Image: Here + Now by Justin Bieber

​Corporate Challenge: A niche product company wants to break through to the mainstream.

Ironbound Strategy: Choosing a brand ambassador to create value for your brand’s customers, employees, and society can help launch into the market spaces where the brand ambassadors have influence.

Ironbound Action: Portland Oregon based Schmidt’s Naturals began creating chemical-free personal products in a house kitchen in 2010.  Between 2015 and 2018 the company tripled in size and scale, reaching customers from coast-to-coast.  Unilever purchased an ownership stake and created a partnership with Jane Goodall to design a product, it tripled sales.  In 2019, Justin Bieber became Schmidt’s next brand ambassador.  His popularity launched Schmidt’s entire product lineup into every mainstream cosmetics retail store globally.  Choosing Justin Bieber helped Schmidt’s create a larger impact on expanding the all-natural product segment from a niche preference into the mainstream must-have product.  

Image: Intel Computer Chip

​Corporate Challenge:  Being the first pick and preferred workplace by top talent. 
 
Ironbound Strategy:  Creative and diligent people are attracted to workplaces with values that align with their own personal beliefs.  Powerful brands attract and retain top talent by holistically creating value for employees, customers, and society.  
 
Ironbound Action:  Intel Corporation*, founded 1968 in California, is the world leader in computing technologies and breakthroughs.  They continue to lead† the market while nurturing a diverse workplace that enables everyone to equally develop and progress in their careers.  This diversity initiative‡ was furthered in 2019 with the introduction of the “Intel Rule”.  Beginning 2021, Intel “will not retain or use outside law firms in the U.S. that are average or below average on diversity for their equity partners. We are applying a similar rule to firms used by our tax department, including non-legal firms”.  Intel continues to be a best-case example of how effectively executing world changing ideas requires strategic value creating investments across stakeholders. 

Image: Renovated Adobe HQ Artistic Space 

​Corporate Challenge: Using paint colors to create employee value.

Ironbound Strategy: Sometimes creating value for customers, employees, and society is as simple as choosing what color to paint the walls.

Ironbound Action: California based Adobe has been creating value for employees by making conscious efforts in the colors chosen for spaces in their San Jose office building.  Entrances were deliberately painted with yellow to energize employees when they arrive.  Orange was selected for communal spaces to promote the feeling of community.  Blue was chosen for hallways leading to meeting rooms to destress and calm.  Within meeting rooms are greenery to liven the room and provide natural uplifting emotions.  Creating value for employees does not have to cost a lot.  In the case of Adobe, the simplest action of painting offices can be deliberate and intentional methods of enhancing employee value.

Image: Salesforce Trailblazer Mascot

Corporate Challenge: Benefits of investing in communities.

Ironbound Strategy: The best way to advertise a brand is to create value for customers, employees, and society.

Ironbound Action:  California based Salesforce has been adopting public schools that their employees children attend.  In all, 107 public schools in the Bay Area have received $70M in cash investments as well as thousands of hours in mentoring, volunteering, and technology assistance.  By investing in the children of their employees, Salesforce has not only secured the loyalty of their staff, they have positively impacted the community they operate in.  Brands that look for new ways of creating value for society often discover that their investments in their own communities yield better results than traditional advertising.

Image: Lyft

​Corporate Challenge: Manifesting new customers from outside the market space.

Ironbound Strategy: If you never stop creating value for customers, employees, and society, new customers will overwhelmingly flock to your brand.

Ironbound Action:  California based Lyft now provides rides to people who don’t have the Lyft app, including those who don’t even have cell phones.  Lyft has partnered with rural communities such as Vernon County (210 miles west of Milwaukee) that don’t have taxi services to provide safe rides for bar patrons late at night.  Bartenders are able to call Lyft’s for their patrons using a unique dedicated service that allows upfront payment by the bar, foregoing the need for the passenger to have a Lyft account.  When brands search for new ways of creating value for society, their efforts always increase their customer base.

Image: Ski Chalet available on Airbnb

​Corporate Challenge:  Impressing Wall Street 
 
Ironbound Strategy:  Most investors are seeking strong sustainable long-term earnings.  Powerful brands propel in value by holistically creating value for society, employees, and customers.  Companies that serve all stakeholders uniquely align and strengthen their capabilities, ultimately forging powerful brands and consequently commanding superior returns.  

Image: Crabtree & Evelyn Soap from Hilton Hotels

Corporate Challenge: Finding new ways to improve the planet.

Ironbound Strategy: Strategies that promote creating value for customers, employees, and society improves a brands presence and awareness, globally.

Ironbound Action: Virginia based Hilton Hotels sought to find a solution to soap wastage, in their global efforts to minimize their environmental footprint.  Instead of switching to soap dispensers like their competitors, Hilton partnered with Clean the World (a Florida based foundation) to melt down old soap bars and create new ones for the developing world.  Brands that partner with non-profits that affect positive global change, are able to instantly elevate their brand.  In the case of Hilton, they were able to elevate their brand using a currency they were quite literally throwing away.

Image: Beyond Meat

Corporate Challenge:  Determining whether a competitive position is a new lasting trend or just a passing Fad. 
 
Ironbound Strategy:  Powerful brands become trend setters by holistically creating value across stakeholders.  Their market position is propelled by value propositions that improve multiple needs rather than a single fad.  Studies from cause-related marketing research find consumers are attracted to brands that align with their social responsibility values.

Image: Bud Light NFL Cans

​Corporate Challenge:  Strategically changing logo branded colors to attract fan-based consumers.
 
Ironbound Strategy:  Powerful brands are always seeking to forge strong meaningful relationships with their stakeholders.  Friendships are built on common interests.  By changing branded colors to show genuine team support, brands can become fans and build comradery among enthusiasts. 

Image: Harry's Shave Club

​Corporate Challenge: Assuring startup success.

Ironbound Strategy: Startups that create value for customers, employees, and society can grow their brand presence faster than their competitors.

Ironbound Action: New York based Harry’s Shave Club is a startup that vertically integrated manufacturing to distribution from the very beginning. By owning verticals Harry’s was able to provide high quality products at lower than expected prices.  Owning verticals allowed Harry’s to create a second brand, Flamingo, to provide personal care solutions for women, and double their brand presence. When a startup is vertically integrated, it has similar advantages to the competition, but with nimbleness to outcompete them.  By ceaselessly creating value for customers and society, any brand can exponentially grow, even in slow growth spaces.