What do you think of this?

You know the concept of asking? Intrinsic in it means to clarify. When you ask to clarify, always listen. Do not ask and dispute when what is presented is contrary to what you want to hear.

Listen. Digest. Triangulate your own opinion.

Then put forth your points. Then ask again on the conclusions you made. Then you crystallize your own thoughts. You then form your own opinion. This time around with the new information, you can better decide EVEN if you do not use and agree with that information.

Problem is you ask to reinforce what you believe in.

Did you see ten thousand people, maybe more?

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What do you care?

Last month (April) in my mailbox is a direct mail pack for my dad. His birthday is in May. I opened it, it’s a birthday greeting sheet (it’s not a card, it’s a sheet of paper) and more. Sent a good 3 weeks before his birthday (I suppose you cannot fault someone for sending a birthday greeting too early) – see my poor illustration below.

I say “birthday greeting sheet and more” because; it is suppose to be functional as well. It has a 2012 calendar at the bottom of this birthday greeting sheet and double sided tape behind. So, I reckon the people who so believe in sharing and caring sent it because they want you to put it up.

Now, whether they want you to remember them or for you to remember that they remembered you is up for discussion.

Personally my challenge is this, one - it’s April. Why would you send a calendar? We would have bookshelves and walls of it by now. And might even have thrown away just as many. Two, why tell me about all your products on a birthday greeting sheet? Where’s the sincerity in this?

I thought to myself, even if I am an abbot living in seclusion from this secular world – I would still probably question the company’s sincerity.

I wonder, how much time did the company spend thinking this through? Intrinsic in sharing and caring is sincerity. Values the company yells in front of the envelope that wrapped the birthday greeting sheet.

Oh, my dad passed away 2 years ago. Maybe cleaning up the database is not part of the CRM plan.

What do you care about?

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What do you eat with?

We do eat with our eyes. Here’s proof.

So which senses do your consumers use when consuming your brand?  

What do you taste with?

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What’s your cost of cause marketing?

Corporate social responsibility is a big phrase. Some companies do it better than the others. Others like the usual mock check and occasional photo opportunity. Once off and they are done. A charity run there and there.

I believe consumers are getting smarter and smarter. I believe when consumers look at the news and the pictures of the mock cheque presentations, they ask – what is the cost of this cause marketing?

Increasingly, if your company or brand does not commit to the cause in money, effort and time in the long term - and that means not just commitment but consistency, then you will be seen as a fraud, using the face of social responsibility to cheat into the consumers hearts.

What’s your true cause?

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Are you consistent with courage?

It takes consistency to stick to your principles but it takes courage to learn new things and dump old principles. Sometimes formulas work and sometimes they don’t.

In marketing, we like to call a lot of things principles. Then a bunch of us follows them like a dogma not to be challenged. Not because we are very convinced that it works all the time. By and large, marketers are smart people. They just don’t know when to choose to be courageous.

Principles need to be reevaluated and how you reevaluate them is important. You have to pull yourself out of the equation and not be attached to old paradigms. Context changes all the time due to cultural shifts, rise in education levels, higher consumer maturity in the category and technological advances. For example, what was known as alternative media is now mainstream. Principles will have to change. Even if they are not, it needs to be adjusted.

And it takes courage to be the one making the adjustments, against your own deep seated convictions. Only then will you learn new things. Only then will there be better creation. Better creation of new formulas.

Are you consistent in creation?

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Do you cull?

What’s better to do? More worth the effort? Perhaps make you a hero? Let’s say your predecessor has breed a bunch of brands, variants and SKUs and if you buy into the Pareto Principle, then only 20 of these brands and sub-variants are now contributing to 80 of your bottom line. But you have a choice to clean this all up in order to drive efficiencies or you can ignore this and launch your own variants and new brands.

What would you do? I don’t really have a finger on this. After all, if I am this marketing manager, I would have to fight the internal system that created this. Yes, the previous marketing manager has left, but the people who said yes to this ‘mess’ is still there.

Maybe it is easier to just use the formula you know to breed new brands. After all, you have a perfect excuse (or is it?) these were there when you came.

For me, whatever you choose is fine. Just don’t choose because it is easy, more glamourous and because you like one better than the other. Those are emotionally laden words. And it’s not very objective driven.

Would you breed?

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Where is your sincerity showing?

If you keep showing up, helping, understanding, offering a solution sincerely you would probably earn a relationship with your consumers. They may actually call you a friend.

It doesn’t sound very difficult but most marketers like to think about the commercial side of things and thus forget the connection part of the brand. When you do that – think too much of the commercial side – you lose your sincerity, which is the currency of relationships.

What are you spending on?

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