The BIG Kahuna

Here’s another funny post by word of mouth guru Andy Sernovitz:

“Word of Mouth Big Idea:? You can build an entire brand around one great reason to talk. Everybody’s Nuts has a great word of mouth topic built right into their brand: Find an unopened pistachio and they give you a whole bag for free.”

Apparently that’s what Andy considers a brand? Find an unopened nut is apparently THE brand. Gosh it really pains me when people who obviously know nothing about branding make these statements.

Although that’s a nice marketing tactic it is hardly the brand of the company. Least I hope not because I’ll guarantee if I interviewed California Pistachios eaters they won’t, repeat, won’t list unopened nuts as the primary reason they wouldn’t eat them or wouldn’t?purchase them.

It’s a really cute marketing tactic that may engage customers who buy the product. Matter of fact it’s very hard to even find this guarantee on their website. Go to their site and find it…How many clicks or how much time?did it take to find the guarantee?

I perceive their positioning as California Pistachios that are very healthy. They claim to have the highest levels of Phytosterols ( full of fiber, B6 and antioxidants).? There is where the real brand identity lies, not the gimmicky guarantee that Andy claims the brand can be built around.

I actually really think Everbody’s Nuts did a great job of differentiating through many tactics. I know because I eat California Pistachios daily (I love them). I may give these guys a try just based on their different, unique flavors but not because I want to hunt through the bag and find an unopened nut.

The guarantee is a great idea as it makes it fun and engaging. Here’s a letter from them to a client that found an unopened pistachio:

Click to enlarge

They’ve also branded a mascot “Stach” to bring some life to their brand. Here’s the deal, differentiating yourself and developing a brand identity is the KEY to successful branding. But banking on a word of mouth tactic to build your brand? I wouldn’t recommend it.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 12:59 pm and is filed under Branding News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.