Value Signals

by | Jan 29, 2019 | Branding Issues, Marketing Advice

Value Signals Scott Galloway, an NYU Stern School of Business marketing professor, talks about companies starting to ‘value signal.’ He and Kara Swisher have an interesting podcast called Pivot that covers technology, brands, and predictions. See Nike’s ad with Colin Kapernick and Gillette’s new commercial about The Best a Man Can Be as examples of value signaling. Value signaling means that a company or brand is taking a stand for an important cause. It could be the environment like Patagonia or some of the more conservative positions of company’s like Hobby Lobby and Chick Fila. Ben & Jerry’s was an early brand using value signaling that built a clearly defined ethos and belief about right and wrong. Value signals are about the positioning of the brand Brands can choose to keep quiet and try to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. They can stay away from political and religious battles so that they don’t alienate customers. Or, they can intentionally signal a position on an issue that matters to them. They understand that taking a stand means getting off the fence and believing in something that may appear unrelated to the business. Gillette’s Recent Ad A lot of people have commented about Gillette’s recent campaign and how some men felt attacked in the ad as if they had misbehaved. Somewhere, at P&G, a senior executive gave the okay to pursue this new positioning. Having been threatened by upstart brands that challenged them on price like Dollar Shave Club, they had to fight back in a modern battlefield. (Gillette bought Dollar Shave Club). I watched the ad several times to see how it made me feel. It made me feel a connection to Gillette at an emotional level that I have never had previously with their transactional ads about the six blades in their razor. It spoke to me because in the #metoo age, men can do better and we aren’t the best we can be. This ad wants to fight the idea of toxic masculinity. It spoke the truth, even though it offended many people. They stood up for a core value and belief that may have always existed within P&G, but they didn’t articulate and amplify externally. Some ultra conservative, right-wing advocates, have complained and protested that Gilette is giving into the liberal, socially-conscious perspective. I find it hard to argue about treating people kindly. If protecting and supporting woman versus making them victims makes select consumers want to buy razors somewhere else, I’ll bet the Gillette team believes that their strong stance will benefit them in the end. I’m confident that more people want to live in a kinder, gentler world. Marketers whose brands are well-defined mean they are creating meaning for a specific group of people. They are better that more people want to live in a society with less toxic masculinity. I’m happy to keep buying their razors. Photo by Arthur Humeau on Unsplash

Scott Galloway, an NYU Stern School of Business marketing professor, talks about companies starting to ‘value signal.’ On their podcast called Pivot, he and Kara Swisher cover technology, brands, and predictions. Galloway is one of my favorite marketing thought leaders to follow. He accurately predicted that Amazon would buy Whole Foods before it happened because he saw what Bezos saw in the opportunity.

This idea of value signals intrigued me.

See Nike’s ad with Colin Kaepernick and Gillette’s new commercial about The Best a Man Can Be as examples of value signaling.

Value Signals 

Value signaling means that a company or brand is taking a stand for an important cause. This type of signally occurs in both left and right-leaning companies. For example, you see signaling for environmental reasons like Patagonia or some conservative-leaning positions of companies like Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A.

Ben & Jerry’s was an early brand using value signaling that built a clearly defined ethos and belief about right and wrong. They supported the elimination of certain inhumane ways to extract milk from cows or to eliminate antibiotics for their feedstock.

Value signals are about the positioning of the brand

Brands can choose to keep quiet and try to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. They can stay away from political and religious battles so that they don’t alienate customers.

Or, they can intentionally signal a position on an issue that matters to them. Companies understand that taking a stand means getting off the fence and believing in something that may appear unrelated to the business. Companies who signal their values are reinforcing what their brand stands for in a world where product alone isn’t enough. Many consumers want to associate with companies that share their beliefs and world view.

Gillette’s Recent Ad

A lot of people have commented about Gillette’s recent campaign and how some men felt attacked in the ad as if they had misbehaved. Somewhere, at P&G, a senior executive gave the okay to pursue this new positioning. Having been threatened by upstart brands that challenged them on price like Dollar Shave Club, they had to fight back in a modern battlefield. (Gillette bought Dollar Shave Club).

I watched the ad several times to see how it made me feel. It made me feel a connection to Gillette at an emotional level that I have never had previously with their transactional ads about the six blades in their razor.

It spoke to me because in the #metoo age, men can do better and we aren’t the best we can be. This ad wants to fight the idea of toxic masculinity. It aligns with my values about what it means to be a man in 2019.

In my view, the Gillette ad spoke the truth, even though it offended many people. The company stood up for a core value and belief that may have always existed within P&G, but they didn’t articulate and amplify externally in other communications. 

Some men have complained and protested that Gilette is giving into the liberal, socially-conscious perspective. I find it hard to understand men who don’t want to live in a world where other men act out of kindness to others. Who believes that bullying and misogynistic behavior isn’t worth criticizing?

If protecting and supporting woman versus making them victims makes select consumers want to buy razors somewhere else, I’ll bet the Gillette team believes that their strong stance will benefit them in the end.

I’m confident that more men want to live in a kinder, gentler world.

Marketers whose brands are well-defined mean they are creating meaning for a specific group of people. They are better than more people want to live in a society with less toxic masculinity and macho men.

I’m happy to keep buying their razors to signal my agreement that the world could shave toxic masculinity, so it goes away. 

What signal is your brand sending about your values?

Want to discuss how you communicate the core values of your brand? You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com  Call me. 919 720 0995.  The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.

Photo by Arthur Humeau on Unsplash

 

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