Finger Lickin’ Fragrance: KFC Launches ‘No.11 Eau De BBQ’ Perfume
“These kinds of marketing methods are well-known to many professionals in the field. I had a quick conversation with Reilly Newman, founder of Motif Brands and well-known brand strategist, to ask just how impactful these methods are.
“I believe it’s a clever marketing strategy that leverages the outlandish approach to “perfume” to promote their new sandwich. The perfume gets attention and headlines while it coincidentally promotes the new sandwich via association. We have seen brands like Tesla, Taco Bell, SouthWest, Red Bull and others pull off similar stunts.
Overall revenue may see a bump from the increased attention and further top of mind, while the long term benefits of being seen as funny, relevant, and bold may make the brand much more appealing to consumers.”
Trill Mag
What Is AI Price Optimization?
Similarly, Reilly Newman, Founder of Motif Brands, advised making customers aware of your pricing approach to mitigate a negative perception.
“The awareness alone will be well received, just like with airline tickets and hotels, where all buyers are aware of the prices adjusting according to demand,” Newman explained.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Pennsylvania vs. Perrier: Your beloved mineral water is actually a soda, court rules
Because the choice between a healthy water and a not-so-healthy soda can influence consumer decisions, this ruling has the power to “hurt the brand badly” if the company doesn’t reframe its product correctly, brand strategist Reilly Newman tells Fortune.
If the customer is “feeling healthy and aspirational, they may opt for mineral water,” he says. “However, now the brand is out in the same category as the sugary sodas. This eliminates a lot of the benefits that Perrier had as a brand as well as their uniqueness in the market.”
“Luckily for [Perrier], we have had a massive rise of healthy sodas in the last three years, so that should help ease the blow,” Newman says. However, “this will definitely impact the purchase decisions because when it comes to beverages it’s not a matter of Coke versus Pepsi, but a battle for thirst. This means a consumer is much more willing to hop categories to satisfy their need.”
Fortune
Marketers unpack why 99 Cents Only Stores shuttered its 371 locations
“Reilly Newman, founder and brand strategist of branding studio Motif Brands, reflected on the emerging digital challengers shaping the industry.
He remarked: “The announcement surprised me, but it also makes sense. These dollar stores blew up in 2020; their stock prices were going nuts at the time, and rightfully so, because people were trying to make every dollar count due to the uncertainty in the market. But these competing digital forces have driven out these low-cost providers.”
While quoting Jeff Bezos’ famous line, “Your margin is my opportunity,” Newman explained how digital brands have undercut brick-and-mortar businesses by operating with lower overhead costs and offering identical products at competitive prices.”
The Drum
The Rise Of Stanley - How a humble tumbler became a status symbol
“However, human behavior is not rational in any market because the perceived value can quickly enhance the functional value of a basic item like a simple water bottle. This creates a flywheel effect that increases the desirability of the retail Stanleys since the perceived value is being ratcheted up by peers”
-Reilly Newman
ALHI - Beyond the Meeting Room
The Cost of Loyalty – How Trader Joe’s & Costco Do It
“Reilly Newman, founder and brand strategist at Motif Brands, recently put it this way: [“Not raising prices] has worked for Costco and helped them become a beloved brand. Costco’s perception of great, quality deals has been strategically constructed throughout the years from $1.50 hotdogs to “treasure hunts” within the store,” and also noted that Galanti once said, “By the way, if you raised (the price) to $1.75, it would not be that big of a deal. People would still buy (it). But it’s the mindset that when you think of Costco, you think of the $1.50 hot dog (and soda).”
The Food Institute
Limited-Time Offers Providing Major Appeal
“Living in a world where we can have anything delivered to us, access to supply is no longer an issue. Brands would be wise to include LTOs into their menu to add diversity and create scarcity for items.”
“Rooted in desire and anticipation, these buying experiences become more special and allow for higher prices. LTOs create better consumer experiences as well as more profitable items for brands.”
-Reilly Newman
The Food Institute
Co-Branding Brings Recognition, Expands Market
“Cobranding is like cross-pollinating,” says Reilly Newman, brand strategist and founder of Motif Brands. “You are able to leverage existing intellectual assets from one brand and have it complement the other brand. They kind of feed off each other.”
Newman concurs with Krupa on that point — he says the intention of many co-brands is to help a company reach a new audience that should be interested in their products based on the fact that they are already fans of the other company’s products. There is a common thread between the fans of the two companies that can be exploited by a co-branded product.
“It’s not just about the products or the transaction, it’s about someone saying, ‘Hey, I like brand A, and now they’re showing me brand B, so therefore I probably like brand B,’ ” Newman explains. “Psychologically, humans like to be consistent with our internal narrative. So if I’m a big Doritos fan, and then I see this new Jack Link’s-flavored Doritos, I’m biased towards liking that. So Jack Link’s could be introduced to a market segment they weren’t being introduced to before.”
Food Processing
Why Legacy Beverage Brands are Revamping Their Image
“When this happens, the brand loses its voice and starts to sound like all the others, with safe, lukewarm marketing,”
“As the uniqueness factor dissipates from a brand, it loses relevancy and it leads to a slow decay of perception and market share.”
-Reilly Newman