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Fuse 2012: Conference day one

The thread for this day: Grit.

Posted by on 19 April 2012
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John Wayne taught us about grit. Dirty, dusty, pistol-waving
grit. So when was the last time you thought about your own grit-quotient? Well,
Jonah Lehrer, author of 'How We Decide' and 'Imagine' (and John Wayne would
agree) says you must have grit to survive and thrive.
Every brand we heard from today exhibited grit.
It's easy to acknowledge, Apple has grit. We hear their
stories frequently and Vince Voron confirmed it again today (Apple
didn't shed the jewels, love it). Coca-Cola has shown their grit as well. Major
kudos go to Vince for leading a shift from the protocol of putting
design onto what they manufacture to now manufacturing what their designers dream.
I've never been concerned that Coca-Cola is going to go out
of business, of course. But this rejuvenated design focus shows us even the
biggest brands can't stop innovating.
Being a Minneapolis-based firm, we are proud of many big
brands right in our own backyard. So we sat up and noticed when our quiet Valspar,
a private label coatings company, decided to finally recognize their brand
potential. This heritage brand made a big change. New logo, new package design and a new market, means Valspar is no longer a commodity. Now they have brands
with personality and an extra billion in the bank. Grit paid off, with a big B.
Mrs. Meyer's is in the business of washing away grit. While
the Mrs. Meyer's experience is pleasant and the consumers are passionately
loyal, the marketing / design team exhibits the grit behaviors. They thrive in
one of the top five (an educated guess) most competitive categories in consumer
goods. They stand up straight in the category by being authentic,
community-focused, transparent and thoughtful in how they engage. Mrs Meyer's has grit and washes away
grit.

Director, Client Experience
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