TOP 10 BRANDS NEVER TO ADVERTISE ON TV
Venture capitalists (and our employers) will have us believe we need lots of advertising support to launch (start). Here’s a list of contrarian brands:
1. Google
2. Youtube
3. Starbucks
4. Amazon
5. Ebay
6. Quiksilver
7. My space
8. Bebo
9. Second Life
10. Krispy Kreme
Some lessons here. What attributes do they all have in common?
We should use these words selling our start up to a first time customer:
‘Let’s do a trial’
It might be a small order, even one box.
It’s a great fear remover. In their mind they’re not really buying it. In reality, nothing is different, except their risk perception is lowered. We’re just confirming that nothing is fixed and it’s Ok to try something new.
A mentor refers to his ‘job’ as a ‘cash flow project’.
I love this description. Temporary in nature – raising funds for what really matters.
It ensures that his entrepreneurial vision is not lost. In fact, the job becomes part of the entrepreneurial process. A great way to influence the subconscious mind.
In reality all things in life become projects: The decision to become an entrepreneur, a trip to the supermarket, and any new business. A job is no different. By defining a job as a project it frees the mind. We know we’re using the system to our advantage, so we won’t feel disillusioned in the short term.
One of the best brand strategies is… not from here. It can be from anywhere. So long as it’s not here. You see, we know everything and everyone from where we are. So it must be better if it’s from elsewhere. They know what they’re doing. They’ve been doing it for years. There’s all this history, or maybe it’s their technology. Whatever, they really know what they’re doing. So we’ll pay a lot more for it.
It feels semi romantic to pay $14.50 for a bar of soap hand made in Tuscany from capsicum and Amalfi red oranges. We unlock the power of our imagination.
Language on packaging
Localised flavours
Hand made
There are plenty of niche brands overseas who’d love an international distributor. The bonus is, the strategy is already written…
Start up strategy – Not from here.
10 reasons to avoid using VC or angel capital to fund start ups:
Your brand that is
It’s not yours
You never owned it anyway
You won’t own it tomorrow
They always owned it
But we didn’t realize
When they stop feeding it, it dies
So it must be theirs
