Before studying marketing the only thing I knew about the topic were that marketers prayed to Philip Kotler (spoiler: they donât), that they talked a lot about branding (they do), and that they spent all their time doing SWOT analysis (they donât).
While I was a marketing student I did spend quite a lot of time on what might seem like BS conceptual tools:
Porterâs Five Forces
SWOT
Ansoff Matrix
Brand Ladder concept
Blue Ocean Model
Perceptual Maps
BCG Matrix
Etc.
These concepts seemed outright useless at the time because I thought that no one had time to spend 2 hours doing a SWOT analysis in a Real Companyâ˘. Turns out I was very wrong.
What I found out later, is that these concepts help marketers do several things:
Gain alignment within a team: for instance the perceptual map is a great way to share how you differentiate yourself from the competition
Make sure they maintain coherence: the brand ladder tool gives an overview of the entire branding so if one element doesnât fit it usually pops out
Ensure theyâre working on the right problems: The SWOT might be a bit basic but it still gives you an overview of the strengths you can rely on and the opportunities you should pursue.
In todayâs edition, because quite a lot of these models I learned as a student are slightly outdated I want to share a few models that might be useful in a startup context.
Enjoy đ
Bryan
P.S: If you enjoy this post please share it with your friends or subscribe. Since this is quite new for me Iâm super keen to hear your feedback so please reply to this post if you have any.
Articles
Google Venturesâ 3 Hours Brand Sprint
If youâre launching a product/service nailing down early on the first foundations of your brand is really important. When youâre starting and have no marketing background a great way to get up to speed is by using this conceptual framework from Google. It will help you build a cohesive brand strategy and answer key questions while deferring non essential questions to later down the road. READ on Google Ventures
The Bullseye Framework to Find Initial Traction
When starting up, itâs quite difficult to pick the right acquisition channels for your business. There are so many available that this nice concept by growth expert Brian Balfour is helpful in doing the right selection, prioritisation, and evaluation. READ on Brian Balfour
The Cost vs Quality Equilibrium
Everyone wishes to be both cost-effective and high quality. This article explains why itâs impossible to compete on both fronts. READ on Inverted Passion
McKinseyâs MECE
Youâve probably heard of the MECE framework. It was created by McKinsey to help its consultants decompose ideas more efficiently. This article explains the MECE framework and how to apply it. Itâs always a good principle either to use while communicating ideas or when writing survey questions for instance. READ on Animalz
The 13 Types of Network Effects
Network effects are a great way to build defensible competitive advantage. Theyâve boomed since the internet is part of our lives. Nowadays every other company tries to become a marketplace but there are many more network effects to explore detailed in this video by NFX. WATCH on NFX
Tweet of the Week
After reading all those articles, this tweet felt very appropriate.
Number of the Week
300 000 000 - The number of items Amazon sold in a single day during Prime Day 2022 in July - source
Video of the Week
The video below is the Coinbase 2022 Superbowl ad which cost 14M$ to show on TV. Another proof that you donât need a huge creative budget to make something âviralâ. A few more details here.