3 Marketing Lessons from an Iconic Global Brand

Dominating a category in business is a dream that every business owner and marketer wants. But how do we dominate a category? Ideally, we want potential customers to consider our brand the only option in our category.

Today I want to share with you three lessons we can learn from the most iconic global brand in Triathlon; Ironman. All three lessons are applicable to every small business that wants to thrive and build a meaningful and impactful brand.

What is an Ironman? It’s a brand that does triathlons around the world, organised by the World Triathlon Corporation. It consists of a 3.9km swim, 180.2 km bike ride and 42.2k run. Everything must be completed within the cut-off time, which is 17 hours (obviously all in one day). It is considered one of the toughest races on Planet Earth.

I did something crazy last month, I signed up for one in July next year in Bolton. I don’t have any experience in open water swimming, cycling or running on tired legs. But that’s a different story. At least I have a year to train and prepare myself for it.

I found their marketing insightful, so I deconstructed some of their activities. The interesting part is that before signing up, I didn’t even think of their competitors, I didn’t even know one of their competitors, because I didn’t look into any other triathlon race. It was just them in my mind. Quite frankly, I’m not interested in triathlon, but I'm interested in becoming an Ironman. Interesting thought there.

I joined a triathlon club here in London and learned a bit more about competitions and races. Apparently, there are many brands that do triathlon races. But none of them is like an Ironman race.

As a newbie, I didn’t and still don’t know a lot of things, but it’s interesting to de-construct our thinking and purchasing decision.

It’s been a whole year since I learned about them and thought of sighing up. Last year, I said it was too expensive, it wasn’t for me, I’m scared of open water, I don’t have a bike, and the list goes on. I didn’t even research their competitors or any other race, it was just Ironman. But was I brainwashed into the brand? Let’s see.

The first lesson is their brand aesthetics and story.

Once you log on to their website, you can see a powerful slogan: “Anything Is Possible”. You browse through their marketing collateral and feel?something different about this brand. You know that you want to look more into it. It feels they put a lot of effort and energy into organizing and running their events.

The lesson we can learn is that we have to pay attention to every detail in our marketing collateral, from our tagline to our designs and brand guidelines. Ideally, if you want to see how your brand feels, do a brand audit to see if our brand matches everything you stand for, and see how it feels.

We have to ask ourselves; does this look cheap? Does this look like something we are proud of?

One of the problems I see in many small businesses is that their brand aesthetics are bad, because they are so focused on the product, they forget that first impressions matter. And the second reason, good aesthetics and taste requires training and practice. For the first 4 years of running my?agency , I had poor taste in design. It changed when I hired a designer who worked for a huge agency that worked with brands like Nike. She actually sat with me in our conference room and showed me how bad our designs were. From then on, I started learning more about taste, aesthetics, and design that sells and makes people feel something positive.

Somebody commented in a group I’m part of and said there is a race that is ‘better’ and cheaper than Ironman, so I checked out their website. After 15 seconds I left, their brand aesthetics were poor, a disaster.

The best way to do a brand audit is by asking professionals to tell their honest opinion. But it’s very hard to find people who will tell you the truth, because nobody wants to hurt our feelings or deal with the negativity after you tell them that. So you have to be open-minded and open to constructive feedback.

Let’s dive into their tagline, what does “Anything Is Possible” mean?

I watched their video(s) around 100 times in the last year. Here’s a video they’ve done in 2014:

Here are the words from the video;

To accomplish something extraordinary, one must have an extraordinary dream.

A goal so high, a journey so demanding, that its achievement to most seems impossible.

For 35 years, Ironman has defined a sport. Growing from a single race into a global movement, and a new generation of athletes. In 25 countries with over 200 events, Ironman inspires us to reimagine our limits, to set our sights higher, and go further than ever before.

Ironman is a statement of excellence, passion, and commitment. It’s a test of physical toughness and mental strength. Ironman is about persevering, enduring and being part of something larger than ourselves, it shows the heights that can be achieved when we push beyond our boundaries and go the distance to earn the title; IRONMAN.

This is the first video I saw that got me interested and look more into what they are all about.

Then obviously, because I liked their first video, I wanted to see more, so I found another another video that they’ve done in 2016;

Notable words:

Ironman has become something more than just a race.

If you want to take this incredible journey, from the very beginning all the way to the finish, to be part of?something bigger than yourself, to pursue your deepest passion, to unite mind and spirit.

To achieve the impossible, to test, and break your own limits.

If you want?to go beyond your wildest dream?with thousands watching, get ready and prepare for a race beyond your imagination.

For an unforgettable chance of a lifetime. Now is the time.

Ironman; Become one.

If we pay close attention, we will see and hear how their videos speak about a cause, a purpose bigger than ourselves.

They challenge you in a way. They say if you want something ‘bigger than yourself, to pursue your deepest passion’ then we are for you.

It’s important to note that they are aware of who their clients and potential clients are. They appeal to certain types of people. You can imagine that this is not for everyone.

Here’s another great video done in 2021:

Notable words:

To grow, to become one.

The Ironman journey starts with…

A finish line that is yours and embraces you to a community like no other.

Become one.

The words they use are very specific, they entice you to think if you want to become one, and they make you want to be part of this journey. It goes just beyond, let’s make a campaign/video to inspire people.

I call these videos core videos or campaign videos to appeal and showcase what the brand stands for. Think of Apple’s Think Different campaign — they had one campaign communicating what they stand for — Think Different.

With their campaign videos, we can understand what they stand for. That’s where their brand story comes from. They have one tagline that is trademarked, and then they have their campaigns explaining and communicating their values.

The lesson from here is that we need to have our core brand story, and our core message, and then create campaigns to show what we believe in.

This is what will drive people to research more about the brand. This is where you start to create an emotional connection, and perhaps start looking deeper. This is how you make your brand interesting, like the first date; you liked what you saw, and now you want a second date. So you need to keep being interesting and interested, so the consumer doesn’t forget you and returns for another date until the ring is out.

The second lesson is: to create content with value.

Once you have your core content and message, then we need to create the right content for the right people.

I mean, it’s 2022, content marketing is a no brainer. Everyone speaks about content, everyone recommends content, but why is it so hard to find high-quality content?

The answer is simple, it requires two things, hard work, and it requires us to put our egos aside. Most business owners want to create content that speaks about how great they are and how great their products and services are. But in today’s day and age, this tactic doesn’t work anymore.

The goal is to figure out how to show that we care without saying that we care, it’s to show that we are passionate about saying that we are passionate about our category/industry. We need to create a strategy that puts our customers, potential customers and audience first. Companies that do that win long-term.

If we create content with value, our customers will return to our content and expect to learn something new.

But when do I sell my products?

We can have a strategy that consists of 80% adding value by educating, entertaining or inspiring people, and 20% selling, which can be testimonials, customer stories, direct sales and other selling aspects.

Ironman constantly creates small videos on their social media with tips for training, they call their series “The Cache’s Playbook”. It’s valuable for those who are training.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ChU1WLiAoAa/

The most effective way to think about content is this way. You have your core content, which can be your campaign, a nice short film, and then you have micro-content that can be shorted pieces of content that educates, entertains or inspires.

The third lesson is: to make people want to be part of your story.

If we look at all their campaign videos, they all have the same feeling, they all have the same message. When you watch their videos, it doesn’t feel like it’s an advert or a promotional trailer, it feels you want to be part of it.

People feel proud when they cross that finish line. We respect people who have done an Ironman because we can imagine how much hard work, dedication, persistence and lifestyle change it requires to finish one. If it was easy, we wouldn’t value it as much.

Do you know what’s even crazier? There is a tradition in the community that when you finish an Ironman you must do a tattoo on your left leg with the Ironman logo. There is a group on Facebook called?Ironman Journey UK?— it includes all athletes who completed one and ones on a journey to complete one. I have to say that every couple of days I see new tattoos that people share.

I saw a couple of tattoos with the Nike logo and their Just Do It tagline, I saw an Apple logo on people’s bodies, and now I’m seeing Ironman logos on people’s bodies. I don’t have a tattoo and never thought of getting one, but you know what, who knows if I change my mind once I cross that finish line next year.

People are proud because they achieved something huge, and as the first video says; ‘To accomplish something extraordinary, one must have an extraordinary dream. A goal so high, a journey so demanding, that its achievement to most seems impossible.’?They want to be associated with this brand.

People pay on average 133% more for an Ironman event than their closest competitor. That just shows the power of great branding, the power of knowing how to build a great brand.

But to charge more, to build a brand worth caring about, we need to put our customers first, figure out what we stand for, and communicate it in a creative and inspiring way. Otherwise, we are just another business trying to sell a commodity.

When people talk about triathlons, and when people talk about Ironman, you can see the difference in their eyes.

You know they are a powerful brand and making a positive impact. Because they didn’t just inspire me to sign up for their event, they inspired me to invest in a new bike, in gear, in a wetsuit, in a coach, join a triathlon club, stop my F45 gym and change my lifestyle for the better.

In one of their videos, they talk about ‘becoming one’. When I went for my first open water swim last week in my wetsuit, I was scared. I was petrified of swimming, but once I finished my first 1.7km swim, I thought to myself, this is what it means to ‘become one’. You push yourself to move out of your comfort zone, you push yourself because you know to ‘become one’ you need to grow and put in the reps every day.

This goes beyond just marketing, it’s making a positive change in people’s lives, it’s making this world slightly better and inspiring people to push themselves.

Their brand archetype is obviously the Hero (Mastery), but that doesn’t mean that if you are not a sports brand, you can’t stand up for something bigger than yourself, stand up for something that goes beyond just selling a product.

I believe they mastered their story and what their brand means and stands for. People want to be associated with them, people want to be part of that brand.

If you want to build something bigger than yourself, think of what is one thing that you truly believe in and want to change. You don’t need to be Ironman, or Nike or Apple, you can be who you are and inspire the next 10 customers with your mission, your vision because remember, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

Originally published on Medium:

Let me know your thoughts below.