I am almost finished my first term teaching at UCLA Anderson. The class has been on field trips to Rodeo Drive, Target, and TBWA\Chiat\Day, and has been entertained and educated by speakers from Dell, BBDO, Marketshare Partners, P&G, and 180LA. We finish the course this week with group student presentations on brands of their choice: the key question is where would they take the brand based on their analysis of the brand’s beliefs, values and ideal.
Our last “teaching” class was at TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles and it was the capstone class of the term. Everything Professor Sanjay Sood and I have been teaching came together in this class. Lee Clow, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer TBWA\Worldwide, kicked off the day with an introductory video (Lee was with a client that day) about what he believes about branding and marketing: Everything must emanate from the brand beliefs, and everything the brand does is media. Told in Lee’s unique and wonderful style, the video is an instant classic.
Then TBWA\Chiat\Day’s Erica Hoholick shared the recent Pepsi Refresh story with the class, with the key message that every brand must understand what made it great, and keep that idea modern and relevant. Pepsi has been a catalyst for positive change throughout its history, and they are getting back to that idea. Early results are very promising. I love the work, it is inspired and courageous.
Next was the story of Mars Pedigree, told by Margaret Keehn of TBWA\Chiat\Day. This has been a brand story unfolding over the past six years, and it began with a provocative disruptive idea in the dog food category. Instead of showing doting owners hugging dogs, with lots of “left brain” claims about dog-life longevity, Pedigree decided to communicate a simple idea. That idea is that Pedigree simply loves dogs, and all their behavior as a brand reflects that. That brand idea, or belief, led them to take on shelter dog adoption, as well as to change many of their company policies and principles to reflect this love of dogs. The results — dramatic growth as they differentiated Pedigree on the highest ground in the category, unconditional love.
We had plenty of dialogue during the class at TBWA\Chiat\Day about how to make ideas like these happen. Plus we had a tour of the amazing workspace/culture (our class was held on the basketball court). Chief Marketing Officer Laurie Coots moderated the day and provided her wisdom on issues such as organizational change, brand beliefs, and career advice. LA Chief Creative Officer Rob Schwartz inspired the students with the Olympics Visa work and left them with the notion that only in marketing do you have the “chance to make magic happen.”
That is a great thought on which to end this blog post. I will be back soon to continue my series on “The Ten Habits of Highly Effective Chief Marketing Officers.”
This was one of the most profound, educational and hands-on field experiences that I had ever participated. Five minutes into Lee Clow’s presentation, I started imaging about a few disruptive and creative ideas to shape my company’s brand! Erica Hoholick, Margaret Keehn and Laurie Coots were so generous to postpone their travel arrangements to share their first-hand innovations on disecting the knowledge structures into brand insights. Major salutations to Jim for opening a wide and creative window into branding; like never seen before. My career just found a new fertile roadmap…
Jim, this sounds like it was a great day for the class! Touring workspace alone is worth the visit, and layering the great brand stories told by the people who fostered them makes it sound truly special – many marketing professors could take a page out of your book!
Jim, I really enjoyed this post. The Pedigree story reminds me of something I heard many years ago that has continued to resonate with me: Most brands spend their lives desperately trying to get their customers to love them; great brands manage to demonstrate by their behavior that they love their customers. Sounds like it was quite a class. Nice work!
Jim – As your marketing partner, it was such a privilege to be a part of this experience. Although I’ve been in the industry for more years than I care to admit, I was inspired by not only what Erica, Margaret, Rob and Laurie shared, but by the insightful and thought provoking questions asked by your students. They are clearly a brilliant group of individuals who are going to make a profound difference in the industry.