Don't 'pumpkin spice' your brand.

Hello, and Happy Tuesday!?

I know what you’re thinking: how in the world is Brittany going to relate pumpkin spice to customer experience?

Well you’ll just have to read more to find out!

Oh, and in case you missed it...

To cap off an amazing Customer Service Week last week, I announced that I am officially launching my own podcast this month!?

I'm thrilled that my friends at Total Expert are partnering with me to launch the Creating Superfans podcast. Every week, I'll be joined by a business leader who excels at CX. Regardless of the size of your brand, you'll learn tips that you can implement right away to create your own superfan customers.?

Total Expert is a purpose-built CRM and customer engagement platform revolutionizing the way banks and lenders connect with customers to build trusted relationships, and drive growth and loyalty. Click here to learn more.?

Stay tuned for more announcements about the show!

-Brittany

We’re about halfway into October, which means it’s officially pumpkin spice szn. ???

MY pumpkin patch, unfortunately, didn’t get the memo. ???? LOTS of flowers, no pumpkins. Despite the crash-course in pollination, I think my sons are going to experience some Linus-level disappointment with our patch this year!

While I have a healthy appreciation for the pumpkin bread baking mix and pumpkin-flavored Joe’s from Trader Joe’s, people have been taking the trend waaaay too far over the last few years. Perhaps you’ve noticed?

Think I’m exaggerating?

I’m not just talking about pumpkin spice Pringles, or pumpkin spice Cup Noodles (eww!)...

??? Hefty has sold out of their cinnamon pumpkin spice-scented trash bags. But no worries, you can buy them for like $50 on eBay if you missed out!?

??Why would you sweep your house with a regular broom this fall, when you could use a ~pumpkin spice broom~ instead??

??Walmart is now selling pumpkin-spice Spam. Because regular Spam wasn’t gross enough? (Sorry, not sorry.)

?? Stay seasonal with your CBD gummies and opt for the pumpkin-spice flavor, thanks to Martha Stewart.

?? Enjoy a pumpkin spice latte BURGER at Umami. Okay, this one could actually be good if it’s just a sweet jam thing, but still…

?? Last, but certainly not least, England-based jeweler, Angelic Diamonds, created a PSL-inspired engagement ring that you can buy for about $10K.

According to Angelic Diamonds, the rose gold band was “designed to replicate the rib shape of a pumpkin” (as opposed to, you know, the shape of a finger). You’ll also notice white diamonds, orange sapphires, and emerald shoulder stones, along with a whipped cream-shaped center diamond. The setting resembles a cup, and finally, the band is engraved with the words “Pumpkin Spiced.”

Ready for my unpopular opinion? Don’t Pumpkin Spice Your Brand!

Pumpkin spice started out as a good thing, but brands have been taking it too far and completely overdoing it.

Most of the pumpkin spice products are pure PR plays or social media moments. And while some of them work in the short term, most brands are just hopping on the trend for the sake of it and are unknowingly driving customers away… and, in almost all cases, diverting resources that could’ve been better allocated toward creating amazing customer experiences!

Jumping on some social media trends can be funny, but unless you act on them immediately, you’ll appear out-of-the-loop, unoriginal, or worse, desperate.?

In addition to acting fast, you’ve got to find a way to connect the trend to your Story. How can you cleverly capitalize on a viral moment and reinforce your origin story at the same time? Find a way to make your brand relevant to whatever it is that’s going on. Otherwise, you’ll just blend in with the noise.

For example, in November of 2021, Taylor Swift took the internet (and world) by storm when she re-released her album, Red. Many brands took the opportunity to jump on the social media frenzy, but some did a much better job than others.

Panera’s tweet, “Loving you was bread” cleverly connected its story to the Red release in a succinct and humorous way. They didn’t have to hashtag Red or tag Taylor Swift to explain the joke. They knew their audience would understand.?

GoFundMe also nailed its participation by connecting Taylor Swift to its brand story. The organization knew that fans were supportive of Taylor for standing up for herself with her re-release, and what better way to celebrate her than to acknowledge all of the charitable work she’s done?

On the flip side, one brand that totally flopped was Auntie Anne’s.

First off, it was a day late - and in social media years, that’s like a lifetime. By this point, we’d all seen hundreds of hilarious reactions. Plus, they put zero creativity into their tweet and didn’t make the connection between their Story and Taylor Swift. Every brand could’ve copied this tweet and swapped out ‘pretzel’ for their thing.?

Like most relationships, your brand can chase prospects away when you try too hard to appeal to them. You can also confuse them. Do you really want someone’s first (and possibly last!) impression of your brand to be, “Oh, they made a bunch of pumpkin stuff because that’s ‘in’ right now.”

Next time you’re tempted to hop on the latest trend, ask yourself if you can participate in a relevant, memorable way. Can you add value to your customers by joining? If not, resist the temptation…otherwise, you risk becoming just another pumpkin spice product.

"Branding is the process of connecting good strategy with good creativity."

- Marty Neumeir

LET'S HANG ????

I'll be speaking at Customer Contact Week Nashville this Wednesday AND Thursday!?

Come hear me speak about creating superfan customers and employees! You can still register here. Use this code for 20% off: 24CCW_Speaker

Have a great week and I'll talk to you next Tuesday!