CRUNCHY NUGGETS: One of my all-time favorite marketing books is “Made to Stick,” written by my heroes Dan and Chip Heath. They’re also regular contributors to “Fast Company.” If you don’t subscribe, at least opt-in for their daily email. Dan and Chip just wrote an article that I wanted to point out to you as worth-your-time. It’s called “Why Market Your Company With Stick-on Emotion When You Can Tap the Real Thing?” As my loyal nuggety readers know, cause marketing has been huge this past year. And Dan and Chip further the conversation, encouraging brands to leverage causes to make real-world, tangible, emotional connections with consumers. It’s an interesting, makes-sense way of looking at insights (go strategy, go!).
The example they give is Downy. Instead of making the marketing connection of Downy = soft clothes = expression of love for my family, they suggest to bring the love to life. Hold a winter coat drive or help struggling mothers, instead. They consider this real emotion versus stick-on.
Besides being a fan of their articles and book, I liked this article for the examples (besides Downy) that it provided. Examples of seemingly non-emotional brands and services, leveraging do-good to their advantage. It’s a quick article, so when you have a minute or two, do check it out: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/139/made-to-stick-an-arms-race-of-goodness.html. For me, personally, I’ve seen “Resonate with the target,” or “Make an emotional connection with the consumer” in many a’strategy. So even though not every marketing program calls for or should support a cause, it’s a nice way of actually hitting on these strategic points. And supporting charities is something consumers want and expect (see nuggety stat shared in 10/6 post about Levi’s program).
Hey, have a good day and hope your emotional connections are positive! TASTY TREND: Feeling good about doing good.
