The September Edit

This month’s edit should come with a disclaimer that I made the final edits on an Italian train without proper sleep or my essential protein packed breakfast and cappuccino combo. As a creature of habit… especially in terms of my morning routine, I am insufferable in this moment.  This is a circumstance where I am almost too primal to connect with my creative, which isn’t ideal since I not only have to finish up this blog, but also write a speech for my best friend’s rehearsal dinner. What comes next will be a real gamble. 

With that said, as someone who has been fortunate enough to have had not one, but two big euro trips this summer, I try to keep my champagne problems in perspective and find beauty or even comedy in moments like this, but in a parallel reality there can be an involuntary guilt that comes with recreational travel – especially in a moment of professional momentum. Despite my best efforts to prepare to stay on top of my content while out of the country, it is the first thing that slips through the cracks. 

If I am being entirely honest, I can typically table that guilt, but many competitive feelings have surfaced for me this month. With more people talking about our industry online, I feel the need to do more to get ahead. The initial comparison leads to momentary feelings of insecurity, but it also inspires me to be better and know that there is plenty of demand for more conversations about our craft. We are on the brink of something big and it is only the beginning. Which is why it is equally important to enjoy an Aperol spritz while living la dolce vita in preparation to come back and hit the ground running. 

A Tasteful Truth – Your brand should expect backlash if you take something away from your audience without replacing it with something of equal or greater value. The Cracker Barrel rebrand is the perfect case study of this. People weren’t actually upset that the Cracker Barrel man was removed from the logo… before a few weeks ago, it had been a lifetime since there had even been mention of the brand let alone the guy from the logo??  The Cracker Barrel team just made a massive mistake in hiring a marketing agency that didn’t think to consider the primal instinct us humans have to need something immediately in return of another thing being taken away from us. I can guarantee if you took the Cracker Barrel logo, removed the man, and put a more relatable character, with a good story in his place (ie.Cracker Barrel Grandma iykyk) that people wouldn’t have been up in arms, which is exactly why Cracker Barrel was right in knowing that now was the time for a rebrand. It is just the way they executed that was all wrong. 

Merch Moments:

Benihana Merch (giveaways VS proper merch) – After going to Benihana for my 31st birthday… and stealing a soup spoon, I purchased some Benihana merch. Now, let me tell you, I have never been more enthralled to spend $25 on a Port & Company long sleeve tshirt in my life because this shirt had the world renowned Benihana chicken fried rice recipe on it. However, when I received it, the quality of the shirt itself was definitely lacking. A stiffer cotton shirt has never been put on my body before, but what the shirt lacked in quality, it made up for in messaging. When I wore it, I received many comments on it – the sure sign of a good promotional product.

With that said, I would expect Benihana, a unique experience and a special occasion hot spot, to have a more thoughtful merch strategy. I don’t say this to throw shade at Port & company, but to bring light to fact that in the eco system of our industry every shirt has its own role to play. Some shirts are meant to be given away, folded in a drawer, and worn at home, while others are elevated enough to feel retail, be styled, and put on a hanger…. proper merch. As MERCH GIRLYs it is our job to inform our clients of the difference and make sure they produce their lines accordingly with intention.

Sorority Rush Tok Merch – As a retired sorority GIRLY, watching rushtok videos (especially anything from a Zeta chapter) is everything I wish professional women’s sports could be. Women being fully appreciated and recognized for the talent, intention, and efforts they are putting into putting themselves out there entirely in one of the most competitive environments known to man. If you look at the number of impressions on one work week video compared to a whole season of the WBNA, the women’s sport that seems to be getting the most ad spend these days, you’ll see a massive difference of not only engagement, but emotional investment. This disparity shows me a massive opportunity for sponsorships with potential of that of a professional sports team, which is extremely inspiring.

I look at that these young women and see future marketing GIRLYs that are putting on full productions that deserve more recognition aside from, doing it for funsies and creating relevant experience for their future career paths, but legitimate sponsorship. The marketing strategy that goes into planning, executing, and distributing this content is that of a fortune 500 company without the cushy resources. It is not just a dance in front of a house, but if you dissect it, you will find many fine details. It is almost like an art installation where you look at a different angle and you see something entirely new, the theme, the positioning, the talent, and of course the branding all come together to make these viral productions.

Football for Marketing Girlies – One of my go-to truths for two truths and a lie is the fact that I have won a fantasy football league before… and I was the only GIRLY in the league which proves I haven’t always dreaded the start of the football season. Actually quite the opposite. Not only is the is best time of year seasonally, but as someone who grew up playing competitive sports, I have always appreciated getting into the storylines of the players, the games, and the lore of the season. My displeasure moreso stems from the fact that I live in a Redzone house. For the GIRLYs that don’t understand, Redzone is a channel that hops from game to game all day, every Sunday, as different teams get into the “redzone”, 20 yards from the endzone. This is typically where teams are most likely to make big plays and ultimately makes it easiest for fanatic fantasy football fanatics, such as my husband, to watch their players score points. However, for those without a fantasy football team (me) it takes the best part out of consuming football… watching Taylor Swift in a box at the Chiefs’ game... and the narrative of the individual games. 

But this season will be different, I plan to lean into the lore once more and observe the season through the lens of a marketing GIRLY. Everyone talks about the commercials the Superbowl, and I’m not one for participation prizes, but there should not only be an honorable mention for the strategy and ad spend the 17 weeks leading up to it, but also an analysis of what these brands are doing to differentiate in a competitive space.  

Mantra of the Month:

Discipline and Balance - The best way to get everything you want is to consistently work towards that goal each and every day. It sounds simple, and it is, but in practice, consistency is complicated. Life happens are there will be many days where you just REAAALLLLY don’t want to exert the energy to be a “goal getter”.  Many people will tell you to fight through this feeling and push yourself to do it anyway, but I say this is where you must take a balanced approach to consistency. It may seem counterintuitive, but this is the type of day you need to figure out how to just show up in some capacity. 

For a high achiever like yourself, you are conditioned to want to conquer the world every day, and you find that you CAN push yourself to your typical highest performance even on the hard days. But constantly playing mental gymnastics and forcing yourself to go past your limits will eventually lead to burnout. 

Instead, on the hard days, I recommend you look to identify the lowest lift, get it done, celebrate yourself when you realize it wasn’t THAT hard, and then take whatever restorative time you need to be able to get back into the full swing of things. This allows you to still feel like a winner and leave the field ready to take a moment for yourself. From there, you will be able to show up in practice the next day ready to get back into swing of things and take on even bigger challenges. Proving that discipline doesn’t have to be so rigid, it becomes sustainable after you prove to yourself that you can do hard things every day no matter how big or small!