A little "healthy lifestyles" levity for a Friday

Actually, there's nothing light about this at all. Sharing this post from Consumerist – "The Worst Food Product Ever" May Have Been Found.  Should provide the impetus for us all to strive to have a healthy day. 

After seeing this, it compelled me to go to Armour's site. I was interested in seeing how they spoke about the company and the Armour brand.  Armour is actually part of Pinnacle Foods Group LLC. Their mission is to "make our brands an increasingly important part of consumers' everyday lives so we build sustainable value." Hmm...wonder how this fits with this mission? 

Armour is one of their brands. As they say in their Product Description, "Armour offers a wide range of easy-to-make solutions for all your meal and snacking occasions…given today's busy lifestyles, you're sure to find a quick, convenient and great tasting Armour Star product to satisfy your craving, whatever the occasion." Yes, this is quick and convenient. But don't even want to think about what the craving could be. 

Interestingly, when you click through to the Armour site, there's no Pork Brains to be found. 

Growing brand energy in the downturn

To flourish in this downturn, challenge convention.  "Recessions provide fertile ground for launching new businesses, developing disruptive new products and strengthening customer loyalty." These are the words of marketing expert Andrew Razeghi from Northwestern University. Here are a few tips he offers based on the many examples of successful companies that prospered during recessionary times:

• While managing cash is important, don't put the brakes on. Continue to invest in R&D and marketing. "Listen to the market, invest in products for the long term, and keep in front of the customer."

• In a recession, the worst thing you can do is to go dark. In a recession "fear creates focus." "Customers wonder how you're doing. Now is the time to increase communication and restore confidence not only in the products you're selling, but also in the company behind those products."

• Marketers need to play to their strengths, and rethink how to turn those strengths into new opportunities. As marketers continue to clamor for attention, sensory branding will grow increasingly relevant to help cut through the clutter.

As he points out, many high-profile name brands were born in the midst of the Great Depression. 

 

Marketing To Moms Through Digital Technology and Social Media

Digital Mom is an excellent report from Razorfish and CafeMom. It examines how moms are adopting digital technology and social media to help her "do it all".  Key implications for health + healthy lifestyle brand marketers (synthesized from the report) include:

• beyond email (of which 95% of moms use), more than 50% engage through search, social networking sites, text messaging and instant messaging…which means that you need to consider how to rebalance your efforts to leverage these viable channels 

• younger digital moms tend to be more comfortable with new tools like social networks and SMS, whereas older moms are more comfortable with information channels online…so a one-size-fits-all is not going to work 

• by tapping into moms dual motivations - staying connected for their own needs, as well as the needs of their children - marketers have an opportunity to empower moms with content, experiences and community

• categories of Medication/Medical Condition (20%) and Health/Fitness (18%) fell roughly in the middle of those in which moms researched, sought advice, or purchased (in the last 3 months; all survey participants,not segmented by age).  

• there were five distinct segments of socially connected moms, dimensioned in terms of who she is, her Social Level, Activity Level and Content Creation Level…providing insight into how to reach and engage each segment, and leverage their interactions on social networks. 

More Energy Sources For Brands

Adding to the list from yesterday:

11. Help improve our future. One Laptop Per Child. 

12. Create platforms for shared passions. Nike + 

13. Change our view of the world. Dove.

14. Let customers choose the price. ebay. 

15. Enhance the customer experience. Whole Foods.  

16. Engage people in your vision. Obama.  

17. Deliver beautiful design. Apple

18. Be the authority. McKinsey. 

19. Exude passion from the inside out. Google. 

20. Overcome the trade-off. Mini.  

New Energy Sources For Brands

Thought I'd start a list of ways that brands can get re-energized. I'll keep adding to it. Here are the first entries:

1. Social Media. Be about people, not about you; help them come together via your brand. GSK's myalli community. 

2. Crowdsourcing. Tap into the insights and ideas of your users. Dell Ideastorm.

3. Become the customer champion. LinkedIn.

4. Tap into their larger societal agenda. Fairtrade.  

5. Create a new vision for the market. Method.

6. Find new uses for your product, and use #2 above. Arm & Hammer. 

7. Focus in on the one thing you do better than anyone else. Zappos.

8. Introduce a new business model. BookMooch.

9. Make people happy. Wii

10. Re-articulate your brand story. Walmart. 

Branding and marketing to all five senses

Think of "sensory branding" for health and healthy lifestyle brands.

Sensory branding leverages all five senses to make deeper connections with consumers by baking sight, sound, smell, taste and touch into the brand experience. These elements add texture to help create authentic, distinctive, compelling and enduring brand stories that create competitive edge.

It's based on studies that link the five senses with human memory and emotion, and can greatly enhance one's engagement with a brand (both offline and online). It also increases the likelihood of advocacy, and very possibly, stronger business results. In a rational world of business, connecting at an emotional level is the key, and often missing ingredient, to capturing hearts and building lasting connections.

All marketers can benefit from "sense-surround" branding and marketing. Almost anything you design, manufacture, provide or do; anything that customers can see, hear, touch, taste or smell are candidates. Consider these examples:

• sight, e.g. the emotional associations of Tiffany's blue box, J&J's Baby Shampoo bottle and the "Apple."
• sound, e.g. the startup tones that distinguish Microsoft and Apple computers, the distinctive sound of a Harley engine and the crunch of a Nestle Crunch Bar.
• smell, e.g. Ben Gay's unique love it or hate it smell, the scented towels fliers receive on Singapore Airlines and the scent of an Abercrombie & Fitch store (replicated in their mail-order product).
• taste, e.g. the distinctiveness of Starbucks, Dr. Pepper and the refreshingly fizzy Orangina.
• touch, e.g. the unique and one and only shape of the Coke bottle, the feel of an iPod and Simplehuman's household "tools for efficient living."

And how about delivering sensory experiences online. While it may not be possible to physically evoke the senses, you can appeal in a virtual way. Consider:

• sight, e.g. Tiffany's home page (flooded with its blue box).
• sound, e.g. BMW's 7-Series HD experience, and the incredible streaming video and audio documentaries on factualtv.com.
• smell, e.g. though virtual, you can almost smell Lush's products on their site.
• taste, e.g. while you can't drink a screensaver, it's as good as it gets with this Sam Adams download.
• touch, not in the physical sense, but through the ability to provide feedback, contribute content, play games.

To succeed with a sensory strategy:

• beyond demographics, build lifestyle profiles of your customer segments
• understand the core equity of your brand
• identify its true "sense-surround" potential
• align this opportunity with customers desired emotions and feelings
• identify the messages you want to send
• determine the channels and the tools you plan to use and the senses you intend to tap into, with each element of your brand integral to the eventual show

Given the bombardment of 2-D advertising into every corner of our lives, it's effectiveness and return on marketing expenditure sliding – the ability to connect in more emotive and memorable ways holds great meaning for consumers and marketers. Particularly in this economic environment, any emotional edge that you can provide is important - and lasting.

 

Your health - if it's too good to be true, it probably is

Good article Fitness Isn't an Overnight Sensation about how long it really takes to get into body-changing shape.

As the title suggests, discipline and commitment over a longer period of time than people would like to hear, is the only way to transform your body. Evidence that even with all the rational evidence we would ever need available at our fingertips, we override logic and base our purchase decisions largely on emotion and feelings.

Keeping health and healthy lifestyle branding and marketing simple

As health and healthy lifestyle brand owners, you should be doing what you can to reduce consumers' stress levels. In a marketplace filled with too much choice (both product and media), too much information (often conflicting) and too much similarity, simpler is smarter. Today, complexity requires simplicity.

From a consumer perspective, we tend to shut down when faced with too many choices. We say we want choice, but not too much. Dr. Susan Broniaczyk, from University of Texas states in her paper “the deleterious effects of living in consumer hyperchoice", when consumers face a large selection of items, they have to process a large amount of information, which can cause problems. People worry so much about buying the wrong item that they may opt out of the whole arduous decision-making process by not buying anything at all. Or, when they do buy something, foregone options linger in memory, causing post-purchase regret.

For brand owners, adapting a mantra of simplicity (of being all about your customers) translates to:

• Your brands ability to make people feel better and contribute to making their lives better. Which starts by making it simple for them to choose what they want (e.g. Amazon).

• A simple and delightful experience (in a world where many are not). Making airline reservations and trying to rent a car typically are not. Zappos and Pret A Manger are.

• The ability to put resources behind brands that will generate the strongest results. Which goes back to making it simpler for people to navigate your offerings. By paring back your portfolio to those brands that are most on trend and that represent the lions share of current and potential future revenues and reputation, you're not only taking costs out of the system, but you have more horsepower to put behind those brands.

Sustainability – through lunch box napkins

Actually one of a few different ideas I've seen recently related to lunch boxes - one citing the dangers of the boxes themselves, the other offering ideas for "sustainable" lunch sacks. Interesting idea, but what are the chances your kids will actually come home with the napking? ttp://springwise.com/eco_sustainability/reusable_lunch_box_napkins/

How can health and wellness marketers make the best of the recesson

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

Never thought I'd guote Billy Ocean, but his statement is true. The recession's impacted everyone. Both marketer and consumer are re-evaluating their priorities and their next moves. Both are under pressure to control costs, maintain liquidity and protect their bottom lines.

So how can health and wellness marketers make the best of a tough and lingering situation. How can you maintain or actually build momentum, when many others are hunkering down. In our work with clients, we're focusing on these issues:

1. Stay True To Your Story. Who you are, what you stand for, what you believe in and the benefits you provide are what won you their loyalty in the first place. Now, in the midst of all this turmoil, is not the right time to revise your script. Those who know you best will see through you, begin to doubt you and make others aware of same.

2. Tweak The Value Proposition. Value is certainly higher on the consumer's benefit ladder. Which can be defined as comfort, safety, security, etc. – those benefits that are already built into your value proposition. Consider creative ways to deliver more value at the same price (e.g. more utility, more relationship, more knowledge…). As long as you remain true to who you are, you have permission to evolve the proposition to fit with the times.

3. Keep Insiders Engaged And Positive . Your employees are feeling the strain and pain of the economic situation. Either internally or as consumers themselves, they're anxious. It's critical that you continue to work (and that they can continue to drive) your brand from the inside-out. If there's doubt in their minds about your future (their future), if they don't have a positive frame of mind, it will come through in their interactions and actions. Remember that employees are one of the most essential, and cost effective, components of marketing.

4. Sharpen The Experience. Walk the mall, and you can see who'se generating the traffic. And whose not. Particularly today, when dollars are tight, those brands that create an emotional connection – that make people feel good about themselves and their decisions – that make people feel more connected - in more control - smart or frugal - will win the day.

5. Open Up The Conversation. Enable and share in your customer conversations. Listen to what they are saying. Learn and build on the positives as well as the criticism. And don't ignore or cancel out the negatives when they arise. The more transparent you are, the more their trust and loyalty will come out on the other side.

6. Continue Brand-Building Activities. Study after study has demonstrated that companies that continue to spend through recessions come out stronger on the other side. It's actually a good time to build share of mind as others put on the brakes. And it's more efficient as media should be less expensive and opportunities exist to negotiate surrounding opportunities.

Starbucks "Project Red" Campaign

I just read in today's Ad Age online that Starbucks has entered into a holiday promotion with Project Red. Clearly, a worthwhile endeavor. And the Starbucks brand, along with the Starbucks consumer, certainly fits with Red. But the fact that they entered into this partnership "amid projections that it won't see improved same store sales until 2009" really rubs me the wrong way.

If Starbucks mission is to be a responsible company, why wait until now to sign up with Red. Why wait until after reporting really disappointing Q4 profit and same store sales results. Sort of rhetorical questions. And they acknowledge the effort is only a promotional program. Other Red partners like Gap, Converse, Apple and Hallmark (as reported in this article) have long ago built Red into their ongoing product programs.

Transparency is supposed to be a good thing. But in this case, it's just too easy to see through. While I can't argue with the cause, I think the impetus for the effort - particularly for Starbucks - is just wrong.

Promotional partners to help brand dollars go farther

Dollars are scarce. Value (added-value) is high on your customers list. Brand-enhancing promotional partners are one way to make marketing dollars work harder - helping you garner attention, boost image and and drive sales.

Some considerations:

• start with your consumer - about how you can surprise and delight them
• the simpler the better - they should see it and get it immediately
• your partner should make sense - for your customer and for your brand
• your organization-fit needs to make sense – as you'll need to work closely together
• retailers need to think it makes sense - so get their buy-in before you're too far down the road
• what are measures of success - both image and impact, and agree up-front
• are there any other third-party participants/sponsors - that can provide additional spin

My Brand, My Way – Providing Personalized Health and Wellness Brand Experiences

Who'd have thought that Burger King could see into the future of brand marketing. Remember their "have it your way" campaign? Were they really ahead of the curve in customizing brands to meet our individual needs – to providing truly personalized experiences. From custom protein shakes, to skin care products, beverages and even senior-focused retailers such as HOJO in Lyon, France (http://www.hojo-generationseniors.fr/) – providing "just-for-me" experiences is the most effective way possible to ensure brand relevance and connection. One interesting impact of this, however, is how companies individualize the associated customer service experience to align with brand delivery.

Marketing That Matters

There was a recent article in Ad Age about an agency committed to Marketing That Matters. Their point-of-view is that the new marketing demands more than telling and selling to consumers who are tired of being bombarded with one-way messages. Based on the changing priorities of the consumer, driven in part by events taking place around the globe – they believe that cause needs to be baked-in to all marketing programs.

I'd suggest that "marketing that matters" first begins with a more expansive brand framework and appreciation of your potential to engage, inspire and guide. That to unleash the full potential of your brand, you must have a wider view of your prospective place in your consumers world. Given the myriad ways that brands can touch consumers, and the myriad ways that consumers proactively interact and can steer the fate of brands, we must do more to ensure our brands' relevancy.

Beyond products and services, brands should impart knowledge and insight. That knowledge is out there anyway in the vastness of the web, but why not take the leadership role among your peers to organize and be the "beacon" that consumers turn to for their guidance. Consider what Dove has accomplished:

• As an adjunct to its selling efforts, the brand has become an authoritative expert on beauty - facilitated by a site that has become a destination for product and category information.

• It has become a brand that fulfills relationships; creating communities of "like" consumers who aspire to connect with others like them. Through Their Campaign For Real Beauty, it's united millions of women from around the globe.

Never has there been more opportunity for brands to step up, reach out and engage on all three levels. Particularly for health + healthy lifestyle brands whose very existence is inherently more important to consumers.

Getting a handle on a changing world

Like a 40 mile an hour wind at our backs, the world is constantly changing. How can you get a handle on all these changes, and how do you discern which ones are important and which are just passing fads. Consider an in-house futurist.

As the New York Times recently advertised on their website for a Futurist for its R&D group, the ideal candidate:

• is highly imaginative and well informed about the social and technology trends affecting creation, distribution and consumption of all forms of media now and in the future

• has an innate curiosity and a passion for ideas; with a facility for market research data and who can use it to vividly paint a picture of how the world around us is evolving

Every day, we get sucked into busy-ness - putting out fires, creating reports, attending meetings, answering emails. Which doesn't leave much time for thinking about what really matters - navigating the future. Someone needs to be able to look hard into the distance while others are watching for what's coming around the next corner.

Beyond the traits mentioned by the NY Times, your futurist:

• should voraciously read not just industry and trade pubs, but also general business news - because big insights and ideas typically come from outside your industry

• must listen for "the buzz", and keep abreast of influential thinkers, bloggers and publications

• must understand and empathize with end-users - their feelings, concerns, motivations and practices

• should be empowered to serve as company protagonist - challenging conventional wisdom and practices, pushing you to think beyond the usual to reach for the extraordinary. 

Last but not least, your futurist will help you provide a critical and differentiating "right-brain" perspective in a left-brain dominant world.

The proactive health and healthy lifestyles brand

Healthy brands are proactive. They are enablers. They allow us to be more and to achieve more, than would otherwise be the case. 

Here's a list of the differences between proactive and reactive (soon to become irrelevant) brands. Proactive brands:

- lead with actions versus words

- are coherent rather than consistent

- engage rather than lecture

- transform rather than preserve

- encourage relationships versus individuality   

- are bottom up versus top down

- let us inside versus hiding behind the curtain

- extend beyond their category

- liberate customers versus control them

Learning to pull versus push

To push is to press against something or somebody in order to move that object or person. Today, if we push, we will move audiences away from our products and services. On the other hand, if we pull, we are more likely to draw a willing crowd. 

The mass audiences we once advertised to are now splintered into thousands of niche groups demanding personalized marketing (if they agree to receive it at all). Pull, the ability to attract desired audiences, has become a critical method to grow and deepen customer relationships. 

Facilitating the freedom of consumers to engage when and how they want to (to pull them in), will mean the difference between winning and losing in this new environment. Pull tactics include:

• blogging

• podcasting

• webinars

• white papers

• newsletters/e-zines

• on-site content

• experiential events

• mobile

• social networks

• viral video

• games

By surrounding products and services with the communication, community and collaboration opportunities that new technologies provide, brands become more attractive - engaging - and become destinations that consumers value and want on their own terms. 

Failing to adapt to these new realities will mean that you eventually go the way of the dinosaur.