Keep it real

I love you, Clif Bar.

They just seem to "get it". Their food philosophy: "Good food provides health, joy, and energy, and is a delight to the senses. And food, made right, can make the world a better place." YES! Finally!!! Someone gets it!!! And the best part?...you don't have to dig around on their website through a bunch of "we're committed to wellness" and "we love nutrition" sections to find this message. It's right there, ingrained in everything they do: products, packaging, culture, sponsorships, donations. They don't have to host a fake PR event to talk about "living well", you know what the brand stands for. Boom. Brand equity.

My lovely girlfriend, Susan, has said about Clif Bar, "I'll buy anything that Clif makes, doesn't even matter what it is." Yeah, me too. I've thrown down $2.29 for a Clif Bar at the airport before and I'm not ashamed of it. I've raided a Target end cap that had a special 7 bar pack for $4.79. I stocked up on every flavor of Clif Quench at Kroger before trying a single one (and was DELIGHTED to find that they are all clear colored - why should a lime flavor have to be neon green?). 10 for $10, watch out.

Do I love semi-solid, organic health bars? Eh, they're pretty good. I mean, the holiday flavors are down-right heavenly...but I guess I get a little tired of the usual suspects (Crunchy Peanut Butter, Blueberry Crisp). But to know that I'm putting something truly GOOD into my body (unlike popular "healthy" or "nutritious" food-like products) AND feeling good about supporting a company that sources organic ingredients, donates 1% "for the planet", recycles like crazy, AND resists the cost-cutting temptations of high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats, and ingredient lists longer than this blog entry...(deep breath)...Ahh...loyal forever. Could they take another $.50 in pricing? SURE! Could they launch a line of frozen Clif Popsicles? SURE! See...as long as they don't mess with their brand equity. Say they decided, "Eh, what the heck, let's use genetically modified soybeans...it's cheaper!". Hmpf. I'd probably look elsewhere.

Lesson learned: Brand Equity is powerful. You are what you stand for. TIDE - keep being clean. APPLE - keep making ridiculously cool new gadgets. BMW - keep making zoomy cars.

CLIF BAR - keep it real.

Golden Brand

After spending a summer "branding" a commodity (see also: dirt)...I can't help but wonder how many commodities people have tried to brand. In my opinion, the secret to success is some sort of "value-add" that competitors cannot replicate. For example, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company doesn't just pack dirt in bags, label them, and sell them at a premium - no, they add a proprietary fertilizer (again, thank you Bloomington Brands, it is Osmocote)...and tweak the formula to be just right (perlite, peat, etc.). So as I read about gold trading above $1000 an ounce in pre-trading this morning, I couldn't help but think...are there some commodities you CAN'T add value to? BP has added some sparkles to oil (cleaner engine?), Dasani added something to water (salt?)...but what about GOLD? I see gold as a commodity that you wouldn't want to "value-add", in fact anything you "add" would de-value gold, right? The further away you get from 100% pure gold, the worse off you are.

Maybe you pound it into commemorative coins and put it in a really fancy bag. And advertise in Sunday circulars. And late at night on TV. That seems to work for some "marketers"...

And...

We were victorious. Congrats to the rest of the teams advancing to the final round.

Hungry For More...

After a rewarding summer at The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, and a much too brief, 3-week hiatus in Philly and DC, I am back at Kelley for my second, and final year in the MBA program.

This week, the semester began with "Academy Week". Kelley's unique "Academies" are a mix between a club and a class - focusing on one particular aspect of a function (Investment Banking, Consulting, Consumer Marketing, etc.). Several weeks are dedicated to the Academies throughout the duration of the program. This week, as a member of the Consumer Marketing Academy (or, more commonly, "CMA"), I have had the opportunity to work on an innovation project for ConAgra Foods. I can't specify exactly what is involved, but it has been a great experience - though the 48-hour case competition has proved rather challenging. Luckily, I was teamed up with a fantastic group of individuals: Katie Zonino, Julie Eble, and Kelly Roses. We presented this morning and are waiting to hear results of teams advancing to the second round. Whispers of a cash prize has created quite the friendly competition among CMA members. However, let there be no mistake, we're bringing it home.

The rest of the week is filled with visiting consumer marketers and specialists on topics ranging from social media to brand building to shopper marketing. I am also excited about the topic of catered lunches. Nothing like Via Panera and Chipotle To-Go.

Looking forward to IU Football's opener tomorrow night (and MBA tailgate) and getting ready for the beginning of classes on Monday...