As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time to look back at some highlights from the 50 blog posts we’ve published so far this year. We’ve picked the most popular post from each month, based on the number of views on Linked In. In this second of two posts we look at the top posts from July to December.
JULY: BREAK CATEGORY CODES LIKE LIQUID DEATH
In July we posted about Liquid Death, suggesting that Mark Ritson missed the mark when dismissing the brand as “the perfect pin-up brand for a generation of marketers who define marketing as advertising“. Liquid Death has grown to be y c. 1/3 the size of Smart Water, the biggest spring water brand in the US. And the brand actually has a positioning rooted in a product benefit: Murder Your Thirst. And it has executed this by breaking the category codes to create a highly distinctive mix. No healthy happy people drinking from a mountain spring here!
AUGUST: FIND CREATIVITY IN THE EVERYDAY LIKE P&G
In this August post, we shared insights from the keynote given at Cannes by P&G’s Chief Brand Officer. Marc Prichard talked about the company’s approach to marketing and in particular the task of “finding creativity in the everyday”. This approach is not rocket science. But it was a good reminder about how to use immersive insight as a springboard for impactful marketing.
We looked the importance of going beyond consumer understanding to consumer empathy: a deeper, more visceral connection with the consumer. “The answer won’t be found in the data or the algorithms. The answer comes from the heart and the soul,” as Prichard rightly points out.
SEPTEMBER: REVITALISE YOUR BRAND LIKE CROCS
In September we posted on the amazing turnaround of the Crocs brand. It is a great example of the power of focus, in terms of product range, marketing mix and geography. It also shows how a clear purpose, To make everyone comfortable in their own shoes, can inspire a distinctive marketing mix that drives reappraisal. In particular, Crocs show how to harness including the power of authentic brand collaborations.
OCTOBER: BRAND YOUR BRAND INTO YOUR PRODUCT LIKE HOKA
This post in October looked at how the Hoka brand has delivered the main category benefits (cushioning and stability) in a highly distinctive way. In particular, Hoka has “bakes its brand in” to the product itself. This is the best form of distinctiveness, as it is a permanent and highly visible form of brand communication. The more people wore Hoka shoes, the more people noticed the highly unusual, thick soled product and so on. Importantly, this product design has a real functional benefit, being the brainchild of two avid trail runners on a quest to design a shoe with superior cushioning to enhance downhill running.
NOVEMBER: REBOOTING BRAND STRATEGY FOR AN AGE OF AI
In November, we looked at the challenges of rebooting brand strategy for an AI age. We suggested AI is like “an Iron Man suit for brand strategy”. It can give you super-powers in multiple areas, allowing you to go faster and further. However, it still needs a smart marketer at the controls to define the mission, set the destination and ensure the delivery of objectives. We proposed three more specific points of view that flowed from this overall principle: 1. giving clear guidance and briefing, 2. using AI to augment not replace human creativity, 3. the enduring importance of facilitating human collaboration.
DECEMBER: ADD SOME MAGIC AT CHRISTMAS LIKE MELT
We ended the year with one of my favourite ever posts, on the marvellous Melt Christmas advent calendar! It was a great example of how to use a brand truth as inspiration to create a wonderful, highly distinctive product with the potential to drive word of mouth.
That’s a wrap for 2024, another year of posting each week, every week. That’s 1,704 posts in total and counting! Thanks for following and sharing your feedback. See you in 2025!
