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gianandrea facchini

Valeria, your post is making me think about how many and many companies are looking to change their business and their profile because the place where investors pushed them is a dead end. Too many business have push too far just for the revenue and the quarterly bottom line, going tactical rather than strategical. This is now a problem in a fast changing world where the ability to adapt is a key. Do you remember about dinosaurs?

Valeria Maltoni

Gianandrea:

It will be interesting to see how Sara Lee moves forward. The devil is always in the execution and customers are a very large part of a company's success. As a marketer, I appreciate a challenge when I see one.

Joe Raasch

Hi Valeria,

Though I don't work in marketing anymore (and it was the focus of my MBA!), I am always intrigued by what companies choose to do with their coveted brands.

There are two things I would do:

1. Be unwavering in connecting the brand promise of each specific product to its individual consumer base. This means Hillshire Farms may not have to put out a 'lean' version of the breakfast sausage.

2. Spend less on 'above the line' advertising like television and print, and focus more of the marketing dollars on 'below the line' advertising such as channel promotions, shelf space, targeted email (permission marketing!) - all that nail the brand promise.

Remember the McLean hamburger from McDonald's? They did focus groups for months to make sure consumers really wanted a leaner offering at McDonald's. Those that participated loved the burger, the taste, the packaging, the concept, etc. McDonald's forgot to ask one critical question: "Would you buy this hamburger at McDonald's in lieu of other offerings?" As the market showed, people did not buy McLean. The brand promise is french fries and chocolate shakes and McNuggets, not 'healthy'.

"Give the people what they want!"

Valeria Maltoni

Joe:

We want you back in marketing. Sometimes we over think and bypass the most obvious, which, as you point out, is keeping the brand promise.

Those products already have a good customer base. How can we give those customers a megaphone to tell others?

Joe Raasch

Hi Valeria,

Make me an offer and I am back in marketing!

To my grave I will sing the virtues of Nut Goodie candy bars, Bisquik biscuits, my local Vietnamese restaurant, North Face jackets, Allen Edmond shoes, the red sauce at Cossetta, the Moosejaw website, nalgene plastic bottles...

Why? Varies by product: some are made in Minnesota, some have performed admirably in adverse conditions, some just last forever.

Getting people to tell these stories, to uncover these stories within themselves, creates the megaphone.

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