Bobbie’s Post

What is “Brand Democracy” and when does it cross the line to viral dupes? Brand democracy refers to the idea that consumers and stakeholders play a significant role in shaping the perception, development, and direction of a brand. It emphasizes inclusivity, transparency, and engagement, recognizing that brands are not solely controlled by companies but are influenced by the collective experiences, opinions, and interactions of consumers, employees, and other stakeholders. Companies like GoPro, Apple, Nike and Lego are letting the consumer be creative with their products and promoting them to go viral with them. Our family just entered the 2024 Peeps contest from the Washington Post for Easter and won! This was such a great family experience, and it made me think more about how brand democracy increasing in the past decade with the rise of social media, and consumer engagement. Here are several ways brand democracy can work: · Consumer Feedback and Engagement: By engaging with consumers, brands can build stronger connections and loyalty. · Co-Creation: This collaborative approach fosters a sense of ownership among consumers and ensures that products meet their needs and preferences. · Brand Advocacy: Brands can encourage consumers to share positive experiences through social media, reviews, and referrals. This organic advocacy can enhance brand visibility and reputation. · Community Building: These communities provide a platform for dialogue, support, engagement, interaction and collaboration, fostering a sense of belonging and loyalty among participants. "Dupes" is short for duplicates or imitations. Viral dupes are products that closely resemble or mimic highly popular or trendy items that have gained attention online. Viral dupes capitalize on the popularity and demand for the original product by offering a similar look, functionality, or aesthetic at a more accessible price point. As #branddemocracy increases, we need to be careful and use a product protection solution that works with your existing package codes to identify #counterfeits and detect diversion so you can enjoy the fruits of brand democracy without the fear of bad actors.

We're post-Women's World Cup and it's high fucking time clubs started understanding 'marketing' as holistic brand management. Here's why: As always, sorry for using the word 'holistic' in earnest but, in the words of luxury brand builder Ana Andjelic, "Holistic brand management is the new marketing. It moves... from a 'nice to have' to a corporate 'must have.'" It's a drum I'm often caught whacking: The need for concerted effort; a less-siloed approach when it comes to brand storytelling—with qualitative and quantitative teams working in tandem to engage communities within their fanbase and those operating on its fickle fringes. That goes double for integrating women's football (and its fans) into the fold. While club bias still rings true in women's football, there will be a first-mover advantage in investing in quality storytelling and strategy there. So few clubs are doing it, it could feel like a tap-in: converting fans waiting for a level of respect that is long overdue. With a global women's fanbase that continues to grow exponentially, what does it mean to engage those people in your club? It goes far beyond token gestures like including one or two female players in a kit launch. If your club has one, what does your women's team stand for? What makes it special? What are its original stories? Who are the humans behind it? Who are the humans within it, those it affects on and off the pitch? We need to work far harder to tell these women's football stories because, for a century, we've ignored them. Treating them with condescension ("Aren't they brave???") or blanket cliché ("They make us proud 🥲") is not good enough. Engaging in qualitative research into the sport and its fans (even if internal quant metrics deem their impact relatively small at first) is of incredible importance. Delving into the stories beyond a small clutch of international players in the women's team is what creates lasting effects. It shows, in short, that you give a shit. It shows fans reflected in the game they love. It shows you actually want to know who these people are. The spectrum of human experience exhibited through football is what makes it special. By relegating women's coverage within the club structure (i.e. the 'female' team of an established 'male' club) to match-day photography and the odd team graphic, you are showing just a tiny sliver of that spectrum to an audience learning to demand more and more. In the end, it's pretty simple: To get respect, you need to first give respect.

The brands winning with youth aren't afraid of busting brand guidelines - they platform it. Case in point: Claire's - building loyalty from an early age, introducing a new initiative called The Collab featuring a select group of seven Gen Alpha and Gen Z creators ranging in ages 7-20 who will work on marketing and product development. “We are in constant dialogue with consumers. We are letting them help guide our playbook and the direction of where we are going.” (Kristin Patrick, executive VP, CMO) The creators include Ayla Palmer, a fashion designer and Ariana Feygin, a 19-year-old chef. They’ll advise on product and activations such as in-store experiences and events. In sum: more than any previous generation, Gen Z wants to be involved in the ideation and curation of participatory moments with the brands they care about. In order to build a lasting bond with Gen Z, you will need to become a brand that shares: one which not only allows for, but encourages youth to co-create and help shape the direction of the business at all levels. More here --> https://lnkd.in/g6SRi5pN

While engagement with loyal followers can drive success for some companies, it doesn't negate the importance of other marketing strategies, traditional values, or the need for a diversified approach in various industries. Relying solely on this enthusiastic community might not be a one-size-fits-all remedy, and it potentially disregards the complexity and unique needs of different markets and audiences. #brand #branding #strategicmarketing The Drum

I’d even take this one step further and say the top relationship a brand can have with it’s users/audience/the public is going from fans to #BrandAmbassadors. A brand ambassador is someone who not only buys, uses, or interacts with your product or service and tells their friends about it, but does so *even when they don’t need your product anymore.* They’ll bring it up genuinely in relevant conversations (on public forums if you’re lucky) and gift it to people they care about. Not to show they buy and use the cool thing, but because they understand it and see the real value you bring to the market. Those are the recommendations and experiences that instantly create more fans with the potential to become ambassadors. One human can only buy so many items or services, but can make a huge difference for a company or creator by sharing their real love for the work. We should all strive to do and serve our people well enough to earn brand ambassadors.

What marketing moments dominated the public consciousness in 2023? 👀 Tracksuit surveyed nearly 20K consumers across the US, UK, NZ and AU to find out. Here's the marketing playbook that unites the top three moments: ✨ Big, integrated campaigns and strategy centred around creativity, humanity and joy (such as Barbie playing into the key theme of nostalgia). 👭 Fandoms largely powered by women, but not exclusive to women. The campaigns were inclusive enough that people of various ages, genders, and geographies engaged with these brand moments. 🤝 Brand partnerships, community building and fan engagement, creating momentum and driving brand love well before the pre and post-event launch. Check out the full analysis 👇

Successful brand collaborations are formed when brands focus on creating a unique offering that provides value to their fans and consumers, rather than partnering for the sake of it. This involves finding brand alignment, synergy, and shared goals, even if the collaborating brands come from different industries or have slightly different target audiences. #BrandStrategy #BrandCollaboration #Branding

What role does a "brand face" play in elevating an organization from obscurity to prominence? How has a brand face impacted your organization? A relatable figure personifies the organization's mission, values, and impact, infusing a human touch that builds trust, authenticity, and emotional engagement. These factors are crucial for attracting donors, volunteers, and partnerships. It's a chance to showcase passion and dedication, leaving a lasting impression that deeply resonates with stakeholders. Some individuals are threatened by a single person becoming the face of an organization. Their fear is that the brand face might overshadow the collective efforts of the organization or their own aspirations. It's crucial that the face of the brand has noble intentions, striking a balance between leveraging personal and championing the individuals and corporations that make an impact possible. Here are three tips that I’ve incorporated to ensure a sustainable balance exists: 1. Create heroes. Celebrate the individuals and corporations publicly, in a real and tangible manner. 2. Wins belong to the collective team of supporters. Failures/shortcomings belong to leaders (the face of the brand in this case). This is Extreme Ownership, a universal principle. 3. Be authentic, transparent, and coachable. Ego has no place in the equation. It’s the only way to avoid blind spots. This article sheds light on how some recognizable brand icons have leveraged their personal brand to promote their corporate brands.

This. Is. Great. I don’t usually forward articles, but this one is very much worth a read and a discussion. This is a modern marketing masterclass from Michael Sugar The times they aren’t ‘a changin’’ - they’ve already ‘a changed’. Brands can absolutely create (or be part of creating) important, engaging, interesting, unique, powerful and useful media. It’s time for more courageous brand leaders to start writing their own stories.

Why is brand legacy so important? Dive into this month's issue of Fast Company to find out. "According to the The Legacy Lab, a strategy consultancy arm of ad agency Team One (which is a division of the Publicis Groupe), companies that were on the S&P 500 in the 1970s spent an average of nearly 30 years there. For the 2020s, that tenure is projected to be closer to 15 years. Brand longevity isn’t the only reason—but it’s a major factor." Read more: https://lnkd.in/eASeUKc7 And go in depth with the Legacy Lab's Mark Miller on how to build brand relevance: https://lnkd.in/eVbmV_rD