Can’t Buy Me Like – A Book Report – Part 3
Chapter 4: On Purpose
The theme of this chapter is brand purpose. To thrive in the Relationship Era, brands and marketers alike need to be clear in their purpose.
Why is knowing a brand’s purpose important? According to Garfield and Levy, “a clear purpose defines what the brand or company stands for, beyond financials, and inspires people not merely to patronize the brand, but to join it” (57). Brands who have a clear purpose generate loyalty and passion – people get excited about the brand and what the brand is up to.
I am going to stress again that in the Relationship Era, customers want transparency. Customers hear every celebration and hiccup your brand faces. As a brand, “you are being evaluated not just for what you sell but how you conduct yourself in the world – with consequences that flow directly to the bottom line” (58).
If your brand’s purpose is to protect aquatic life, do not turn around and put whale blubber in your lipstick. Seriously think about your brand’s purpose and take a pledge to honour that purpose. Your customers will see and appreciate that you are staying true to the image you project.
Deriving your brand’s purpose can be difficult, as there are many questions you have to ask of your brand. What motivates and inspires your brand? What role do you see your brand playing, and what role do you see for the goods your brand puts out? (60).
The example Garfield and Levy used in this chapter of a brand finding their purpose is Louisville Slugger. They struggled to find their purpose at first, but it helped when they were able to narrow down a clear set of company beliefs. Pulling from their beliefs, what matters the most to them as a company, they were able to find their purpose – Louisville Slugger exists to make players great.
Chapter 5: Sustain
Chapter five brings us back to taking a deeper look at the brand sustainability map, and what makes a brand sustainable.
In the Relationship Era, if you build trust and a solid, human relationship with your customers, you will be able to achieve brand sustainability.
Sustainable brands, like Costco, Target, and Amazon do not have to purchase large quantities of traditional advertising. They already have brand loyal customers; customers who willing advocate for them through word-of-mouth. According to Garfield and Levy, Amazon, Costco, and Target spend an average of .52 percent of sales on measured media (82). That is just over a half of a single percent!
If your brand has a stellar relationship with your customers, your brand is more sustainable.
Chapter 6: The Secret Secret
Chapter six focuses on Secret deodorant. Secret deodorant launched around 1956, and was the first deodorant marketed exclusively for women (93).
A major campaign that Secret launched in 2009 dealt with the gender inequality found within Olympic sports. Many competitive events in the Olympics only have male competitions. In most cases, if women have their own events for the same sports, they came much later in Olympic history.
Secret wanted to tackle how, despite it being the year 2010, there was going to be no ski jump competition for women at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Secret’s brand purpose, after all, focuses on the equality of all genders and supporting women in pursuing their goals without fear (97).
Secret curated a commercial highlighting the inequality between ski jump athletes, using the slogan ‘Let Her Jump!’. This commercial appeared on YouTube, as well as it having its own Facebook page. Over six months, Secret saw its sales increase and their video went viral.
Most importantly, due to Secret’s effort, the International Olympic Committee made the decision to include ski jumping for women in the 2014 Winter Games.
