What can Kraft Canada teach us about business
Image via walrusmagazine.com
Just finished reading an interesting story in the Sep 2012 issue of the Walrus Magazine. Did you know that Kraft Dinner is the top-selling grocery item in Canada and de facto our national dish? The question is: how did they do it? If you have time, please read the entire article. If not, here’s in their own words how they did it:
By 1973, Kraft Canada was the largest single advertiser in Canadian magazines and, with General Foods, the biggest advertiser on television. Tom Quinn, a former Kraft Canada president, told Menzies, “If we did anything right, it was merchandising and advertising. We created the demand.”
My 2¢: What can Kraft Canada teach us about business? How much time do I have? Not much? OK:
Marketing is the flywheel of your business.
Why? Because it can help create and sustain awareness about your business.
And awareness precedes choice.
And choice precedes sales.
And sales make it possible for a business to exist.
In his excellent book titled Word of Mouth Marketing, Andy Sernovitz said that organic word of mouth springs naturally from the positive qualities of your company. The opposite concept according to Sernovitz is amplified word of mouth, which is started by an intentional campaign to get people talking. The sooner you make yourself familiar the amplified word of mouth marketing, the better.
You must create a constant stream of opportunities for your target audience to experience your brand. And why must you do this constantly? Three reasons:
a. Repetition is a convincing argument.
No matter how acute an experience, our memory of it fades over time.
b. In today’s digitally-powered world, media consumption is continuous, and decision making is continuos.
c. If big businesses such as Kraft Canada take such things seriously—how can you afford not to?
Sep 12, 2012