Welcome to the latest issue of Cuppa, a quick-fire newsletter for internet-first brand builders. Filled with analysis on the art, science and culture of building breakout brands in a digital age, it's quick enough to read over a cuppa. (Or something stronger if you need it...no judgement!). To get it direct to your inbox every other Wednesday, subscribe here.
ART
Is brand purpose running out of steam?
The marketing world may be divided over a recent statement from Unilever's CMO of Ice Cream, Julien Barraux, that argued “product superiority is the primary driver of brand growth," which is quite contradictory to Unilever's purpose-driven strategy they've championed over the years. Leading marketing creative, Steve Harrison, also had quite a polarising take, here, which is sure to make you mull over the topic (and comments) for an hour or two. After my own pondering, it's led me to predict that with a huge, respected company such as Unilever dropping social purpose as a priority, our industry may come to a tipping point of realisation that not every product or brand has to have a responsibility to save the world. For example, remember the controversy around Hellman's Mayonnaise having a grand purpose? The reality is, people buy Hellman's because it's the superior mayo for their sandwich, so why overcomplicate it? It's true that purpose does have a place in decision making, but for the majority, product and price does come first, especially in FMCG. So that said, brands do not have to exist solely to do good, BUT they still have a responsibility to not do bad. It also shouldn't have to be the sole focus of their advertising either. Would love to have others thoughts on this…reply to this email and we can discuss!
Last week Alessandro Michele stepped down as the creative director of Gucci. It came as a shock to the industry since from the outside his signature aesthetic revived love for the brand, and according to reports, he almost tripled revenue during his tenure. But if you look a little closer, the Gucci brand Alessandro built may have been impossible to scale.
Grazer's new OOH campaign uses copy to turn heads
This week vegan dating app, Grazer, has plastered London streets with a very, witty and to-the-point campaign that plays with some negative vegan stereotypes. With a mind adjustment in perspective through just two words, the head-turning copy is just *chefs kiss* 🤌
SCIENCE
We're dedicating the Science section in this edition to a special post-BFCM blog article from our Chief Data Officer, Dan, about how to accurately measure ROI from your BFCM offers. Spoiler alert: the impressive spike in sales you achieved might be misleading…
But before you dive in, here's a light-hearted review of Black Friday subject lines to make your growth and marketing teams giggle.
How successful were you really this BFCM?
Discounts and offers are often a crucial growth tactic, particularly during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. With shoppers looking for a bargain, many brands will see a significant jump in both new customers and total revenue.
These metrics make it appear that these sales are really successful, but how do we know how truly successful these sales really are?
