A Day In The Sun® newsletter S3 V4
Musings with a dash of bluster at the intersection of brands, creativity, and entrepreneurship
[About a 4 minute read; 2 if you skim; never mind if you’re more focused on critters eating your strawberry plants]
Happy May June. In this edition of A Day In The Sun®, we’re throwin’ a lot atcha, from wooly wildness, to Katy Perry as a namer, to the Kardashians again. We got pythons, we got tribbles, we got dogs, we got hot pink, we got smiles to frowns to smiles, heck we are even discussing a startling discovery from the archives of Paul McCartney, related to the Abbey Road album (and what we can learn about it all). That get your attention? But first:
*** ANNOUNCEMENT ***
Yes we Cannes
First, some timely news of material significance. I’ll be on the mainstage at the Cannes creativity festival on June 17, delivering a keynote address entitled More is More: The Rationally Exuberant Path To Success. It’s the GOODLES story! If you’re also going to be there, check it out… the remarks should pair beautifully with rosé. Here’s the session link.
For those who don’t know, the Cannes festival is kinda/sorta like the Oscars of the brand/marketing industry. It’s the BFD of BFDs. The audience will be packed shoulder-to-shoulder with the “who’s who.” I speak in public all the time and rarely experience even so much as a few jitters, but I as did a few walk-throughs for this one, I discovered that I’m a little nervous. I think it’s not just because of the high-profile setting; I am also representing our company, and my teammates, who are practically family to me. I’ll be ready though, and will bring the heat.
1. OBSERVATIONS FROM THE BRANDVERSE
Ohhh, they’re halfway there
“Livin’ on a Prayer” is a great song and full of juicy hooks, but in the context of branding, “half way there” is no bueno. One of the highest-profile decisions in all of branding lately came out of Utah, where their new National Hockey League (NHL) franchise there revealed their identity. It’s… halfway there.
I love the name Mammoth (or Mammoths?) because it’s fun, relevant to provenance, promotable, merchable (new word!), everything-able. And alliterative, too. Five stars. Which is exactly why I am so so so disappointed with the visual identity half. These jerseys, above left, are generic. Dull. The logo looks like it was made by an AI… and not a very good one at that. What a missed opportunity.
For fun, in the spirit of “show your work,” I asked my very terrific friend and cohort Kevin McGlone (thanks man!) to quickly render a hockey player who looks like he may actually be a wooly mammoth. Above right. This uniform idea is a little much, on purpose… but illustrates the importance of having the visID meet the name. If it were my call, the team would look much more like one to the right.
Thanks also to Sarah and Dan. This idea emerged during a quite amusing text thread that is probably 1,000 iterations deep.
A unicorn in bugville
With summer upon us and doors / windows opening more, we recently added some Zevo pest control products to the Target run.
It got me thinking…
Zevo is a brand new brand—in fact, a brand new sub-category in pest control—created internally, from scratch, by Procter & Gamble. It’s on a trajectory to $1Bn in annual revenue, and has global relevance. So, for P&G, a grand slam by any and all metrics. Kudos to my friend Leigh Radford and her entire crew at P&G Ventures, where Zevo originated on a blank piece of paper not all that long ago.
But here’s the thing: when it comes to creating new brands and businesses from scratch in a corporate setting, for every Zevo, there are untold thousands of zombies, duds, whoppers, slices of milquetoast, castoffs, creeps, losers, scary clowns… and those are just the ideas that made it to prototype. Even the good ideas—and there are some—can’t seem to survive. You can’t win ‘em all, but the big guys should be winning way more.
Zevo is practically a (expletive deleted) miracle.
As has been publicly stated, General Mills recently shut down G-Works, its new brand/business studio. Not too long before that, Mondelez whacked its vaunted Snack Futures unit, which was their version of G-Works. Snack Futures was a bona fide media darling and was hyped in Wall Street analyst calls, initially. Diageo recently turned on the house lights at their Distill Ventures unit; I guess they said: “you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” (Put differently: it has been poured down the drain). Kraft’s Springboard equivalent is a distant memory. Many internal new business units are disappearing left and right.
We must ask ourselves: why can’t big CPGs produce more novel successes on their own? Of the internally-created wins, there are Procter’s Zevo, PepsiCo’s big new hits in Bubly and Starry, and the rampaging Godzilla that is Gallo’s High Noon (we know High Noon well; my old mates and I helped create the brand piece). That’s… four.
But what are some other huge new brands out there that big companies created internally, not acquired or revived? Wait, you can’t think of any? Because I can’t either. I’m sure I’m missing a few (tell me, truly, please!) but even if so: there just aren’t many.
I once was a huge advocate for big CPGs—and corporates generally—creating their own new brands and products, not just innovating via flanker after flanker on existing businesses. For years, I taught a class called “Corporate Innovation & New Ventures” at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. “Where there’s a will there’s a way,” I proselytized. Huzzah!
Today, my confidence in big companies’ ability to create meaningful new businesses on their own is being tested. Given that in the consumer sector at least, only four* out of a gazillion corporate shots on goal have actually gone in, might external acquisitions be the best, perhaps only, way for the bigguns to achieve net new growth of any material nature?
Maybe. But if corporates do try to “win from within” again, perhaps try something different.
*Okay, five. Fine, call it ten. Heck, I’ll give ya fifteen (although per above, please tell me what all those are). Whatever the actual number, it doesn’t fundamentally change the story.
Frankenpurpose?
I found myself engaged in an interesting dialogue on LinkedIn, prompted by the great Jim Stengel and his ongoing study of “Purpose” for brands and companies. My response is pasted above. I’ll be delving into this further, later (but not today).
Space invaders
I was catching up with my pal and former colleague Henry King recently. Henry—a deep thinker who is, in my view, “the most interesting man in the world who is not a Dos Equis advertising character”— has written a lot great stuff. Some of that “stuff”: invasive species, and what we as brand/marketing/inno people can learn from them. Most—perhaps all—new brands that are successfully “disruptive” tend to use contextually novel expressions, plus aggressive behavior, to take over large swaths of unexpecting territory. Quickly. So by this measure, say, the runaway success that is Bubble personal care has much in common with Burmese pythons, replicating and rapidly growing within Walmart and the Florida Everglades, respectively. Henry and I will be delving into this topic in more detail, later (but not today).
Turn that frown upside down
This is how an Amazon package presented itself to me as I returned home the other day. Just like this. What a bummer! The twin UPC codes even look like eyes. Wah wah wah (sfx: sad trumpet sound). The graphic designs of many brands these days—including a very notable competitor in a category in which I’m deeply involved—use smiles, or abstract forms of smiles. Ok fine. But if you do that, make sure you can control the environment so that your smile doesn’t look like a frown. The point: we have to think about how our designs actually play out in the field, IRL, not just in a Powerpoint deck… or even a photo studio, which is pristine, controlled, and free of delivery guys who don’t think about this stuff.
Aside: the Amazon “Smiles from A to Z” is a great design case, in its original form; I have actually met the team that created it!* I bet they never intended for there to be any risk that the smile appeared this way. Had Amazon kept the name “Amazon” locked up with the smile, as it was in the original form, it would have been clear that the envelope is just upside down. And I would not be writing about what I encountered. Jeff? Bueller?
*Fun fact: the same people who did the Amazon “Smiles from A to Z” design previously had created the FedEx logo, where the arrow appears in the negative space between the E and the x. Not a bad track record…
Think pink
The cartons of our GOODLES dry pasta line are a bright beautiful pink. A stunning, can’t-miss, “omg” presence on shelf. When we were pitching this design to retailers, however, some told us it was too… well, feminine. We produced many examples to counter this push, including a photo of Elvis sporting a pink blazer (and socks). Come on: it’s “The King”! So when football prodigy Travis Hunter took the stage as a first round NFL draft pick a few weeks ago, rocking the pink, I thought: (1) Awesome, and (2) Get that man some GOODLES.
I don’t think any one color is forever pigeonholed anywhere on the feminine-masculine spectrum; anything goes. And color is even more potent and provocative when it bucks what some see as “convention.”
So troubling, I need a kleenex
Wrong! Pop Tarts® is a federally-registered trademark. The descriptive name of this kind of product, on display at a local hole-in-the-wall that is not Kellogg’s Corp., is “toaster pastry.” Beware of genericization! Pop Tarts (the brand) is already taking live fire via Flyngs, another case of the yassification still possible in many large CPG categories.
A Sketch, Etched… Forever
I nearly fell off my couch watching a Jimmy Fallon rerun onto which I stumbled recently. There was Paul McCartney’s daughter Mary, holding up her dad’s original sketch of what would become the Abbey Road album cover. It’s one of the top five greatest album covers in history, according to Rolling Stone (and according to anyone with any taste and sensibilities). The sketch is hasty, crude, childish-looking even. But its lack of “polish” doesn’t matter! You don’t need to be a drawing ace to be able to successfully illustrate your vision with some scribbles. “Saying it with pictures” is way more effective than just talking about what your mind’s eye sees, or even trying to explain it via charades. Show your work! Anyone can do it.
Postscript 1: Paul McCartney, whom I’d humbly argue is the world’s greatest living polymath, happens to be a gifted photographer. When he had the “coup de foudre” vision for the Abbey Road cover, he must not have been near the studio where the now-iconic photo was taken. Otherwise, I bet he’d have done this prototype with his camera, not his hand. But… the sketch certainly did the job!
Postscript 2: Save all your work… even the scribbles! The Beatles—thank goodness—were great archivists. All the napkins and matchbooks with portions of lyrics, the messy outtakes in the studio, the rough ideas jotted onto hotel stationery, odd artifacts collected, that hat from that show in 1964, et al, have been saved. And then appreciated by so many.
Khrazy… like a fox
I guess the “put protein in everything” movement continues. I wish this venture well. My friends and cohorts at Springdale Ventures are in this one, and they are the cream of the crop of consumer VCs. They rarely miss, so there must be a “there” there! I just wish the Kardashian family had some social media presence (ha ha ha).
Doggone it
After submitting a photo and inputting answers to a short questionnaire probing personality traits and such, an AI told me that if our dearly beloved dog Olive were hypothetically a person, she’d look like the fictional girl above. One friend and cohort was uncomfortable with the very existence of this exercise, and said he greatly preferred Olive as a creature known as a “dog.” I think I am with him. Earmark this for the “just because you could doesn’t mean you should” file regarding AI.
Way off
I settled into my lawn chair at my kid’s baseball game the other day. This candy/treat/whatever truck here, from its perch way too close to the field, was blaring tunes by Jimmy Buffett, Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals, contemporary acts like Bad Bunny, and others, establishing an unmistakably “Caribbean jam” vibe. My slight annoyance at this distraction to the baseball game became serious opposition when I discovered that the truck is named Kona Ice. Um, Kona is a region in Hawaii that is 6,000 miles west of target, and other than a body of water and acceptance of American dollars, has absolutely nothing in common with the Caribbean. Not a Don Ho song anywhere on the playlist. Gosh darn it: if you’re going to do something wrong (be an eyesore/earsore at a high school baseball game), do it right (the playlist).
Da Pope
We could all use some levity these days and boy did I enjoy the avalanche of memes that surfaced after it was announced that the new Pope… is a Chicagoan! Then the memes became live actions. First we had the Holy Father rooting for Da Bears. Den, ‘Doze guyz (sic) in mitres above right were photographed at White Sox v. Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Do they get a godly discount on a massive amount of beer? The Internet and its social media platforms can be a vile cesspool, a machine stamping and disseminating so much bad… and that’s even before considering the actual news and newsmakers themselves. Once in a while, however, there’s gold, and it’s awesome. Thank you for this, social media. (Postscript: White Sox fans claim Da Pope as ‘der own, I think somewhat speciously. The White Sox lost all three games to the Cubs, so perhaps there is “space for doubt.”)
2. INSIDE THE ROPES (OR: “DESIGN THINKING DOING”)
Innovation Academy with PV x Coho
Last month I produced and hosted three webinar sessions with three fellow entrepreneurs I admire: Scout Brisson of DeSoi beverages, Emily Groden of Evergreen frozen waffles, and Jesse Konig of Jesse & Ben’s french fries. We discussed their brand/company origins, and how creativity gave them a lift. The interviews were made possible by Product Ventures & Coho, two historically great design firms merging together to form one. We called it “Innovation Academy.” I learned a ton myself—and we all had a blast. I will share a link to all this in the next newsletter (the combined highlights made for sharing aren’t finished yet).
One of my favorite discoveries: Katy Perry, a DeSoi cofounder, is actively involved in the company’s process of naming its flavor varieties. Said Scout of Katy: she makes sure the names sound good, they are catchy and fun, and are memorable. Which is exactly her approach to writing and evaluating song lyrics! I have long followed the same protocol on naming endeavors myself; it is just a much cooler story when the namer-in-question has a bunch of #1 hit singles that we all can sing (or try to sing).
Still lookin’ GOODLES
GOODLES is chock full of phenomenological stuff that would (1) take up this entire newsletter, and/or (2) I can’t talk about it yet. One interesting dynamic is that GOODLES is now rapidly taking over more and more shelf space at existing retail customers (see commentary above on invasiveness). So much so that I was joking with a colleague the other day that this reminds me of the “Trouble With Tribbles” episode of Star Trek.* But instead of little fuzzy orbs popping up everywhere at a breakneck rate, it’s boxes of our magic noodles. To my disappointment, the aforementioned colleague had absolutely no clue what Star Trek episode I was referencing (and maybe even had never heard of Star Trek itself). Anyway, net, GOODLES is doin’ really good(les). And just wait until a big little new product announcement in a few weeks.
*Look, it’s not that I’m ancient (although, I’m on my way). I just have an appreciation for 1960s and 1970s popular culture that is massively overdeveloped. For the record: the legendary “Trouble with Tribbles” episode on Star Trek first aired well before I was even born. Same holds for all original Beatles releases, with the exception of the handful of “lost song” discoveries, and subsequent rescues, over the many years post-disbandment.
Big Nose Kate: DEAL ME IN
Big Nose Kate western whiskey continues to thrill all who engage. The spirits game is a state-by-state battle, and Kate is suddenly doing great in California (that’s the big long state on the Pacific ocean; lots of people live there). Up next: fazoules. Cake. Bread. Dough. What I mean is: the enterprise is out raising a seed bridge. At some time in late June or early July TBD, the Kate leadership team will be hosting an invite-only online event introducing the brand and the plan to select prospective investors. To be featured: a special greeting from our partners Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone.
Here's a little “inside baseball.” I have no visibility or influence into how Melissa and Ben’s projects work elsewhere (duh), but I can say that as far as Big Nose Kate activities go, it’s all unscripted. That means: I have absolutely no idea what they are going to say. That’s all part of the fun (what I do know: it will be good). If you want to learn more, email me. Accredited investors and pre-qualified interest only.*
*Sorry… legal and whatnot
Wonderful…
Small Wonder powder-to-lather shampoo (and now conditioner, and soon a serum) is a Reggie Jackson-esque swing for the fences—hey there’s another reference to 1970s pop culture. The product is sensational; I think better than any goopy watered down stuff that is pumped into plastic, i.e. practically every incumbent. So, the challenge is now simple: persuade people to try it. SW is talking to a handful of marketing ninjas at the moment. We’ll see!
Those who know me might observe that I have less hair now than I did when I was younger (how’s that for wordsmithing). But I do use Small Wonder on what remains, which does feature some considerable waves and curls. There is still a job to be done. And I love the product.
That’s a wrap for now. Back to you right before or after the 4th of July holiday (if I were to bet: after).
It’s “strange days indeed” out there. Most peculiar. Stay cool, stay positive, stay strong, create.
Darkness can only succumb to light; hate can only fall to love.
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paul@ADayInTheSun.com