The past few weeks were hectic. Fudge signed on 2 new client accounts and everyone is learning fast. What’s bittersweet about learning fast is that you tend to make a lot of mistakes in the process of getting to the “ideal” state. Team morale is fluctuating like the economy.
It makes me think, that maybe there should be a process in place for fucking up: Something like “dive into the mess - get some academic clarity - apply it all wrong - go back to the mess”. And we should popularize the fuck out of it.
Anyway, here are some things I thought about, that you can think about if you want.
If you don’t already, follow Andrew on LinkedIn. He posts all kinds of interesting research there.
How to spot a ‘marketing bro’. An easy guide
One-Size-Fits-All Solutions: They peddle frameworks, bundles, or models claiming they work for all businesses, regardless of context.
Jargon: They aim to leave you feeling confused so they can swoop in as your savior (and make a sale).
Tactics Over Strategy: They chat endlessly about tactics but lack a solid strategy behind them.
Tactic Bashing: They belittle tactics other than the one they're pushing. Truth is, success often demands a mix, not just SEO or paid ads.
Premature Death Predictions: Brace yourself for proclamations like "TV is dead," "advertising is dead," or "email marketing is dead." Nope, they're very much alive.
Twilight Zone Insights: Beware when they drop lines like, "The best business strategy is kindness." Come on.
Theory vs. Reality: They have tons of theories but little evidence that their theories, products, or frameworks actually work in the real world.
Remember, if your marketing person or agency doesn't bother to understand your business, diagnose its issues, and explain sound strategy in plain language, you might want to reconsider their role.
Pirated book of the week:
Love is bullshit.
Fame is more important.
It might sound a tad superficial, but all signs point to one fact: in the world of branding, fame often trumps love when it comes to accelerating growth.
“A 10% rise in the fame of a brand will, on average, increase market share by a fifth.2 We also found that when a brand's Fame Rating goes above 60, market share starts to rise exponentially.” - Marketing Society, 2005
Sure, it sounds more virtuous to say, "People adore our brand" rather than "Our brand is famous." So, you hear the former more frequently. It's another example of our world's obsession with sounding good instead of actually being good.
But here's the question: If the stats clearly favor brand fame, why do only the big players invest heavily in brand fame campaigns? In my experience, the answer is twofold.
1. Counterintuitive Spending: It seems counterintuitive not to spend money on anything that directly boosts short-term sales.
2. The Money Issue: Who has the financial muscle for it?
To address the first problem, a mindset shift is in order. Dive into the works of thought leaders like Ehrenberg Bass and the IPA. Surround yourself with their wisdom, and distance yourself from the marketing bros.
As for the second problem, it calls for creativity. While it's true that more money often equals more fame, we've all witnessed brands catapult to overnight fame through viral content. Some have even got A-list celebrities to participate in their marketing with brilliantly executed stunts.
Yes, these are extraordinary cases. But the key takeaway, especially for startups and scale-ups, is this: prioritizing creativity (not necessarily originality) and having the courage to experiment can defy the odds.
If you can change your marketing mindset, I'm here to assist with the second challenge.
This is a document that gave me a lot of clarity on B2B marketing. It’s free.
Get it here.
Things to test when things are not going as planned.
Diagnosis
Am I solving an interesting enough problem?
Reframe the product
Reframe the messaging
Test with AI personas
Test with A/B tests
Strategy
Who is my audience? Is it the right audience?
Broad to narrow
Am I positioning right?
Memorable
Different
Execution
Channels
Tactics
Formats
The opposite of a good idea can be another good idea. Wikipedia is a good example.
ADEPT AF.
What is ADEPT AF?
It’s a useful framework that can help you tap into your writer mindset. More about that here.
Now, here’s my refined ADEPT AF (this is easily V4 or 5). It’s far from perfect.
A (Audience): Owners of small and medium companies hungry for growth
D (Desire): No strategy and all tactics take away from their growth
E (End goal): Fast money. Long lasting legacy.
P (Pain points): Confused. Too attached to their product. Trust issues.
T (Topic): Effective marketing begins with you effectively understanding how marketing works
A (Author): No BS wise guy, sarcastic a-hole, sad boi
F (Formats): LinkedIn posts (long status updates), carousels on LinkedIn and Instagram, Podcasts and short videos snipped from them.
Are you like me? Do you struggle to hitting that ‘publish’ button? Scared your content will make others cringe? I strongly recommend the Sweathead “write yourself into public” course.
^ Not paid to write this.
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Have a great rest of the week. Wish me enough free time to continue this next week.
Oh and I started going to the gym. It feels like this ^