Should You Court the Trade Press? Not Always.

That Branding Thing: Should You Court the Trade Press? Not Always. *Great share and insights written by Matthew Fenton

August 10, 2012

Should You Court the Trade Press? Not Always.

On August 2, Advertising Age published an article titled, "How Boar's Head Became a Deli Meat Beast." (Registration may be required to view.)

The article notes that, among deli meats, "Boar's Head is the premium brand leader."  Reasons listed for the brand's success include:

• Investment.  "Boar's Head invests mightily in its brand... measured media spending totaled $19.9 million in 2011."  Per the article, about 95% of this spending is on radio.
• Ground-level execution.  "Boar's Head is also known for deploying direct delivery to stores while offering training to deli managers and constant on-site assistance."
• Brand image.  Food-industry analyst Phil Lempert notes, "Those gorgeous high-gloss, always-clean, red-and-black trucks serve as moving billboards and reinforce the high-quality image."

(Oddly, no mention is made of the quality of the Boar's Head product, which, in my view, is consistently, unassailably high.)

These are smart branding moves, which always makes me happy.  But one surprising claim made me happier still:

"Boar's Head is as secretive as it is successful.  The company rarely grants interviews and declined to comment to AdAge or to respond to emailed questions."

"Secretive" is a strong word - Boar's Head is doing its business in public, after all.  But I applaud their stance, which is essentially to stay focused on strategy and execution - the stuff that ultimately matters most.  If the press (or their competitors) want to figure out what they're doing, Boar's Head apparently won't help them do that.

Back in the '90s, when I was the brand manager for Airheads candy, we took a similar approach.  We were facing formidable share leaders (especially Skittles and Starburst) who regularly outspent us by a factor of 20 or more.  Trading punches with a stronger hitter is always a strategic mistake, so we devised a longer-term, alternative strategy.  We focused on less glamorous, often unmeasured distribution channels like convenience stores, mom & pop shops, and club stores; we strove to offer great value at kid-friendly price points; and we invested the little marketing money we had on grassroots sponsorships like the American Youth Soccer Organization.

We grew Airheads at an average annual rate of 28% for four straight years this way (the category growth rate was 2-3%), and ultimately became the fastest-selling non-chocolate single in the country.

We also respectfully declined every request from the press for the details of our strategies.  Our reasons:

1. There was no value whatsoever in tipping our hands to our competitors.  Since so much of what we were doing was under the radar, detailing our strategies in the trade press would have helped Skittles much more than it helped us.
2. We didn't want to be a company or culture that rewarded activity instead of results.  Most press would have been premature, in our view; "Here's what Airheads is trying to do" felt very different than "Here's what Airheads has successfully done."  We didn't want press we hadn't earned, and meanwhile, we focused on the work.

It's not an approach I'd recommend in every instance.  In other situations, working closely with the trade press has made perfect sense.  But before we buy into the mantra that "You MUST talk to the press," or submit to our own ego-driven desires to see our names in print, it's worth considering whether and how we can make this tool work best for our unique situations.  It's quite possible to leverage the value of the trade press in ways that don't also require you to give away your secrets.  And there can be considerable value in just keeping quiet and doing the work.

Meanwhile, kudos to Boar's Head for being a great example of a brand that stays focused and executes well.