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sarahong2012

Digital Marketing

What’s your Story?

October 20, 2013

The most successful brands are born from a compelling story.

One of my favorite TED Talks of all time is by Simon Sinek on “How great leaders inspire action”. During his talk, he sheds light on a very interesting, yet often overlooked insight: “People Don’t Buy What You Do, They Buy Why You Do It”.

Simon Sinek posits that inspirational leadership and successful brands start with the golden circle.

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Contrary to popular belief, companies should start by asking the question “Why?” (their story and core beliefs) instead of “What?” (their product or service). Indeed, if companies start with the “Why” and focus on their story first, they will win over the hearts of consumers.

Planet Smoothie is a great example of a company who identified it’s “why” from the get-go and whose success is largely contingent upon their desire to share their story.

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The Why?

Planet Smoothie was born in 1995 in Atlanta. The founder created Planet smoothie with the mission to revolutionize and “change the way the planet eats” with smoothies, supplements, snacks and smiles. 

The How and What?

With the desire to live out their story, everything that Planet Smoothie does is ultimately informed and driven by their “why”. In order to achieve its mission of changing the way the planet eats, Planet Smoothie adopts the following measures:

By using natural and performance based ingredients that taste great
As Planet Smoothie endeavors to help people take a step in the right direction by bringing more natural, whole foods to our smoothies, they ensure they use the healthiest ingredients. Their LeanLeaf sweetener and yogurt are not just good – but good for you too. 

Motivating and educating customers
In this day and age, people of every age are facing unique health challenges and seeking simple solutions. Planet Smoothie is committed to being a lifestyle partner for healthy living by motivating, educating and providing customers with nutritional knowledge.

Creating health supplements and snacks
Planet Smoothie has created supplements and healthy snacks to assist consumers to lead a healthy life.

Thus, Planet Smoothie’s desire to live out their story of transformation ultimately determines the way in which the company conducts business and informs what they do, and how they do it.

The Magic of Storytelling

With reference to the case of Planet Smoothie, we have already established that storytelling plays an essential role in effective branding, but why exactly is this so? 

Storytelling provides meaning to consumers and gives them something to believe in. Planet Smoothie’s mission to “change the way the planet eats” is compelling and empowering; consumers are drawn to this mission not only because they want to be healthy, beyond that, the statement touches consumers on a psychological level. Our innate human desire is to feel a sense of importance. We feel a sense of importance when we believe we are contributing to society and we experience meaning when we live beyond ourselves. As such, Planet Smoothies’ mission speaks to consumers’ psychological desire. Consumers want to be a part of this tribe that is revolutionizing the way society eats; not only do consumers themselves benefit from it, they are also supporting the cause which benefits others too.

Moreover, a compelling story presents consumers with the opportunity to connect with the brand on an emotional level. Why are emotions central to marketing? According to a study on emotional buying published by the University of Florida, when it comes to purchasing, people are more heavily influenced by their emotions than logic.

Thus, when it comes to your brand, don’t focus solely on your product or service (what). Ask yourself, “what story do I have to tell?” and never lose sight of why your brand is here in the first place.

Digital Marketing Reflections

How do you Fascinate Others?

October 6, 2013

I have always been intrigued by personality tests so when I heard about Sally Hogshead’s Fascination Advantage test, I was instantly curious. The Fascination Advantage test is the first science-based personality brand assessment test. The test reveals how your personality adds distinct value and determines your fascination triggers.

In the context of a flailing job market, a rapidly growing population, and a society that is more educated than ever before, our lives are becoming fiercely competitive. To compound this issue, the rapid dissemination of information and multitude of media channels in the digital age has ensued in another problem – diminishing attention spans. According to Sally Hogshead, our attention span now lasts a mere 9 seconds – equivalent to that of a gold fish. 

In a competitive and distracting world, it has become of particular importance for us to understand what it is about us that sets us apart from everyone else? What exactly is it about us that fascinates others? In the context of marketing, what is our unique value proposition? I took to Hogshead’s Fascination test to answer these questions myself. 

The Result?

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According to the test, my archetype (which is a combination of my primary and secondary triggers) is “The Talent”. 3% of the people who took the test have the exact same trigger combination as me. I am expressive, stylish and emotionally intelligent.

Hogshead proposes there are 7 fascination triggers which we all use, but to varying degrees and intensity. 

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My primary trigger is passion. In other words, passion is how I am most likely to fascinate others. According to the test, I am expressive, intuitive, have high emotional intelligence and excel in relationships with others. I add value by being approachable and being able to intuitively understand ideas and feelings of others. 

My secondary trigger is prestige. I am ambitious, constantly seek out new goals and experiences and I am in perpetual pursuit of improvement. I add value by constantly envisioning ways to improve and upgrade. 

Based on my determined archetype, the top 5 characteristics that comprise my unique value proposition are: 

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The Verdict?

Overall, I found the results of this test to be fairly accurate and reflective of my personality.  The passion trigger has correctly identified that I have a deep-seated curiosity and fascination for understanding people, I am sensitive to the emotions of others, intuitive and social (despite my inherent shyness). I set goals for myself, I tend to be self critical and I am constantly seeking to improve. Given the fact that it’s just a 28 question test – the results are pretty damn impressive. Not only does it provide insight into how you fascinate others, but it reveals your weaknesses, areas for improvement and provides practical ways you can utilize your fascination advantage in the workplace.

However, the test (as with everything) is not perfect. The subtle nuances and complexity of personality and human behavior cannot be captured by answering 28 questions. For example, certain aspects regarding the “prestige” trigger do not fully apply to me. Whilst it is true that I am driven and tend to be a perfectionist, I am not always perceived to be this way. From my personal experience, sometimes people (falsely) assume that if you have a happy disposition and tend to be soft spoken, you are not ambitious and driven – as if such qualities are mutually exclusive. In my case, the test did not account for the fact that sometimes there is a discrepancy between the way you are and the way people perceive you to be. Furthermore, upon reading the charts, I noticed that my “mystique” trigger comprised the same percentage (12%) as my “prestige” trigger. Yet, the test did not provide any results and insight into the “mystique” trigger, despite it being as “intense” as my “prestige” trigger. 

Hogshead has taught me that we all have the capacity to fascinate, even though we do so in uniquely different ways. I recommend that you all set aside 3 minutes of your day and take the test. Once you understand how you fascinate others, you can capitalize on your strengths and build on your weaknesses to captivate and capture the attention of those around you.

How do you fascinate?

Digital Marketing

Kraft gets Krafty with Smartphone App

September 29, 2013

Our lives are becoming increasingly digital. With mobile now accounting for approximately 10% of our media consumption, our phones are occupying a more central role in our lives. In response to the steady rise of mobile usage, marketers are allocating more of their marketing budgets to mobile.

Whilst it is certainly true that mobile is a marketing gold mine, many marketers fall into the trap of assuming that mobile marketing is limited to display ads and text messaging ads.  This is simply not the case. I personally find display ads and text messaging ads to be intrusive, disruptive and uninteresting. The moment I see an unwanted text from a brand, I automatically switch off and lose interest. What many marketers have yet to realize is that the true potential of mobile marketing lies in apps, not ads.

The beauty of branded apps lies in the fact that consumers don’t perceive them to be advertising. People use apps for a variety of reasons – for entertainment, functional, or social purposes. Whatever the reason is, one thing remains certain – apps add value to consumers’ lives. Understanding this is key. Brands should ask themselves “How can we add value to our consumer’s life?” rather than “How can we shove a branded message in front of our consumers face?”

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Kraft is a brand that got it right. In 2008, Kraft launched its iFood Assistant app. According to Ed Kaczmarek, Director of Innovation at Kraft, “People’s lives are becoming increasingly complex and they’re looking for relevant content and solutions to make their lives easier.” Indeed, the iFood Assistant app is useful and makes customers’ lives easier.

The app allows users to browse recipes by category or occasion, stores their favorite recipes in a recipe box, displays how-to videos and offers a built-in shopping list. Since its launch in 2008, the app has reached the 2nd spot in iTunes’ lifestyle section and has since been included in iTunes’ list of top 100 paid apps. The reason for its success? The app is useful to its target market. By offering a variety of useful services and functions to the user, they are providing users with reasons to use the app, thus enhancing long-term engagement with the Kraft brand.

Not only is the app functional and useful, it is also user friendly. The app is organized and easy for users to navigate. Users can browse recipes according to the meal eg. breakfast, lunch or dinner etc. Additionally, if the user has a specific recipe in mind they want to learn, they can use the built in search engine to directly find what they are looking for. In terms of aesthetics, the app is soothing to the eye. The app uses a dark brown wooden background that is calming and pleasant. Moreover, each recipe available in the app is accompanied by an enticing photograph of the dish.

Kraft is a brand that truly understands what mobile marketing is all about. The success of the iFood assistant app has taught us that apps should provide value to the consumer, because ultimately value will drive brand engagement and loyalty. Lastly, you should always look for the “sweet spot” of what your brand can offer consumers. 

Sources:

Digital Marketing Reflections

If you can Dream It, you can Do It.

September 22, 2013

Effective storytelling touches hearts, fascinates and moves audiences. In the context of marketing, storytelling plays a critical role in the art of branding. A compelling brand story holds the power to emotionally engage consumers; creating a meaningful connection and resulting in unwavering brand loyalty.

In my opinion, no discussion of storytelling and branding is complete without mention of the Walt Disney Company.

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The Walt Disney Company is the master of storytelling. The company was founded upon a story so powerful that it continues to drive what they do and underlies why they do it. 

As a child, Walt Disney loved sketching cartoons. When he returned from serving as a Red Cross volunteer in World War I, he decided to dedicate his life to making cartoon motion pictures. With his heart set on pursuing his dream, in 1920 at the age of 19, he started his own company drawing cartoons of the creatures from his childhood. However, his journey to pursue his dreams was fraught with challenges. Upon starting his own company, Disney never had quite enough to eat, struggled to pay rent and was subsequently forced to live with friends. He enjoyed short-lived success when he created the short animation ‘Oswald the Rabbit’ however, in 1928, some of his cartoonists left taking Oswald with them. Disney was shattered. He returned to having nowhere to live and little money for food. Despite the obstacles and challenges Disney faced, he continued to persist and persevere. Nine decades later, Disney is one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. With a portfolio of brands, Disney continues to be the leader of creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and products globally.

The Disney brand story engages and emotionally connects with consumers worldwide because Walt Disney’s life itself was a living testament to the brand’s values and essence. His story of hardship, struggle and his eventual success in fulfiling his childhood dream adds to the brand story’s authenticity and magic. Walt Disney was able to live his ‘magic kingdom’ throughout his entire life. His legacy and life story continues to inspire consumers with the audacity to pursue their dreams.

Moreover, the Disney Brand story engages and connects with consumers because the company communicates a consistent set of core values across all of its operations. Disney’s theme parks, hotels, restaurants, TV entertainment and retail stores are all unified under the vision and mission to deliver happiness and magical experiences.

However, no brand is perfect and Disney is no exception. As children are their primary target audience, the brand is constantly under surveillance. The recent provocative and reckless behavior of former Disney star Miley Cyrus has undermined the credibility, trustworthiness and “innocence” of the brand, causing many parents to question whether Disney stars are good role models for their children. Indeed, as the Disney brand name is synonymous with innocence and childhood, it is under constant scrutiny and it is compelled to uphold a flawless reputation; any slip-up or controversy can be particularly detrimental to the brand.

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For more than nine decades, the Walt Disney Company has been at the forefront of family entertainment. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to a leading global corporation, the story behind the Walt Disney Company is engaging, compelling and above all – inspiring.

Walt Disney once said: “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” Indeed, the success of the Walt Disney brand proves that all your dreams can come true, if only you have the courage to pursue them. 

http://youtu.be/KrkX4ZxnLbM

Digital Marketing

Lets talk about Digital Marketing.

September 14, 2013

A new academic year means a fresh new start.

Moving forward, I will use this blog as a platform to discuss issues and topics pertaining to digital marketing, in addition to documenting my journey in the city of my dreams aswell as sharing my creative work; my photography and videos. 

Why is digital marketing worth talking about?

The 21st century has ushered in an era of rapid change and a multitude of communication channels. With the advent of the digital age, the term ‘digital marketing’ has become somewhat ubiquitous. A lot of people are talking about it, but not many people know what it’s really about.

With this in mind, I endeavor to deconstruct ‘digital marketing’ in this blog; shedding light on what it really means for marketers and discussing the issues and trends shaping the industry. With the rapid advancement of technology and as our lives become increasingly digital, I believe it is an extremely exciting time to be a marketer. As such, this blog will be an open dialogue about the marketing industry with reference to digital trends and technology.

Without further ado, lets talk about the advancement of digital technology, how this impacts our culture and ultimately, what this means for marketers and how we should respond in light of these changes.

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Uncategorized

February 8, 2013

Quiet walks alone on the Brooklyn Bridge during sunset.

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In a city where people are perpetually on the go and stress levels are high, every now and then, it is important to pause and enjoy a moment of peace and serenity.

 

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Uncategorized

February 8, 2013

Quiet walks alone on the Brooklyn Bridge during sunset.

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In a city where people are perpetually on the go and stress levels are high, every now and then, it is important to pause and enjoy a moment of peace and serenity.

 

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