Rather than doing a day-by-day synopsis, it’s probably more efficient to do a summary of the key things I learned and experienced at the camp. Really, there’s just too damn much to write – so here goes:
A.G. Lafley Presentation
Ex-CEO of P&G who directed the acquisition of Gilette, making P&G the biggest CPG company in the world. Also helped purchase Crest’s electric toothbrush technology and revitalize P&G’s core brands, including Tide and Pampers.
Naturally his credentials instantly command respect, but the simplicity of his presentation falls on two pieces of advice:
1) Know yourself
2) Be yourself
This is stuff quoted through and through by Sun-Tzu,
- Even Paris subscribes to Sun-Tzu. Shouldn’t you?
Miyamoto Mushashi , and half a dozen other philosophers, but to have someone with his credentials distill their experience to two simple things is powerful. What is it to know myself? What are my skills? What can I contribute to the world? Where can I add value? These are things that I hope to discover during business school.
Marc Pritchard Presentation
The one thing that really sticks out about his presentation is the idea behind the “Power of the Brand”. Selling Charmin at the end of the day is still selling toilet paper (my personal opinion). But what makes branding powerful is the potential for it to transform into something special. Case in point – the Pampers/UNICEF collaboration where P&G bought one 1 tetanus vaccine for every Pampers purchase. Imagine that – over 31 million lives have been improved just because soccer-moms had to buy some diapers for their kids. If that’s not powerful, I don’t know what is.
Maybe I drank some of the Kool-aid, but I do believe in what Marc says. We can be cynics and accept that a diaper is a diaper or a detergent is a detergent. But if we go just a little bit further, suspend our cynicism just a little bit and suppose that what we can do can make a difference, then I think we can use the power of the brand for good.
Day-in-the life of a Brand and Brand Management Methodologies
This was by far my most favorite experience. I love corporate presentations and meetings just as much as the next guy, but what really matters to me is the day-in-day-out tasks that a brand manager needs to perform.
So my mentor had the foresight to have me shadow a complete cross-functional team, from a brand manager to a market researcher to a public relations POC. I got to talk to everyone involved in building a brand, ranging in topics from strategy to tactical execution. What’s awesome is that I had the opportunity to discuss the P&G branding methodology and see where the different pieces come together that allows P&G to have 21 $1 billion brands in its portfolio. Is it the perfect approach? – probably not. But you can’t dispute the legacy of a 172 year old company in building a disciplined approach to building brands.
Bottom line is that after having worked in retail operations and product design on the business services side, a career in brand management is appealing because of the ability to touch so many facets of marketing at once. For example, other areas under the jurisdiction of the brand manager include the development of Television Commercials (TVCs), product placement plans, print, and digital marketing (I’ll put SEO under here Dean). So a brand manager has the opportunity to use any tools necessary to build and develop a brand; whether he/she has the power or authority to do so is another question.
To end this summary, here’s an ad we discussed during the brand camp – one of my personal favorites.
August 8, 2009 at 02:47 |
Great summary! Hope London is treating you well.
August 8, 2009 at 17:45 |
Thanks Elly! London is good, so far. From a marketing perspective, surprised at the number of small boutique branding firms.