Complexities In Marketing To A Broad Audience With Zach Kitschke, CMO At Canva

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Zach Kitschke is the CMO of Canva, the online visual communication and collaboration platform. In his comprehensive role as CMO, Zach oversees the international brand and drives growth initiatives. He closely collaborates with teams responsible for product marketing, PR and communications, affiliates and performance, content, SEO, brand development, creative innovation, advertising, and product growth. Zach joined Canva in 2013, the year it launched. Since then, with a mission to empower the whole world to design, it has grown to over 130 million users each month in over 190 countries around the world, with more than 13 billion designs created.

In this episode, Zach and I discuss how visual content fits into our world today, Canva’s approach to marketing complexity, and the inspiration behind their newest “What will you design today?” campaign. Additionally, Zach provided insights from the recent Visual Economy Report, sharing noteworthy findings from a survey of 1,600 global business leaders. These insights revealed how visual content is being leveraged to foster stronger audience engagement. The business landscape has shifted towards a widespread need for employees to communicate visually and adopt creative roles, even if they don’t specialize in design. Zach highlighted the role of technology in fueling the creator economy and offered valuable tips on how to stand out in a sea of visual content.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Insights from the Visual Economy Report
  • How visual content fits into our world today and how to stand out
  • How Canva approaches its own marketing

Key Highlights:

  • [02:10] #GirlDads rock
  • [02:55] Zack’s path to Canva
  • [08:00] The Comprehensive CMO
  • [09:00] Visual Economy Report
  • [12:00] The creator economy
  • [13:30] How to stand out in a sea of visual content
  • [15:30] A living, breathing brand book?
  • [16:30] Who do you sell to when everyone is your customer?
  • [18:00] Harnessing complexity
  • [20:10] The marketing elements Canva focuses on
  • [22:15] Intrigue points are the on-ramp.
  • [24:10] Canva Community
  • [27:20] “What will you design today?”
  • [29:00] The impact of having immigrant grandparents
  • [31:50] It takes as long as it takes.
  • [33:50] Leaning into AI
  • [34:40] Brands to watch
  • [36:00] AMA on NPS

Resources Mentioned:

Follow the podcast:

 Connect with the Guest:

 Connect with Marketing Today and Alan Hart:

Post-Production Credits:

Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of “Marketing Today with Alan Hart,” a weekly podcast where he interviews leading global marketing professionals and business leaders. Alan advises leading executives and marketing teams on brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth opportunities. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies but is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine companies.

Joey Jones On Merging Art And STEM To Create Compelling Brand Experiences

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As part of its global effort to teach and demystify coding to students, Microsoft Education livestreamed a series on YouTube called Hack the Classroom: STEM Edition, an event designed to give K-12 educators, parents and guardians resources and tutorials that students need to become creative problem solvers.

On day three of the event, a group of industry experts shared how the fields of art, tech, and STEM merge to show how computer science can lead to careers in a variety of fields. One such expert was Joey Jones, Ayzenberg vice president, executive creative director, who leads the agency’s department that directs and produces computer animation, visual effects and motion graphics.

Jones, who recently worked on the graphics package for the Ad Council’s latest Love Has No Labels campaign, shared how he was always making art and building things as a kid. Unsure as to how he could make a living doing what he loved, he applied his math and computer skills to instead earn a degree in architecture.

During that time, he fell in love with building and animating on the computer, ultimately realizing that those skills could be transferred to animation and storytelling around products. So he returned to school to learn the craft of developing stories via the computer, which called for the perfect fusion of art, science, engineering and design, he said.

“My job is taking a product and using technology and code to create compelling and incredibly rich experiences, whether it’s a little movie, augmented reality experience, virtual reality experience or an online website to show [people] how a product is worth investing their time in.” said Jones.

For students looking to follow in Jones’ footsteps, he suggests keeping in mind the impact of mobile.

“The mobile phone has changed the way we interface with the world and will play an even bigger role in our lives in the future. Right now we pull out our phones to take pictures. Most people say the camera will be the next web browser, enabling you to document the world and interact with it. So being proficient in coding that creates these mobile-powered stories will be very powerful and set you apart from the others.”

Jones’ participation in the Hack the Classroom event is an extension of Ayzenberg’s work toward increasing representation in STEM, a field in which women hold less than 30 percent of jobs. 

This year, the agency developed a new social approach for Ad Council’s 360-degree public service campaign, She Can STEM, combining profiles of female role models with striking aesthetics and a relevant tone of voice to resonate with girls aged 11-15.

The campaign saw the creation of a Study Tunes playlist on Spotify to help girls get in the back-to-school mindset and a series of hand-illustrated GIPHY stickers, which received over 200 million views.

The campaign, which won a Shorty Award in the field of technology, resulted in a 59 percent increase in followers for She Can STEM among the target demographic as well as an engagement rate that’s double the industry standard.

Gary Goodman’s Creative Picks: The Art Of The Spectacle

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First off, a huge thanks to the wisdom and insights of Rob Matthews and David Rielly who were my guest writers for the last two articles! I would love to feature more voices moving forward, so if you’re reading this and think you want to share your perspective on the best work out there, please drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you.

This week, I’m going to focus on spectacle in advertising. The three spots we’re going to look at treat their product like a high production value superhero action movie, backed by a big attitude—and of course—big VFX

Nike Esports – Camp Next Level 2020

First up is Nike giving us their take on what it takes to be an esports superstar. It’s called Camp Next Level and everything about this spot takes things to 11 and beyond.

Why it matters: When the king of sports advertising decides to throw their weight behind esports, you have to take notice.  In this over-the-top 90 second spot, Nike brings “Just Do It” into the world of gaming. If you want to be an esports superstar like UZI or NXT, then you must put in the work and train your mind as well as your body. What I really love about this spot is the use of VFX and a crazy cutting style to elevate these esports superstars into the same pantheon as the more traditional sporting elite. Making them much more like the Guardians of the Galaxy of the MCU than the Avengers’ Thor and Captain America.

The details: This film launched in China during the month-long League of Legends World Championship held in Shanghai and is Nike’s first foray into inspiring gamers everywhere that they too can do it.

Hornbach – It Seems Impossible Until You Do It

Next up is a celebration for all those DIYers who dare to venture into the lurking unknown of home construction projects.

Why it matters: Whether you’ve got the skills or not, we all recognize the artistry, courage and sweat equity that goes into every home construction project. They’re never easy and it’s generally a force of will—with a touch of fear—in which we enter into these endeavors. While fixing a bathroom sink doesn’t have quite the gravitas as Spiderman saving a subway train full of passengers, this spot begs you to think otherwise. Dramatic music, slo-mo and shrinking the DIY’er to the size of a piece of hardware you’d probably lose if you were building a shelf, everything feels like a huge action set piece from your favorite Marvel film…but, probably mostly Ant-Man. The stakes are high and when the protagonist finally succeeds in replacing his sink, you definitely feel like they conquered the impossible. It’s a call to all the DIY’ers out there to get off your butts and take the bold leap forward. Because you too can be a superhero.

The details: I read a quote in one article on Hornbach’s marketing DNA that really stuck with me about how their notion that “a fundamental wildness or warrior spirit” is inherent and manifests when we engage in DIY projects because that energy has ”nowhere else to go.” Other fun details on this spot include that it was directed by Tom Kuntz who is verifiably commercial comedic royalty, having created the Old Spice Guy and so many more. And finally, the cinematographer is Hoyte Van Hoytema who is Christopher Nolan’s first pick, working with him on Tenant, Dunkirk and Interstellar. Not too shabby.

Apple Watch Series 6 – It Already Does That

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCMnrssX1NE

And finally, leave it to Apple to take us on a 2:00 tongue-and-cheek action-adventure to showcase all the new features of their Series 6 Watch.

Why it matters: This one starts like so many other spots these days: “Imagine a future where…” and quickly turns that conceit on its head. Apple is definitely taking a page out of Nike’s playbook and showcasing people living their lives to the aspirational fullest: yoga, tennis, surfing, jogging, cycling, and so on. You begin to think, maybe this watch is for you if you do those things, or conversely by getting this watch you’ll start doing them. As the spot progresses, an increasingly frustrated announcer tries to raise the stakes of what this watch will be able to do in the future. And of course as she raises the stakes, so do the visual gags like a climber being rescued via helicopter, culminating with astronauts. It’s a good time throughout and certainly made me a believer.

The details: Apple clearly had a lot of fun making this one. They enlisted Helena Bonham-Carter, a performer whose dialogue and inner-monologue drive the spot and deliver a perfectly executed wink to the audience. And the slick visual style and seamless transitions were brought to life by director Craig Gillespie, who has dazzled us in the past with his films I, Tonya (2017) and Lars and the Real Girl (2007).

Design, VC, And Business with Frog President Andy Zimmerman

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In this 227th episode of “Marketing Today,” I interview Andy Zimmerman, president of Frog, a company that assists leading businesses in designing, engineering, and bringing meaningful products to market.

Zimmerman began his career as a writer traveling with the circus around Europe. “Life is just a circus,” he says whenever someone asks him about his past. He likes to think of himself as a storyteller, inspiring clients to try new things and put themselves out there. Zimmerman believes it’s essential to “make functional designs but also designs that touch people at an emotional level.” We talk about how Frog has spearheaded HBO Max’s creation, pushing to create a social platform that is “a combination of Spotify and Netflix.” He then talks about how the experience industry has begun to blend and where that takes the industry in a future that includes COVID. “To be a leader, you need to show your vulnerability so that other people feel comfortable to show theirs,” and Zimmerman tries to keep that in mind as he leads Frog into a new world!

Highlights from this week’s “Marketing Today”:

  • Andy traveled with the circus as an aspiring writer and novelist. 1:28
  • Having such a wide array of experiences has given Andy unique opportunities. 4:02
  • Andy has always fallen into the next new thing. 4:59
  • The fascinating 50-year history of Frog. 6:28
  • How the founder of Frog came to design for Steve Jobs and Apple. 8:15
  • Frog has been able to have a massive impact on the world while staying relatively small. 9:45
  • Creating HBO max and all the challenges that came with it. 10:15
  • HBO Max has added a social element to movie platforms. 11:20
  • Aligning with Tuesday Capital has been a mutually beneficial relationship. 12:45
  • Frog has been successful at separating themselves from their competition. 15:38
  • Service providers have begun to blend for multiple reasons. 17:53
  • Design touchpoints are beginning to blur. 20:10
  • COVID has led a massive push to digital and ARVR. 21:20
  • Definitions of on-site and off-site are beginning to change. 22:55
  • Andy had an experience that led to his spiritual awakening. 24:12
  • A casual conversation sparked Andy’s search for spiritual insight. 25:30
  • How religion as a child can shape your beliefs later in life. 27:15
  • Don’t ever lose who you are as you grow older. 28:50
  • Spotify has been the most impactful purchase for Andy this year. 29:45
  • Companies that are working to decrease the carbon footprint deserve credit. 31:23
  • Bell Weather brings an eco-efficient solution to coffee-making that helps 3rd-world farmers. 32:50
  • The trend of digital dominance is threatening the world of digital marketers. 34:07
  • Discovery challenges that await the retail industry in the future. 36:59

Resources Mentioned:

Subscribe to the podcast:

Connect with Marketing Today and Alan Hart:

Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of “Marketing Today with Alan Hart,” a weekly podcast where he interviews leading global marketing professionals and business leaders. Alan advises leading executives and marketing teams on opportunities around brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine startups.

Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s, Mrs. Butterworth’s To Update Brand Identity Over Racist Origins

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Quaker Oats Co., a unit of PepsiCo, announced that it will retire the image and name of its 131-year-old Aunt Jemima brand due to its racist origins. The decision is part of a larger movement underway among corporate brands to reevaluate their role in perpetuating systemic racism after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and ensuing Black Lives Matter protests.

The Aunt Jemima logo traces back to 1893, when Nancy Green, a black woman who was born into enslavement, was hired to portray the character when it was introduced at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

“We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype. While work has been done over the years to update the brand in a manner intended to be appropriate and respectful, we realize those changes are not enough,” said Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer, Quaker Foods North America.

Quaker Oats will roll out the changed Aunt Jemima packaging in Q4, followed by a name change.

In addition to changing the Aunt Jemima name and image, Quaker Oats is donating $5 million over the next five years to support the black community, on behalf of the Aunt Jemima brand.

Prior to the Aunt Jemima announcement, PepsiCo announced a more than $400 million set of racial equality initiatives over five years.

Mars, parent company of the Uncle Ben’s brand, which features an older black man, quickly followed suit, saying it would review the visual brand identity.

B&G Foods, owner of Cream of Wheat, and Conagra Brands, owner of Mrs. Butterworth’s, also both initiated a review of their respective black corporate mascots.

Read This If You Want People To Remember Your Brand Better

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Originally published at AW360 by Katie Lundin.

Article Takeaways:

  • Defining brand consistency
  • How consistent branding builds customer relationships
  • Giving your brand messaging time to work

You’ve probably heard by now that consistent branding is important. Everyone says so–it’s one of those common business truisms that, for many, goes in one ear and out the other.

Your company’s logo design, your business website, your mobile app, your store signage, your marketing and customer support messaging… they must all be instantly recognizable as your brand.

There are multiple reasons why consistent branding is so powerful–and inconsistent branding is so harmful. So, let’s take a deeper look at the whys and hows of branding consistency.

What is brand consistency?

Brand consistency occurs when a business presents the same visual face, values, personality, and brand messaging across every customer touchpoint.

This can be challenging to accomplish if you don’t fully understand your own brand. And, that’s why getting to know–really know–your brand is the first step in any brand consistency effort.

Why is brand consistency so important?

The goal of any brand is to provide a recognizable, positive brand identity people will remember.

Without a consistent brand presentation, you cannot achieve that goal.

Here’s why…

Consistent branding improves brand recognition.

A phenomenon known as context-dependent memory states that people remember information best when they are in the original context in which they encountered that information. However, brand messages usually occur in a wide variety of places (online ads, business cards, outdoor signage, product packaging, emails, etc.).

This means that your brand messages often lack the necessary context that would make it easiest for people to remember them.

So, consistent presentation becomes necessary to bridge the gap and reinforce your brand recognition.

This is especially true for new and younger businesses. As we emphasized in our guide on how to start a business,

A strong brand identity is the most effective way your new business can gain a competitive edge in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Consistent branding communicates to the world that you know who you are.

Brands that can’t settle on a consistent presentation or voice project their confusion to the world.

Consistent branding shows that you stand behind, and live, the identity that you’ve shared with the world.

People trust businesses that practice what they preach.

If your brand consistently delivers on promises, presents itself in the same way, and acts in accordance with the identity it presents, it proves the authenticity of your brand.

People value and trust authentic interactions.

Consistent branding builds customer relationships.

Like any relationship in life, it takes time to build strong relationships with your customers.

Consistent branding allows your business to be perceived as the same business they met the last time they heard from you. After enough consistent exposures to a brand, customers begin to feel as though they know you – and the relationship begins to grow.

As we explained previously,

The more customers are exposed to something–a product, a service, or your brand–the more inclined they are to like it.

This is a psychological phenomenon known as “mere exposure.”

So, the science indicates that the more frequently customers: 1) interact with your brand, and 2) recognize it due to consistent presentation, the stronger your brand/customer relationship will grow.

How do you build brand consistency?

It’s impossible to faithfully repeat something if you don’t know what you did in the first place.

And, that’s the challenge so many businesses encounter when they try to present a consistent brand.

If you haven’t given any deep thought to your brand–your values, your inherent and projected brand personality, your unique selling proposition, and how those elements will manifest visually–then you simply cannot expect to achieve a consistent brand presentation.

If you don’t really know your brand, yet, how could anyone else?

So, start by self-reflecting. Determine the values that drive your business and the traits that define it and make it unique.

Then work with talented designers to develop a visual design that embodies that brand. This will be the foundation for all of the visual elements that customers and potential customers will associate with your brand.

If you already have a logo and visual branding elements, conduct an inventory. Ask yourself if these elements properly represent your brand. If not, it may be time for a logo refresh or a complete visual rebranding.

If you’re not sure if a rebrand is appropriate for your business, check out this article on how to rebrand your business.

Create a style guide.

A style guide is the one source of truth for your visual brand. This document outlines a set of rules to follow any time a member of your organization wants to publish, present or promote content for your brand.

As we previously explained,

If your brand isn’t captured in a style guide, it can quickly drift into an inconsistent experience for your customers and employees.

This includes visual information such as fonts, brand colors, logo, signage specifications, typography style, and any other commonly used branded graphic elements. It should also cover less tangible items like ideal voice and tone, your branding mission and company philosophy.

So, once you’ve clearly defined your brand and developed visuals to support it, make them official in a style guide you can share with every member of your team.

Give brand messaging time to work.

As we mentioned earlier, relationships of any kind take time to build.

And, it’s estimated that it takes between 5 and 11 interactions (depending on the source) before a customer is ready to make a purchase.

So, when executing any branding strategy, plan to give it enough time to really sink into the public consciousness.

Your business name and logo should remain the same for as long as possible. And, if changes are made, they should be clearly related to the originals to maintain your valuable brand equity.

Your brand position may change over time as the business landscape evolves. But, it should still have a life cycle of years–not weeks or months.

This is just one area where authentic branding has a distinct advantage over contrived branding. An authentic brand is far more likely to have longer staying power since it is grounded in the reality of the business from the foundation up–making it easier to implement and most likely to still be relevant years from now.

If you don’t immediately get the reaction to your brand that you had hoped, don’t give up too quickly and try something new. Every brand needs time and repeated exposure to truly make a lasting impact.

Deliver a consistent multi-channel experience.

Businesses today share their marketing and branding messages in many, many places.

From social media to your website, email marketing to roadside billboards, and mobile apps to your customer support team, people are interacting with your brand all over the place.

And, they should be. It’s in your best interest to be in all of the places that your customers frequent. This makes you easy to find and keeps your business top-of-mind.

But, being in all the right places isn’t enough. It’s crucial to present a consistent brand across all of these locations if you want people to recognize your brand and remember you.

This is especially important when you lead customers on a journey from one point to another. For example, if you send an email with a discount link, the landing page the customers land on should share the same brand messaging and appearance as the original email.

Customers should experience your brand in the same way whether they’re on social media, a mobile app, your website or in your store.

Brand from the inside out.

Your employees are the guardians of your brand.

Employees need to be as well-educated and passionate about your brand as you are. Without their understanding and buy-in, a consistent branding effort is doomed to fail. This is one of the reasons why the best brands happen from the inside out.

Authentic brand values that evolve naturally from your company culture will be easiest for your employees to embrace and enact.

But don’t assume that because your brand values are genuine, that your employees will know how to–or that they will–articulate them. Provide brand education for all employees so that they understand their role in presenting a consistent brand identity for your company.

Consistent = Reliable = Valued

In our personal lives, we value those who are always there for us when we need them. It’s reassuring to know that we can rely on someone.

The same is true for a consistent brand. When people find a brand that not only meets their needs but does so reliably in a familiar way–that breeds loyalty.

Embrace these consistent branding tactics for your business and, in time, you’ll leave your competition in the dust.

Pandora’s Mobile App, Brand Identity Get A Makeover

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As part of a comprehensive update, Pandora revamped its mobile experience with a focus on enhanced discovery, better personalization and more on-demand music and podcasts. The redesigned mobile experience is now available to users across all tiers of service, including free/ad-supported, Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium. This follows the streaming service introducing the enhanced experience to select users in October.

Pandora is also launching a multichannel national campaign featuring the brand’s new visual identity via television, out-of-home (OOH) and digital as well as large-scale experiential events.

Pandora’s new mobile experience gives users access to an updated discovery feed that serves custom-curated music and podcast recommendations to each user throughout the day. Additionally, the company introduced a station customization feature called “Pandora Modes,” which grants users more control over the kinds of songs played on their stations. Lastly, the app’s simplified navigation interface allows for better user experience. 

Examples of new content that users can look forward to include an exclusive custom playlist from LeBron James, a comprehensive year in review of a user’s playlist and a playlist with the most thumbed up songs from 2010-2019.

Pandora will unveil interactive street murals in key markets and is set to host a live-streamed concert with Halsey, a massive silent disco in New York’s Times Square. Pandora says more immersive experiences with top-tier artists are in the works across the US.

OOH ads for Pandora’s campaign incorporate cheeky copy that tells listeners to, “Play exactly what song you want (for real),” and “You look nothing like you did 10 years ago (yeah, us too).” Old and new images and songs from artists like H.E.R. drive the brand’s fresh points home. The campaign’s television spots, which include songs by Normani and Tones and I, also display another new tagline, “The All-New Pandora: Be You. We’ll Be Your Music.”

In March, eMarketer reported that Pandora will have 72.4 million US listeners this year. With the growth of smart speakers and mobile devices, however, Spotify is expected to surpass Pandora in terms of users by 2021, one year sooner than eMarketer predicted last year. By 2021, it’s predicted that Spotify will have 73.7 million users.

13 Important Branding Lessons From The Top Four Ecommerce Giants

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Originally published at AW360 by Katie Lundin.

Simply showing up online with a business website isn’t enough to guarantee success.

Ecommerce giants Apple, eBay, Craigslist and Etsy seem to have cracked the code. Together, they brought in total revenues of over $275 billion in 2018. They are successful businesses and successful brands.

You may notice some notable companies missing from our list. We recently wrote about 19 important branding lessons from the top five U.S. retailers, including Amazon and Walmart.

The most successful ecommerce businesses know that their brand identity and brand is everything.

We’ve studied what these four ecommerce brands are doing right and cultivated a list of 13 actionable branding lessons that can help your business.

eBay

Evolve to stay relevant.

In today’s fast-paced digital world, technologies and trends often become obsolete before we’ve even had a chance to understand them. Online businesses that stand the test of time are relatively rare. And, this makes eBay a bit of an ecommerce unicorn.

When eBay was founded, it was one of the first businesses to take advantage of one of the internet’s greatest strengths–connecting people with similar interests across vast distances. The ecommerce auction platform allowed people with niche interests to find other people with the same interests–and buy their stuff.

No longer just an auction site, eBay introduced the “Buy it No” option in 2000. And, as the years passed, sellers started opening eBay shops that were truly dedicated to ecommerce instead of simply unloading a few unwanted items.

Today, eBay is taking steps to elevate their overall user experience.

They’ve introduced guaranteed shipping times, personalized homepages, price match guarantees, instant selling and a line of shipping supplies for sellers.

By evolving to provide a more competitive user experience, eBay’s brand has managed to stay relevant and thrive.

What You Can Do:

  • Collect feedback from your customers and prospects to learn what elements of your brand are misaligned or lacking. Prioritize improving these elements as your business grows.
  • Keep an eye on your competition–are they offering a bigger, better, or different experience than you? Step up your game to remain relevant – don’t be afraid to take your own unique direction.
  • Develop a brand that allows you to evolve. Company names like “Just Tables” or “Headphone Hut” will limit your ability to evolve and grow as new opportunities arise. For more on this, read Why And How To Rename Your Business.

Craigslist

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

As impressive as eBay’s longevity has proven to be, Craigslist’s epic success is even more remarkable.

The most striking aspect of the Craigslist brand? The online classified site’s interface has remained mostly unchanged since it debuted in 1995. No one could call Craigslist a beautifully designed website –even in 1995. But, it is functional and user-friendly.

The Craigslist brand is defined by simplicity and user-friendly interface. This is not an accident. As Craigslist founder Craig Newmark explains, “The design of Craigslist originated in my observation that people want something that is functional, effective, simple and fast. That design philosophy has been maintained throughout.”

And so, Craigslist continues to thrive–in defiance of the common wisdom that sleek design is best.

What You Can Do:

  • Stick to your brand identity–consistency gives your audience time to get to know and like your business. As we strongly advised in our comprehensive guide on how to start a business, be sure your brand identity is consistent everywhere you show it visually, including on your website and in your marketing materials.
  • Identify the elements of your brand that resonate most positively with your audience. Those are the elements to hold onto as your brand evolves.
  • Work to create a strong brand identity when you start your business and strive to constantly improve it. When you develop your brand identity, be sure you get a custom logo for your business and not a template-based logo or generic design. You don’t want your business brand to look like thousands of other, unappealing businesses.

Etsy

Human connection has value.

Consumers know of Etsy as a marketplace for hand-crafted goods. Etsy products are sought after because they’re made with a human touch in the midst of an impersonal, machine-dominated society.

Product uniqueness alone can’t account for Etsy’s appeal. It’s the story behind the product – the human connection to the product that makes each hand-made item sold on Etsy truly special.

What You Can Do:

Apple

Embrace your tribe.

People who use Apple products tend to be incredibly devoted. When new Apple products debut, they garner huge amounts of speculation and press. And, YouTube explodes with new unboxing videos.

But, what drives this rabid devotion?

Apple creates great products to be sure. But Apple has also successfully established its brand as a status symbol. The Apple logo doesn’t only indicate that you use a particular product. It also communicates that you’re a member of the Apple community.

As Shaun Morgan, a branding writer at Bynder points out:

“The air of premium exclusivity that Apple employs when promoting new product releases, and the meticulous attention to the aesthetics of its products, has enabled the Apple brand to be associated with luxury in the eyes of its followers. And that is what many of its consumers are paying a premium for: a symbol of status that is driven by emotion, not practicality.“

Creating a loyal tribe of customers means tapping into their hearts, not just their wallets.

What You Can Do:

  • Appeal to your audience’s emotions to help your brand resonate.
  • Take a genuine, unique and authentic stance that will attract your best audience.
  • Remain true to your vision and brand-defining characteristics to avoid alienating loyal customers.
  • Reward customers for their loyalty with high-quality products, service, and support that support your brand vision.

If you follow in the footsteps of these ecommerce success stories, you’ll know you’re headed in the right direction.

Campari’s ‘The Legend Of Red Hand’ Continues Its Branded Short Film Series

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With “The Legend of Red Hand,” Italian aperitif brand Campari continues a tradition of short-film activations starring high-profile stars.

“Red Hand,” directed by Stefano Sollima (Gomorrah), tells the story of a photographer Mia Perc—played by Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy)—who is determined to reveal the true identity of renowned bartender known only as Red Hand, so named for the red gloves he wears while preparing Campari cocktails.

Saldana’s character believes she has finally captured his image before escaping with the help of bar employee Davide (Adriano Giannini). Inspired by new revelations, she follows clues across Milan, New York, Buenos Aires, Rio De Janeiro, Berlin and London.

The release is the second in a series called “Red Diaries,” based on the idea that “every cocktail tells a story.” Last year, the company released its first short called “Killer in Red” about a bartender, played by Clive Owen, who can create cocktails predicting the future.

Both films prominently feature the color red to symbolize Campari’s trademark hue and celebrates the talent of bartenders. “The Legend of Red Hand” features six real-life bartenders from around the world who have created their own Campari cocktails—with recipes posted on Campari’s website.

Campari unveiled the film at a red carpet premiere Tuesday in its home city of Milan, with the director and cast on hand to answer audience questions. The video has been posted on Campari’s official YouTube page and garnered 50,000 views within its first 12 hours. The campaign has also gained traction on social channels, thanks to Saldana’s personal posts.

Prior to the Red Diaries campaign, Campari enlisted the help of celebrities Penelope Cruz, Uma Thurman and Kate Hudson to create themed calendars for years 2013-2016. The brand says the short film series is “an evolution” of that calendar campaign.

Spirits and film marketing have proven to be fruitful partners for decades—think Stoli in Atomic Blonde and Johnnie Walker in Blade Runner 2049—although Campari stands apart by creating its own content.

Other brands are inviting guests to write and direct original short films on their behalf. It has become a tradition for fashion house Kenzo to partner with entertainment industry professionals to craft independent films. Kenzo’s Fall/Winter collection was ushered in during New York Fashion week with a film called “Cabiria, Charity, Chastity” starring Maya Rudolph (Brides Maids) and written/directed by Natasha Lyonne (Orange Is the New Black).

GrubMarket’s Branded Mobile Game Offers Real Food

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Keeping with its brand slogan, “The farm has never been closer,” grocery ecommerce site GrubMarket just released an iOS game with real product rewards to teach users about farming.

GrubBox FarmBox, the online organic produce’s branded mobile offering, has players manage a virtual farm and get rewarded with points as they advance through the game and bring food to harvest. These points can be spent inside the game to purchase virtual goods and farm tools, or they can be spent at GrubMarket for the purchase of real groceries. Social gameplay will be added in the future, according to the company, that will allow friends to compete for the most points.

According to GrubMarket CEO Mike Xu, the purpose of FarmBox is to educate consumers and their children about real steps and processes involved in managing a farm, from different soils and weather systems to seeds and animals.

While FarmBox may have missed the Farmville craze by a few years, offering real food is a unique twist, and branded games have become a popular—and often effective—means of reaching consumers.

Other food brands, like Chipotle, GrubHub, Jack in the Box and Kraft, have developed games to educate or otherwise engage potential customers through mobile, web browsers and Snapchat ads. Carnival has developed a series of mobile games called PlayOcean for its cruise passengers not to sell games, but to encourage interaction. To spread awareness for the grand opening of its new hotel in Seattle, W Hotels released a free mobile game called Belle the Bear. 

While these branded mobile games are free and without microtransactions, the mobile gaming sector is currently experiencing a boom. Mobile accounts for over a third of global game market revenue at 34 percent last year, and will grow to 41 percent of the market by 2020 according to Newzoo.