Branding. Live by it. If your brand ain’t working for you, it ain’t working. Join us as I chat with David Lemley of Retail Voodoo on how to get your brand squared away. And then of course, it is off to the welders with you so you can get one for your cattle! JK, we freeze brand them now.
Brand Strategist and agency principal David Lemley thrives at the intersection of culture and the outdoors and proves meaningful impact isn’t relegated to Manhattan. David helped put the Pacific Northwest on the map as a thought leader in design, working with brands that are ambitious, fearless, and out to change the world. He believes that brand should inspire deep and meaningful connections with real people and enthusiastically do good.
David Lemley has had a creative and strategic hand in shaping some of the world’s most iconic brands including Starbucks, REI, Pampers, and Nintendo. As the Founder and Chief Strategist of Seattle-based Retail Voodoo, David is on a mission to help better-for-you brands win customer’s hearts, minds, and souls. He partners with marketers, investors, and founder-owners to unlock the power of their brand’s promise to engage consumers, spark innovation, identify opportunity, and drive exponential growth.
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David Lemley published his first book, Beloved and Dominant Brands: The Brand Ecosystem that Drives Better-for-you Brands from One of Many to Category Prominence, a highlight of the very first model David and Retail Voodoo uses in their brand strategy development process.
Some of the questions David and Brian discuss include:
As you listen, you’ll learn about a mutual colleague whom David counts as a major influence on his thinking and interviews in Beloved and Dominant Brands.
A pioneer in retail with a purpose, talks about the upsurge in healthier products and how to create a brand for long-term success.
As consumer interest in health, wellness and sustainability has lifted better-for-you brands out of the dark corners of stores to become a mainstream phenomenon in every category, marketers have gravitated to founders’ stories and social missions to attract the attention purpose-driven consumers.
And while branding expert David Lemley argues in his new book Beloved & Dominant Brands that this is good because “the world needs more companies devoted to environmental sustainability, transparency in sourcing, clean ingredients, fair wages and ethical practices,” he also notes that “good isn’t enough” to sustain a company long-term in today’s competitive food and beverage marketplace.
On Episode 98, David Lemley is back to continue our chat about retail marketing. This time we focus on his time early on at Starbucks, which taught him a lot. He takes that education with him today to help him current client roster. There are some valuable lessons in David’s story—plus he gives us a look at the future.
Sustainable brand growth that attracts future shoppers will be tied to ethical practices including conscientious human-like characteristics. Aligning with mission-based causes, Citizen Brandhood is the focus of David’s new book, Beloved & Dominant Brands.
Welcome. The primary thing that sets natural brands apart from their mainstream competitors is the Achilles heel of their competition. Let me explain. Mainstream brands, retailers, and solution providers tend to commoditize the natural consumer. They tend to commoditize the way that everyone shops, and the stores that you shop in. Let me explain. Big companies tend to think of their consumers as all being the same. Very generic, if you will. In other words, female, head of household, 2.3 kids, et cetera. There’s not a lot of differentiation. I believe that this is one of the fundamental reasons why they struggle so much at retail.
I’ve talked a lot about how natural brands are responsible for sustainable growth across every category and every channel. In fact, on every single podcast page, there’s a link to the 2016 feature article that I wrote for the 2016 Management Handbook. The point is this, in the absence of natural organic, every category would be flat or declining. This is why natural organic products are so important to mainstream retailers, and why so many mainstream brands are acquiring them.
So, why does this matter? Because they’re trying to understand that unique consumer that buys your products. They’re trying to tap into that magic that you have, in terms of your ability to relate to and connect with that consumer. Now the reality is that understanding who this core consumer is, takes a lot more than just simply acquiring a company. This is your greatest opportunity to differentiate yourself from your mainstream counterparts. This is your greatest opportunity to stand out on a crowded shelf. And more importantly, if you leverage this properly, this is going to give you a significant and sustainable competitive advantage at retail.
In other words, retailers want three things. They want more traffic in their store, they want a reasonable profit, and they want a competitive advantage in their market. You have the opportunity to provide that by educating the retailer about that unique consumer that your product drives into the stores.
This is why today’s show matters. This should be at the heart and soul of your brand positioning. This is the foundation that you need to be building your brand on. And today’s special guest is the absolute perfect person to help communicate this to you. You’re going to want to stay tuned.
Join us as David Lemley shares his insights and knowledge. On each episode JV interviews a marketer, successful entrepreneur, or expert on how to grow your business and reach your First Million. This is the show for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to create a positive impact and make their First Million.
Discover the insider secrets as JV interviews the World’s Top Marketing Experts! On each episode, you get coaching from JV Crum III, MBA, JD, MS Psy and his guests. Conscious Millionaire Podcast provides you with the mindset and strategies you need to rapidly grow your business.
Today’s guest… David Lemley is a man on a mission. A mission to help today’s ideology-driven better-for-you brands decide where to play and how to win. Through research, innovation, brand strategy, brand positioning, he believes there is a better, mission-driven approach to becoming a powerful brand.
Brand Strategist
Answer: What way would you like to disrupt your industry?
On Episode 97, we have David Lemley in to chat about marketing in retail—he calls it retail voodoo. David was an early employee at Starbucks, and that experience taught him a lot. His company, Retail Voodoo, does brand strategy for specialty food and beverage brands. David’s expertise in brand strategy, innovation, consumer markets, and consumer behavior is deep, so I wanted to talk to him about retail marketing, what the retail landscape looks like, and of course Starbucks (which we get to in part two). But in part one, we get the low down on Retail Voodoo.
Marketing is fun and these 2 guys who have experienced all sides of it in the trenches bring that in each and every podcast. One comes with a data background, while the other focuses more on the creative. Together, they both love Top Gun way too much…
Expect insight and laughter as they take you through marketing industry news and best practices in the most unique way possible. Hosted by AVP of Marketing Jeff Baker, whose research has been featured on Moz, and VP of Content Francis Ma, who has more than 10 years of experience working with creatives and clients.
“The brand has changed from goods and services to a building block of personal identity.” David Lemley knows this first hand. Twenty years ago he led the team that helped Starbucks grow from a boutique coffee shop to a brand many have cited on this show as one that makes them smile consistently. Today, at his company Retail Voodoo, he helps food and beverage brands stand out while also standing for something in the hearts and minds of those they serve. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.
Building the Starbucks brand. Twenty years ago, David led the brand team that helped transform Starbucks into a brand most interact with daily. His challenge: how does Starbucks plug into everyday life? “We started with the words, concepts, and rituals.” Today, they’re still using the toolbox David helped define. He also shared this touching story on how Starbucks continues to make a difference today.
Usable tools are critical to building standout brands …
“We want to write the first version of the song but we want to teach everyone to sing it. And we want everyone to scat with it.” For those new to the term ‘scatting,’ this is a form of improvised vocal jazz. David reminded us all that brand builders need to create tools that other team members can take and build and change.
Marketing above and below the waterline. “Most of us spend too much time up in the tippy-top trees of social,” instead of getting down, below the waterline at the deeper issues that impact your brand such as audience, positioning, and culture.
“I’m a student of marketing but I don’t yet say I’m a marketer.” David frames his life and work this way because marketing is changing rapidly. Because of this, he’s learning constantly.
What brand has made David smile recently? Bulletproof. “They’re the bio-hacker’s spirit guide.” This is a key building block in David’s own personal identity. They also allow him to put butter and coconut oil in his coffee!
