The Future of Marketing & 5 Brands That Are Leading The Way

Want to know the latest marketing hack that will boost your revenue and popularize your brand? Well, plot twist the best growth hack out there is knowing that there is no way to hack growth at all. I know, right? The truth is, in order for businesses to thrive in today's market, they need to unlearn all of those hacks and tactics from the Mad Men's suit and ties, boardrooms and Whiskey era of marketing and instead instead adopt a people first and values based approach to marketing. So in today's video I'm going to explain the basics of this philosophy and why it is so freaking important as I count down five of the brands that are leading the way and shaping the future of marketing. Can you guess number one? Stay tuned. Hey posse, what's up? It's Alex coming at you this week with another tutorial to help you master the world of modern marketing, copywriting and branding. But first, if you're new to the crew, welcome. If learning about digital marketing methods that are working today sounds interesting to you, then you know what to do. Be sure to subscribe below and don't forget to hit that bell to be notified when my next video goes live. Now let's get right into this video. Gone are the days of claiming to hold certain morals, ethics and values, but failing to back them up with a brand experience. Experience that really radiates and embodies those values. If you want to sell a lot of products or services in today's market, then you need to join what I like to call the new school of modern marketing. Marketing that puts people first. Marketing that leads with values, not hype or misleading claims. Marketing that sells with real stories and connections, not fear mongering and fake scarcity. That the sad truth is there are a ton of amazing brands and businesses out there with amazing products and services and killer missions that aren't doing as well as they could be doing because they have followed bad marketing advice and it is not their fault. They just don't know any better. Unfortunately, many businesses still think that if they want to make money then they really need to use those direct response marketing tactics from the 70s. So they either do that or they don't do any marketing at all because it feels gross to them or they're just not vibing with that sort of selling strategy. Well, I am here to tell you that there is a better way you can sell your products and services without selling out on your integrity. And I promise if you follow this people first approach to marketing, chances are pretty good that you'll sell way more products than you ever did following those old school methods. Now, before I get too deep down this rabbit hole, let me be perfectly clear. I am not throwing shade on the direct response marketers from the 70s. In fact, a lot of those men and women were pioneering and incredibly brilliant, amazing geniuses. Really laid the foundation for everything we do today. I myself started in marketing and direct response marketing. But what I am saying is that the market today is vastly different than it was in the 70s. According to one survey, 87% of people want a more meaningful relationship with brands, but only 17% think brands are actually delivering on that. The market has spoken. And frankly, it's no longer enough to have the cheapest product or the best promotion on Black Friday Friday. The competition is too fierce and the market is too flooded. And these positioning strategies are no longer the driving factor behind many buying decisions. Instead, today's customers are seeking out more meaningful relationships with the brands and businesses they want to do business with. They don't want to just buy your product and then be on their merry way. They want to actually build a relationship with their favorite brands. Brands who share their values, brands they trust, brands they can relate to, and brands that make them feel seen, valued and heard. And this is the new school school of modern marketing. And if brands want to stay relevant in today's market, then it's time to learn the ropes. Not only does this values led marketing strategy outperform more traditional tactics, it also feels way better and produces a higher ROI and customer lifetime value. And I have brands with examples to back this up. So starting off with number five on my list of brands that are leading the way in the future of marketing is Under Armour. So when Under Armour wanted to appeal to more women in their marketing, they knew that having a great product alone was not going to get them there. While brands like Lululemon and Nike really spent time nurturing their female audience, the majority of women actually rejected Under Armour completely associating the brand as meatheaded, aggressive, purely performance driven and definitely not for me. Yeah, Under Armour knew that if they wanted to draw in more women to their brand that was born out of football and historically connected to alpha male custom, they were going to have to speak to women on a much deeper level. They were going to have to speak to their core values and emotions. Enter the I Will what I Want campaign, which highlighted real women fighting for what they want and achieving success on their own terms. And it wasn't just about sports apparel and working out, but what it really means to be a woman in the 21st century. In a culture obsessed with debating what a woman should be and how we should look and how we should dress, the only way for her to free herself from the pressure is to define success success on her own terms. And so the tagline became the Under Armour woman doesn't need permission because she has will. The campaign was a huge success, resulting in a 28% sales increase in the female demographic. Now you might be thinking, okay Alex, that all sounds fine and good, but Under Armour is a massive brand with a huge marketing budget and a whole team of experts to roll this out. So how do I actually do that with my brand and make money? What does this really look like? Well, let me show you. Let's take a look at a few brands that are really walking the talk and are great examples of this modern approach to values led marketing. So that brings me to number four on my list. Telfar. Telfar Global is a non binary brand that has basically taken the fashion world by storm. And honestly, they are shaking up the way all brands, not just fashion, think about marketing. The designer behind the brand, Telfar Clemens, is a queer Liberian American designer who has been advocating for inclusivity for years before it was ever mainstream, particularly advocating for the black and queer communities that are typically left out of big fashion brands and marketing campaigns. The designer is very clear with the label's purpose of not for you, for everyone and stands behind this statement by striving to make the products financially accessible for everyone. But my favorite thing about the brand is the way they are reimagining the customer experience to drive more interaction and engagement within their community. They have something. This is something so genius called Telfar tv. So consumers who want to buy a Telfar bag actually need to tune into Telfar TV and watch for a QR code to pop up on the channel, which then will take them directly to a link to make their purchase. The idea is that only fans who are really invested in the label will actually wait that long for the QR code and then go ahead and purchase, rather than having all of their merchandise available through E commerce. Where bots have been known to buy hundreds of Telfar totes at a time. You might think that doing business this way would really hurt the brand's bottom line, but the reality is actually so much. The brand has done such a great job of speaking to their customers and building that strong community that even though it might seem harder to make a purchase, their totes have been known to sell out in seconds. Yes, seconds. You cannot go to their site to buy one right now. They now have thousands of people pre ordering their totes and it has really become the it bag that everyone is seeking. Even Oprah and Beyonce are fans of the brand. And this is what's possible when you really stay true to your values and make your community feel heard and seen and valued. And notice that even though demand is skyrocketing, Telfar is not raising the price because they really stand behind their core value that fashion should be accessible for everyone. All right, moving on to number three on my list, Next Gen. So Next gen is a female ran brand that is completely revolutionizing something that we all do but hate. Yes, I am talking about taxes. So instead of dishing out the usual generic tax advice and trying to sound all business y with the big guys, they really understood understand that new business owners are often overlooked in the tax world and there is a big gap where trust and experience is missing. So using this fresh perspective, feminine energy and attention to the small guys who will someday become the big guys, which of course is their mission. Next Gen aims to create and educate underestimated founders and turn them into the next generation of ultra successful entrepreneurs. Whoo. I just got goosebumps. And their values, which are clearly laid out on their website, are what really stand out to me. And especially in the tax world where things are naturally all about money. I mean, just one scroll through their Instagram page and you'll see that they're drastically different from most tax and accounting firms you'll find online. They even directly call out their industry and say yeah, sometimes financial management can be a little bit shady. Even going as far as to say if you want what's always been done, then we're not for you. This is the epitome of what I mean when I say polarity is a good thing. Remember, if you try to sell to everyone, you'll sell to nobody. So don't be afraid to ruffle a few feathers and show up authentically as you. That is how you attract your audience of loyal subscribers. All right, next up, number two on my list, need essentials. So here's an amazing brand that is really walking the walk and showing what it means to live out your core values and plot twist. One of the ways they do this is through sustainable advertising and not paying for all types of advertising. Yes, seriously, they say we are focused on minimizing our impact on the environment. We do not produce things you don't need to like advertising materials, packaging and single use plastics. By letting go of all those non essentials and Delivering our products directly to you, we can make a world class wetsuit at a fraction of the price. It's about having less stuff and more freedom. So even though the brand doesn't spend as much money on advertising as other brands, thanks to its strong values and word of mouth marketing, it has quickly built itself a thriving reputation in the surf community and now has an incredible loyal fan base of committed customers. And that brings me to number one on the list. Did you guess it? It is Patagonia. All right. You know that I could not include Patagonia on this list. While they might not be an up and coming brand, they have been all over the headlines recently thanks to what we're talking about today. Walking the walk and putting actions where your values are. So you probably saw their post on Instagram because literally everyone shared it, including me. It went absolutely viral and I totally believe it should have. And it said, we've always been dead serious about saving our home planet and now we're putting the entire business where our mouth is. Oh my gosh, I just got so many goosebumps. They then linked to an article on their website where they announced something incredible that after almost 50 years in business, Patagonia owner and his family would be surrendering all ownership of the brand, valued at about $3 billion to two entities that will divert profits towards combating climate change and protecting undeveloped land. This. This is how you show up with integrity as a brand and stand behind your values. This is so legit. Patagonia. I'm in love with you. This is the ultimate way for a brand to really bring together and rally its existing fan base around a cause while simultaneously attracting thousands of new lifelong fans and brands who hold the same values. Well done. Now, do you need to go to this extreme in order to practice values led marketing? No, of course, course not. Especially if you're just getting started or you're a small business. But this is an excellent reminder that customers love to see brands take action towards their values and beliefs. Remember, it's not enough to just throw together a website and put all your values on there. You have to actually show up and demonstrate those values and everything your business does at every single marketing touch point, from how you do business to how you communicate with your customers, and even down to your everyday messaging. Every single aspect of your brand should radiate your values and self, speak directly to your ideal customer. This is how you bring your brand into cult status and create irrational, loyal customers that'll come back again and again and again, no matter what else is out there on the market even if it's more expensive than your competition. Because they aren't just out there for the product or service, they are there for the brand and the experience they have with every single interaction. Pretty cool right? Now, if you are wondering how to actually implement everything we talked about today and create your own branding that follows the this people first values led approach to modern marketing, you're definitely gonna wanna click below to join my email list because I am planning something very, very special in the near future and you're definitely gonna wanna be the first to know about it. All right guys, that's all I have for you today. Until next time, I'm Alex. Ciao for now. All right guys, if you enjoyed that video, make sure to check out the next one from me right here. And you can click right here to get a free gift. Want to know how to create an audience of raving fans without having to spend thousands of dollars on big promotions or fancy marketing strategies? Well then there is one very important thing that you must get right and it has nothing to do with your business plan or how long you've been around or how many people are on your email list or even how good your marketing is. I know, shocker. But I am talking about one very important thing called branding. And in this video, I'm going to walk you through a simple five step branding exercise that can help you create a unique brand voice and keep your customers coming back again and again. Stay tuned.