What we learned launching Indie Bay Snacks
Written by Dafna Bonas, founder of Indie Bay Snacks: It may be controversial, but I believe marketing is at the heart of most businesses; it combines the art with the science, the data with the intuition and instinct, and – when done well – builds a brand and drives business growth.
I started my career at P&G in Cincinnati, which felt like paying dues at 21, but was ultimately a privilege of learning the craft from the masters. I then applied and built on those skills at a range of media, tech and consumer businesses, from Hannah Barbera Cartoons to eos internet ventures, and others in between. Ultimately all this experience helped me to take the leap and set up Indie Bay Snacks and find the tenants of great marketing as relevant and true as ever.
In my mind, it all boils down to three critical principals:
1) Know your customer
I am always amazed by how few businesses actually conduct regular qualitative and quantitative research to learn what their customers think and want. Equally shocking is how often business run the research, then ignore the results and do what they wanted to do all along. The data coming from customers is invaluable, and should shape and drive your marketing campaign. I am a huge fan of Tamara Arbib and Rebel Kitchen, and believe she and her team understand their customers, listen to them and respond to them constantly.
2) Know your brand
Creating a brand with personality and understanding its proposition is key; remaining true to that brand ethos, and running a campaign that is consistent and credible, is critical. Too often, marketers dilute brands by using the wrong tone, partnering with other companies that don’t fit, or running initiatives that send mixed messages. I love Bodas lingerie, for example, because everything they do enhances the brand; the product, the stores, the marketing campaigns, social media voice – Helena Boas makes sure all the parts make sense for the whole.
3) Know your product
As we set out to create Indie Bay Snacks, we focused on the why of our product – why is it different, what problem does it solve, and why would customers try it and buy it over and over again? We created Indie Bay Snacks to solve and unmet need, and do it in a way that helps our customers find joy in the unexpected. We want to make it easy for our customers to snack while doing the right thing, and we do it by providing Snacks With Benefits. That is what we are about. If you find you cannot articulate the whys for your product, it’s time to take a step back and reassess.
These three elements are then brought to life, of course, by the incredible talent of the people you work with, amazing artists and creatives in the field who make it all real…that’s the secret sauce!
