Brands That Get You
 
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BRANDS THAT GET YOU

Find Your Brand Story Fast + Advice for Startups & Growing Brands
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👕♻️Learn from this clever company that’s changing the way we wear and wear out the classics ✨✨✨Everyone’s been getting down on the fast fashion movement for the past few years—how mega stores like Forever21 and H&M that roll out trendy and not-so-well-made garments by the truckload each season to satisfy consumer’s need for the new quicker than you can say Kardashian. All of this talk gave rise to brands like Cuyana that promote fewer, better things. And now a new brand is raising the bar further by reinventing the model rather than the clothing. ✨✨✨Warby Parker didn’t invent glasses. And For Days didn’t invent t-shirts. What they did invent was a convenient way for customers to look good and feel great about their purchases. With For Days, you sign up for a membership program and pick a certain number of shirts to buy. Then for a year, you can swap out the tees you bought for an upcycled version of any tee for just $8—after you, say, spill wine on one, wear out your favorite or decide you’re not so into a color anymore. While the price point isn’t cheap, today’s conscious customers are willing to spend knowing that they’re closing the loop on a recycling model (all of the sendback tees get turned into yarn). ✨✨✨It’s a tricky concept to explain—but For Days simple and friendly editorial does a good job of breaking down the model. And its clean and inviting visuals give off millennial feel-good real-life vibes. ⚡️Insight⚡️When selling a product based on its points isn’t enough to make your story standout, think about ways you could switch up the model and make it your message. It can be a winning strategy For Days—and for you. #brandsthatgetyou
This is beauty and branding from the brink 🙌 I’m kicking off 2019 with one more NEW brand reveal—a radically different approach born in the New Zealand wild that stands out in any environment. ✨✨✨Imagine your skin in its native state of health—perfectly pristine, naked, raw, untouched by the elements. When Ao skincare originally launched, the doctor-led brand focused on the science behind their formulations, but their story didn’t stand out and connect with consumers in a compelling way. ✨✨✨At Bartlett Brands, our strategy elevated the raw elements—cold processed active ingredients sourced in the world's last unsettled landscape—and surfaced founder Dr. Gray’s evolutionary approach to skin health that I called "adaptive skincare". A provocative visual expression and product communication strategy work together to create a brand that’s both wild and cultivated. ✨✨✨ Raw Nature. Refined Skincare. See more @aoskincare #brandsthatgetyou
East Eats West 🙌 Year-End Reveal #1: We gave Bamboo Asia a far out market makeover. It's orange and blue and opening all over.✨✨✨ SF-based Bamboo Asia had made its name as a Fi-Di staple for the grab-n-go lunch crowd. But when they were ready to start expanding, they realized the brand wasn’t as fresh as the food. ✨✨✨ The team at Bartlett Brands started with strategy, diving deep into the customer expectations and Bamboo Asia’s unique value proposition. Then we reinvented everything but the food to create a buzz-worthy new concept: Bamboo Asia Far Out Market—a mashup of Far East flavors and West Coast vibes. The new heart-worthy identity and hip interior design have customers lining up—literally. They’re getting featured by Eater (yay!). And everyone is hella’ welcome. ✨✨✨ Love, peace and far out food. #brandsthatgetyou
✨Find out how in my new article on The Startup, Medium’s largest publication for entrepreneurs🔝link in bio #brandsthatgetyou
Had the best time recording my first Brands That Get You podcast with the fantastic founders of @gofiltr this weekend✨✨✨We talked about how to be a Brand That Gets You—with actionable insights from their startup journey, lessons on how to come back super strong from a Kickstarter campaign and their best advice for other brands getting off the ground right now 🙌 I couldn’t have asked for more interesting, intelligent and charming guests for this premier episode, GoFiltr’s Dmitri and Travis! Coming soon to earbuds near you... #brandsthatgetyou
Talk-Worthy Branding 🙌 Spotlight #5 on REI: How this outdoor retailer created conversation for 4 years and counting... ✨✨✨In 2015, REI sent shockwaves through the retail world. On Black Friday—the holy grail day of shopping days—REI went MIA. Not only did they NOT have sales and discounts. They didn’t have employees. ✨✨✨REI closed its doors to purchases IRL and online—encouraging everyone to #OptOutside and spend their day exploring the great outdoors rather than fighting the crowds indoors. Bonus: They were still paying all of their employees for the day. ✨✨✨The shuttering down got everyone hyped up: people couldn’t stop talking about what a genuine and caring company REI was. And it put tremendous focus on their brand values in a way that people connected with. ✨✨✨Four years later, their CEO credits the now yearly closures with helping REI survive the retail apocalypse—during which over 200 big retailers have died. Others have copied the approach, but no one’s gotten people talking like REI. And the campaign has become part of their core alongside their values. ⚡️Insight⚡️How can you bring your brand values to life through your actions so customers better identify with you? Think outside your big box. #brandsthatgetyou
Talk-Worthy Branding 🙌 Spotlight #4 on Primary.com: How this kid’s clothing company created conversation with a free Costume Concierge ✨✨✨Every October, the pressure’s on to create a unique costume for your kids. But the choices are not so choice: cheap polyester one-and-dones or potential DIY disasters. For those lacking extra time and crafty talent, it’s a real horror story. ✨✨✨ Enter Primary, the "awesome kid’s basics at reasonable prices” brand. To help end parents' struggs, they launched a free Costume Concierge service. Simply call them up to connect with a DIY guru who helps you bring any idea to life and walks you step-by-step through an easy-as-possible process—including tips on where to buy extra fabric and exactly what glue to get. The costumes all start with Primary basics, many of which you undecorate and re-wear long after the candy's been consumed. ✨✨✨ The service doesn’t cost Primary much, but it has a tremendous impact on parent’s interactions with and love for the brand: positioning them as the go-to resource who really cares. Plus, it gives parents something awesome to talk about to all the mommies and me. ⚡️Insight⚡️Is there an unexpected way you can help your customer out with a problem? It’ll be a talk-worthy treat. #brandsthatgetyou 📸 by @kelsey_dewolf
Talk-Worthy Branding 🙌 Spotlight #3 on Buffy: How this comforter company created conversation by letting you sleep on it... literally✨✨✨ When Buffy launched what they called the comfiest, cleanest, healthiest and most eco-friendly comforter ever, they did everything right to get people feeling good about the ultimate feel-good purchase. ✨✨✨ But what REALLY got people talking was a marketing technique that’s often applied to other product categories—but not typically to bedding: Try Buffy Free for 30 Nights. It’s a risk-free test period with no charge until you’re smitten. ✨✨✨ Buffy’s win was three-pronged (1) Taken alone, the “try before you buy” approach immediately conveys confidence. This is a company that stands behind its product, and that’s super appealing. (2) When Buffy put this approach to work on an incredibly personal item that gets used in an incredibly personal way (aka your bedding), it turned heads and made people talk about it because it both was unique AND appreciated. (3) By not charging your card until after 30 days, they made the test period feel like a REAL test period—not hassle-full return. ⚡️Insight⚡️Can you take a tried-and-true marketing technique and apply it to your product in a way that wakes up more customers? #brandsthatgetyou
Talk-Worthy Branding 🙌 Spotlight #2 on The Standard Hotels: How their “Ring a Rep” phonebooths created conversation ABOUT conversation—and dialed up the values of their brand✨✨✨ In April, The Standard (a boutique chain known for edgy vibes) installed big colorful phone booths at their hotels in NYC, LA, and Miami. The call to action: each booth is set up to dial Congress directly. Pick up the phone, enter your zip code and leave your rep a message about any issue. There’s even a handy script with advice for how to position your points. ✨✨✨ Since they installed the booths, over 3,000 people have called—but MORE have talked about it. They’ve also added direct dial features to their rooms and hosted Ring Your Rep events in all of their cities, partnering with the ACLU and Fashion Week. ✨✨✨ By making activism easier than ever, The Standard is empowering guests to make their voices heard—a mission that aligns perfectly with the value they place on radical self expression and interconnection. They got creative in their space and turned it into a platform. ⚡️Insight⚡️When you want to start up conversation, check in on your core values. Then brainstorm ways to bring them to life through an experience that guests will check out—and talk about. #brandsthatgetyou
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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