Want to know the latest marketing hack that’ll boost your revenue and popularize your brand?
Well, plot twist…
The best growth “hack” out there is to know there is no way to hack growth at all.
I know, right?!
The truth is, in order for businesses to thrive in TODAY’S MARKET – they need to unlearn all of these hacks and tactics from the mad-men-suit-and-ties-board-rooms-and-whiskey era of marketing…
And instead, adopt a “People first and values-based approach to marketing”.
In today’s blog, I’m going to explain the basics of this philosophy and why it’s so important as I countdown 5 brands that are leading the way and shaping the future of marketing…
Can you guess #1?
Hey, Posse! What’s up? It’s Alex.
Coming at ya with another tutorial to help you master the world of modern marketing, copywriting, and branding.
But first, if you’re new to the crew – welcome! If learning about digital marketing methods that are working TODAY sounds interesting to you, then be sure to subscribe below.
Now, let’s get right into today’s blog…
Gone are the days of claiming to hold certain morals, ethics, & values… but failing to back them up with a brand experience that radiates and embodies those beliefs.
If you want to sell a lot of products or services in TODAY’S MARKET…
Then you need to join what I like to call – the New School of Modern Marketing.
- Marketing that puts people first…
- Marketing that leads with values, not hype & misleading claims.
- Marketing that sells with real stories and connections, not fear-mongering & fake scarcity.
The sad truth is, there are tons of amazing businesses out there, with amazing products and killer missions – that just aren’t doing as well as they could be doing… because they’re following bad marketing advice…
And it’s not their fault. They just don’t know any better!
Many businesses THINK that if they want to make money, then they need to fall in line with direct response selling tactics from the 70s…
So they either do that, or they don’t do any marketing at all because it feels “gross” to them.
Well, I’m here to tell you that THERE’S A BETTER WAY.
You can sell your products, without selling out on your integrity.
And in fact, if you follow this “people first” approach, chances are pretty good that you’ll sell WAY MORE products and services than you ever did following the “old school” way.
Now before I get too deep in the rabbit hole with this, let me make this perfectly clear.
I am NOT throwing shade on the direct response marketers of the 70s…
A lot of those pioneering men (and women) were absolutely incredible and amazing geniuses – who laid the foundation for everything we do today…
But what I am saying is that market in the 70s was vastly different than it is today.
According to one survey, 87% of people want a meaningful relationship with brands, but only 17% think brands are actually delivering.
The market has spoken and it’s no longer enough to have the cheapest product or the best promotion on Black Friday. The competition is too fierce and the market too flooded – and these positioning strategies are no longer the driving factor behind buying decisions…
Instead, today’s customers are seeking out meaningful relationships with the brands that they do business with.
They don’t want to just buy your product and be on their merry way.
They want to build a relationship with their favorite brands.
With brands who share their values, brands they trust, brands they can relate to, and brands that make them feel seen, valued and heard.
THIS is the New School of Modern Marketing.
And if brands want to stay relevant in today’s markets, then it’s time to learn the ropes.
Not only does this values-led marketing strategy outperform more traditional tactics…
It also FEELS better and produces WAY higher ROI & CLV.
Starting with #5 on my list…
#5 UNDER ARMOUR
When Under Armour wanted to appeal to more women in their marketing, they knew that having a great product alone wasn’t going to get them there…
Thanks to brands like Lulelmon and Nike that spent more time nurturing a female audience… The majority of women “rejected” Under Amor completely.
Associating the brand as “meatheaded” (35%), “aggressive” (46%), “purely performance-driven” (64%), and “definitely not for me” (52%). Under Armor knew that if they wanted to draw more women into a brand that was born out of football and historically connected to alpha-male customers…
They were going to have to speak to women on a deeper level – they were going to have to speak to their core values and emotions.
Enter the “I Will What I Want” campaign – which highlighted real women fighting for what they want, and achieving success on their own terms.
Which they tied into… not just sports apparel and working out… but what it means to be a woman in the 21st century.
In a culture obsessed with debating what a woman should be, the only way for her to free herself from pressure is to define success on her own terms, beyond society’s pressure.
“The Under Armor Woman doesn’t need permission because she has will.”
The campaign was a huge success – resulting in a 28% sales increase in the female demographic.
Now you might be thinking…
“Well that all sounds fine and great Alex. But Under Armor is a HUGE brand with a massive marketing budget and a whole team of experts… How do I actually do that with my brand and make money? What does this actually look like?”
Well, let me show you….
Let’s take a look at a few brands that are walking examples of this modern approach to values-led marketing…
This brings me to #4…
#4 – Telfar
Telfar Global is a non-binary brand that has basically taken the fashion world by storm – and honestly, they are shaking up the way ALL brands (not just fashion) think about marketing.
The designer behind the brand, Teflar Clemens, is a queer Liberian-American designer, who has been advocating for inclusivity YEARS before inclusivity went “mainstream”. Particularly advocating for the black and queer communities that are typically left out of big fashion.
The designer is very clear with his label’s purpose of “Not for you — for everyone” and stands behind this statement by striving to make his products financially accessible for everyone.
But my favorite thing about this brand is the way they are re-imagining the customer experience to drive more interaction and engagement within their community. With something they call – Telfar TV.
Consumers who want to buy a Telfar bag need to tune in to Telfar TV and watch for a QR code on the channel – which takes them directly to a web link to make their purchase. The idea is that only fans who are truly invested in the label will purchase.
Rather than having all their merchandise available through e-commerce, where bots have been known to buy hundreds of Telfar totes at a time.
You might think doing business this way would hurt the brand’s bottom line, but the reality is much different.
The brand has done such a great job at speaking to their customer and building a strong community, that even though it might seem harder to make a purchase…
Their totes have been known to sell out in seconds (yep SECONDS).
They now have thousands of people pre-ordering totes and have quickly become the “it” bag that everyone is seeking.
Even Oprah and Beyonce are fans of the brand.
THIS is what’s possible when you stay true to your values and make your community feel genuinely seen and valued.
And notice that even though demand is skyrocketing, Telfar is NOT raising the price. Because they stand behind their core value that fashion should be accessible to EVERYONE.
And now moving on to #3 on my list…
#3 – NextGen
A female run brand that is completely revolutionizing something we all need to do, but hate…
TAXES.
Instead of dishing out the usual generic tax advice and trying to get into business with all the big guys…
They understand that new business owners are often overlooked in the tax world. And there’s a big gap where trust and experience is missing.
So using this fresh perspective, feminine energy, and attention to the small guys – who will someday become big guys – NextGen aims to create and educate “underestimated founders” and turn them into the next generation of “ultra-successful entrepreneurs”.
And their values are what really stand out to me as different – especially in the tax world where things are naturally about money.
I mean just one scroll through their Instagram page and you’ll see that they’re drastically different than most tax and accounting firms you’ll find online. They even directly call out their industry and say that financial management can be “shady”.
Even going as far as to say: “If you want what’s always been done, then we’re not for you.”
This is the epitome of what I mean when I say – POLARITY IS A GOOD THING.
Remember, if you try to sell to everybody, you’ll sell to nobody.
So don’t be afraid to show up authentically as you – that’s how you attract your TRIBE of LOYAL customers.
Next up….
#2 – Need Essentials
Here’s an amazing brand that’s really walking the walk and showing what it means to live out your core values.
And plot twist – one of the ways they do this is by NOT paying for advertising.
Yep. Seriously.
They say…
“We are focused on minimizing our impact on the environment. We don’t produce things you don’t need, like advertising materials, packaging & single-use plastics. By letting go of all nonessentials and delivering our products directly to you, we can make a world-class wetsuit at a fraction of the price. It is about having less stuff and more freedom.”
Even though the brand isn’t spending any money on advertising…
Thanks to its strong values and word of mouth, it’s quickly built itself a thriving reputation in the surf community and now has an incredibly loyal fanbase of committed customers.
And that brings me to #1 on the list…
#1 Patagonia
Alright, you know that I couldn’t NOT include Patagonia here.
While they might not be an up-and-coming brand, they have been all over the headlines recently thanks to what we’re talking about today…
Walking the walk and putting actions where your values are.
You probably saw their Instagram post that went viral a couple of weeks ago…
“We’ve always been dead serious about saving our home planet—and now we’re putting the entire business where our mouth is.”
They then linked to an article on their website announcing something incredible…
That after almost 50 years in business, Patagonia owner and his family would be surrendering ALL ownership of the brand (valued at about $3 BILLION) to two entities that will divert profits toward combating climate change and protecting undeveloped land.
Mic. Drop.
This is how you show up in integrity as a brand and stand behind your values.
This is the ultimate way for the brand to bring together and rally its existing fan base behind a common cause…
While simultaneously attracting thousands of new lifelong fans of the brand who hold the same values.
Now…
Do you need to go to THIS EXTREME in order to practice values-led marketing?
Of course not!
But this is an excellent reminder that customers LOVE to see brands take ACTION towards their values and beliefs. Remember, it’s not enough to simply throw together an about page that lists off your values…
You have to actually SHOW UP and demonstrate those values in everything your business does.
From how you do business, to how you communicate with your customers, and even down to your everyday messaging…
Every single aspect of your branding should radiate your values and speak directly to your ideal customer.
This is how you bring your brand into cult status and create irrationally loyal customers that’ll come back again and again and again – no matter what else is on the market.
Because they aren’t just there for the product or service…
They are there for the BRAND and the experience they have with every single interaction.
Now, if you’re wondering how to implement everything we talked about today – and create your own branding that follows this people-first, values-led approach to modern marketing…
Be sure to join my email list, because I am planning something very special in the near future and you’ll want to be the first to know about it.
Alright, guys. Until next time. I’m Alex. Caio for now!
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