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Spyglass takeaways from the AMA’s recent “Finding Your Brand’s Purpose” event

Posted on 04.26.17 by Spyglass

The AMA’s (American Marketing Association) most recent event was a winner, thanks to Spyglass’ own Paige DeRoma, an AMA board member, and the rest of the event team. The focus was on Brand Purpose, an important marketing mantra for today’s B2C and B2B companies in search of a more authentic story to tell. Consumers and businesses are increasingly interested in knowing if the brands they choose to support have a larger mission that aligns with their own values, or if these companies are just trying to boost their own bottom line. Not only that, defining brand purpose has become one of most important ways to rally your internal team. The secret, of course, is discovering what is authentic about your brand. It’s something that has to be real and able to be supported and sustained, not contrived. The event featured three speakers of brands that did an excellent job of showcasing how it’s done.

The event was hosted by Nicole Nye, SVP Marketing, ICF Olson and panelists included Amanda Brinkman, Chief Brand & Communications Officer at Deluxe; Kristin Prestegaard, Chief Engagement Officer at the Minneapolis Institute of Art; and Remi Kent, Global Brand and Strategy Leader at 3M.

What we learned and what we liked:

  • Deluxe used a contest and reality TV series to build awareness
    Only 1% of people knew that Deluxe did more than just make checks. They have an entire suite of small business services—but virtually no one had a clue. To change that misperception, they created their own reality show to increase awareness. They had viewers vote on their favorite small town—the winner received $500,000 to help market their small town and to aid their niche local businesses. Deluxe wanted a non-overt strategy that was authentic and organic and “Didn’t smell like traditional advertising,” and they found it. Their show, “Small Business Revolution” is now the #1 rated lifestyle program on Hulu.

Deluxe: The Show

  • The Minneapolis Institute of Art didn’t want to be an “Institute”
    The Minneapolis Institute of Art has been around for well over one hundred years and is ranked among the most notable and appreciated art galleries in the world. But, as MIA their brand was hesitant, muted and disjointed. After doing their homework and identifying their strengths, they landed on their brand purpose: To be the peoples’ museum. In short, they saw virtue in branding themselves as friendly, inviting and inclusive to all. They evolved to become Mia. Rather than an acronym, they became something infinitely friendlier and even went the distance to show this by making improvements to everything from the museum entrance, to guard uniforms, museum swag, signage and advertising in an effort to appear welcoming. Like their art, they wanted to reflect a culture of diversity and inclusiveness and their new brand does exactly that.

Mia: The New Brand

  • 3M Post-It Notes are a cultural phenomenon with a very personal story underneath
    3M Post-It Notes have become part of our cultural zeitgeist. People use them to do everything from play games to solve business problems to record their hopes and dreams. One study says that people are 42% more likely to complete a task they’ve handwritten down. Knowing this, Post-It launched a very personal campaign based on their brand purpose: To help people put ideas on paper that will change the world. Among their brand purpose-fueled strategy tactics were a SXSW “Idea Station”, a video showing one young women’s journey to success using Post-It Notes, and a complete revamping of their social strategy by sharing user-generated content around the world. They wanted to develop a strategy that harnessed the innate power and ubiquitous nature of their product and they were able to identify several hip, modern ways to do it.

Post-Its: The Phenomenon

Thanks to all three companies for sharing their authentic brand purpose.