoming tech-obsessed though and neglect the importance of data and storytelling.

Effective marketing is about meeting the unmet needs of the individual…

And to do that, you need to always be listening, understanding, and predicting consumer behavior — these three principles make up predictive marketing. A good brand will give the company what the consumer wants. A great brand will give the consumer what they want before they know they want it. Virtually all companies have the ability to collect this type of data, but where a company fails is in their application of the data to really understand consumer behavior to ultimately predict and shape future behavior.

The separation of online and offline worlds does not exist

Unless you’re marketing to the Amish, the line between offline and online worlds has become blurred to the point of questionable existence. With more and more consumers constantly plugged in, brands need to be ready to anticipate decisions that can occur at any moment. This has led to consumers caring less about the product, and more about the general experience offered throughout the marketing process conveyed through storytelling. If your story resonates with the consumer on a personal level, and you have the tech and data to tie everything together, you win the loyalty of those consumers.

3 Keys to Creativity

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Before we talk about the inspirational elements of Episode 13, let’s chat about the power of a having a great network. In this case, I connected with creativity guru Larry Robertson (star of Episode 13) through my new friend JJ Ramberg who I met through DEMAN, the Duke Entertainment Media and Arts Network that I’ve chaired in New York for the last six years.  My personal mission with DEMAN is to help current Duke students realize that there are fruitful career choices other than being lawyers, bankers or doctors. To achieve this mission I’ve helped organize annual networking events for Dukies and connected with undergrads and grads at DEMAN weekends down in Durham.  It was at one of these on campus events that I met JJ Ramberg, entrepreneur, and long-time TV show host. JJ and I talked about her start-up Goodshop and I mentioned my upcoming podcast series. Next thing you know JJ is referring Larry my way, he had been a guest on her TV show, and the result is well worth a listen for anyone curious about creativity and how they can increase their aptitude in this area. So now on to my podcast notes…

As it turns out, creativity is not instantaneous. Sure, you may have your “Aha!” moments, but true creativity is a constant, active process. Like with toned muscles, it takes work and training to get there. Or in the case of creativity, practice and happy accidents that allow you to free up your mind and take in different perspective. Some may think creativity is reserved for children playing pretend, creativity is actually the seed of innovation. And who doesn’t want to be innovative? If you’re looking to flex those creative muscles, keep these five questions in mind when tackling your next project:

  1. “How do I know what I know?”

Check in with your thoughts and assumptions. Sometimes we get caught in a repetitive closed-circuit loop of thought, which is counterintuitive to creativity.

  1. “Is there a pattern?”

People tune out to things that deviate from the norm and attribute it to noise (see above: closed-circuit loop). By checking in with our thoughts and assumptions, we allow for those deviations to come through.

  1. “What if….?”

Once you’ve answered the first two questions, you can start playing the What-If game and getting creative with it.

  1. “Is there another way of looking at it?”

Can you flip the scenario and see it from a different angle? What does that angle tell you?

  1. “Who cares?”

Innovation is an awesome goal to strive towards, but if no one besides you cares, it doesn’t lead to much. But practice makes perfect!

My conclusion is that it is easier to learn to be creative than to learn to be a good golfer but you’ll have to listen to this episode to decide on that one for yourself.

Thriving in the Engagement Economy

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At one point in our conversation, Chandar Pattabhiram says “I’ve always believed that people buy candles not because they need candles, but because they need light.” As CMO of Marketo, Chandar brings a floodlight to the world of marketing, leading to an episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite you won’t want to miss.  Among his many illuminating ideas, Chandar espouses “engagement marketing” as the only way to overcome the radical shift in power from buyer to seller and proposes that we’ve entered the “engagement economy.”

Expecting a conversation about the science of marketing, marketing automation and perhaps the latest in artificial intelligence, his focus on engagement, the art of storytelling and advocacy provided a show that is as surprising as it is informative. It also got me that much more excited about attending Marketo’s Marketing Nation Summit where I’ll get to hear Chandar speak among many other great speakers.  Even yours truly will take the podium, twice in fact (Monday 4/24 at 12:15 PST and Wednesday 4/26 at 9:15 PST) and then I’ll be signing books (Monday 3pm PST).  So please say hello if you’re at this event and in the meantime, here are a few of the key takeaways from my conversation with Chandar as gleaned by Renegade’s newest star intern Magda Lewandowska:

The shift from old school marketing, to new school engagement

“Listen, learn, and engage.” – Chandar Pattabhiram

Think of the last meaningful conversation you had with a friend. The conversation probably started at one point, and ended at another. Between those two points, the conversation flowed, and it adapted to perceived feedback. Pattabhiram describes adaptive marketing similarly, in that there is a continuous loop of marketers needing to listen, learn, and engage throughout the lifespan of a consumer’s relationship with a brand. Rather than launching a singular campaign to the masses (old school marketing), it’s important to consider the needs and values of the individual (new school engagement).

The art of storytelling

“The true roots of marketing lie in effective storytelling.”– Chandar Pattabhiram

Consumers are constantly surrounded by the noise of similar and multiple brand offerings. What this has done is created a shift in the power balance from marketer to customer. Storytelling allows for a brand to not only differentiate themselves, but to also create a unique engagement opportunity. When we talk about storytelling, or brand stories, we’re not referring to the attributes of a brand, or competitive advantages. The goal of storytelling is to create an emotional connection with your consumers

Principles of storytelling in the “engagement economy”

  1. Go from product-driven to outcome driven, or as Pattabhiram refers to as, “customer-obsessed” since customers don’t care about the actual product, they care about what the product means to them.
  2. Make your story memorable–facts are less important than the epic nature of the details in a good story.
  3. Be authentic–Build connections with your consumers on an individual basis.

Engagement economy in action: Marketo and Aetna

As the marketing industry’s innovation leader and best solution for high growth enterprise businesses, Marketo is focused on helping marketers shift from the traditional styles of marketing to the new style of engagement. In today’s engagement economy, it’s important to build continuous, meaningful, and relevant relationships at every step in a consumer’s journey. This focus will allow for the growth of not only revenue, but also lifetime value. By capturing what is in your consumer’s mind, you are ultimately securing long-term engagement.

Marketo has helped healthcare organization Aetna in their engagement marketing strategies, with great success. With the altruistic goal of delivering better healthcare to people, they aimed to campaign directly to employees. They have effectively combined their social channels with their own website and associated pages, creating a unique and personalized experience for their customers. After their initial investment of $500K in their campaign, they have seen a 16x return.

Thriving in the ‘Give to Get’ Economy

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Every brand strives to build emotional connections with its constituents but few have succeeded in the manner of Pete Krainik, founder and CEO of The CMO Club. Starting from scratch in 2007, Pete has built a remarkably collaborative membership of over 800 senior marketers that meet regularly in 22 US cities and several more around the world. In this episode (click here to listen now), we’ll reveal some of the secrets to The CMO Club’s success in recruiting new members and creating unmatched event experiences.

On this show, Pete and I talked a lot about the need to cut through in various ways. One is by building elements of surprise into your events regardless of the target keeping in mind that there is no B2B or B2C only H2H (as my friend Bryan Kramer would say). For the club’s twice a year US summits, Pete has arranged for a wide range of surprising guests including John Legend, Keith Urban, Rita Wilson, The Band Perry and Christina Perry among many others. At the most recent summit in Marina Del Ray, Rob Morrow, Melissa Ethridge and rappers Nelly and IT all made surprise appearances. Having seen all of these performances and watched the reactions of CMOs who are meticulous about getting the most out of every minute, I can attest to the fact that Pete’s unique approach has the desired impact.

We also covered what I call the “Give to Get Economy.” Give to get applies to just about any brand situation but is most easily understood when thinking about Google and Facebook.  Google gives us all access to a universe of information and in turn, they get our eyeballs.  Facebook gives us access to 1.8 billion of our closest friends and they too get our eyeballs. This value exchange is remarkably profitable for both Google and Facebook.

For The CMO Club, give to get means giving prospects a free dinner so they can “taste” the experience or sharing content that CMOs find useful via their website and mobile app.  It also means encouraging members to give their assistance to other members recognizing that karma is indeed a boomerang. The result is a highly engaged membership and a marketing lesson for all of you Renegade Thinkers.

You can also find this episode on iTunes, iHeartRadio and Stitcher.

 

Building Beautiful Customer Loyalty

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In episode 10, my guest Ryan Linders provides a rare glimpse into the initial phases of building a customer loyalty program from scratch. You’ll learn how Linders got the program off the ground and how Sally Beauty provides value to customers and gets it back in terms of membership fees and on-going purchase loyalty.

What’s particularly instructive is how Sally Beauty uses email with a genuine sensitivity to customer needs. While the tendency of the direct marketer is to push out offers at a heavy frequency, Ryan and his team temper their efforts to make sure they aren’t overwhelming their valued customers and or interrupting their natural purchase cycle.  Part of the solution here is to make sure in addition to email address, you have purchase data that will allow you to segment the database and increase the relevance of each interaction.