Renegade Marketing

“In a world of constant noise and information overload, how can a brand deliver a message distinct enough to engage and endure?”

1. Courage Defines Distinction

To stand out in a world filled with endless options, brands need the courage to develop their own identity. Trying to appeal to everyone results in a diluted message that resonates with no one. It takes bravery to clearly define what makes your brand unique and commit to it, even at the cost of turning away other opportunities.

One story that illustrates this is JMPB Enterprise. While other flooring companies touted their broad client portfolios, JMPB specialized exclusively in private apartment carpeting. They stood apart by addressing very specific challenges—dust complaints and customized cleanups. Although narrowing their scope was risky, this focus eventually became their selling point.

Courage also means being willing to make dynamic changes when necessary. Netflix pivoted from DVD rentals to streaming, a move that required courage but ultimately led to market domination. Meanwhile, Blockbuster hesitated and didn't adapt to changing trends. For marketers and executives, being unafraid of such transformative steps is essential.

Examples

• Netflix boldly investing in streaming well before competitors.
• JMPB Enterprise focusing solely on private apartments and solving niche challenges like nightly cleanups.
• General Electric shifting its strategy to digital industrial solutions under new leadership.

2. Simplify with Artful Communication

Clear, simple communication ensures your message doesn’t get lost. Too many mission statements are verbose and confusing. A truly effective purpose statement can boil down to eight words or less and should be something anyone, even your grandmother, would understand.

Take Aetna’s slogan: “You don’t join us. We join you.” This simple phrase encapsulates their commitment to meeting customers where they are and building strong relationships. But slogans aren’t enough without actions and alignment; Aetna extended this mission by training staff and restructuring internal systems to support customer-centric values.

Artful communication also depends on visuals. For instance, at a trade show filled with muted pastels, one stall stood out by being bright orange. It attracted the most attendees because it dared to visually distinguish itself. The challenge for organizations is aligning their bold words and visuals with genuine action.

Examples

• Aetna training its entire organization in values embodied by its simple-yet-powerful slogan.
• A company using bright colors amid a sea of muted designs to attract maximum attention at exhibitions.
• A nonprofit like Mercy Corps rebranding itself based on emotional, compelling stories rooted in extensive customer feedback.

3. Inspiration Begins with Listening

Listening is a cornerstone of artful communication. Rather than coming in with preconceived ideas, effective marketers gather input from teams, clients, and customers to craft a richer brand vision. This approach involves more than hearing—it's about deeply understanding others’ needs.

Dara Royer at Mercy Corps faced resistance to her initial rebranding ideas. Instead of forcing her plans, she equipped employees to conduct research themselves, gathering valuable insight directly from the company’s stakeholders. This ensured everyone felt part of the process, leading to a shared vision that transformed the organization’s reputation.

Listen actively to both internal teams and external customers. Whether you're asking customers about their experiences or engaging staff about workplace culture, active listening builds inclusion and trust, which are the backbones of success.

Examples

• Dara Royer training Mercy Corps employees to research customer and staff needs for their brand transformation.
• Using customer reviews to identify recurring complaints and aligning these insights with product updates.
• Leadership teams regularly hosting open forums to gather honest feedback from employees.

4. Invest Thoughtfully in Employees

Employees are the backbone of any brand. Companies that prioritize training, engagement, and purpose see better customer experiences. Neglecting employees means neglecting the quality of interactions they deliver.

Deloitte, with over 400,000 employees worldwide, realized this early on. They built Deloitte University, a dedicated training facility where 65,000 employees sharpen their understanding of company values yearly. By empowering employees with education, the quality of customer service remains consistent globally.

A thoughtful, people-first approach not only boosts employee satisfaction but also directly impacts a company's perception by customers. Happy employees create happy customers, which creates loyalty and trust.

Examples

• Deloitte investing $300 million annually into training programs.
• Brands like Zappos making employee happiness a key metric, resulting in industry-leading customer satisfaction.
• Google offering personalized career development tracks to retain its top talent.

5. Build Champions Among Customers

Loyal customers—or “customer champions”—are essential allies in a brand’s growth. Instead of focusing solely on acquiring new clients, businesses should nurture relationships with their current customers.

Companies like airlines use loyalty programs effectively, granting miles and perks to their repeat customers. Beyond perks, brands also foster champions by organizing advisory boards where loyal customers share insights and feedback. This builds trust and allows them to feel invested in your company’s direction.

Special gestures, like thoughtfully curated thank-you gifts or customer appreciation events, also leave lasting impressions. Everyone likes recognition. Cultivating community and showing care can turn regular clients into lifelong ambassadors.

Examples

• Frequent flyer programs encouraging customer loyalty over decades.
• Advisory boards where customers contribute to product development or impending decisions.
• Brands delivering unique experiences like hand-written notes or exclusive access for loyal buyers.

6. Thoughtful Execution Drives Loyalty

Brand ideas mean little without well-executed actions. Marketing requires careful follow-through to deliver on promises—not just to customers but across every level of the organization.

Take the insurance behemoth Aetna, which embedded its values into daily processes and trained leadership alongside staff to adopt new mindsets. When branding aligns with daily execution, customers experience the company’s values every step of the way.

Execution doesn’t only mean big changes; it could involve responding personally to repetitive complaints picked up through online reviews. Commitment to thoughtful detail often separates enduring brands from struggling ones.

Examples

• Aetna embedding its customer-focused motto into leadership and systems training.
• Airbnb addressing trust complaints by prioritizing a robust review system for renters and hosts.
• Skillshare empowering instructors with tools and feedback loops for better course content.

7. Experiment with a Scientific Approach

Having great ideas isn’t enough; marketers must show results. The scientific method of hypothesis, measurement, and experimentation equips companies with concrete proof to drive decisions.

Data works both ways: it highlights what’s succeeding and flags what’s failing. The key lies in choosing what to measure—celebrating numbers like customer retention and staff engagement alongside traditional success metrics such as sales.

Take HubSpot, which measured customer satisfaction alongside products sold. Based on numbers, they revamped their onboarding systems, boosting customer renewals dramatically. Experimentation guided by data ultimately turns marketing theory into practical outcomes.

Examples

• HubSpot tracking customer satisfaction and translating findings into revamped product launches.
• Companies using A/B testing to experiment with messaging strategies before rolling them out widely.
• Brands assessing long-term retention, not quick profits, to refine their onboarding.

8. Foundations Before Flare

Before hurrying to apply trendy campaigns or overhauls, it's essential to build strong alignment at the leadership level. If executives don't buy into marketing as a meaningful strategy, CMOs face resistance—and short stints.

Integrating marketing across broader operations safeguards against dismissals. Leadership teams like Satya Nadella’s at Microsoft succeed by prioritizing holistic values, ensuring marketing spends align fully with business objectives.

Involving leadership at every step ensures marketing doesn’t remain decorative but becomes essential to decision-making.

Examples

• Microsoft under Nadella embedding marketing voices into operational strategies.
• Board oversight panels streamlining alignment for long-term PR choices.
• Financial brands making CSR (corporate social responsibility) campaigns integral, not performative.

9. Bring Creativity and Play Back Into Work

Marketing thrives when playfulness and creativity remain alive. Allow your team to experiment freely. Let mistakes happen harmlessly but celebrate small wins loudly.

For instance, employees tasked with creating buzz-worthy campaigns might exhibit their best ideas when offered studio-like autonomy. CRMs hosting creative competitions invite diversity-driven improvements.

Whether holding brainstorm sprints or informal coffee meetings, this mindset transforms work from rigid systems into fertile playgrounds.

Examples

• Brainstorm Olympics where competing teams craft the weirdest slogans imaginatively.
• Salesforce empowering staff champions to design “test” versions over top-down classrooms.
• Slack enhancing interoffice creativity through hybrid “off-the-books” tracks sparking innovations.

Takeaways

1. Revisit your mission statement and simplify it to eight words or fewer.
2. Invest time listening to employee and customer suggestions to foster inclusion.
3. Track the “health” of your brand—not just sales—and prioritize experiments.