Almost thirty years ago my wife and I were featured in a series of testimonial ads by Nestle. We represented the small businesses segment that used Nestlé’s chocolate products because of quality, taste and performance. Our product, Rachel’s Brownies used both Nestle’s chocolate chips and their unsweetened baking chocolate which in the baking industry is called liquor. Peter’s brand (named for Peter Nestle) was the main ingredient in our brownies. It came in 10 lb blocks that were twice the size of a laptop and had to be broken into piece to be melted in our kettles.
I saw this ad hanging in the study at my Mom’s house in the space we still refer to as Dad’s office. I thought about how wonderful a marketing opportunity it can be to be part of someone else’s story.
We drafted the copy and then their marketing department refined it to meet their format. It was very exciting PR for our business and helped provide great credibility to our brand. I remember showing the ad to very important buyers from United Airlines, Publix Supermarkets and Wawa Convenience Stores.
Ironically, I have used this very technique in my various marketing roles within my own career. It is a great way for both parties to be involved in this partnership marketing effort.
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| Nestle’s Chocolate Chips that were used in Rachel’s Brownies from 1975-2004 |
Three tips to help you find a similar endorsement deal:
APPROACH YOUR SUPPLIERS: Can you approach your suppliers and offer to promote the use of their ingredients or components in your product or service offering? They may have an existing program just like Nestle had in the bakery business.
BLOG ABOUT YOUR SUPPLIERS: Have you ever written a blog post or created a short video that specifically highlights the source of your quality ingredients (software/logistics/etc.)? Using social media to attract and reach your suppliers might help you plant the seed for a supplier.
LICENSE THEIR LOGOS: Find out if you can use the logo of a well-known brand you use as an ingredient to make your product. You may find that you can license the brand mark for a nominal fee as long as you follow their brand standards rules.
This idea can work for people in services too. Maybe you sell consulting services and you use Citrix’s Go To Meeting. Can you use that in your marketing? Are you using a special software product to sell accounting advice? Maybe that software firm will allow you to promote its use in some creative way.
Find a brand that you use and see how you might pull yourself up on their equity.
What suppliers can you approach to see if their endorsement or advertising support might help you get exposure and to leverage their own equity? This might be worth some time and energy. In the end, this could provide you with your just desserts.
Notes: When I am not baking brownies or unraveling marketing mysteries, I like to provide ideas to help other small to mid-sized marketing folks grow their business. If these ideas touch a sweet tooth- I mean sweet spot, maybe you can pass them along to a friend who might be interested in reading my blog. Thanks.
