Posted By Malena in Blog
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The phrase “you’re not unique enough” hurts in any type of situation we can imagine. It hurts even more when someone says that to your brand or products. In the blog, let’s go through some methods on how to become a unique brand that mothers of this generation will love.

But first, let’s discuss why we think this topic is relevant today.

According to our mum insights, formula milk brands are not unique enough

Many brands on the market give a lot of focus and attention to their marketing strategies. As they should! Marketing plays a huge role in the decisions a mother makes. 

However, it seems that many brands are overlooking a small, yet crucial detail in the process. Our ultimate goal is to make a profit by successfully selling our products. And, we achieve this by being able to create a product that creates a lasting impression among the market. In other words, by making a unique product that stands out in the eyes of mothers.

A brand cannot achieve this by simply attracting customers through trendy marketing campaigns or chasing short-term goals. Both can only yield short-term results.

Although, it’s tough to really blame marketers for this. Behind the sea of trends, it’s easy to get carried away. Especially now that digital advancements give us the ability to do virtually anything online. We can get too excited or pressured by these trends because there’s so plenty of them and everyone else is doing them. 

As of writing this, Snoop Dogg has just launched a private, digital mansion inside The Sandbox metaverse. In this world, he holds private parties and each ticket costs no less than $3,000. Insane, right!? We bet your creative, marketing brain is dying to incorporate some of these new innovations into your marketing strategy, somehow.

It’s true. These trends can gain your brand and products some attention at first. However, very little of these efforts will be remembered in the long term. 

Why you need to become a unique brand, according to studies

Mothers think that a lot of marketers and brands are forgetting this. In a recent Consumer Voice report by theAsianparent Insights, we studied the market position of different formula milk brands. Here, we found out that many formula milk brands across Southeast Asia fail to become unique and differentiate themselves from competitors. This is from the perspective of mothers.

This means that in the eyes of Southeast Asian mothers, most formula milk brands that target them are almost the same. Just with different price points and names. If you’re in the formula milk industry and have spent a lot of time marketing and building your brand, that’s quite sad to hear.

In this study, formula milk brands were given scores by mums based on how the brands perform in different aspects based on their own perspectives. As you can see in the tables below, in each of the 5 growing Southeast Asian markets, formula milk brands score significantly lower in uniqueness.

Singapore

A table of the findings of the Consumer Voice study in Singapore wherein formula milk brands are noticeably not seen as unique by mothers.Thailand

A table of the findings of the Consumer Voice study in Thailand wherein formula milk brands are noticeably not seen as unique by mothers.

Malaysia

A table of the findings of the Consumer Voice study in Malayisa wherein formula milk brands are noticeably not seen as unique by mothers.

Philippines

A table of the findings of the Consumer Voice study in the Philippines wherein formula milk brands are noticeably not seen as unique by mothers.

Indonesia

A table of the findings of the Consumer Voice study in Indonesia wherein formula milk brands are noticeably not seen as unique by mothers.

Read more about our latest Consumer Voice report to learn more about the formula milk perspectives and habits of mothers by going to the insights section of our website or by clicking this link.

How to Become a Unique Brand that Mothers of this Generation will Love

Learning from the failure of many formula milk brands to portray uniqueness, we are now certain that something should be done–even if you’re not marketing a formula milk brand.

Some marketers, especially formula milk brand marketers, will see this as an opportunity. Imagine the impact of being able to create a unique product at a time where everyone is seen as equal.

Indeed, being unique is important when everyone is just riding the wave of trends. But how do we create or portray a brand that’s unique enough for mothers of this generation to adore?

Here are some honest thoughts with facts to support them. 

1. Give your product authentic stories that mothers can relate to 

In a study by Stackla, 86% of consumers stated that authenticity is a key factor when deciding which brands to like and support

Okay. Got that. But, in the year 2021, how do we show mothers–the main decision-makers of the household–that your brand is authentic and is worthy of their loyalties?

It’s simple. It’s the same thing over and over again, and it’s honestly getting old. Give your brand a story that can help it stand out among the rest. 

Warning: harsh words ahead. 

However, there’s something that some brands just fail to understand. Fake or shallow stories do not resonate well with audiences. Especially not with mothers of today who are almost already 100% made up of Millennials and Gen Z. These mothers are generally more likely to support things that represent the real situation of society because of generational knowledge and differences. 

You have to tell stories, not create them. 

Stop making things up! Mothers today see through smoke more than mothers from past generations. 

In the same study by Stackla, 57% of consumers think that less than half of brands create authentic stories. While in another study by theAsianparent Insights, a concerning percentage of mothers felt as if they are not being represented well in advertisements that target them. 

The next time you think about creating stories in order to portray uniqueness for products that target mothers, do not simply assume what they’re going to like. Ask mothers about their current situations and build your product’s story around that. Mums of today are digital and they’re more than willing to share their thoughts with everyone online. Take advantage of that.

Don’t mistake evergreen content for generic

As a part of this point, let’s also talk about the kind of content you create for your brand. In a way, content are also stories that can determine whether you become a unique brand or not.

We can all agree that content is useful in many areas of digital marketing. A lot of brands use content as a way to increase brand awareness through SEO, social media, or maybe podcasts. The best way to deal with this first is by making evergreen content that people will continue to seek even after a while.

This is where things get a little challenging. Evergreen content means timeless content. However, some marketers mistake its meaning for generic. 

Though, technically, if you think the same way, you’re not that wrong. If you want to make evergreen content, the title or keywords you have to use are going to be generic. This is to keep its easy-to-search-for factor. But, this does not mean that the content inside has to be generic too.

Not only do 78% of consumers believe that brands who make custom content are interested in building good relationships, but it also helps you stand out from the hundreds of evergreen content there is. 

Therefore, the next time you make evergreen content, be sure to add your brand’s own twist to it.

2.) Innovate your products to fit today’s standards of innovation

There are times when a product just isn’t unique enough to stand out among the crowd. If that’s the case for your products, you’re likely to already know this yourself. The only solution here is to innovate your product in order to fit the standards of uniqueness.

Marketing first, product second is a thing, we know. Most of the time, it’s true that just the right marketing can already make your product part of a very unique brand. However, in this day and age, we don’t think that even the most outstanding marketing tactics will be enough.

That’s why if you want to innovate your product, you have to innovate them in a way that fits this generation’s expectations.

In one of our other articles, we talked about the future of the parenting industry. There, we discussed how 1) family technology aka famtech is growing big and fast in the next decade because of the tech-savvy nature of parents today, and 2) parents today are more politically and socially aware which will affect their product consumption and preferences. 

Only some good R&D can help you innovate your brand. However, there are two things you can start incorporating your product with in order to be a truly innovative product in this generation and be perceived as unique:

First, make efforts to create a genuinely positive impact on the world. 

(Ahem, genuine impact. Again, mothers of today see through smoke easily.) 

We don’t mean just organising clean-ups or collecting waste for “recycling.” We all know that’s just plain greenwashing. 

By creating a positive impact in the world, we mean decisions that can make a long-term positive impact. For example, maybe getting rid of non-biodegradable plastic containers (the real deal, not the greenwashing version!) or allowing users to get refills for their products instead of requiring them to buy containers over and over again.

The sky’s the limit but this is generally the kind of positive impact that today’s generations want to see. Now that almost 100% of mothers are made up of Millennials and Gen Z, you’re required to care about how they feel.

Never mind the cost, because according to a study, consumers are likely to pay 50% more for products that create a positive impact on the world. Although, does allowing product refills really cost you more in the long run?

Okay, enough with the suggestions because we’re going to take all day if we identify all possible things you can do to your product in order to make a long-term positive impact. 

The point is, if you’re going to innovate your product and become truly unique and outstanding, this is the first thing that you would want to incorporate into it. Again, long-term positive impact.

Who knows? Your brand might even hit the jackpot and set new industry standards upon doing this. That way, you’re going to have way more advantages than being perceived as a unique brand.

Second, listen to parents’ insights. 

Nowadays, mothers share everything with everyone on the internet. Taking advantage of this would be a great asset to your product’s innovation process. Obtaining information through insights is a great way to start your brand’s journey to becoming truly unique and innovative. By observing insights regularly, you get first-hand information about the situations mothers encounter on a daily basis and what they need to solve.

Incorporate insights into your product innovation and–boom–you get a product that everyone’s always wanted to have. Big brands like Danone are taking advantage of this to stay relevant and you should, too.

Well, maybe your brand is already doing your own market research to get ahold of these insights. However, if you want real experts that can communicate with the mum/parenting community like no other, feel free to send us a message at [email protected]!

How you’re going to come up with innovations using these insights is up to you and what your brands’ goals are. 

3.) Make viral content, but don’t overshadow your product’s value proposition in the process

Viral content is essential to digital marketing today. It’s the best way to gain popularity and raise brand awareness. A part of being unique is being memorable and viral content can help you become that.

However, overshadowing a product’s value proposition is something that a lot of viral content does. This is because viral content normally aims to be entertaining.

Your product’s qualities are what makes it unique, so be sure to highlight that more especially when attempting to come up with something you want to go viral. This is because viral content remains in the minds of consumers longer and you don’t want to be remembered for the wrong thing. You want to be remembered for having a product that’s better than everyone else’s because it has all these great qualities.

When you’re marketing to go viral, make sure that your product’s unique qualities are the stars of the show. Other elements are just supporting actors. If you do otherwise, you’ll have a unique promotion, but not a unique brand image.

Here are some examples of great marketing content that are able to highlight their products’ unique qualities while still being entertaining enough to go viral.

1.) Dollar Shave Club – Our Blades are F***ing Great – being perceived as a unique brand with pure transparency

In this Dollar Shave Club’s iconic advertisement, they communicate how good their razors are in the most entertaining way possible. Despite being cheap, it does the job perfectly and their razors are gentle. But it only costs a dollar a month because they don’t give you unnecessary features. On top of that, they deliver right to your doorstep every month because it’s a subscription.

This advertisement is the perfect example of this point. They were able to show how unique they are through viral content without overshadowing their product’s unique qualities at all because all throughout the advert, they were just talking about exactly those things.

2.) Dane’s Cheese Advertisements (Tagalog) – becoming perceived as a unique brand in the simplest way

Dane’s Cheese was able to showcase the bacon bits in their cheese in this series of advertisements while being very entertaining. Their advertisements are simple, yet it highlights the most important part of their product – the unique flavours that only their products have, such as the bacon bits.

These advertisements are in Tagalog, but if you need a translation, don’t hesitate to send us an email!

3.) Wendy’s “Twitter Beef” – being perceived as a unique brand in an unconventional way

Wendy’s is one of the first Twitter accounts that used funny, yet very mean tweets to raise brand awareness. What makes Wendy’s different from other brands that use this tactic is that Wendy’s continuously talks about how fresh and real their beef is compared to others (e.g McDonald’s, Burger King, etc.).

True enough, this isn’t the most conventional way (or easiest) to promote your products’ unique qualities and become a unique brand. Hence, we’re not advising that you do the exact same thing. But the lesson here is about the way Wendy’s did this. Wendy’s made it in a way that was oozing with viral factor without losing sight of their main goal. That is, to give their products enough platform to be able to show everyone how unique their burgers are and how their products are the very best.

Their tweets always talk about their fresh beef or how their burgers are better than every other burger joint. Every time they go viral or every time a blog writes about “Wendy’s Viral Tweets,” people read about that. Because of this, the idea that Wendy’s has fresh, non-frozen beef patties becomes imprinted in the mind of everyone who comes across them. Genius! 

If you haven’t realized the reason why Wendy’s was so mean to everyone, it’s because they wanted to start “beef.” “Beef” is slang for a fight.

To read more iconic Wendy’s tweets, visit this feature from Ranker or from boredpanda.

Conclusion

To become a unique brand for mothers, you need to be good at both marketing and product innovation. Your brand and product’s hunt for uniqueness will only be successful if you have those two qualities. Again, not just good marketing and not just awesome product innovation.

In the year 2021, people expect a lot from brands like yours. Times are changing and everything is expected to revolutionize the way we live. They’re big standards to live up to, but we’re all rooting for you. 

Like we mentioned, if you need help from experts who can help you communicate with the parenting community like no other, give us an email at [email protected].


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