It’s hard to believe that this used to be a totally acceptable way to advertise a product in America:
Thankfully, our world has taken quite a few steps forward since this ad of the 1950s.
Today, the marketing that wins hearts and minds is likely to look more like this:
Even as “masculine” a pursuit as beer-drinking is getting in on the act, with Budweiser going from an ad like this in the 1980s:
…to an equal pay ad in 2016.
Beer ads that support equal pay? Feminine hygiene brands redefining how we talk to—and about—girls?
This is not something that brands used to do.But today, a highly successful and celebrated marketing tactic is to actively champion women and girls while selling a product.
It’s one example of many in our new era of point of view marketing:in addition to selling something; we want our brands to stand for something.
These and even more campaigns like Dove’s “Beauty on Your Own Terms”Secret’s “Stress Test” attempt to market in a new way—one that not only mirrors society’s changing attitude towards women but also takes a stance.
Becky Swanson, creative director at Leo Burnett, Chicago, which created the Always “Like a Girl” campaign, explained its origins in Ad Age:
“There was a feeling that it’s time to talk about it and not just toot our own horn, but to take a more active, public role in making a positive change in the world.”
What an exciting opportunity for marketers to change the conversation and have an impact on the world.
In this post, we’ll talk about why you might want to embrace a point of view in your marketing, how to do so confidently, and what separates successful campaigns from the rest.
What is point of view marketing?
What is point of view marketing? It’s the way your brand looks at the world—your values, your unique perspective, your issues. It’s a stance.
And it matters. 64 percent of consumers with a brand relationship say shared values are the reason why they’ve engaged with a brand (by far the biggest reason cited).
This trend is only being proven further as the Millennial generation grows up and into its full power. 87 percent of Millennials say they appreciate it when companies make it clear what values they stand for, and 81 percent say companies that invest in their communities deserve loyalty.
Here is some more information on the Millennial connection, from a SlideShare from The Futures Company:
Why point of view matters
Stand out online. Point of view can be a competitive advantage
Increasingly, point of view is the difference between people talking about you and people forgetting you.
It’s amazing what happens in one second on the web. The amount of information on the web will increase by 500 percent (conservatively) in the next five years:
It’s getting tougher to stand out and be heard, but having a point of view can help.
Buffer investors Collaborative Fund focus specifically on working with companies who have a point of view. Their investments include Lyft, Kickstarter, Code Academy, Blue Bottle Coffee, and more.
In fact, Kanyi Maqubela, who is a partner at Collaborative Fund, goes so far as to describe values as a competitive weapon for brands.
Our point of view is that the set of companies that will win the 21st century will be companies that are inclusive and diverse and community driven
Why point of view connects
People share to express who they are and what they care about
What is it about values and point of view that can cut through the noise and endear us to a brand so strongly?
Sometimes things are just things, but sometimes they’re more. We buy things because of how they make us feel, or how we believe we’ll be perceived by others once we have them, or how we align with what their makers are doing in the world.
They become part of our identity. Design anthropologist Dori Tunstall says things are how we identify ourselves and identify others.
Increasingly, what we share on social media falls into this category, too. 68 percent of people say they share online to give others a better sense of who they are and what they care about. That’s why a lot of the ads above have gone viral—they strike a chord and make people want to share them.
Values are how we build our identities, what we trade on social networks, and why communicate with each other.
How to market with a point of view
If point of view marketing feels like a good fit for you, I’ve found there are four general steps to getting off to a great start.
1. Know your values
Before all else, you have to know what you stand for. No one — not your customers, not your investors, not your community — can do this for you. It has to come from you.
At…
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