Our digital team works in an open-concept office, so privacy is rather nonexistent. Those of us who remember Netscape, and are married with kids, live vicariously through our younger, single counterparts as we listen to their weekend adventures on Monday morning.
As Jake Wozniak, one of our web developers, ate his lunch one day, he couldn’t help but notice the odd smell and taste of his food. After discussing the problem with us, he called his lovely wife at home and proceeded to have this awkward conversation with her … explaining that the paintbrush she had wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator (in anticipation of continuing her project the next day) had contaminated the contents of the fridge. He didn’t want to seem to be criticizing his wife for being diligent about a household painting project; yet, he didn’t want her to unknowingly feed VOC-contaminated food to their girls for lunch either. He handled it wonderfully, though. “Wow,” I thought, “… what an awkward conversation to have with one’s spouse!” She took the news well and was not offended. It took Jake’s delicate touch and intimate knowledge to negotiate that conversation, for sure.
Then, a little later, I happened to watch this viral video called Always #LikeAGirl.
I wanted to share the video with my husband, due to the strong message about building the self-esteem of girls (we have an 8-year old daughter). However, the sponsor of the video is Always … I’m struggling to come up with a good way to describe the Always brand to you as I type. I found myself thinking, “How will my husband feel after watching the video … then seeing the Always branding at the end … will that be awkward or uncomfortable for him?”
I sent the link to him anyway. I sent it to his personal email, so co-workers won’t think he’s interested in feminine hygiene products, of course. So there you have it … a woman sharing an Always-branded video … not with one of her close girlfriends … but with her husband!
Speaking of men and marketing … Steve Ball, our founder and president, has this nice office with all sorts of memorabilia from notable marketing campaigns that the Pathfinders Advertising agency was involved with over the years, which includes a collection of Summer’s Eve products.
Summer’s Eve recently aired a “Manly Mistake” commercial which fully accomplished making an awkward product’s message more sharable, simply because of its less awkward method of delivery.
After more digging, it turns out Pathfinders has a lengthy and solid track record of effectively servicing companies and brands that have … well, awkward or uncomfortable-to-talk-about products and services. Does your company have an uncomfortable product or service? If so, we can certainly help. Here are a few companies we are either currently working with, or have played a formative role in their past branding and marketing:
Summer’s Eve® – Feminine hygiene products
Boudreaux’s Butt Paste® – Diaper rash care products
Fiber-Stat®– Laxation nutritional supplement
PHAZYME® – Anti-gas medicine
TOMCAT® – Rodent control products
Tidy Cat® – Cat litter
Nutricia® – Advanced medical nutrition
EXSURCO® Medical – Skin recovery device
Mycelex-7 – Yeast Infection Medication
Feel free to ask us to help your brand find its unique place and voice in the market. Let us provide the knowledge and expertise to build your brand and expand your reach in the marketplace.