What I Learned During the NFL Playoffs
January/22/2008 Image Marketing
Once it became clear that the Pittsburgh Steelers would be out of the running for the Super Bowl, I stopped feeling guilty about rooting for New England to go all the way. Back in 1972, I had cheered on the Miami Dolphins when they broke they league record by racking up 16 consecutive wins in a single season; so it was just delicious to savor the excitement of a possible 17-win season. As was the case with the Dolphin's record-setting game, I got so nervous with the Patriot's twists and turns that I had to calm myself down by working on a slide show for Marathon's new Strategic Marketing Workshop series while I kept one eye on the game.
I couldn't help but notice the Wendy's ads that punctuated the action. Although certainly not aimed at my age demographic, something fascinated me about them. So I went to the Wendy's website and did some surfing. It was a serendipitous move, as I got lots of good examples to illustrate a point I wanted to make in the upcoming workshop program: You need to clearly define the Core Values of your business before you start to market.
Well, the longer I stayed on the site, the hungrier I got for a hamburger. It was hard not to, because I kept being drawn back to this rhythmical message: "Burgers made to order so they're always hot and juicy." Wow! What a great job of looking at a product from the consumer's point of view. The promise Wendy's was making was to give me EXACTLY what I want when I'm hungry for a hamburger. It was all I could do to keep from getting in the car. On several sections of the site, I found the company's Core Values clearly articulated. Here they are:
>At Wendy's, we're unrivaled in our passion for giving people what they want - and uncompromising in giving people what they deserve.
>At Wendy's, we won't cut corners on anything. Not on fresh, quality ingredients. Not on how we treat people. Not on giving back. And certainly not on being the defender of good taste for people everywhere.
If you take the time to dissect Wendy's current ad campaign (you can see videos of them on the site), you'll see how these Core Values run through the entire campaign.
Another part of the site that I really loved is the About Us section. When you go there, you'll find some great business advice from Wendy's Founder, the late Dave Thomas. You can read Dave's values by clicking on the graphic below, then find the "In His Values" link on mini-site tribute to Dave.
Then, get some real words of business wisdom by clicking on the "In His Words" link found on the mini-site.
My favorite Dave quote is this: "You can't have a clean floor with a dirty mop bucket. To be successful, you need to take care of the basics of your business - and that means making sure you don't overlook the little details."
Well . . . the Patriots won the game, I finished my slide show, and I confirmed that photographers can learn a lot about marketing from "the big boys." The next day I stopped at Wendy's and had a really good burger. I'm pleased to report that it was indeed made to order and definitely qualified as hot and juicy. Making promises and keeping them . . . what a great way to build a brand.