Month: November 2013

A recent article in Fortune reported that Wells Fargo is investing heavily in horses — not as an investment commodity, but as an advertising strategy.  The brokerage firm now has 200 horses and 14 drivers who will make 450 appearances this year, pulling the Wells Fargo stagecoach in parades, rallies and community events.  (The famous Clydesdales only have 122 events.)  

In this day of high tech, digital-everything and pervasive messaging, it seems that Wells Fargo thinks a return to simplicity will be most effective in breaking through the clutter.  Live horses and a stagecoach certainly will be a novelty and garner awareness of the firm; whether it drives anyone to use their services is another question.

But is there a lesson you can take from Wells Fargo’s attempt to return to its roots?  Do you have an iconic logo that you can capitalize on?  Can you add a live mascot or other attention-getting vehicle to your marketing strategy?  

In these media-saturated times, hearkening back to your roots may be an effective way to reach audiences.  It may seem old-fashioned, but real often trumps virtual in creating a “wow factor” about your organization.

Source:  Battle of the Corporate Steeds, by Daniel Roberts, Fortune, November 18, 2013

Yesterday I wrote about the new line of Disney paints.  And where is this high-end magic available?  Only at Walmart, the low-end discounter.  Not what I would have suspected.

Disney’s mission is “to be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information.  Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world.”  

Does it sound like a line of paints fit with that mission?  Is paint an entertainment experience or “related product”?  I think the word profitable is what is driving this business decision.  

In Good to Great, Jim Collins wrote that successful companies will have more opportunities than they can handle, and the trick will be sticking with only those that fit with their core mission and goals.  I think Disney should have let Glidden market black paint as black paint, not as Mickey Ears, and stayed in the entertainment field.  

Be wary of letting opportunity or profit drive your expansion if it takes you away from your core.  Like the witch’s apple for Snow White, giving in to temptation can have its consequences.

For a long time, the number of available paint colors has been expanding so that you can find latex in every color imaginable.  Now Disney has taken this to a whole new level and developed a line of paint with many of the colors that they have imagined and people have come to love.

Instead of black, you can now buy a paint called Mouse Ears.  Red is Lightening McQueen, the star of Cars.  There is an aqua Sulley’s Fur.  Orange is So Goofy.  A light green is Tinker Bell and the grey is Blustery Day.  It is an entire pallet of colors that fit their tag line “every color tells a story.”  Even without my identification, you would instantly know that Silly Old Bear was a yellow, A Shirt for Pooh was red and Eeyore’s Rain Cloud was a dark gray.  

Of course Disney wouldn’t be satisfied with ordinary paint — they had to add some magic to it.  So you can buy a glitter topcoat (that makes the wall “a flourish of shimmering glitter”), a confetti topcoat for more pronounced sparkle, metallic paint, chalkboard paint and glow in the dark colors.  All of these are necessary to recreate the elaborate designs that are suggested — such as Pixie Hollow with glowing Tinker Bells and princess gowns that sparkle.

It is another example of brand extension — taking one aspect of your business or organization and parlaying that into an entire new line of offerings.  On one hand, it makes sense to capitalize on selling black paint for a premium by giving it a Mickey label.  On the other hand…

See tomorrow’s blog for part 2