Welcome back to another episode of The Barber’s Brief. A segment where we cover news that caught our eye, a marketing moment where we highlight a case study, and our ad of the week.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Our Hosts:

Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠

Get in touch with our hosts:

Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/

Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠

Time stamps:

0:00 - Introduction

2:56 - Measuring the relationships between brands and AI Models

06:11 - The rise of brand refreshes over splashy ads

09:30 - Diageo's commitment to marketing investment

11:48 - Partnerships between media agencies and research firms

19:06 - Ad of the Week - CeraVe New Campaign

25:57 - Coming up next week

In The News Links:

Measuring the relationship between brands in AI models and market share

Source: WARC

Link: https://www.warc.com/content/feed/tom-roach-measuring-the-relationship-between-brands-in-ai-models-and-market-share/en-GB/9684

Why marketers keep refreshing brands instead of betting on splashy ads

Source: Marketing Dive - Opinion Piece

Link: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/companies-rebranding-in-2024/719804/

Diageo commits to ‘strong’ marketing investment as efficiency improves

Source: Marketing Week

Link: https://www.marketingweek.com/diageo-strong-marketing-investment-efficiency/

Omnicom Media Group strikes a deal with a top marketing research body

Source: More About Advertising

Link: https://www.moreaboutadvertising.com/2024/07/omnicom-media-group-strikes-deal-with-top-marketing-research-body/

Marketing Moment:

A marketing Case study

Alka Seltzer

Plop Plop Fizz Fizz

Background

• In the 60’s Alka-Seltzer was suffering from poor reputation with younger buyers

• They associated the product with over-indugence

• Needed a new strategy to revitalize sales

• Hired Tinker & Partners

• Previous campaigns focused on speed of relief - no matter what shape your stomach is in

Insight

• Mary Wells AE caught wind that two tablets were better than one and came up with the now infamous Plop Plop Fizz Fizz campaign

• Added the jingle, suggested how to use the product with Plop Plop (2 tablets)

Result

• Sales nearly doubled overnight

About Mary

Later became the first woman to own and run a major nationa ad agency (came up with the I love NY slogan) Wells Rich Green and first female CEO of a NYSE listed company

Ad of the week:

CeraVe takes on soap operas in new genre-spoofing campaign

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNNwE-GZC_A

• CeraVe launches a dramatic new campaign today (July 15) for its Hydrating Facial Cleanser, featuring video content, influencer marketing, and a mobile tour focused on skincare education, as shared with Marketing Dive.
• The campaign includes a two-minute “Cleanse Like a Derm” video starring actress Xochitl Gomez. The storyline, full of soap opera clichés like overacting, frosted lenses, and doppelgangers, revolves around a family whose CeraVe has been replaced by bar soap. Media placements will span digital, social, and streaming platforms.
• Fresh from a big win at Cannes, the L’Oreal brand continues to push creative boundaries. This latest initiative partners with 30 influencers to create soap opera-inspired content and kicks off a mobile tour with stops in New York, Chicago, Nashville, and Atlanta, featuring games, photo ops, and expert skincare advice.

In the latest episode of the Sleeping Barber Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Ella Ward, a senior marketing scientist from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute.

Dr. Ward shares her expertise on the importance of visual brand identity, the difference between being data-driven and evidence-based, how to create cohesive brand packaging and most importantly Marc and V get a lesson on Aussie rules footy! This is an episode you do not want to miss!

Don't forget to join our hosts, Vassilis and Marc, for some post-podcast banter!

Quote of the episode:

“Your strategy can’t be based on differentiation. Your competitors will catch up."

Our Guest:

Dr. Ella Ward

Sr. Marketing Scientist @ Ehrenberg-Bass Institute

Enhancing visual brand identity across a product portfolio.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-ward-/

Our Hosts:

Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠

Get in touch with our hosts:

Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/

Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠

Background Research & Literature:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14707853231201852?icid=int.sj-abstract.citing-articles.4

https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2023/coloured-by-numbers/

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ella-ward-_distinctiveassets-evidencebasedmarketing-activity-6785027383834611713-eeTI

https://marketingscience.info/research-services/distinctive-assets/

Timestamps:

0:00 - Podcast Introduction

0:50 - Introduction to Ella

3:31 - Path to becoming a Marketing Scientist @ Ehrenberg-Bass Institute

4:28 - Ella’s areas of research

5:23 - Visual cohesion across the brand portfolio

6:40 - The scientific revolution happening in marketing

8:39 - Marketing science matters because the real world is a very weird place

10:33 - Data-driven vs. Evidence-based marketing

13:05 - Using science to lead change

16:40 - Bloodletting & changing paradigms

18:30 - The difference between brand books and Distinctive Brand Assets (DBA)

20:44 - Making brands available & linking brands to memory

23:22 - Brand management isn’t about policing, it should be fun

26:45 - Rebranding? Know what assets trigger the brand

29:20 - How effective are your DBAs at triggering memory

30:52 - Why characters are more memorable than other types of distinctive assets

34:20 - Rebranding? know the strength of your distinctive assets

36:15 - Adding to your distinctive asset pallet - Ikea voiceover

39:10 - Hagen-Dazs Case Study

39:40 - Package colours used to signal variety aren’t often effective

43:17 - The danger of using colour to signal a variety

45:38 - Prioritize your branding over colour signalling

49:43 - Decreasing product packaging types to improve advertising efficiency

51:00 - Cohesive branding improves the bottom line

53:17 - Differentiation v. Distinctiveness in product packaging

58:25 - Packaging Services

1:01:45 - Post-pod with V and Marc

Where to Listen:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-sleeping-barber-a-business-and-marketing-podcast/id1609811324

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4v0kaM350zEY7X2VBuyfrF?si=7083317d5afd488b ⁠⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sleepingbarberpodcast

© 2024 Sleeping Barber

Welcome back to another episode of The Barber’s Brief. A segment where we cover news that caught our eye, a marketing moment where we highlight a case study, and our ad of the week.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Our Hosts:

Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠

Get in touch with our hosts:

Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/

Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠

In The News:

Nike ramps up innovation to combat sales slip in ‘transition year’

Link: https://www.marketingweek.com/nike-accelerate-innovation/

Ritson on Creativity - WARC Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mark-ritson-on-creativity-brand-and-the-need-for/id1563243327?i=1000660441127

The Boston Marathon Got a New Logo and Runners are Not Happy

https://www.fastcompany.com/91148937/the-boston-marathon-got-a-new-logo-and-runners-are-not-happy

Get ready for the Echo-Verse: New Rules of Cross-Channel Marketing

https://hbr.org/2024/06/the-new-rules-of-marketing-across-channels

Marketing Moment

The Field Trip to Mars - 2018

Video: https://youtu.be/FIS_JkNnCeI?si=vglmjRBUtyoXXs2O

Lockheed Martin, a Global Security and Aerospace company wanted to Inspire interest in Mars exploration and STEM education.

The Brief:

Space was/is experiencing a cultural Renaissance to rival the excitement of the Space Race. SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and Mars One, and movies recaptured the general public’s imagination with space. It is estimated that humans will set foot on Mars within two decades, making STEM education more important than ever. So they set out to inspire the next generation of deep space explorers, creating a VR experience that shows them what it’s like to visit Mars

Solution & Cultural Context:

• They rendered 200 sq. mi of Mars’ surface based on real Mars geography and mapped it to D.C streets.

• Then we bought a school bus.

• The bus was gutted and equipped with custom electric glass that switched from transparent to opaque, plus 4K transparent LCDs, while preserving its school bus appearance.

• Integrating our Mars landscape, custom screens, GPS, accelerometer, magnetometer and laser velocimeter, the bus became a VR headset. When it moved, Mars moved and when it turned, it turned on Mars.

Impact:

• Generated extensive social media buzz and media (NBC, ABC, and Fox, Engadget, Futurism and Digital Trends) coverage.

• Trended on Facebook globally for over 24 hours.

• Featured in major news outlets and tech sites.

• In a week after it’s debut, Lockheed Martin saw a 3000% increase in Mars-related conversations post-launch, 260% more than spaceX.

• Videos of the experience garnered over 6 million views.

References:

https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/spotlights/out-of-this-world-an-inside-look-at-the-making-of-field-trip-to-mars

https://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2017/direct/26343/the-field-trip-to-mars/

Audience Q&A (2-3 minutes):

Jon Lorenzini post - Do you know marginal ROAS is better than incremental or regular ROAS?

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jonathanlorenzini_marketingscience-marketinganalytics-marketing-activity-7209922721428729858-wi0B

Welcome to the Sleeping Barber Podcast, where business leaders get the best and most credible information on marketing, strategy and innovation.

In our latest podcast episode, we sit down with Andrew Tindall, Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships at System1, to explore the crucial role of creativity in advertising.

Andrew shares his journey from starring on "The Young Apprentice" to leading global partnerships at System1. Learn why creativity ranks second in driving ad profitability, the pitfalls of AI-generated content, and the elements that make ads truly effective. We also discuss why dull ads pose the biggest risk to your business and so much more.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn from one of the brightest minds in marketing.

Enjoy the show!

Our Guest:

Andrew Tindall

SVP Global Partnerships @ System1

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-tindall/

https://system1group.com/

Our Hosts:

Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠

Get in touch with our hosts:

Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/

Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠

Podcast Literature:

Holistic Effectiveness Framework https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrew-tindall_advertising-marketing-activity-7202563554573438976-Oh8T

Creatively Awarded Ads are Average https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2024/05/21/creatively-awarded-ads-once-effective-are-now-officially-average

Creative is undervalued https://www.linkedin.com/posts/marcbinkley_we-marketers-underestimate-the-value-of-activity-7188522028625231872-0GXU

The best & Wurst of pre-testing https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2024/04/25/the-best-and-wurst-pre-testing-why-marketers-need-visit-my-sausage-factory

Majority of B2B ads are ineffective https://www.marketingweek.com/majority-b2b-creative-ineffective/

Kantar - Paul Dyson https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/advertising-media/the-advertising-multipliers-that-matter-are-not-what-marketers-think

Definitions for Paul’s Work https://www.thinkbox.tv/research/thinkbox-research/the-drivers-of-profitability#the-drivers-of-profitability

TimeStamps

0:00 - Podcast Intro and Introduction to Andrew Tindall

3:22 - Andrew’s career from TV to Medicine to Alcohol to Ads

7:10 - The importance of good product design - Burger King

8:30 - Creativity is the biggest driver of ad profitability

11:57 - The problem with AI-generated creative & platform metrics

13:38 - Why do we undervalue the inputs and overvalue the outputs

16:53 - Making time to think

20:15 - Awards for creativity vs. creative effectiveness

24:34 - Refusing to learn performance marketing

26:09 - Why we’ve not seen massive effects in creative effectiveness

27:45 - Measuring effectiveness with System1

31:08 - eSOV + Emotion drives profitability

35:16 - Nearly 75% of B2B ads are not effective in the long term

36:45 - B2B customers are not different than B2C

38:50 - Creative effectiveness is against a benchmark

39:59 - Strategy is critical for effective advertising

41:58 - 3 elements of effective ads: Unique, Engaging, Craft

46:30 - Dull ads are the biggest risk to your marketing investments

48:43 - Outdated ideas on pre-testing ads

50:04 - Shit that arrives at the speed of light is still shit

52:08 - Post-pod with V & Marc

Where to Listen:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-sleeping-barber-a-business-and-marketing-podcast/id1609811324

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4v0kaM350zEY7X2VBuyfrF?si=7083317d5afd488b ⁠⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sleepingbarberpodcast

© 2024 Sleeping Barber

Welcome back to another episode of The Barber’s Brief. A segment where we cover news that caught our eye, a marketing moment where we highlight a case study, and our ad of the week.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Our Hosts:

Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠

Get in touch with our hosts:

Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/

Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/

In the News:

Nvidia's 10-for-1 Stock Split Is Over. Here's What's Next for the Stock.

Link: https://www.fool.com/investing/2024/06/16/nvidias-10-for-1-stock-split-is-over-heres-whats-n/

Meta announces new enhancements to Reels and AI-powered solutions at Cannes

Link: https://www.socialsamosa.com/2023/06/meta-reels-ai-solutions-at-cannes/

How to Kill Creativity

Link: https://hbr.org/1998/09/how-to-kill-creativity

TikTok ads will now include AI avatars of creators and stock actors

Link: https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/17/tiktok-ads-and-branded-content-will-now-include-ai-avatars-of-creators-and-stock-actors/

Marketing Moment: Highlighting Case studies (3-4 minutes):

Bubly / Buble Launch - ARF Advertising Research Foundation

Link: https://thearf-org-unified-admin.s3.amazonaws.com/ARF%20Ogilvy%20Award%20Case%20Studies/2020%20ARF%20David%20Ogilvy%20Award%20CS/Buble%CC%81-vs.-bubly.pdf

Challenge - Gain market share in a fast-growing category

Background

• PepsiCo looking at breaking into a emerging category
• La Croix was established market leader with 20% MS
• Product lacked personality
• Sparkling water category $2b industry by end of 2018
• CAGR around 20%
• Expected growth over the next 5 years of 74%
• Targeting millennials = generation play

Insight

• Adulting is hard
• millennials dealing with adulting want an everyday sparkling water brand that felt as fun, colorfoul and playful as soda.
• Used customer interviews, social listening, quant/qual message testing & google search trend analysis
• Most other brands had very little personality
• La Croix was positioned as fancier than others - name became territory for playful approach

Creative

• Brand took on a “playful instigator” role
• Focused on fun & colour in media placements, partnerships, creative and spokesperson (buble)

Launch

• 2019 superbowl kickoff with Buble convincing people how bubly was pronounced
• Partnership with Ellen Degeneres show featuring Buble in a fun skit
• Snackable video on most platforms, GIFs, BublyV.Buble gif
• Media placements on TV, CTV

Results

• 77% increase in brand awareness among category users
• Doubled retail sales in 2019 to $250M
• Purchase consideration grew by 2x
• Tripled category share
• La Croix reported 16% drop in 3rd quarter earnings

Ad of the Week

Paddy Power - Danny Dyer and Peter Crouch star in Paddy Power's new Euros advert

Link: https://youtu.be/BdavDrqE2jg?si=vyfH-5jhmfesqcM4

Danny Dyer (English actor and presenter) brings his Cockney charm to Paddy Power’s ad, capturing the nation’s excitement for the tournament with a humorous twist. The commercial playfully pokes fun at British quirks, featuring diverse characters who deliver sarcastic ‘compliments’ to the English. From Italians mockingly admiring our fashion to Germans grumbling about World Cup chants, and Dyer himself, portraying the quintessential English dad abroad, the ad is a witty celebration of our national character.

In our latest podcast, we sit with marketing veteran Esther Benzie to explore the evolving marketing landscape. From her experiences at CIBC and P&G to her insights on the balance between brand and performance marketing, Esther shares invaluable knowledge that every marketer should hear. Discover the impact of digital channels, marketing specialists' rise, and marketing sustainability's future.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn from one of the industry's best. Enjoy the episode.

Our Guest:

Esther Benzie - https://linkedin.com/in/estherbenzie/

Senior Marketing Executive

Formerly the:

:: VP of Brand and Advertising @ CIBC and

:: VP Brand Operations @ P&G

:: Board Member of the AssociationAssociatiom of Canadian Advertisers

Our Hosts:

Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠

Get in touch with our hosts:

Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/

Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠

Timestamps

0:00 - Opening

0:44 - Intro to Esther

4:38 - Learning marketing foundations through CPG

7:30 - How digital changed marketing departments

10:30 - The negative impact of digital on creative

12:19 - Non-Viewable Impressions

15:20 - Talent Development - Specialists vs Generalists

22:45 - The shift from brand to performance and back

30:14 - What got lost in “Performance Marketing”

32:40 - How digital advertising change content supply chains

36:28 - An awakening with performance marketing

40:25 - Strategic objectives may differ from digital performance indicators

43:55 - How digital channels like Pinterest align with brand objectives

47:15 - The evolution of marketing performance metrics

55:06 - How to find out more about Esther

Post-Pod with V and Marc

Welcome back to another episode of The Barber’s Brief. A segment where we cover news that caught our eye, a marketing moment where we highlight a case study, and our ad of the week.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Our Hosts:

Marc Binkley - ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/

Vassilis Douros - ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠

Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠

In The News

Ad Age: American Airlines Fired Exec After a Marketing Change Aliented Corporate Clients

Link: https://adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/american-airlines-fired-chief-commercial-officer-vasu-raja-after-marketing-strategy-change/2562716

Paul Worthington Newsletter - Off Kilter - Oops, AI did it again Looking at some of the failings of AI

Link: https://www.invencion.com/off-kilter

Fast Company - How Amazon created a winning streaming formula: shows based on airport books for dads

Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/91134058/amazon-prime-video-streaming-airport-books-for-dads-james-patterson-cross

P&G’s Chief Brand Officer Mark Pritchard talking about inclusivity

Link: https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/marc-pritchard-on-serving-all-and-each-to-drive-market-growth-1236389828/

Marketing Moment - The Power of Positioning // Apple - The Turnaround

Background

• Back in 1997 - Apple was in big trouble
• They had just lost $800m
• Low market penetration and market capitalization of $2bn
• Michael Dell - when asked how he planned to fix the organization, he was planning to shut it down and give the money back to shareholders.
• Steve Jobs returned to re-focus Apple, and there was a lot of anticipation
• In August of the same year, Jobs addressed the future of the company at MacWorld 1997.

Brand Positioning and Strategy

Before getting to the Think Different campaign, they defined the new positioning of Apple, where they identified three core tenets.

• Simplicity
• Creativity
• Humanity

These three tenants became core to Apple and were a major part of the brief that went into the brief to TBWA\Chiat\Day, which famously led to the iconic “think different” campaign.

Revival and Growth

Why was this so powerful? It comes back to the three tenants:

• It was a simple message
• It was about creativity
• And celebrated at its core, humanity

Due to its simplicity, it also worked well across media channels (print, TV, OOH etc.)

The Think Different campaign bought Apple time and got them out of trouble.

Due to this newfound mental availability and the constant product innovation (see iPod) by 2003, Apple had an evaluation of $8bn.

However, because they wanted to grow globally as well, they re-brief Chiat/Day for a global iPod campaign was when “silhouettes” was born, which leaned again against the three core branding positioning tenants.

By 2006, Apple had turned a corner. Now worth over $70bn, it returned to its core product, computing. Going after Microsoft who had dominated for decades the space. The campaign, “Get a Mac” was born. Why did this campaign work?

• Apple created an “enemy”
• highlighted Apple’s simplicity and creativity
• Positioned against Microsoft’s complexity

What Lessons can we date from this example?

• Simple positioning always beats complex positioning - It is important to be clear, and consistent with your brand positioning,
• Differentiation is possible through positioning because it can also help with price volatility helping you to drive profits

Links:

Mark Ritson on the power of Apple's brand positioning (youtube.com)

Ad of the Week - Heinz Ketchup

Fighting counterfeiters of people refilling Heinz ketchup bottles with different brands of ketchup

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-TkRINrr4A&t=92s

© 2024 Sleeping Barber