Brent Niemuth, President & CCO
There’s a lot of talk these days about creating a great customer experience, standing out in a crowded market, telling your brand story in a compelling way, and a mobile-first strategy. Let me be clear—ALL of these things are important. Vital, in fact, if you want to be successful. However, I’d argue NONE of them matter a bit if your product is weak.
We’ve put so much emphasis, manpower and attention on HOW and WHERE we market our products that we’ve forgotten about the importance of WHAT we’re selling. Where have all the cool products gone? As we’ve diverted our attention and budgets to all the shiny new ways we can market our stuff, we’ve taken our eye off the stuff itself. How much time do we spend making our products better? How much money do we spend on merchandise development?
When I think about the brands I love—the ones I’m devoted to or admire—the reason I love them is primarily because of the PRODUCTS they sell. I’m a huge Apple fan because their products are amazing. Sure, so is their advertising, so is their retail experience, so is their website, etc. But none of that would convince me to BUY if their products weren’t as good as they are. I love my North Face jacket. I love my Tumi suitcase. I love my Warby Parker glasses and my TREK bike and my Bose headphones. Why? Because they’re all great products! The brands are all solid as well, for sure. I also dig their packaging. Their stores are nice. But it’s the products that I spend my money on.
I don’t care how great your social media strategy is, or how effective your paid search is, or how efficient your mail plan is—it’s all window dressing if your product is average. Or a commodity. Or not made well. Maybe brands wouldn’t have to worry so much about Amazon if their products were better, more unique and in demand.
Steve Jobs made a better computer and phone. Elon Musk made a better car. Yvon Chouinard made better outdoor gear. The brand-worshipping came later. The cool advertising followed. They made sure the product came first. And they all charge a premium, and people gladly pay it. Say it with me…PRODUCT FIRST! Take down your Mission and Vision Statements in the employee break room and hang up those two words.
Take a good hard look at where you’re spending your time and money. Where on that list does your product fall? This might sound odd coming from a “brand guy,” but I’d prefer you invest in making your products better first, THEN consider your brand message and ad campaign next. Why? Because it’s far easier to create a cool brand story and a campaign that you believe in if you have a great product to work with. Selling crap is WAY harder.
If you have an amazing product that you need to market in a modern and bold way, give me a shout. That’s what we do.
Tags: brand story, branding, Brent Niemuth, campaign, Customer Experience, media strategy