Marketing Magic through Branding Moments

There's a certain delight when your customer uncovers a hidden branding "moment."

Too often we marketers succumb to the drumbeat of "in your face, front and center, frequency, frequency, frequency."

I'd like to suggest we invest our creativity to sneak in a few moments of hidden marketing magic that, truth be told, might never be discovered, though when they do declare themselves carry wallop and a-ha beyond any repetitive brand message.

Here are three examples. The first is from a Timbuk2 bicycle commuter backpack I used daily for a year before I discovered its core sustainability message on a small internal tag.

The second is from a pair of Toad&Co pants I had worn for months, if not longer, before I stumbled upon the tag living just inside the zipper.

The last, I have to admit, I didn't discover at all - it was the primary reason I bought the special edition Patagonia Original Standup Shorts – but it shows the power of including a message on a product that only the customer will ever see. Again, on the back of a tiny product label. (Funny, too, how four years can pass so quickly and well, here we are again.)

All three cases were branding dynamite for me as a customer.

They reminded me that there are many possibilities to create a moment of marketing magic: on your product, within your packaging, as an Easter egg on your website, perhaps even something clever to be found in one of your office's restrooms.

After all, social entrepreneurs regularly make magic through business: doing more with less, positively affecting the lives of people you'll never meet, and all while delivering a bottom-line, financial profit.

So extend your magic to your marketing. It just requires a willingness, a sense of humor, perhaps a few cents, and recognition of the power to create a discovered branding (and bonding) moment with your customer.

I'm willing to bet your team will relish the assignment and your customers will revel in the reveal.

Godspeed, friends.

Russ

💬 Quote of the Week

“January is the month for dreaming.” Jean Hersey

💥 Quick Hits

• Platformer update👻 - The popular tech news site Platformer, which was involved in a values imbroglio with Substack (covered in our last issue), announced it has moved its publication to Ghost – the same publishing platform we use to publish Godspeed.

• We tried to warn you - If you're in New York City between now and February 25, you might want to check out the Poster House's exhibition of environmental crisis posters from 1970 to 2020.

• Rights of Nature - We wrote about the movement to grant legal rights to nature last May; in a recent development that's a first in this country, a city in Colorado has appointed two people as legal guardians to ensure the rights of a creek and its watershed.

🤔 Trivia Time

It's time for some climate change trivia. During December 2023, there were 51 all-time daily low temperatures recorded across the contiguous United States; how many all-time daily highs were set during the same time period?

• 423
• 902
• 1,107
• 3,408

Today's trivia answer can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.‌‌‌‌‌

Find the Most Meaningful Work of Your Career

Our partner One Work has you covered with meaningful work that goes beyond a paycheck, a cubicle, or a weekly team Zoom call. You'll find purposeful jobs like those below, along with many more at the One Work job board.

• Chesapeake Bay Trust - Join a team that empowers people and restores nature. This is a first-ever position for the organization; you'll lead a small team to implement a new environmental justice program. Environmental Justice Program Manager, Annapolis, MD (Hybrid).

• EILEEN FISHER - You'll lead paid brand and performance advertising for a B Corp that's a sustainability leader in the fashion industry. Senior Manager of Brand Media, Irvington, NY.

• Rad Power Bikes - Kick it into high gear overseeing retail sales at the Santa Barbara, Ca, location of North America's largest electric bike brand. Retail General Manager, New York, NY.

Trivia Answer

Go big or go home, as they say - 3,408 daily highs were achieved in December 2023, which was the warmest on record, with an average temperature in the U.S. that registered seven degrees Fahrenheit above the historical average. Source: Yale Climate Connections

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