As a marketer, I’m confused, and I don’t think I’m the only one.  Axe built its brand on a borderline racy message targeted specifically to male.  That message is one that’s hard to translate to attract female.  So, how can you have a consistent brand message?

Looking at Axe’s commercial for Anarchy, one can see that Anarchy is still about this crazy sexual attraction.  Men attract Women.  Women attract Men.  Thus, Anarchy.

But, I wonder what’s the strategy behind this message.  Similar tactic have been deployed before by other brands.  Victoria’s Secret has Very Sexy for the ladies and Very Sexy for Him for the men.  Victoria’s Secret is no doubt a female brand that’s all about sexy.  How does this brand attract men?  Well, I would argue that it wasn’t trying to get men to start buying fragrance at VS.  It’s attracted female shoppers to buy for her men.  The target never changed.

There are even occasion where the target may possibly have changed.  Dove Men+Care is a good example of such.  True, there is a good chance that the girlfriend or wife does the shopping and is picking this up for the man in her life.  There is also a chance that men are actually picking it up for themselves.  But Dove has a clear message that could cut across gender.  Men I understand also have dry skin.  If there is a shower gel that works to fix this problem without going all girly and putting on lotions and other skin products, it’s not a bad solution for men.  Therefore, Dove can stay true to its brand – moisturization.

But I don’t see that being the case for Axe.  First of all, I think they are not targeting the same shoppers.  I don’t think it’s ever a good idea for a man to buy his significant other personal care products.  “Are you saying I stink?” would be the inevitable question that would land the man in the dog house.  So, is Axe trying to attract female shoppers?  If so, is this message of sex, sex, sex appropriate to women?  As a women myself, my personal opinion is not.  Men and women view sex and attraction differently.  Some may argue that sex is the end-goal for men, and attracting the girl is how they achieve that goal.  Some may argue that sex however is not the end-goal for women.  Attracting the man is to attract her prince who would love her forever (yeah, I read all those happily ever after stories as a kid). 

Try as they may, these two point of views cannot be succinctly communicated in the same 30-second commercial.  Good attempt though, there is a love song playing in the background… yeah… 

And let’s look at their campaign.  It’s a graphics novel.  Do women read graphics novels?  Oh, yeah, we must be reading it because of the bombshell babes we aspire to be…

For the purpose of research, I thought I’d at least give the product a try before saying it wouldn’t be successful.  After all, I give a lot of credit for having a good product.  A good product can survive without good marketing.  Good marketing cannot save a bad product.  But alas, I couldn’t find any in my local drug stores (and I checked several).  I did find the Axe Anarchy display, but they only had the male products.  The female product was a trial size of sort attached to a male product.  As a single gal, I didn’t see the point of buying the male product to try the female one.  Also, looking at the product bundle, Axe Anarchy has a male body spray, a male shampoo/conditioner, a male body wash, and a lonely female body spray.   As a woman, I find it hard to feel like this is a product that’s designed for me.

Yeah, I’m confused.  Are you?

Let’s get the discussion started.  Here are some tweetable bits:

Axe launches female product.  Love it or hate it?  http://bit.ly/xjIzeG @jeannie_chan

Axe targeting female shoppers.  Make sense?  http://bit.ly/xjIzeG @jeannie_chan

People are separated into groups in different ways.  By location.  By age.  Or by gender.  It’s very common for a brand to talk to a specific gender.  After all, it is one of the easiest way to target or to differentiate.  People move.  People age.  But even in this day and age, few people change genders.  So, it’s pretty easy for a brand to expand across locations.  To age with their consumers.  But, it’s a whole different ball game when a brand wants to talk to the other gender.

That seems to be the hot idea of the new year. 

In the new year, Lego launched Friends collection, targeting girls. 

The new Friends collection is the result of years of research by Lego on how girls play.  The toys are not just different because it’s pink.  It’s also different in the sense that it’s not just focused on building, but it’s also focused on playing, storytelling, play pretending.  The girl figure is also a departure from the known and loved Lego figure of the past.  The figure is more curvy and less blocky.  The head also has a hole that allows for accessories such as bows to be added on top of the hair.  The fact that there is a bow is already a departure of the typical Lego experience.  The old, boys targeted Lego, focused on building.  Therefore, Lego would basically tell you EXACTLY how the finished product should look.  The finish product included that sword in that figure’s hand.  In Friends, girls play as they build.  To add a bow, to not add a bow, that depends on the story the girls want to tell with their toys.  Lego couldn’t dictate that.  These are the subtle, yet important, elements that could potentially make Friends a great success for Lego.  This is how Lego does dollhouses.

Many have their doubts, as often would happen whenever a brand deviate from the tried and trued.  But in this case, I would like to think that Lego will succeed.  Because while the toys are targeted to an entirely different audience, the target consumer hasn’t change for Lego.  Lego is still targeting PARENTS.  Lego is offering good wholesome toys for parents to give to their kids.  So, they are staying true to their product promise.  While I was wandering the Lego store the other day, I saw quite a few parents picking up the Friends collection.  If Lego stays dedicated in developing toys that allows girls be girls and boys be boys, Lego could very well make products that will have parents pick up a set for each of their kids! 

Let’s get the discussion started.  Here are some tweetable bits:

Lego for girls.  I think that’s cute.  Do you?  http://bit.ly/xePs7e @jeannie_chan

Lego is not just for boys anymore.  Neat idea!  http://bit.ly/xePs7e @jeannie_chan

Worst yet, if the choices are not vastly different, you may be asking consumers to choose base on value.  For example, if your “new and improved” formula is not truly differentiating to your consumers, they may pick the cheaper “original” version.  In another scenario, if all SKUs look the same anyway, consumers may just pick up whatever is on promotion.  This trains consumers to shop on deals, which reset the price your brand is able to command.

So, the question becomes how to provide real choice to consumers?

This post was in part inspired by Tom Fisbourne’s post last week.  But I thought his Marketoon from 2003 illustrated the point even better.

Let’s get the discussion started.  Here are some tweetable bits:

Are you providing a real choice to your consumers?  http://bit.ly/w8cFKM @jeannie_chan

Are you seeing a sea of the same on shelf? http://bit.ly/w8cFKM @jeannie_chan

I have been toying with an idea: a new direction for this blog.  Thus far, this blog has been random observations and lessons.  But a central theme in marketing has been resonating with me, and perhaps it’d be a good idea to have more posts surrounding this central theme. 

What’s this theme, you ask?

Love the Haters.

Since a brand cannot be everyone to everyone, by definition, it’s going to attract some people, and repel some people.  You know that you’ve achieved this if you have people who loves your brand AND if you have people who hates your brand.

I love this quote from Sally Hogshead, author of Fascinate:  “If you’re not generating a negative reaction from someone, you’re probably not fascinating anyone.”

But then… the question is… how do you grow?  If haters are supposed to stay haters, how do you attract more brand lovers?

Seth Godin today proposed the following:  “And the best plan for the insurgent brand? To find a smaller tribe, become the presumed winner there, and scale it up across tribes.”

The trick becomes how do you identify the next tribe…? 

That’s one of the many questions I’ve been pondering.  This blog will continue to explore this subject.  In the meantime, what do you think?

Let’s get this discussion going.  Here are some tweetable bits:

Love them brand haters.  http://bit.ly/Anhni0 @jeannie_chan

Where to find brand lovers?  http://bit.ly/Anhni0 @jeannie_chan

Photo credit: Nancy Everson

Occupy Wall Street has now been going on for a month and it’s still going strong. 

What does it all mean?  Hardly anyone knows.  My favorite sign was “We’re here.  We’re unclear.  Get used to it.”  (I wish I had a photo, but that particular protester was sitting on a main street which means no stopping for photographs.) 

Let’s have a look at the “official” definition of this event:

Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.

So, how is the rest of the world (or may even be part of the 99%) supposed to respond to this?

As marketers, how can we do our part to address the 99%?  99% is a lot of people.

The change this movement is looking for requires changes at the most fundamental levels of our government and economy.  It’s not going to happen overnight.  It’s also likely changes that most marketers have little power to actually influence, assuming you’re not part of the 1%. 

Basically, OWS wants a better government.  A better economy.  Or simply said, a better America.

Long term changes will take time.  But there are things that marketers can do in the short term.

Focus your messages on how your products make for a better America.  Chase cards have their call centers not in India but in Springfield (according to their recent TVC on talking to a live person and not a machine).  Auto manufacturers tells us they make their cars in the USA (even if they had traditionally been an importer). 

If your product is not making for a better America, well, you’re in trouble.

It takes knowledge and intuition to launch a product, without a doubt.  It also takes guts.

So many of us hides behind market research.  Consumers told us this.  Consumers told us that.  But we validated this.  We don’t have the data behind that.

True innovation disrupts the very nature of the fabrics of our lives.  Market research can never imitate that.  If you rely on market research, you can at best improve the world, but you will never change it.

Consumers could have never told you they wanted cars.  They wanted faster horses. 

One may never realize just how much Steve Jobs has changed the world.  He has been compared to be Edison of this era.  Steve Jobs revolutionized computer, portable music, cell phone, and again computers (tablets).  Steve Jobs made what would had otherwise only been available to the richest and wealthiest or corporations available to everyone.  Steve Jobs touched everyone from Wall Street to Main Street.  Even if you’ve never touched a digital device, your offline world had been revolutionized by Steve Jobs.  Magazines, newspapers, photography, entertainment all had changed because of advances in the digital space.  Starbucks posted two Facebook statuses at the time of this writing remembering Steve Jobs because digital music (iTunes) and coffee both now live in this interconnected world of the 21st century.

Steve Jobs changed the definition of the words Apple and Macintosh.  He changed the meaning of a simple letter “i”

His passing is felt not only throughout Apple, or the technology sector, but everywhere.  Steve Jobs showed this generation what true innovation can do. 

Link:

Apple.com/SteveJobs

NPR:  Apple Visionary Steve Jobs Dies At 56

Mere days after my arriving in New York City is going to be the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  Being in the city everyday now, seeing the WTC site on a regular basis, hearing the media coverage, and just the mere proximity to the loss, to the survivors, to the heros, and to the families just brings up a well of emotion.

Generally speaking, I can never endorse leveraging this type of emotion for marketing purposes.  On top of it all, it’s almost always never done right. 

State Farm did it right.  Minimal branding.  A true tribute to a city that 10 years later is again a city of hope.

When the product is done right, it create its own fan base.  Ultimately, this fan base becomes your advocate.  Then, properly harnessed, these advocate can be your best marketing.

There is no better example than Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte.  Pumpkin Spice Latte (better known as PSL by loyal fans) is a signature drink that’s offered for a limited time during the fall.  Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s not always available.  Perhaps it’s the fact that people love anything fall.  Perhaps it’s the fact that anything pumpkin flavored is yummy.  Perhaps Starbucks really just nailed this recipe.  Whatever the cause, this is the drink that loyal Starbuck fans look forward to every year.  The day it’s available gets wonderful word of mouth marketing because it’s posted on facebook, twitter, blogs, or just around the good old water coolers. 

Starbucks is capitalizing on this popularity this year via a facebook app.  Fans can return repeating for various activities to show their loyalty.  The city with the most loyal fan would get to enjoy this much-anticipated drink a week earlier.  Now, truth be told, there are a few obvious front runners.  For example, current leading cities are Seattle, Chicago, and New York.  Now, what are the odd that a tiny town in the middle of nowhere is going to have more loyal fans than these cities?  So, in reality, the odds favors certain geographies.  On the other hand, even the tiniest town probably has a loyal fan (assuming that town has a Starbucks) who will ask his/her friends to go vote.  There lies in the power of this campaign.  Word of mouth marketing at the end of the day is the hardest to come by.  But, with a good product, it makes it a lot easier.

Photo credit:  Matt DeTurck

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Readers, you may have notices that the frequency of my posting has became a little more erratic.  I have changed job and city.  With such changes in my life, this blog will likely get an update as well.  So, stay tuned!

So, it’s July.  Many of my readers have begun their summer internship, in hopes of getting a job offer at the end.  Well, so it comes as no surprise that summer internship is just a really longer interview.  Or, is it?

I like to compare job search to dating. 

Interview:  First date.  You may know something about each other because it was a referral.  It may been somewhat of a blind date because you found each other online.  Really, just making first impressions, and hoping that you answered the questions to the others liking.

Internship:  These few weeks are similar to the first few weeks of a new relationship.  You’re pretty excited about each other, and are both hoping that you see long term potential in each other.  However, this time period is not like your interview / first date.  You stop asking the obvious questions.  You start asking more probing questions, on both sides.

Internships generally offer opportunities for meet & greets.  If not, at the very least, you should be going to lunch with your colleagues.  At this point, you are both judging each other.  (Everyone you meet in your internship can potentially have a say.  Just like everyone you meet during your interviews can potentially have a say.)  This is where you stop asking “so, how do you like working here?”  You can observe and see if they like working here.  This is where you ask tough questions “so, it seems like supply chain is a challenge.  Is this a temporary situation?” for example.  You may ask this question because you’ve observed that this is a common problem across multiple projects.  You’ve seen people just getting killed at presentations because they are saying they don’t have products to ship.  You’ve observed that people are working till 10pm trying to find a solution.  Now, of course, this may be an extreme example.  But, if you’re seeing something that may make you say you don’t want to work there, you want to know if this is temporary or if it’s permanent.  It’s like in dating, you may want to build up to asking “so, how many kids do you want to have?”   In the end, if you can ask these questions, not only will you gain knowledge, you will also demonstrate that you’re observant and you’re a critical thinker.  You can observe a situation, and diagnose where is the problem, and understand how that’s going to affect you.  You should gain a certain level of respect from being able to do this.  If not, I’d hazard to say that it’s not really a good working environment, if tough questions are generally discouraged. 

Photo credit: Austin H. Kapfumvuti