your marketing phd in 7 words

here it is right up front….“solve my problem make me feel good”

congrats you’d just “gradumadated” with your phd in marketing and branding

seriously

and in only 7 words!

:: ))

observation?

the very best products and/or marketing i’ve seen while riding this blue ball

always found a problem and solved it

then they made the customer feel good

and the very successful products/services made them feel great

in the last 20 yrs i’ve spent some time in the natural foods industry

it’s a perfect place for these 7 words to live, breathe and thrive

some say it’s easier to solve problems and make people feel good here than in other categories

that’s because you can feed people “good for you” food to help them become healthier/stronger/lighter/faster

and most importantly they feel good because it tastes great

let’s hear it for endorphins!

there is one more point to this

since you insert this great tasting food into the humanoid mouth?

which btw is the most emotional entry point of the body, that exemplifies the feel good

but we’ll leave the most emotional entry point for another story

i also work in the outdoor industry……

another great spot that solves problems and makes people feel good.

especially in these crazy covid times….

example? camping, biking, hiking and other outdoor activities have increased.

it’s a great way to get the kids out of the house since everyone is locked down

let’s face it restaurants, movies, etc. aren’t the “safest” place to be

with that said……a bicycle is a great problem solver to do this

plus….getting out with the family, experiencing the “union of human & nature” is the bonus that makes you everybody good.

the same could be said for camping…even if it’s in your own backyard

my day gig is working as a partner for white road investments, we find small mission driven companies in the natural foods, outdoor & consumer products categories and help them grow.

at the end of the day we’re looking for great people and great products.

it’s no exaggeration to state that we look at hundreds of small companies every year

and am amazed at how many of them have products that are trying to solve a problem that really doesn’t exist or doesn’t really need to be solved.

these are the businesses we respectfully decline the opportunity to invest because

howtf can you make some one feel good if they don’t have the problem in the first place.

you catch my drift?

in my whacked mind?

solve my problem, make me feel good is the ultimate and singular filter of success or failure in a business venture

if you can’t say “fuck yeah” to both then please don’t waste consumer’s time, money & energy?

one last thought?

my definition of marketing is “everything it takes to get a product from the drawing board into the hands of the ultimate consumer”

in other words a great marketing person is someone who has the ability to get involved all along the way.

they have a multitude of talents from product development knowledge to communication skills.

with that said…..great marketing geeks can recognize a true problem, they see and feel the consumer pain point and figure out a way to solve it.

they also are part of a great team….of engineers, product managers, factories, qc/qa peeps, salespeople, customer service, etc.

with that in place

if the problem you’ve discovered is the real deal?

and your product is great?

then making the customer feel good is almost a slam dunk.

now go get ‘em

:: ))