Evan Brady’s Post

Where are my health conscious dessert lovers at?? (Working on a project and need your help!!) What are you favorite COLD / FROZEN desserts or treats? Please comment with your top choices. Can be fully indulgent brands or better-for-you options. All are welcome For me, Im loving the Unreal coconut bars right now. Pro tip, put them in the fridge and eat em cold 🥶

Have you ever heard of Google’s Zero Moment of Truth aka the 7-11-4 Rule? If you’re a founder, marketer or anyone trying to acquire new customers, you’re going to want to hear this… According to Google's research, on average, a new unaware customer needs to engage with your brand for 7 hours, across 11 touchpoints, in 4 separate locations before they're ready to buy from you. (see Moments of Truth) That’s a whole lot of “marketing.” What surprised me the most was the 7 hours but remember this is an average and includes the college kid shopping for flipflops as well as the young professional looking to buy their first car. But rather than debate the numbers let’s zoom out and focus on the core insight and why it matters to you... The customer journey is not a straight line. Customers are going deeper. They want to know more about your brand, your products, and their options... and they got options! As modern marketers, we must adapt to the evolving values and behaviors of consumers by taking a brand-led approach to growth. Here are my 5 steps to make Google’s 7-11-4 Rule work for you, not against you using a brand-led approach… 1. Audit your ecosystem. Make sure your message is clear, concise and consistent across your ads, website, social media, emails, etc. 2. Always deliver value. Shift your mindset and communication to focus on solving your customers problems rather than selling your product. 3. Build trust over time. Trust takes time (7 hours according to Google), but it also takes authenticity and empathy so don’t be afraid to show your true colors. 4. Lead the way. Lead your customers to the next step in the journey with clear calls-to-action and low friction transitions from 1 touchpoint to the next. 5. LTV over everything. Customer acquisition is hard, retention is easier (assuming you have a good product) so focus on building a long-term, value-based relationships with your customers. So next time you're building a new campaign or trying to improve an existing funnel, remember these 5 steps to build a customer journey that converts. Hat tip to Ravi Abuvala for putting me on to this.

🚨Massive opportunity for hospitality pros. Message me if your intereted and qualified.

The idea that “the customer comes first” is flat out wrong. Hear me out… As an Amazon alum, I believe in running a customer-centric business, but business is a team sport. So if you want to serve your customers better, you need to put your team first. But your team is not just your employees. Your team is anyone who is helping advance the brand’s mission. Your team is your freelancers, vendors, manufacturers, fulfillment partners, hell, even the barista who brews your morning coffee. Put your team first and together, you will move mountains. Shout out to the leaders that live this. ➡ In the comments, tag a leader that puts the team first!

Why did 35 dream-chasing track athletes compete in all black, unbranded kits at the Olympic Trials this past weekend? The Bandit "Unsponsored Project." For most Olympic athletes, competing in the games is a pursuit of passion, not riches. In fact, most Olympic athletes go unsponsored and are only paid a small stipend by the national committee if they make the team. This makes being an Olympic sport athlete hard. So rather than compete wearing a brand that does not support them financially, Bandit sponsored 35 previously unsponsored athletes and provided all black, unbranded kits for the Track & Field Olympic Trials in Oregon this past weekend. This play earned the brand major respect from the athlete community and got running fans talking. Bold move, especially for a sport and event that is typically dominated by the big dogs (Nike, adidas, New Balance) This is a perfect example of a scrappy, challenger brand finding a way to punch above it's weight class. The lesson here is provocative insights lead to big ideas. Bold move, Bandit. The underdogs salute you.

2024 is halfway over. How are you feeling? Whether you're crushing it or getting crushed, we must remember… The best brands are built in years and decades, not months and quarters. Here are the 6 brand building shifts you need to make to start playing the long game. 1. Purpose is powerful. People connect with purpose, not just products. Stand out by standing for something. 2. Trust is everything. Trust is the currency of your business. It’s built in drops, lost in buckets, and compounds over time. Have integrity, be consistent. 3. You are your brand. As distrust for big business builds, people want to know who they’re doing business with. Be real, be open, be you. 4: Deliver Value… Forever. The size of your business is a direct reflection of the value your provide the world. Entertain, educate, inspire and solve your customers’ problems everyday. 5. Take care. Word-of-mouth is the most potent form of marketing. Take care of your community and they’ll take care of you. 6. Own your sh*t. Business is hard, things will go wrong. When they do, take ownership, apologize and make it right. Make these 6 shifts and start building a brand people love. Who are some of the brands you’re really feeling right now and why?

The next 2 months will be the most heated competition in sports marketing history. Wait, but why? The UEFA EURO 2024 is set to draw over 5 billion viewers. 2 weeks later, the Olympics Paris 2024 is set to draw over 3 billion viewers. In an increasingly fragmented and distracted world, that is A LOT of attention in one place. The big brands have been planning for years and Nike and adidas are wasting no time making noise. They've both already dropped big bombs with new global campaigns titled "You Got This" and "Awaken Your Madness" (link in comments.) But, what get's me more excited than million dollar commercials is seeing how small, challenger brands steal the attention from the goliaths with low-fi creative ideas that go viral. Over the next 2 months, I'll be highlighting the small brands doing big things and what we as marketers can learn from them, including first hand lessons from my experience leading Under Armour's Rio 2016 marketing campaign. Cheers to the challengers and underdogs.

What is "Brand?" Do you have clear and concise answer to this seemingly simple question? I'll wait ;) ... Did you struggle with an answer? It's OK, you're not alone. Over the last 15 years, I've worked with bootstrapped startups to high-growth scaleups to billion dollar businesses, and one thing is clear... Brand is the most misunderstood word in the modern marketing dictionary. This is a problem. If we don't agree on a definition, it's impossible to agree on it's value. So let's define it, once and for all! Brand is your reputation. It's what people think, feel and say about you. It's the set of beliefs that an individual or group have about your public identity. Clear, simple and tangible, right? The cool thing about a reputation is they can be shaped. This is brand marketing. More on that next week. Now, let's talk about brand value. According to Kantar's widely respected BrandZ report, the link between brand value and financial performance is undeniable. Over the last decade, companies that met the "strong brand" criteria grew by an astounding 228%, compared to just 69% for the S&P 500. (Link to my post about this report: https://lnkd.in/eDE5X66w) Pretty compelling data right, but let's simplify things... Ask yourself, when was the last time you let someone into your house you didn't trust, respect or value? A product or business is no different. No amount of promotions, discounts or sales can overcome a bad reputation aka a weak Brand. On the flip side, a strong Brand only improves the effectiveness of all other forms of marketing. - Higher ROAS - Lower CAC - Greater Profitability Punchline: The next time someone says "brand doesn't matter," ask them if their reputation matters.

TIME just announced the 100 most influential companies in the world. Here are the 7 health, fitness and sports brands that made the prestigious list and what we as marketers can learn from them... 1. Athletic Brewing Co. Why they made the list: "With NA beer sales growth far outpacing the overall beer market last year, Athletic has become the top-selling NA beer in the U.S. Since 2022, it has nearly doubled its market share and claims the top-selling beer at Whole Foods, outpacing alcoholic suds." What we can learn: Spotting big trends and building brand in new a category is the ultimate marketing strategy. 2. Inter Miami CF Why they made the list: Just 5 years into the club's existence, Inter Miami signed the biggest footballer in the world catapulting the club from a local Florida business to a global brand. What we can learn: Star power can move markets exponentially. 3. HYROX Why they made the list: Unlike CrossFit which is very hardcore, Hyrox "connects the world’s training communities with a methodology and a lifestyle that is accessible." With gym programs in 65 countries and over 260,000 people expected to take part in 60 races this year, this global community is heating up. What we can learn: Take something desirable and make it more accessible. 4. Banza Why they made the list: What started as a niche chickpea base, better-for-you pasta brand has become the #5 brand in the US after 10 years. With $30M in investment, they are ready to expand their product categories and take on international markets. What we can learn: Persistence pays off. Stay committed to the mission. 5. WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) Why they made the list: From gender pay equality to the Black Lives Matter movement, the players and league have been very outspoken about what they stand for. And with a new crop of young, talented players like Caitlin Clarke, the league is becoming a sports and cultural force. What we can learn: Stand for something bigger than your business. 6. The Good Charcoal This is my personal favorite... Why they made the list: The Good Charcoal Company sells a natural alternative to coal-based charcoal which 1) reduces environmental impact, 2) employs local farmers and restores grasslands in southeast Africa and 3) improves health by reducing the inhalation of harmful chemicals while grilling. What's not to love. What we can learn: There is always a better way. The market will reward you for it. 7. Overtime Why we they made the list: Overtime is the sport media company for future generations. With over 100 million fans across social media channels and $100M in revenue, they are poised to be a major player in the sports industry as the battle for attention intensifies. What we can learn: Social should be at the center of everything. This was a fun one to write, hope you found it useful to read. Which brand stands out most to you? Link to full list 👇

Cool social job on a super talented team with Genevieve (Gigi) Clark and Ryan Irwin