We hope your Friday is going well! As for us, the sun is shining in west Michigan and today is National Puppy Day, so we are feeling pretty good.
For this week’s edition of Our Favorite Headlines, we sort of (definitely) ran with the puppy theme. But first, let’s talk business – this week’s roundup includes two important reads: an article that breaks down how to be a true business storyteller and a look at brand longevity featuring Guinness. On the lighter side, we’ve got a list of some of the best advertisements featuring pups, a total fluff-piece (see what we did there?) filled with puppy photos, and a few ways that living with dogs can contribute to wellness.
Check them out below!
How Marketers Can Be Effective Business Storytellers (And Why They Should Be)
The Takeaway: Storytelling is more than a buzzword – as the marketing space becomes more and more crowded, being able to share your One Big Idea as a story will help ensure that your message is heard through the noise. But storytelling doesn’t just refer to getting a few customers to give testimonials; in fact, it can be much simpler than that. This article gives a great rundown of the key elements you must identify to be able to add storytelling into your business, and how to put those elements into practice.
Guinness Is Good For You: The Evolution of an Iconic Brand
The Takeaway: Don’t be misled by the headline – while we do fancy the occasional porter, we certainly won’t try to convince you of Guinness’ health benefits. Rather, we’re sharing this article as a lesson in brand longevity and how your brand messaging can (and should) change over time. The key to longevity in branding is understanding and listening to your customers. (An endorsement from Beyonce can also help, but we don’t all have that kind of budget.)
10 Standout Marketing Campaigns Celebrating Man’s Best Friend
The Takeaway: We’ve all heard the old adage that puppies and babies sell. And while days like #NationalPuppyDay give marketers a free pass to go wild with the puppy theme, it’s important in longer campaigns to ensure that the content of your ads or marketing materials truly fits your value proposition, message, and brand. Does it make sense for a car company to use puppies in their campaigns? Sure, especially when they’re selling a family car and the lifestyle that goes with it.
If you’re stumped and feel tempted to turn to puppies, think critically about how your brand is actually connected to people’s love for or life with dogs. If you sell heating and cooling equipment, you can appeal to your customers’ concern for their pet’s comfort over their own. On the other hand, if you sell sports equipment, the connection to four-legged family members might not be as strong.
50 Adorable Puppy Pictures That Will Make You Melt
The Takeaway: Okay, this has absolutely nothing to do with marketing or business or wellness (unless you count uncontainable joy as a tenant of wellness, which it is.) But it’s Friday AND National Puppy Day, so we just had to. Maybe just try to keep the squealing to a minimum.
The 10 Health Benefits Of Dogs (And One Health Risk)
The Takeaway: Speaking of puppies… If scrolling through 50 puppy pictures has you convinced that you need your own pup, here are a few good reasons to go ahead and adopt one. It would almost be irresponsible not to – you know, for health reasons.
