Depending on where you fall on the generation spectrum, you either know it as a children’s book from the 80’s, a colloquial saying uttered facetiously against needy people, or you’re about to learn a new Snapple-fact:
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie was the start of a popular children’s literature series first published in 1985. As an “elder-millennial” born in ‘86, I remember this as a staple on my childhood bookshelf. Oft-described as a “circular tale,” a young boy gives the titular mouse a cookie, who then wants a glass of milk to wash it down, who then requests a mirror to see if he has a milk mustache...and on...and on…and on. Poor kid, right?
Marketing and advertising are, in some ways, a kind of circular tale. I don’t mean that as a put-down towards the industry, but simply to draw a parallel to the way marketing cookies follow you around click after click after click...or at least how they used to until recently.
Marketing partners hand-out cookies, you ask? Yes! They just happen to be technology cookies. You can’t dunk them in a glass of milk, but they can certainly make things better just like Mrs. Fields Bakery. -- Cookies are the little tech-niblet placed in your customer’s browser history that aid you (and us) in using data to better understand consumer-behavior, gauge their likely interest in your product or service, and continually put your brand in front of them throughout their browsing journey.
Together, brands like yours and marketers like us give your clients & prospects a bite of a cookie, determine if they like chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin, then serve what they like up on a display ad. Then we might show them a short video, send a personalized email teasing your prize-winning recipe, and finally offer something akin to a taste-test that gets your customer trying your service and engaging with you.
But recently, certain tech-giants, like Apple, have tried to soften the impression that “Big Brother” is watching. In doing so, giving your consumer a cookie is a bit more challenging because some devices, like the iPhone, give some consumers the option to say to the internet, “Hey, I’m full right now, I’ll pass on that cookie.” -- It’s important to note that cookies and consumer behavior prediction aren’t disappearing, it just means that as technology advances, so too must our methods to put your brand at the top of the cookie jar.
Which brings us full-circle (like a cookie) to the 3 mantras our team at SJ has been advocating to Bossify Your Brand.
Some big-tech device manufacturers might be trying to sabotage your cookie recipe by slipping you salt instead of sugar, but that 3rd-party data, third-party meaning data you’re collecting from outside advertising sources, is just that...3rd-party. -- The solution, shift your strategy to rely on 1st-party data, information collected directly by your brand from meaningful engagements with current customers & potential consumers.
What are more meaningful engagements? Our 3 mantras, of course!
Click each mantra to learn more!
Rather than relying solely on the recipe that’s been handed down from Grandma’s marketing cookbook, you can elevate the flavor and experience with your own twist.
Being a better storyteller means bringing your customer on the shopping trip; show them how your brand doesn’t cut corners with mass-produced morsels, but instead sources your ingredients from a prime chocolatier with a far better end-product. Tell your client how doing business with your brand means that they aren’t getting a cookie-cutter service whipped up in a commercial-sized mixer, but a handcrafted small-batch solution that is made to their taste.
Video is vital to the cookie making process. Believe me! Science tells us that the brain processes video 60,000x faster than written content. A written recipe is nice enough, but the senses like cookies more! “We eat with our eyes first” is the saying. Besides, isn’t it more satisfying to watch Martha Stewart on TV make the white chocolate macadamia bars than flipping through a magazine & reading a how-to?
Lastly, passion & energy are tactical decisions in your sales kitchen. When you love what you do, and love what you make, there’s an X-factor there your consumer just inherently senses. It’s the warm-&-fuzzy feeling that sets your brand apart, and more importantly, makes them come back for more. -- Case & point, both of my grandmothers used to make me cookies as a kid. One was a “Martha Stewart”, the other a store bought “slice-&-bake.” Don’t tell them, but I secretly love one grandma’s cookies A LOT MORE than the other.
For all the talk about cookies, both real and cloud-based (not to mention the cooking puns), we’re at a moment of evolution in how you connect to consumers, and how we help you stand out as a Brand Boss. The proverbial cookie exchange has changed the rules, but by elevating your recipe with the secret ingredients that are our 3 mantras, you’ll stand out among the crowd. At SJ, our team has the know-how to navigate this remodeled kitchen, and coupled with our secret ingredients we will ensure that people will want to taste your cookies...maybe even lick the beaters too!
