Knowing your target audience Biggest Loser style

My wife is a huge Biggest Loser fan. I have to say, whoever came up with that show is a genius! Who can't relate to wanting something so bad and not being able to achieve it... and well, lets be honest, much of America wants to lose weight so it really hits home! The producers make it so dramatic and how life changing it is for all of these people (which I'm sure it is). It's hilarious to think about it sometimes... I've never cried because I couldn't get that extra 5 lbs on a lift or couldn't finish a run of 1k... but these people do and it's great TV! I'm not a fan per se but I will admit, they've done a good job hitting their target market. The show airs during dinner time for many families around the country... and why not, we watch more TV eating now than we ever have and it's only getting worse!

I'm going to use one example of the brands used in this show and the brands used in another show. My wife also loves the Duel, Inferno, Fresh Meat... all pretty much the same thing on MTV. It's a show where pretty people live in a nice posh place, drink a lot, get dirty with each other, and participate in challenges that test mind and body. I think it's ironic because they are tanked the whole time and only get sobered up for the morning challenges just so they can drink at night again. They have to get the challenges done so the drama can begin and they can poison the rest of America's teenagers and college kids (and my wife). This being said lets delve into one of the key differences between the shows.

I thought it was interesting how the Biggest Loser chose to align themselves with the brand Starter which can be purchased at WalMart. Starter once was a glorious brand, they had the monopoly on jerseys for sports teams and apparel. That all went downhill when the players like Nike, Reebok, and later Adidas came into the picture. Ironically Nike now owns Starter and it has been delegated to the working class apparel. You see, the kind of people who watch the Biggest Loser and who associate with it are the same target market for the people who go to WalMart for their workout clothing. Tony Romo who is the face of Starter, was recently on the show inside a WalMart. He likes to be seen as a blue collar kind of guy and Starter thought that they would align themselves with a player like him. He plays for the Cowboys (who has the nickname America's team), he's a small school guy, he seems like an everyday guy. WalMart, Starter, Tony Romo, and The Biggest Loser, sounds like a match made in heaven! The brands align and make the show more approachable, sells more apparel and relates more to the target market.

Lets contrast that with the selfish, self consumed, beautiful people of MTV. The show was approached by Under Armour a couple of years ago to become the official supplier of apparel for the shows. I like UA, I think they make incredible stuff, but it makes sense... the target market for these shows is the same as much of the target market for UA. Spoiled rich kids in the suburbs, teens who want to be cool like the people on the show, and young professionals who drink too much and go to the gym wearing this extremely trendy apparel. Again, I like UA, I own UA, but it makes you think for a minute. Starter has their knockoff UA type apparel which probably does the exact same thing. It's just interesting to not which shows go after which people. Working class, blue collar, within reach Biggest Loser with Starter and MTV Challenge shows with Under Armour... I'm telling you, those marketers know their stuff.

The personality side of branding...

I've taken a lot of time recently to get back in touch with myself and who I am. I know this sounds cheesy and cliche but there is something to this. I've really had a come to Jesus with what I really enjoy and who I really want to be. This is leading somewhere, bear with me for a moment:

When I was in graduate school and sitting in a brand management class, I raised my hand and asked my teacher if he thought there was something to branding yourself before you can brand for your clients. This seemed logical to me, I'd heard about the books "You are a brand" and others and thought it would make sense. He said to me "no, you just go out and do it". And that was that. I felt a little foolish but didn't think about it again until two years later. Then it started not settling so well with me. I had since read much of the book You are a brand, and various other articles and publications that pointed to what I was asking my teacher. In his defense I don't think he really understood what I was asking, I think he was deeply involved in the thought of branding a product and wasn't putting two and two together, so he's off the hook for that. I'm going to convey my thoughts on this and how it translates to your work.

The first thing that strikes me is the mindset. My brother recently made fun of me saying that I'd lost my edge and that I didn't have that "screw you, I'll show you who's right in the end!" attitude. I told him that it was just me being married and refining myself to be more patient and understanding and taking constructive criticism better. Now, I agree with him to a certain extent, I think I have lost that edge and I finally think I'm starting to get that back. This is extremely important to success. I don't think being a jerk is what it takes but I think being bold and stating your opinion and sticking by it but acknowledging when you are wrong are important to your development as a professional. Ultimately you need to have your own opinion of who you are and what you believe and think about something.

Let me give an example of this. I was doing a consulting project in Las Vegas, Sin City. I walked into this board room with a lot of big wigs who had a lot of money. I sat there fresh faced out of grad school... in my mind I had no right to be there. It was a sink or swim moment, I piped up and asked a question to the CEO and just like that he thought I knew what I was talking about (little did he know...) he said he liked my style and asked how old I was. I learned right then and there in a professional setting that none really knows... if you have an opinion and you can back it with something logical and it makes sense, you're just as right as the next guy.

I truly feel sorry for certain people that have what it takes but for one reason or another aren't able to be themselves with the brand. It'd be like me branding Tampax Tampons... it just wouldn't work well. Then there is the corporate face of branding, I talked to a guy who works for a big CPG company, he said that he liked the job but the brands had no identity other than a fabricated numbers driven face that the corporation put on the brand. You know what, he's right... but the crazy thing is it works! They are a category leader so how can you fault that? Branding with your brand is less visible in big corporations... this fellow with whom I talked said that he was saddened by that and said that his ability as an artist was minimized. He held out hope though, said that one day he'll be able to put his stamp on it (jokingly he said he'd be able to change a font). I then looked at some of the other brands that surround me.

Being here in the rocky mountains there is a resort community being established on Bear Lake on the Idaho side of the border. I talked to the designer and essentially the brand manager there. He seemed so out of his element when it came the designs. They were brilliant and beautiful but he is somewhat of an emo/metro guy. The design and branding was very uppity outdoors style. Something you would see in Jackson Hole, WY. He mentioned that he really enjoyed the work but I could just tell that it was hard for him to really buy into the whole thing. He's a graphic designer by trait and throughout the visual work he'd done every once in a while you could see his personality come through.

What does this all mean? I feel that it's essential to brand what you enjoy. If you enjoy the subject matter and are passionate about what you are doing then your best work comes through. I met a brand manager for an all natural herbal supplement company who was just that, all natural! It worked, he fit the bill and really really enjoyed it. He had a successful line of products. Now what came first the chicken or the egg, I dunno, did they hire someone who was like minded or did the like minded person seek out the brand... probably both but the point is it worked. He had recognized who he was, what he wanted, his desires and lifestyle. He took those attributes and combined that his branding knowledge and it was a match made in heaven.

That is the personality of branding coming into effect. This is an old cliche but do what you like to do. It's true, seek out those opportunities to brand the things you like, you'll be more successful, have a better idea and more than anything you'll have passion for it. It will be easier to talk the talk, walk the walk, and make the brand better.

Now, coming full circle... I'm not going to tell you what I really want, love, or enjoy doing. I've posted it many times before but that's not to say that I don't have passions for other things. My thought is this. You brand how you are... find something that needs your brand.