5 reasons why branding can't save a bad product

heyyyyyy guys! happy friday! is this not like the longest week ever? anyway, hope you all binge watched love is blind if you’re like me and have no chill and watch 4 episodes in a row.

this week has been insane both personally + professionally. if you’re in the nyc area or chronically online, here are few things to note:

• I will be speaking at TALEA’s BetterFest on Sunday, October 27th. You can use the code “NOFILTER25” right here. I’ll be talking all about how to build a personal brand on social media.

• The drop of this week’s Love Is Blind episodes?!?! OMG?!

• If you love interior design or spending money on kitchenware, Gustaf Westman is doing a siiiiiick pop-up in Williamsburg. I am hoping to stop by!

This week, we’re going to touch on a brand and a topic that might ruffle some feathers, but when there’s a lesson that can be learned across the industry, you know you can count on me to talk about. After all, this is called No Filter for a reason.

So, with that said, we’re going to talk about what any brand can learn from the crazy drama around the low carb, high protein bread-focused company: BetterBrand. If you’re behind, you can read a bit more here, but there are updates happening every single day that just keep getting worse and worse and worse…

This newsletter is not made to pick apart, but simply be structured as broad lessons that apply to any brand in any niche across brand marketing initiatives, customer service, and social media.

BUT BEFORE WE GET INTO IT…

No sponsor this week, but I wanted to use this space to send love and support to anyone reading this who has been affected by the recent hurricanes that have been hitting Florida and North Carolina. If there is anything I can do to help or share, please let me know. Siesta Key in Sarasota is pretty much a family tradition vacation spot for the last 20+ years and my second home so sending a ton of love down there.

5 LESSONS TO LEARN FROM THE BETTERBRAND DRAMA

A company that was once valued at $170M lost sight of what actually matters in this industry.

• Brand Image Alone Won't Sustain Growth
  Eye-catching design and strong social presence are essential for early traction, but they’re not enough for longevity. Brands should reinforce their visual appeal with clear messaging that highlights their unique value and fosters loyalty beyond the initial hype. But, more so, they should make sure that if you’re going to have good branding that the product should match.

Remember: Good Product + Good Marketing = Good Results. If one of those variables goes off the rails or doesn’t get the love, then you can’t expect the rest.

For example, unfortunately, many folks took to Reddit as Better Brands launched their buns only to open the bags to see something that I truly cannot even believe is considered to look like the product on the front of the bag. it reminds of the chicken patties I got served as a 7 year old at day camp. Please tell me where all the money from investors is going into their “tech”.

• Create Campaigns that Educate on Value, Not Just Aesthetics
  Better Brand’s marketing leaned heavily into an appealing look and premium positioning but fell short in communicating the product’s unique value or realistic look. You can only get away with your packaging for so long until people try it or see it in real time. Once again, just a reminder to simply be transparent. Also, a lot of the account, is mostly them favoring simple, clean, studio shots, but also non-stop posts to gain social proof around the brand.

• Prioritize Consistent Customer Communication and Good Customer Service

When operational issues arise, honest and proactive communication with customers is crucial as we know. Instead of avoiding tough conversations (or supposedly running away to Europe and ignoring investors) use marketing channels to keep customers informed and engaged, whether about delays, updates, or improvements vs. going rogue for 4 months and not shipping orders. Transparency can turn challenges into opportunities for loyalty. Don’t mess it up!!! If you see something (customers complaining about a common issue), say something (create content that addresses said issue). I will always use this Graza example of when the caps on the bottles were so tight that people could not get it off. It took 30 seconds to film this, 2 minutes to edit, and 2 minutes to upload. No excuses.

BetterBrand took to social the other day to upload a carousel that was touching on the issues that many customers, folks in the industry, and more have been calling them out for for over 4+ months. However, as much as I do want the best for any brand, I can’t say this is making sense. I don’t think they would have said anything until it started becoming the talk of the CPG town, showing up in articles, and more. Comments have remained unanswered, emails left, comments disabled or limited and orders unshipped for MONTHS so why say it now?

• Leverage Product Testing and Feedback in Marketing

High-growth brands benefit from integrating product development feedback into their marketing. Using real customer insights and reviews in campaigns builds credibility and shows commitment to quality. Better Brand’s struggles highlight the value of market-tested messaging that proves a strong product-market fit.

In this day and age, everyone wants higher protein, lower carbs, or better gluten-free options, but they want something that actually tastes as good as it’s (supposed) to look. Throwing money at a concept won’t allow you to be there for the long game. Move slow to go fast.

• Take Care of Those Who Have Taken Care Of You

A strong brand starts internally and at the top. Valuing and respecting your team should even be an option in one’s mind. From folks who have worked with, previously at, or have been in communication with the brand, it makes me so angry. If you’re a CEO, you sometimes have to face the noise. Yes, that’s hard, but so is slowly watching the thing you wanted to build crumble apart. See what I did there? Brands, pay your invoices to your contractors and agencies on time who made your vision come to life, don’t blame others for mistakes that you might have made, communicate with the folks who believed in your visions enough to give their own hard-earned money to you. Similarly to having a good product, being a good human will allow a brand to be a good brand. Why? Happiness and respect can be contagious so lead by example.

AHEAD OF THE TREND

A quick, snappy ode to the fun things I am seeing online across creators, social and brands. Sometimes, it’s a trend. Sometimes, it’s just a tip I want to share when it comes to marketing. TLDR; it’s just things that are cool.

• Influencer of the Week: If you’re in the beverage industry or even food, one of my favorite creators that I have had the pleasure of working with several times is @verygooddrinks. They are some of the most creative and hilarious folks I have met and can make anything you want to come to life. I mean we worked on this Chicken Soup Martini for Graza to celebrate soup season and it ended up in the NYT lololol.

• Trend of the Week: Besides Dua Lipa’s weird Diet Coke concoction, an easy trend this week comes from one of the best episodes of Gilmore Girls where Kirk starts dancing in the most awkward of ways. See here. However, although created by mostly guys on tiktok, food creators are leveraging this sound to make an easy and quick recipe, but if you’re a brand I think you can similarly use it to highlight your product being used, introduce it to your audience, and more.

• Product of the Week: Glossier’s new fragrance, You Reve. If you want like 50 compliments from strangers, this is the perfume.

• Account I Am Crushing On: Grillo’s. My favorite pickles ever. They have always been INSANELY creative and original (this is too good) when it comes to their content. They also have a great way of balancing their account in a way of collaborating with creators, brands, and bringing concepts to real life, such as their Pickle Pop-Up. They also know when to act on trends and when to hang back and stay in their lane, which is just another reminder that it doesn’t matter how cool you are or how many people love your product, you do not need to do every single trend in the world. For example, they leaned in heeeeavy Dua Lipa’s crazy way of drinking a Diet Coke right here.

LOGGING OFF FOR NOW

That’s it for this week! As always, thank you for letting me steal a spot in your inbox.

If you have questions about it, please hit "REPLY”. These newsletters are made to help you so I want to get your questions in real time as you need answers or things you’re just wondering about. You can always send them her or DM me on Twitter.

In the meantime, if you enjoyed this or know someone who would, it would mean so much if you could share this newsletter with them.

You can simply send them this link to sign up and have them join the party with over 1,500+ of us: https://kendalldickieson.beehiiv.com/subscribe

If you have just joined, you can read all of the past editions right here. See you next week!

Peace, love, and KPIs.

-KD