EXPERTOPINION
What’s really on the minds of branding bigwigs? We rounded up four anonymous industry leaders to give us their unflinchingly honest thoughts.
THE CEO Prominent leader of companies that are known for making a positive difference in the world THE CMO Marketing boss for a householdname business THE CCO Chief creative officer at an agency behind a slew of prominent campaigns THE OTHER CCO Head of creative at another top ad shop 1. WHICH COMPANIES GET BRANDING RIGHT?
Amazon is absolutely crushing it. Because they are risk tolerant— the team over there seems unafraid to try things. They’ve had more than their share of things that haven’t worked, but the successes are big and bold, and the customer is always first. —CMO Apple, at its best, and Airbnb. The way they market is the future. But it’s more about products that are amazing and full of wonder. Marketing can make me feel that more, but it can’t fix a crappy product. —CCO 1 Oreo and Taco Bell. They have very cheeky, authentic people working those Twitter and Instagram accounts. I like when brands feel like actual humans I want to hang with—where the tweet hasn’t gone through three [tiers] of approval. Another one is Oprah and Weight Watchers. It’s personal, authentic: “I struggle with my weight and this is what I do. I’m putting my money where my mouth is.” That’s not a spokesperson, it’s a real persona we know and love. It’s no longer just a celebrity. It’s Oprah saying, “I struggle with it, so I bought 10% of the company and this is how I roll.” —CEO
2. WHICH BRANDS ARE UNDERRATED?
Converse. It used to be 100% a sports brand, but it has become synonymous with music, fashion, and street style around the world. They really found the groove to what that brand is all about. It’s just one of the coolest brands around, even though that company was once on its deathbed. —CCO 1 In-n-out Burger. They’ve managed to create this incredible cult following without much advertising at all. It’s just been through the quality of their food and the simplicity of their brand. It’s a direct contrast to, say, what Mcdonald’s is doing, which is trying to be everything to everybody. As a fast-food company, that’s impossible. Inn-out is just who they are, and that’s refreshing. —CCO 2