👋, I’m Kimberly. I’ve been creating obsession-worthy brands for the past fifteen years. And now, I’m giving away my secrets every week in this newsletter.
This is Part 2 in a series about PR.
In my last newsletter, I focused on what you can do to get the press talking about your brand.
This week, I’m focusing on what you can do to get regular people (aka your current and future customers) talking about your brand.
One way would be to switch over all your marketing communications to feature baby animals, like this adorable little guy.
But, if you want to keep the focus on “your brand” and “your product,” I have some suggestions too.
I went back to my writing archives—and pulled out five fantastic examples of brands that did something talk-worthy for customers. Let’s dive in.
Conversation Starter #1: Dirty Lemon
How a beverage company got everyone talking with a “you might call-them-crazy” new retail concept: grab-product-now… and text-to-pay later
Dirty Lemon launched 2015, and it was the immediate darling of the millennial drink world. The brand sold minimally designed and cleverly marketed “it’s not a cleanse” cleansing drinks made of Dirty Lemon Water (water + lemon) infused with ingredients for flavor and function (collagen for glow, ginseng for energy, charcoal for detox).
In 2018, Dirty Lemon launched Drug Store—a brick-and-mortar location in NYC. The big talking point? It was a store based on the honor system. Walk in, take a drink, walk out, text to pay later.
Dirty Lemon already used a text-to-buy experience for their online orders. But doing it IRL puts a lot more trust in their customer… and gives them a sticky thing to say about the brand.
“Have you heard about Dirty Lemon? You just grab a drink and walk out!”
Making paying voluntary may seem like a risky move—but it pays for itself in conversation starters.
💥 Your Talk-Worthy Challenge
Think about how your customer buys your brand.
Do they buy online, or in a store?
Map their interactions in detail, from first glance to point of purchase
What does the checkout flow look like?
Then, look for an opportunity to do something radically different (aka talk-worthy) that makes purchasing your product either better or easier.
Conversation Starter #2: The Standard Hotels
How their “Ring a Rep” phonebooths got everyone talking ABOUT conversation—and dialed up the values of their brand
The Standard (a boutique chain known for edgy vibes) installed big colorful phone booths at their hotels in NYC, LA, and Miami. The call to action: Ring Your Rep!
Each booth was set up to dial Congress directly. Pick up the phone, enter your zip code and leave your rep a message about any issue. There was even a handy script with advice for how to position your points.
Since they installed the booths, over 3,000 people called—but MORE posted about it and talked about it. They also added direct dial features to their rooms and hosted Ring Your Rep events in all of their cities, partnering with the ACLU and Fashion Week.
By making activism easier than ever, The Standard empowered guests to make their voices heard—a mission that aligns perfectly with the value they place on radical self expression and interconnection. They got creative in their space and turned it into a platform.
💥 Your Talk-Worthy Challenge
When you want to start up conversation, let your own brand inspire you.
Check in on your core values
Go through them one by one
Brainstorm how you could bring each one to life through a unique experience
Conversation Starter #3: Buffy
How this comforter company got people talking by letting you sleep on it... literally
When Buffy launched what they called “the comfiest, cleanest, healthiest and most eco-friendly comforter ever,” they said and did everything right to get people feeling good about the ultimate feel-good purchase.
But what REALLY got people talking was a marketing technique that’s often applied to other product categories—but not typically to bedding:
Try Buffy Free for 30 Nights.
It’s a risk-free test period with no charge until you’re smitten.
Buffy’s win was three-pronged:
Taken alone, the “try before you buy” approach immediately conveys confidence. This is a company that stands behind its product, and that’s super appealing.
When Buffy put this approach to work on an incredibly personal item that gets used in an incredibly personal way (aka your bedding), it turned heads and made people talk about it because it both was unique AND appreciated.
By not charging your card until after 30 days, they made the test period feel like a REAL test period—not hassle-full return.
💥 Your Talk-Worthy Challenge
Can you take a concept that typically doesn’t apply to products in your space and apply it to your product in a way that wakes up more customers? For example:
If a movie theater gave you a money-back guarantee if you didn’t like the film
If a restaurant let you sample unlimited entrees before you ordered yours
If a florist let you return flowers if they didn’t last as long as you hoped
Conversation Starter #4: Primary
How this kid’s clothing company got people talking with a free Costume Concierge
Every October, the pressure is on to create a unique costume for your kids.
But the choices are not so choice: cheap polyester one-and-dones or potential DIY disasters. For those lacking extra time and crafty talent, it’s a real horror story.
Enter Primary, the "awesome kid’s basics at reasonable prices” brand.
To help end parents' struggles, they launched a free Costume Concierge service.
Simply call them up to connect with a DIY guru who helps you bring any idea to life and walks you step-by-step through an easy-as-possible process—including tips on where to buy extra fabric and exactly what glue to get.
The costumes all start with Primary basics, many of which you un-decorate and re-wear long after the candy's been consumed.
The service doesn’t cost Primary much, but it has a tremendous impact on parent’s interactions with and love for the brand: positioning them as the go-to resource who really cares.
Plus, it gives parents something awesome to talk about to all the mommies and me.
💥 Your Talk-Worthy Challenge
Is there an unexpected way you can help your customer out with a problem?
Think about your target consumer
List out his or her daily, weekly, constant, yearly, and seasonal struggles
What could you do to make life easier?
Conversation Starter #5: REI
How this outdoor retailer got people talking for 4 years and counting...
In 2015, REI sent shockwaves through the retail world. On Black Friday—the holy grail day of shopping days—REI went MIA.
Not only did they NOT have sales and discounts. They didn’t have employees.
REI closed its doors to purchases IRL and online—encouraging everyone to #OptOutside and spend their day exploring the great outdoors rather than fighting the crowds indoors.
Bonus: They were still paying all of their employees for the day!
The shuttering down got everyone hyped up: people couldn’t stop talking about what a genuine and caring company REI was. And it put tremendous focus on their brand values in a way that people connected with.
Their CEO credits the now yearly closures with helping REI survive the retail apocalypse—during which over 200 big retailers have died.
Others have copied the approach, but no one’s gotten people talking like REI. And the campaign has become part of their core alongside their values.
💥 Your Talk-Worthy Challenge
Think about how you can zig when others zag.
What are the other brands in your space all doing, all at the same time?
Could it make sense for you to purposefully not participate?
If you didn’t participate, what could you do instead that could have an impact?
That’s All for This Week. But Next Week…
I’ll be interviewing two awesome public relations experts—and sharing their tips for getting press and getting people talking in Part 3 of this series on PR.
So stay tuned (or whatever the equivalent of tuned is for an email 🧐).
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About Me
I help early stage founders create the kind of brands that get customers so obsessed, they’ll do your advertising for you.
Based on my experience founding my own consumer brand, I developed The Branding Sprint—a uniquely collaborative, streamlined, and agile approach to brand creation.
Click here to learn more about The Branding Sprint, or schedule a call with me.