Mitchell Osak’s Post

Dawn, Folgers, Target, Olive Garden — these are the brands that divide America. A new report at YouGov looked at which major brands had the biggest difference in whether liberals or conservatives consider purchasing them. There were big disparities in obvious categories like among advocacy agencies and news media, but also plenty of difference among seemingly benign consumer brands. Liberals, for example, over-index on Target and Ikea for retail, while conservatives lean most stringently toward Hobby Lobby. You’ve got your LaCroix liberals and A&W conservatives. Conservatives go in for Folgers coffee while liberals like Naked Juice. Liberals place a premium on Subarus, whereas conservatives opt for Fords. Conservatives are more likely to choose Dawn for their dishes, while liberals wash up after meals with the more environmentally conscious Seventh Generation. Conservatives chow down on Cracker Barrel and Olive Garden, while liberals are more likely to eat out at California Pizza Kitchen and The Cheesecake Factory. Only 29% of brands are considered bipartisan, meaning liberals and conservatives consider purchasing them at roughly equal rates, or within 10 percent of each other. And just 28 brands of nearly a thousand YouGov looked at had less than 1 percent difference in purchase consideration by political ideology, meaning there was virtually no difference in whether a liberal or conservative would consider purchasing them. They include: Amazon, Maybelline, KFC, the very American-sounding American Eagle and Best Western, the organizer of the great American pastime, the MLB, and Neosporin, because if we’re pricked do we not all bleed?

India’s most innovative brand may not be in apparel or beauty, but 5,000 Cr beverage maker Bira 91 Bira makes beers, which isn’t new. Bira has lost money each year since it started. Bira’s valuation has remained flat for 2 years. Brands in other categories like Zudio and Forest Essentials, have exploded at the same time. Pandemic almost killed Bira. Far from being innovative, it looks like an expensive mistake. But opening bottles reveals a 1,000 Cr resilient brand attempting to win India’s toughest market Ankur Jain was a Delhi kid who studied in the US in 2002. An engineer, he started up in healthcare. Visiting NYC’s Brooklyn Brewery, he developed a taste for craft beer. He sold his startup to return to India, briefly working for Reliance. But the taste of beer lingered. Deciding to become a beerpreneur, his Dad refused to speak to him for 5 yrs. Beyond the “taboo,” the market was hard Ankur started Cerena Beverages in 2009 by importing EU craft beer By 2010, Cerena was an instant success with sales growing 25x. By 2014, Ankur realized India market needed Indian and new. Deciding to move from distributor to producer, Ankur looked for a name. Coming up with what meant brother, beer and evoked India, a new brand was born. Bira 91 launched in 2015 Bira focused on craft beer rather than regular/strong. Leaders like Kingfisher ruled to keep pygmies like Bira out. Yet Bira was ambitious. Growing from 1.5L cases in 2015 to 7L cases in 2016, it reached modest 4 Cr. Yet, Bira’s eye-catching branding, crazy monkey, and hip vibe had premium consumers turning Bira was soon scratching a 20,000 Cr market, hard both literally and figuratively Opposite to global trends, beer’s 30% lagged spirits’ 70% in market share. Craft was a mere 2%. But younger, higher-income flocked to craft. Craft’s higher 30% margin helped. Demonetization and GST hit Bira hard, escalating losses. Yet, by 2018 Bira grew to 1M cases, taking 1% beer share, raising 300 Cr. New brands imitated Bira. By 2019, Bira moved to Tier 2. 55% of beer’s margin went in taxes, pushing newcomers out But by FY20, Bira exploded to 480 Cr of revenue As Bira exploded, the pandemic closed everything. By ’21, restaurants caved, beverage makers struggled. Yet Bira kept innovating. Launched new products, quietly built its brand, expanded internationally. By 22, it emerged almost unscathed. B91 acquired Beer Cafe to own distribution, Chattisgarh distilleries for supply. B91 reached a valuation of 4,000 Cr By FY23, revenue ramped to 824 Cr 100-year-old Japanese Beer maker Kirin Holdings built a 20% stake. Unbelievably, B91 was now India’s fourth-largest beer company. Present in 1000+ towns across India, it was in 20+ countries. Building a startup in a competitive, tough, hard-to-market category was hard; winning was inspiring. By 2024, it was a deep brand leading in a 62,000 Cr market With its story here (https://bit.ly/4cS3JZe), Bira could transform a buzzy brand into big business

Great to see this out there and thanks for the name-check, DJ Johnston. Sometimes insight doesn't get that as what we do is so confidential, so we really appreciate it. The team love working with you and the whole Cafédirect Group team. If anyone reading this wants to know to talk about how we can help you get people to care more about your brand, then just drop us a line. #mrx #qualitative #brandstrategy #audienceinsight #communicationsstrategy #brandpositioning #humanbrands #audienceunderstanding #designthinking

Would PepsiCo/Frito-Lay have spent $1.2 billion on a narrow product-focused brand named Must B Nutty? ` Pepsi's acquisition of Siete Family Foods is big on many levels - for the Garza family, minority-owned brands, better-for-your products. Additionally, Siete serves as an important lesson in the power of branding and positioning for early stage businesses. Here's what I think is remarkable about their success story: 🥜 Product-centric Beginnings 🥜 Like many early stage brands, Siete treated their product as the hero, and rightly so because if the product doesn't perform, there's no hope for having a brand. So when it came time to giving their product a brand name, they chose “Must B Nutty” - a reflection of their almond-based tortillas. Many brands chart this path - just think back to the recent wave of keto brands where many integrated keto or some derivation into their name (Keto pint, keto krisp, perfect keto, kiss my keto). Even descriptive parts of a brand name are destined for expiration - ex: Starbucks (coffee), Dunkin' (donuts). So although product centric names are a route many choose to take, this path stymies potential innovation, often commoditizes brands and almost always limits broader, long-term potential and thinking. 📖 Bigger Story Telling 📖 As Siete's almond-based tortillas found traction and product-market fit, the founders began to look upstream and quickly realized the folly of their name and its limited ambitions. As Adam Spriggs beautifully outlines in a post about Siete, he and many others advised the company to pursue a new name. Ultimately the Garza family landed on Siete, a nod to the seven family members and their Mexican-american heritage. The family component and overall authenticity of the brand's story amplified much of the brands lore. The new name symbolically represented an awakening, that it sells much more than just food and with a bigger story came bigger potential. 📣 Design as Amplifier 📣 The Siete brandmark features a heron, which itself translates to “Garza” in Spanish. The packaging patterns, particularly on the tortilla chips, is inspired by the vibrant patterns and colors often seen in Mexican blankets (sarapes). Altogether, the design elements reflect the brand’s connection to its Mexican-American roots and evokes a sense of warmth, family, and culture. Design amplifies this bigger narrative and simultaneously helps the products standout in crowded categories. It's remarkable to think Siete was founded in 2014 under a completely different name and proposition and that a decade later it would serve as a textbook example of adaptation and evolution. Every brand starts somewhere, and in CPG it's often with a single product and a humble dream. Evolving along the way can be the difference between obscurity and success. #branding #packaging #design #cpg #acquisition #siete #pepsi #rebrand #naming #product #storytelling

Haldiram's is not just another snack brand; it's a tale of sheer determination and ingenuity, started by the visionary Mr. Ganga Bishan Agrawal in 1937. Yes our favorite snack brand is almost a century old. There was a fire in Agrawal ji, a drive to create something extraordinary. Bhujia, a common snack, flooded the market back then, but Agrawal ji wanted to stand out. He tinkered tirelessly, experimenting with ingredients until he struck gold. By using Moth Ki Dall instead of the usual besan, he transformed the ordinary into extraordinary, crafting crispy, mouthwatering bhujia unlike any other. But he didn't stop there. Recognizing the power of perception, Agrawal ji named his creation "Dungar Sev," a progressive monarch during late 1800s, adding a touch of royalty to entice customers. He priced it higher, banking on its premium quality, and the strategy paid off handsomely. Dungar Sev became a sensation, captivating taste buds and wallets alike. Fast forward to the 1960s, enter Mr. Shiv Kishan Agrawal, grandson, who saw untapped potential in Maharashtra's snack market. Through meticulous research and strategic innovation, he introduced Maharashtrians to a world of savory delights and sweet indulgences. His crowning glory? The iconic Kaju Katli, a sweet sensation that took the state by storm. But the saga didn't end there. Mr. Manohar Lal Agrawal (grandson) with his focus on packaging and strategic location, catapulted Haldiram's into every household. By the 1980s, Haldiram's wasn't just a brand; it was a household name, a symbol of trust and quality. Three lessons stand out from Haldiram’s success: the power of branding in a crowded market, the importance of adapting to consumer demand, and the transformative impact of relentless pursuit of excellence. So, the next time you savor a pack of Haldiram's snacks, remember the story behind it – a story of passion, innovation, and the Agrawal legacy. For such more amazing stories on the best brands who shaped the trajectory of Indian food industry, don’t forget to follow us. We are here to redefine your dining and nightlife. To know more, join our waitlist: https://www.lesgo.in/

Brands and Produce dont normally go together in the Australian marketplace. But maybe its time to change! As growers find it increasingly difficult to achieve a meaningfull return for effort through the current supply mechanisms, maybe a brand could help get cut through with end consumers , driving profitable "pull though". As example, growers of a product in a certain geographic region could combine efforts to market their produce under a brand (think Bundaberg tomatoes) ? Or apple growers producing a new variety could develop a unifying brand and market directly to the end consumer ? The key to success is to have a true brand, not just a lable "parading" as a brand. Consider carefully the opportunity! #Retail #ProduceBrands #ImproveROI #Opportunity

Once upon a time, there lived a legacy brand called Berrican. But it wasn’t always big enough to leave a legacy. It started off as a small but mighty team of 5 people, with a dream to sell people the best ever fizzy strawberry soda. And this bright team of 5 figured out everything in just 2 years, from sourcing the strawberries, to crushing them, to mixing them, to bottling them, to getting them on the grocers’ shelves. They even did a brilliant job of telling people how brilliant a job they were doing. And their soda? Yum, bloody red and oh so addictive. So Berrican grew. The team of 5 become 10, then 25, then 50. By the 7th year, they were 100 employees strong. And their soda became a worldwide presence. They had even innovated flavours like Berrycolada, Berrycola, Chocoberry and Strawdriver. And they kept growing. Customers from around the world raved about Berrican, and the lines outside grocery stores grew longer and longer. Entire cities mobilised. All for a sip of Berrican. Then one day, the board of directors, the OG 5, decided to step back from day to day operations. So they hired a management team. MBAs, specialists and former CEOs. They even hired a CMO, whose first course of action was to do a brand campaign. Berrican, who had never run a brand campaign, would now finally enter the big soda league. “We’re leaving the business in great hands!” Said a director. “We should have done this much earlier.” Monickered another. And so, ‘Dare to Fizz’ took over global billboards. They plastered it over social media, in airports, hotels, hospitals, cemeteries and even made a film with a surfer who opens a Berrican after falling face first in the water. ‘Dare to Fizz’ had become a cultural phenomenon of sorts. 2 months later, Berrican’s new management team calls an urgent meeting with the board. Sales were stuck. Cans moved slower, grocery stores were reluctant to stock and even Berrycolada, their most popular flavour saw negative growth. With expansion plans involuntarily frozen, Berrican was in trouble. Desperate for a solution, they decided to do something genius. Talk to their customers. A few calls later, the table regroups. The one common finding? “I don’t need Berrican to make me brave. I just need Berrican to be yummy.” Millions of dollars had already been wasted in media spend, the wrong message and the wrong packaging. “So what now?” Asked the directors. “We’ve invested so much. So we double down.” Says the board. “You’re all fired.” Declares the directors. And the board comes back to manage the company. ‘Dare to fizz’ is silently killed. Other needed tweaks are made. And Berrican, after 2 years of stagnancy, will now grow enough to leave a legacy. And just like that, Berrican lived happily ever after. The end.

Have you ever thought about starting your own whiskey brand? Have you ever wondered where people start their journey getting a brand put together? Check out this How to Guide on some of the top line steps that you would need to take to build your own whiskey brand in any category #irishwhiskey #privatelabel #scotch #bourbon #whiskey

Rise of The Kafunda Brands The kafunda is a mainstay in Ugandan popular culture. For the uninitiated, a kafunda is a neighborhood bar. Kafundas offer cheap alcohol, the camaraderie of friends, perhaps a variety of roasted or boiled meat, an exercise book at the counter with UGX 50,000 next to your name and the token amiable waitress or bartender if you're lucky. That's it! The service is crap, the toilets are deplorable, the stock runs out on most nights and the furniture is not "furnituring." You don't ask for more from a kafunda, it is actually disrespectful to do so. You want ice cubes to go with your liquor? How about you go somewhere else? You want a professional DJ? Shyaaa, as who? Basically, the Kafunda thrives on providing its customers with the bare minimum. In fact, the Kafunda is not even responsible for the one good thing about it; friendly banter! It's a free-fall affair. "We are happy we are here today, hopefully we will be here tomorrow," would be a fitting slogan for many kafundas across Uganda. Now that I've painted a perfect picture of what a Kafunda is, I'm of the opinion that there currently is an ongoing "kafundarization" of brands that were once darlings in the Ugandan market. The kafunda brand is comfortable with ticking its bare-minimum check boxes. The kafunda opts to drown in the vast sea of sameness rather than risk taking on the unfamiliar. It is hard to reconcile the kafunda brand's marketing budgets (which are normally reasonable) with the kind of marketing and communication work it puts out. The kafunda brand thrives in its echo chamber and doesn't care what its biggest competitors are getting up to. The kafunda brand holds on to dead rituals and lives for public holiday posts. Wait and see, Customer Service Week is coming up and it is going to be one hell of a dress party!

Are purpose-driven brands all that? I think not. How often have you heard non-business people talk about how much they love purpose-driven brands? I bet it’s not as much as your marketing agency suggests. Let’s use restaurants as an example: It’s more likely you’ll hear someone talk about how good the food at a restaurant is, rather than about their dedication to using local produce. Now, I’m by no means disregarding purpose-driven brands. Far from it. Local produce is great, but it alone does not make a memorable restaurant. It’s the food that keeps people coming back. Here’s a final, more relevant example: Tony's Chocolonely built an international chocolate brand guided by a mission to eliminate slave labour from the chocolate industry. While this is obviously amazing, it’s not why the majority of people buy their chocolate. They buy it because it’s banging. It's as simple as that. The education then follows. Brand purpose is a foundation for great products, not vice versa. Use the product to push the purpose. Not the purpose to push the product.