⏯ Not repeating enough

Ahoi everyone!

I hoped nobody would notice that I skipped a week. But that plan didn't work out. Oops.🫣 It's probably for the best, as not being missed would mean I'm not doing a good job. And thankfully, that's NOT the feedback I receive from you all. So with fresh vibes, here's a brand-new newsletter!

Welcome to this Branding Donkeys Newsletter that is sent every week until I decide to stop. We have again some new subscribers here. Thank you for that! Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them either to subscribe here or to be more curious about life. 👋

➡️ Entrepreneurship : About my new business idea

I pitched you a new business idea about mentoring and coaching junior marketers while they run your marketing business. Because seniors are too expensive and not operational enough, and juniors need guidance and strategic advice, otherwise they leave. Ideally, you have both, which would be doable and payable in my new model. The reactions were numerous and extremely positive. That's already a first test passed! That means I definitely need to act on this. It's also kind of crazy how things are getting clearer every day. The lesson I learn from this is:

1. Express your idea (for that, you need to be able to articulate it and therefore think about it)

2. Suddenly, you have a product and it sells!

I'll keep you posted about the next steps!! Meanwhile, I’m working with this Notion Queen—or should we call her Notion Nerd?—to develop a Notion Marketing Board to help structure your marketing calendars and content. Is this also a good idea you think?

➡️ Marketing: Top Topicals are the GOAT

I work on topical calendars for various clients because tapping into recognizability and life in general is for me low-hanging fruit. There are so many easy goals to score. Just playfully engage with current events and your brand suddenly seems so likable! Look at Samsung Galaxy this week, how they responded to Apple's failed campaign.

Apple previously posted a campaign claiming that you don't need anything more in life than an iPad. Musical instruments, paint, game consoles, anything remotely related to creativity is all in your iPad. You need nothing else. Here is Samsungs response sending a message that 'creativity cannot be crushed’. Nice diss :-)

➡️ Brandlove: You’re not repeating yourself enough !!

Behind every single successful brand lies repetition. You have Nike’s “Just Do It”. Apple’s “Think Different”. Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again”…. We could go on forever. Every single successful brand, every single successful political campaign… They repeat just one or two ideas over and over again, and that repetition plays a critical role in their success.

Most of us feel repetitive and uninteresting if we say the same thing more than once. Of course we do! We take the things we know for granted. To say them even once feels unnatural enough. But other people can’t read our minds. They don’t even know what we do on a daily basis. How we can help them or what we think about certain things. Heck, even if we tell them, chances are it won’t stick the first time.

Repetition creates stickiness. That’s how you can stay continually top of mind with your audience. For example, when people think of ketchup, they automatically think of Heinz. This strong association, and their ability to demonstrate and utilize it in an advertisement, is precisely why Heinz claims the top spot in my brand love ranking this week. ⭐️

➡️ Leadership: Stop micromanaging and have some fun

The best marketing comes from teams with the best culture.
In some former jobs, i’ve experienced working in a culture of fear, which destroys confidence which is not creative. For me creativity is cultivated in a fun and happy atmosphere... And by that I don’t mean a pingpongtable.

People often mistake fun with unserious. Fun helps creative people do their best work, which can really make a difference in the company's success. A good work culture boosts creativity and teamwork. It also makes everyone feel proud of what they do. On the other hand, a micromanaged, dull environment will only lead to people who just do their job and watch the clock until it’s time to leave at 5 every day.

Do you follow the Instagram of Duolingo? This is a team that really enjoys life. Hahaha. It’s crappy, but fun and effective. 🎯

➡️ To read: I can't network, but I want to.

My week is already packed with appointments and work (and nooo, I feel a strong cold coming on), so apparently, I don’t really have an issue with networking. Moreover, I genuinely enjoy it! Talking, learning from each other, and inspiring one another—I don’t see what’s tiring or stressful about that. But apparently, there’s a large part of humanity that hates networking. I recently received a book (am I a bookfluencer now?): 'I can’t network, but I want to.' The book is in Dutch and co-written by the ladies of Studio Maria, whom I know from my time at Maison Slash. I believe this book is the push many people need to start leveraging the power of their network. So, that's why it's my tip of the week!

My sister-in-law confided in me last weekend that she reads my newsletters every week. Even though she has nothing to do with marketing or communications, she enjoys reading them. Of course, she initially subscribed out of courtesy, because, well, that's what you do for family. But the fact that she genuinely enjoys it is a wonderful compliment. My in-laws are French-speaking, which is one reason why I communicate in English in this bilingual country. She told me she feels a bit hesitant to respond. So, here's a message to lower that barrier: feel free to respond in your own language—Dutch, French, English, and even a bit of German or Spanish—go ahead. I'm so glad you all are here.

See you next week!
x Ingrid