Category: Marketing
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Do you have a strategy?
You’re there again. Yet another strategic planning meeting. More goals. More big audacious goals to be exact. More metrics to hit. More numbers. More feeling like you did something with your time. But did you? The more I dive into the world of strategy, the more I come to believe that many of us are…
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A little lesson from Victoria’s Secret’s past
I was doing a deep dive to learn more about the initial launch of Victoria’s Secret Rapture, and then I landed in a pile of marketing info. While there I came across a 2003 article in Brandweek about Victoria’s Secret Beauty. Writer Christine Bittar interviewed executives in Victoria’s Secret Beauty and made this observation about…
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The gesture
I came home to a box, an unexpected package. Fragile, it read. “Dearest member…” It was a box of chocolates from a beauty brand I shop with, a gesture of appreciation for the season. I could have easily ordered my own box of chocolates. I certainly could have diverted what I spent on their products to…
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Did we need Devil Wears Prada tweezers?
Is that what we needed? A set of tweezers with a red pump printed on it? A t-shirt that reads “Gird your loins”? Perhaps we did need the purse shaped popcorn bucket. But overall, I am a bit confused by what appears to be a licensing cash grab in connection to the release of The…
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Was the Leaked Labs launch overpriced?
How much should flexi-eye shadows cost? Is $34 enough or too much? I don’t personally have any idea about product development costs, marketing costs, and the expected profit margins for beauty brands. But what I do know is that a lot of people have come out to say that this first drop from Leaked Labs…
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If Leaked Labs had an ideal customer
If I was to guess the original customer profile that Leaked Labs started with, it would be a beauty innovator. This viral influence beauty brand likely began with the early adopters in mind. They imagined the person who wants to be ahead of the curve and is willing to pay to stay there. It would…
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Hot chicken and hot water: Revisiting a Shake Shack controversy
In 2021, Shake Shack decided it was time to innovate. They did the work to partner with Korean brands. They did the research to understand the Korean market on food and fried chicken. And the result of all of that effort was in the Gochujang Chick’n Sandwich which previously launched in Korean in the fall…
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Old ideas are where it’s at
Yesterday, I was shaking my head at the idea of Scentbird starting a subscription box as it were a new thing. But now with my critical thinking ahead of my cynicism, I can see it now. It is a new thing… for them. Sometimes, that is all it takes to innovate. I, and maybe you…
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Know your competitors
When Victoria’s Secret pushed their beauty assortment in the 90s, they added this key element to their approach: Know your competitors. When customers came in store, they met with knowledgeable salespeople who knew the full assortment of Victoria’s Secret Beauty. They also knew something else. They knew their competitors. They knew who their customers were…
A Wren Says 