SlimFast Focuses on Motivations, not Sex

Marketing means a lot of different things depending on who you ask, but at the core of all marketing activity is serving customers- helping them fulfill their needs and wants. While a great deal of emphasis is put on internal strategies and processes for carrying out marketing (e.g., product development, marketing plans, and performance measurement), the fact remains that customers’ concerns influence marketing decisions. Thus, marketing should focus on selling to customers’ needs more than selling products.

Motivations = “Get What You Really Want”
A current example of how marketing is the set of activities conducted to fulfill the needs and wants of customers is a print ad campaign for SlimFast. Print ads for SlimFast’s “Get What You Really Want” campaign delve beyond standard feature-benefits presentation we are accustomed to seeing in ads. Instead, SlimFast goes to the underlying motivations that people might have for wanting to lose weight and get fit. The tone of the ads is surprisingly provocative as the motivations targeted are not surface level benefits (e.g., lose weight) but deeper payoffs for using the product. Different versions of the ads include these messages:

  • Stated thought: “I want to show off my new confidence,” Inner thought: “I want to show off my new ass.”
  • Stated thought: “I want my jeans to go on easier,” Internal thought: “I want my jeans to come off easier.”
  • Stated thought: “I want to get into my new pants,” Inner thought: “I want to get into someone else’s pants.”

At first glance, some people might criticize SlimFast and say it is resorting to sex appeal to sell its “slimming” products. After all, advertising has a lengthy history of selling sex, right? Not necessarily. Sex and the need for intimacy are based on human emotions and are needs that people desire to have fulfilled. SlimFast is positioning its brand as a means to an end; in no way do the ads suggest”buy SlimFast and you will score.” Instead, SlimFast is aligning its brand with lifestyle choices that will enable people to achieve their personal goals.

Are There Limits?
The SlimFast “Get What You Really Want” campaign is effective because it is a departure from status quo advertising in this product category. The theme of the campaign is Marketing 101- responding to buyers’ wants and needs. The blend of humor and sex is a novel presentation of the core message: SlimFast can help you achieve what you want. Are there limits to using this provocative mix of humor and sex? Sure, this approach would not likely not resonate as well if it were for an automobile brand or a new style of running shoes. There is a line over which overt sex appeals could detract from a brand’s value proposition, but SlimFast walks that line adeptly in this campaign without crossing it.

Marketing Daily – “Provocative Ads Intro New SlimFast Positioning”

Be Driven by Passion, not Perfection

On Friday, I was fortunate to attend Social Slam, a digital and social media conference in Knoxville, Tennessee. The morning keynote presentation was delivered by Jeff Bullas, named  one of the top 50 social media power influencers by Forbes. Bullas shared with the audience how to build a presence on social media by creating and delivering interesting content. One point he made resonated with me: Be driven by passion, not perfection. Bullas confided that articles written for his blog contain errors, but he does not allow himself to become a victim of inertia because of fears of what people might say when they find mistakes. He reminded us that only one perfect person has walked the earth, and He has not been around for two thousand years!

Passion + Purpose = Awesomeness
It is not uncommon to hear people exhort us to “follow your passion.” Such proclamations can make us feel good about our dreams, but passion without purpose is little more than a dream. Jeff Bullas represents how a purpose-inspired passion can lead to building a remarkable personal brand. Bullas is a former high school teacher and real estate salesman who had an interest in how technology was changing communication. He parlayed his interest in the Internet and his servant-like approach to helping people to become a thought leader in social media.

“It’s not about You”
Having a passion can be very fulfilling, but it does not pay the bills! But, passion coupled with purpose gives one direction toward creating an impact. Another theme echoed by Bullas and others at Social Slam that is important to note is that “it’s not about you.” Passion and purpose will have the greatest impact when they are applied in serving other people. A related point was shared by Gabriell Laine-Peters, principal of social media consultancy X-Digital, who said that “community is at the heart of everything we do.”

The true power of social media is not that it gives everyone a voice (although that is a defining characteristic); the true power is that the voice enables us to connect with each other for good. Sharing information, exchanging ideas, answering questions, giving encouragement, advocating a cause… all of these occur within a community. And, these traits are all inspired by passion and purpose. You don’t have to be perfect when using social media; just be willing to let your passion and purpose shape your personal brand.

Shade Pulled over Many Virtual Storefronts

Imagine owning a store in which you diligently opened for business daily but opted to leave the lights turned off and the door covered. Safe to say, such practices would lead to certain failure and defeat the purpose of being in business. Unfortunately, this analogy is reality for the online presence of many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). A recent audit by digital marketing firm vSplash of nearly 4 million SMB websites found that a startling percentage of them were not fully prepared to conduct business online.

Some of the most surprising findings in the vSplash study include:

  • 26% of SMB websites cannot be found on a Google search because their Google page rank is zero (or has no rank)
  • 49% have no contact phone number on their homepage
  • 94% have no contact email address and are not mobile optimized
  • 95% do not have an e-commerce shopping cart

To say the least, these findings represent significant opportunities for digital marketing service providers to help SMBs strengthen their online presence. The lack of an apparent digital strategy and the absence of essential online marketing elements like contact channels and e-commerce capabilities are surprising, but we should not chastise SMBs. Many SMBs are good at the product or service that they provide but lack marketing expertise or resources of their larger corporate counterparts. It is not that they do not care; they do not know how.

Results of the vSplash study also serve as a call to my chosen profession, marketing education. The low frequencies of use for basic digital marketing tactics can be traced to SMB managers lacking knowledge. For some, the issue is that the rapidly changing world of digital marketing makes it difficult for them to keep up with the latest best practices (although the statistics cited above relate to basics that are hardly cutting edge). For other managers, they were failed by business schools that have been slow to adapt to the rapid rate of change in marketing. I see more job descriptions seeking new graduates with search engine optimization and blogging skills; it is further evidence to me that B-schools must be nimble with curriculum in response to the pace of change in digital marketing to better serve employers and students.

Preparing Your Personal Brand for Relaunch: Step Four – Prepare for Launch

This post is the final installment in a five-part series on relaunching your personal brand inspired by a recent post in the Franklin University Back to College Blog. As a review, the first three steps in aligning your personal brand with career change opportunities are:

  1. Recognize reasons a change is desired (Why)
  2. Study your options (What)
  3. Path for getting to new career (How)

 You have laid the foundation; now the time is nearing to take off the wraps on your new career. The motivation for change has been acted upon (i.e., meaning articulated). The energy arising from that revelation inspired you to focus on learning about the career or industry you aspire to have (make-up of knowledge and competencies). What remains is to hone your message- you have to sell yourself as a viable candidate in your newly chosen field.

In Step Three, you used social media (especially LinkedIn and Twitter) to learn about the people and companies that shape your industry or profession. Now, in Step Four you must emerge from the shadows of listening and learning to sharing and telling. Remember, that networking can be simply defined as “helping other people.” Look for ways to be a resource to people in your network by sharing information, articles, inforgraphics, encouragement- in short, helping other people.

But being helpful is not enough. You must refine your message, and your most important communication vehicle is your résumé. Yes, your résumé is lacking industry-specific experience… you are relaunching in a new field. It’s OK! Fortunately, you likely have skills, successes, or achievements from your previous field that you can communicate to demonstrate your abilities and potential. Don’t present a timeline of work; give an overview of accomplishments. Another tool you can develop to communicate your value is a 7-word bio. This is an idea promoted by creativity expert Todd Henry, who says a 7-word bio forces us to bring clarity to what we do and show others what we are passionate about.

Relaunching your personal brand can be a daunting challenge. I took the plunge to relaunch in 1995, transitioning from sales to higher education. Back then, social media, blogging, heck, even personal branding were not accessible tools. But, the tools alone are not enough. Applying the four-step process discussed in this series of posts does not happen without a fervent belief in yourself to pull off a relaunch. Oliver Wendell Holmes famously said that “many people die with their music still in them.” Do not let the music that is the promise of a new career die in you.

Positioning Your Personal Brand for Relaunch: Step Three – How?

This post is the fourth in a five-part series on relaunching your personal brand inspired by a recent post in the Franklin University Back to College Blog. As a review, the first two steps in aligning your personal brand with career change opportunities are:

  1. Recognize reasons a change is desired (Why)
  2. Study your options (What)

The third step in relaunching your personal brand addresses the key question of “How do I get there?” You may have realized that conditions are favorable to make a move (why) and have explored different opportunities for the next chapter in your professional life (what). Now, the challenge is identifying the skills, training, or other requirements needed to compete in your newly chosen category. In some cases, the conclusion drawn at this step in the process is that relaunch is not feasible due to education requirements or cost to acquire needed training. But, if you are able to overcome potential time and money barriers, there are three actions you can take to move closer to being ready for a new beginning in your career:

  1. Become a “fan” of your chosen profession – Just as sports fans passionately follow their favorite teams and players, become a close observer of the industry or profession in which you wish to work. What are the current trends? Who are the thought leaders? Which companies and executives are up and coming stars? Know thy industry!
  2. Learn… and continue to learn – This directive overlaps with becoming a fan of your new industry or field. Learning can occur formally through college degree programs or industry certification programs. Formal learning should be complemented with self-study in the form of reading industry publications and blogs as well as watching webinars on topics related to your new profession.
  3. Network with other professionals – Acquiring knowledge is important, but it is not enough to position you to compete for opportunities in a new profession. You must get to know the people who are working in the industry now. If the concept of networking is intimidating, consider this simple definition: Networking is about helping other people. Do you like helping other people? Networking is a means of helping others by sharing information, exchanging ideas, and supporting one another. Become involved in networking digitally through networks like LinkedIn and Twitter. LinkedIn has groups for just about any industry you can imagine, and if there happens not to be one, no problem- start a group yourself! Similarly, Twitter is an excellent resource for connecting with other people. Use the Twitter hashtag search feature to look for industry-specific conversations taking place. Of course, do not overlook traditional face-to-face networking opportunities. Social networking sites expand our networking capabilities, but they should not be viewed as a replacement for personal interactions.

Step Three is the most difficult part of the career relaunch process, and it is at this point where many relaunches are aborted. Why? It is because the first two steps do not require a high level of commitment and resolve to complete. But, when we get to the step of equipping ourselves for change, the barriers to relaunch identified in the introductory post of this series (comfort, risk, and time investment required) are too great for many people to overcome. If your objectives for change are clear and you have done your homework to explore options that fit your capabilities, the chances of coming out the other end of Step Three prepared to relaunch your personal brand are significantly enhanced.

Positioning Your Personal Brand for Relaunch: Step Two – What?

This post is the third in a series on relaunching your personal brand. The idea for a multi-post discussion on how to position yourself for a career change was inspired by a piece that appeared recently in the Franklin University Back to College Blog. Much emphasis is given to how to prepare for an initial career launch, but what about when you want to make a career change? The ideas shared in the Franklin U. blog post provided a solid overview of steps one should take when pondering a career change. The last post discussed how the process begins by asking the question “why?” Why is a change desired – it is to pursue meaningful change or is it an attempt to escape from an undesirable situation? Is it your desire to change, or is it someone else’s vision that you should be doing something different?

Assuming your outcome of evaluating Step One is that you satisfactorily answer the Why question and intend on pursuing a career change, the next step is to answer the “What” question. Convincing yourself a career change would be beneficial is much easier compared to knowing exactly what you will change to. In Step One, answering the Why question entailed identifying extrinsic and intrinsic motivations for considering a change. Similarly, when answering the What question we must separate potential new careers on the basis of extrinsic and intrinsic motives for pursuing them. Extrinsic or outside forces might guide us to consider a new career option because of the opportunities available, the average income, lifestyle benefits, or observing other people succeeding in that career.

Intrinsic motivations for career change are not influenced by what is transpiring in the world around us; they come from within us. While external occurrences like being overlooked for a promotion or dissatisfaction with salary can serve as triggers to consider career change, those events are nothing more than disappointments unless there is a deeper drive to do something different with our professional lives. Perhaps the best guidance I have ever seen when it comes to answering the What question is given by Kevin Carroll in his book Rules of the Red Rubber Ball. Carroll identifies seven steps we can take to pursue our red rubber ball, a symbol he uses for something that brings us immense joy and satisfaction. The seven rules are:

  1. Commit to it – It takes a strong resolve to follow your passion
  2. Seek out encouragers  – Do not embark on the path to career relaunch alone; identify mentors, teachers, and friends who can help guide you
  3. Work out your creative muscle –  Imagination leads to opportunity
  4. Prepare to shine –  A willingness to invest time to learn and do the “grunt work” is needed
  5. Speak up – Others will impose boundaries on you (“You can’t do that…” or “That won’t work”); do not accept their boundaries
  6. Expect the unexpected – Always be on the lookout for opportunity contained in everyday life situations
  7. Maximize the day – Be intentional in choices you make on how you spend your time.

Notice what the Rules of the Red Rubber Ball are not- they do not directly relate to building specific skill sets, getting certain training, or building credentials (that is the focus of Step 3). The rules are about adopting the proper mindset and developing a discipline of behaviors consistent with fulfilling your desires for a different path.

Positioning Your Personal Brand for Relaunch: Step One – Why?

This post is the first in a four-part series on the process of completing a personal brand makeover and relaunch. I stated in my last post introducing the series that I often receive inquiries from former students and others about how to best position a career change. Given that it is an issue weighing on the minds of many people, I wanted to share some good advice on the topic that appeared recently in the Franklin University Back to College Blog. What prevents many people from taking the plunge and relaunching their personal brand? It is not having a structure or approach in place. This series seeks to remove that obstacle, beginning today with providing a starting point for the relaunch process.

The first step in developing strategy, whether it is for a multi-billion dollar corporation or for your personal brand, is to evaluate the current situation. In the context of personal brand management, conducting a SWOT analysis (an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) is an excellent tool for evaluating your capabilities (strengths and weaknesses) and recognizing developments in the world around you (opportunities and threats). Think of a SWOT analysis like taking a snapshot- it captures what is going on at a given point in time. It is crucial to determine where you are right now before you can figure out where you want to go.

In addition to conducting a SWOT analysis to assess the current situation, a person embarking on the personal brand relaunch process should consider why a change is desired. Is the motivation for change

  • Intrinsic – Change may be driven by desire to have a profession with greater perceived impact or benefit to others, or it may be fulfillment of a long-time goal (e.g., earn an advanced degree).
  • Extrinsic – Impetus for career relaunch may be aspirations to achieve a different status level or earn a higher income.
  • Other – Additional reasons may be behind a potential career change such as desire to relocate, get away from a bad boss, or the need to get a fresh start.

Begin by identifying your strengths and weaknesses. This task requires what Jim Collins calls “confronting the brutal facts,” especially when it comes to acknowledging weaknesses. Add to your list of strengths and weaknesses by compiling a list of opportunities and threats. These characteristics may not come to you as easily as strengths and weaknesses; research will likely be needed to get a handle on external factors that could help or hurt your career relaunch. Examples of research that might be needed is determining employment opportunities for a prospective new field, training or skills people in that field typically have, and the impact of technology and economic conditions on industry or occupation growth. 

Change in the form of personal brand relaunch is the end goal. To get there, begin by clarifying why a change is desired, the personal brand assets you have that will support pursuit of your goal, and development needs to help position you to be competitive in your new field. You might be thinking at this point “I don’t even know what I want to do other than I know I want to make a change.” That’s fine, because it brings us to the topic of the next post – Considering your options.

    Positioning your Personal Brand for Relaunch: Introduction to Four-Step Process

    Many former students have contacted me over the years to get my advice on how to position themselves to make a career change. Similarly, I have had conversations with some parents’ of my children’s friends lamenting their current career path, wishing that they could do something different. In both cases, the reason that they do not follow through is that they do not know how to go from Point A to Point B. You may recognize the reasons for not taking the leap to change career paths; they may be part of your reasoning, too:

    • We get comfortable with what we know – Routines have a calming effect
    • The unknown equals risk – Our comfort zone is encroached when risk is present
    • It may require time –  Developing new skills, learning new a new industry, and building new relationships won’t take place overnight

    As you probably have already realized, these reasons are highly correlated. Together they make a compelling case for maintaining status quo and not pursuing a vision for a new career. Unfortunately, they also serve to suppress the potential we have inside of us to broaden our horizons and launch new career ventures. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said that “Most people die with their music still locked up inside them.” How can we unlock the music and fulfill our potential to develop the meaning and makeup of our personal brand?

    This post introduces an upcoming four-part series of positioning your personal brand for relaunch. The four steps that can be applied to personal brand relaunch via career path change include:

    1. Recognize reasons for change
    2. Study your options
    3. Identify education and skills needed for relaunch
    4. Prepare for launch in new field or industry

    The inspiration for this four-part series comes from Franklin University Back to College Blog – “How to Successfully Change Career Paths”. The next four posts are for you if you have ever considered retooling the makeup of your personal brand to enter a different career field.

    Mobile Marketing Can Add Value, Build Loyalty

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    It is very exciting to be part of an industry that navigates change regularly. The current growth in mobile marketing bears some resemblance to the evolution of Internet marketing that began in the late 1990s. Firms are trying to figure out: a) should they have a dedicated mobile marketing strategy and b) what the heck to do if they decide to go mobile. Here is some good news for companies weighing their mobile marketing options: Not only can a mobile strategy be used to remain competitive, but it can be used to enhance customer value and increase customer loyalty.

    The promise of mobile marketing is particularly powerful for retailers and other B2C marketers that rely on customer transactions to fuel growth. Access to a retailer’s products via a mobile device is one way to add value by making shopping more convenient. But, being an alternative to bricks-and-mortar shopping is not experience is not the only potential payoff of a mobile marketing strategy. Integrating mobile options into the payment or checkout process adds value by increasing the efficiency of serving customers. When shoppers pay via mobile devices, it reduces the amount of time spent completing the transaction (e.g., swiping credit card or making change). Thus, all customers are served faster… even the ones not paying with mobile devices.

    An even more exciting potential benefit of implementing a mobile marketing strategy is that it can have a positive impact on customer loyalty. This benefit has been the experience of The Bean,  a three-store coffee house in New York City. The Bean implemented a mobile payment system offered by LevelUp. Shoppers with the LevelUp app installed on their mobile devices can pay from their devices and at the same time earn rewards through repeat purchases. The impact on customer loyalty is noticeable as evidenced by:

    • 30% of customers using LevelUp app return in less than two weeks
    • Most LevelUp users have visited The Bean five or more times.

      In a highly competitive B2C environment, mobile marketing can be used to set a brand apart from competition. Customers will value the convenience of technology-assisted transactions and be inclined to be repeat customers because of the relationship facilitated by mobile apps.But, before investing in hardware or software to implement a mobile marketing program a strategy is needed to outline the objectives to achieve and how it meshes with existing marketing programs. The mobile frontier is still relatively unsettled; explore opportunities to build a competitive advantage and customer loyalty through mobile channels.

      Mobile Commerce Daily – “The Bean Leverages Mobile Payments to Drive Repeat Visits”

      New Product Success Simplified

      A stark reality of marketing that students learn early on is that a vast majority of new products eventually fail. Stats on product failure rate are tossed about such as two-thirds, 80% and even 90% (although I rarely see a source cited for any of these “facts”). The precise statistic is not as important as the underlying concept – gaining acceptance for new products is difficult. However, a recent global study by Nielsen sheds light on consumers’ attitudes toward new products.

      The Nielsen study contains several interesting findings such as:

      • 60% of consumers prefer to wait until an innovation is proven before adopting
      • 60% prefer to try new products from brands that they know or have used (yet another benefit of building brand equity)
      • 39% are willing to pay a premium price for new products

       While these stats on attitudes toward new products are interesting, they do not help marketers get to the core question of how to improve the chances of new product success. But, analysis of the report’s findings yield two valuable insights for demystifying new product success:

      1. New products have a better chance of success when they met a real customer need rather than positioning against perceived need. 
      2. New products that offer a benefit or advantage that is superior to existing alternatives are more likely to gain acceptance.

      These two factors for new product success point back to a basic trait in human nature that does not need to be examined through market research because we know it exists. It is the age-old question “What’s in it for me?” Consumers evaluate a new product against this basic criterion. Why should I buy this product? What will using this product do for me? How will things change or improve if I use this product? We buy products because of what they will do for us or what they will help us become. You are probably familiar with the adage “People don’t buy drills – they buy the holes that the drill makes.” Customers do not care about your new product as much as they care about the benefits of your new product for them.

      As you evaluate the viability of a new product idea, it should be put through the rigors of focus groups, surveys, and test markets. But, begin by asking two basic questions from the customer’s point of view – What’s in it for me? How is it better than my current situation? Without solid answers to these two questions it is more likely that a new product is destined to become part of the statistic of new product failures.