The best marketing starts early

What is something you do, just because it’s the way you’ve always done it? 

When was the last time you sat back to question if there’s a better way to do it?

If you’re like me, you find it hard to even identify something that falls into this category. But what if identifying this “something” may actually present a big opportunity for you, personally, professionally, or both?

For me, the example that stands out is from back when I started Felicity more than 10 years ago. I recall regretting that I hadn’t saved examples of things like contracts and proposals from my previous gigs, so I could use these as a starting point when setting up my company. Then, I had one of those lightbulb moments: It dawned on me that this was my chance to question whether the ways things had always been done were actually the best ways to do things. 

Are billable hours really the best way to agree on scope of work? 

Why not work when and where it works for our clients and our team rather than stick with the 9-to-5?  

Reflecting back now, I feel like Felicity wouldn’t be what it is today had I stuck with the status quo. 

The pandemic has forced our collective hand into rethinking the intersection of work and life, and so much else. We need to keep an eye out and an open mind to find other opportunities to identify problems that may be lurking under the surface until we stop to notice them. 

This is what Lululemon did in launching their first shoe designed specifically for women. In this edition of Marketwell, we’ll share with you their story, and look at how some brands are choosing to embrace mental wellbeing, for better or for worse. Finally, we’ve got some standout examples of content marketing: from tunes to toonies to travel.

Happy trails.

 

 

Wellbeing from around the web

 

Campaign Trail: Lululemon’s poetic ode to women’s feet

Lululemon launched athletic shoes on International Women’s Day and has released a moving ad about catering to women’s feet from the start, rather than making men’s shoes and adjusting them for women. 

The takeaway: Did you know that women’s running shoes are really men’s shoes, tweaked for women’s feet? We didn’t either. But Lululemon did. This is a prime example of great marketing being driven by expertise and insights. Lululemon identified the problem, and created a solution: shoes designed specifically for women’s feet. Seizing the full business opportunity, however, will be contingent on their efforts to compel women to give Lululemon shoes a try (and then actually like them when they do) in one of the most intensely competitive consumer categories. The brand has definitely put their best foot forward, and we’ll be keeping an eye on the steps they continue to take.

 

 

 

 

From GM to Powerade, Brands Pitch Mental Health

Major brands of all kinds are making mental health a focus, both in their product and service offerings and in their marketing. The efforts range from public service ads about dealing with your stress before driving from GM to actually offering mental health support via free video therapy at Kimpton Hotels.

The takeaway: Marketers are taking notice of (and themselves experiencing) the high rates of stress and burnout around the world, and responding with solutions and content to support consumers. But, before taking steps to align your brand with mental health, make sure your efforts are sincere and backed by insights and action. The move by Blue Apron to try to pivot cooking from a chore to a meditative exercise feels like a bit of a stretch—one that may make their consumers sizzle (and not in a good way).

 

 

Content Connection

Highlighting brilliant branded content

At Felicity, we have a collective approach to content creation, what we like to call “in-reach” instead of the “outreach” done by others. Our Content Collective is like a focus-group-meets-editorial-board. It’s our process of identifying the “influencers of influencers” for our clients, and bringing them together with the client team to co-create the brand’s narrative strategy. If your brand is just beginning to figure out your ownable territory in terms of the stories you want to tell and the best channels for telling them, this is a perfect place to start.

Any great content marketing caught your eye recently? We’d love to see and share it with our audience!

Barilla takes the guesswork out of pasta boiling times with clever playlists

Pasta makers Barilla partnered with Spotify to create a series of branded playlists named after the dry noodles they sell. Each playlist is the exact length of time it takes for each type of pasta to cook.

Fidelity-sponsored podcast delivers investment advice to young, hip investors

Fidelity partnered with daily current events newsletter Daily Brew to create a podcast called Fresh Invest. Each week, the co-founder of Daily Brew interviews Fidelity experts about the topics that are most important to young investors.

Discover helps consumers appreciate daylight savings time with a fun activity-finder

Created last fall, this branded partnership between Discover and The Washington Post is an interactive list of ways to take advantage of the extra hour daylight savings time offers. It’s a fun way to show that Discover helps its audience accomplish positive goals.

 

Feeling inspired?