Who would have thought a cartoon could teach you so much? But it can. I sincerely believe that you can learn a lot about branding from watching Spongebob Squarepants.
If you don't know who or what that is, let me give you a quick rundown:
Spongebob is cartoon character. He's a yellow, square shaped, impossibly positive, sea sponge that lives in the under water city of Bikini Bottom. He works at the restaurant called the Krustry Krab, serving their signature dish called the Krabby Patty. His boss is a penny pinching, giant, red crab called Eugene Krabs (Mr. Krabs to you), and his co worker is a grumpy, squid called Squidward Tentacles.
Got all that?
So what can you learn about branding from Spongebob? Lots:
Internal Branding: Employees That Champion Your Brand
Spongebob – Every business needs a Spongebob or Spongebob's as employees. These are people that are not just happy at work, but LOVE what they do. Spongebob takes great pride in what he does. He goes out of his way to service his patrons, and to push the Krusty Krab brand.
Squidward – Every business –unfortunately- has a Squidward. This is the office clock watcher, the cubical grump. They only see what is negative about a company, and making clients happy is the last thing on their minds. Squidwards must be minimized or eliminated completely from your company. Unhappy employees have no business at your business. They will kill your brand.
The lesson here: finding the right employee is essential to developing a brand from the inside out.
Brand Management: Developing Your Brand Smartly
Mr. Krabs – This should be you – the entrepreneur. Mr. Krabs enjoys his work. He is proud of his business and works hard at it. But he doesn't do the cooking or the cleaning. His job is to make his business money. He is always looking for ways to increase sales, and to cut wasteful spending. He only spends to get more.
Krusty Krab – The best restaurant in town, and it has a wonderfully memorable name (hint, hint). The Krusty Krab is run efficiently, like a perfectly tuned watch. Mr. Krabs spends all his time ensuring that it is full to capacity. In real life it is your business.
What can you learn from Mr. Krabs? That your company should almost run itself, that you should spend your time growing your brand, and that you should invest wisely in your marketing.
Your Brand: Be Unique or Go Home
Krabby Patty – It is the only reason that people eat at the Krusty Krab. It is their signature dish. In real life, your Krabby Patty is your product or service. Your employees should know it by heart and love making or doing it. It should be delicious. It should be beautiful. It should be sought after. It should be perfect.
The Secret Formula – The Krabby Patty isn't just any other patty. It has a secret formula that makes it special, and makes Mr. Krabs very wealthy. It is so sought after that Mr. Krabs actually has an arch-nemesis that keeps trying to steal his formula. Your business has to have a secret formula. It has to have something that makes it unique. Coke has its 'ingredient X', KFC has its secret recipe of herb and spices.
The lesson here: your brand and business has to stand out. It has to offer something that no one else does. Being unique is the ultimate selling point.
Sounds weird to admit, but every time I watch Spongebob I learn more and more about marketing. Watch it sometime, and you'll be amazed at what you will learn!
Yusuf Gad
President, a5MEDIA inc
No comments:
Post a Comment