BarkBox on Branding: The Convergence of Culture & Audience
b'\\u201cBranding is thousands of tiny punches that add up.\\u201d And few deliver as many meaningful little punches as Bark & Co, the powerhouse brand dedicated to bringing joy to dog parents everywhere through innovative products and services like BarkBox. The company and its people love what they do and who they do it for. And it shows. This week, Bark\\u2019s Editor in Chief Stacie Grissom joined me for a chat on the On Brand podcast about all of this and much more.\\nAbout Stacie Grissom\\nStacie Grissom is the head of content at BARK, the company building a next-generation brand for dogs and dog people. Stacie leads the team behind the BARK\\u2019s interactive, humor-driven content strategy and is a co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Dogs and Their People. She lives in NYC with her rescue mutt, Pimm.\\nEpisode Highlights\\nWhat\\u2019s the difference between a dog owner and a dog parent? And, does it matter? It does to Bark & Co.\\xa0\\u201cA dog owner is someone who looks at their dog as property. Not as a part of the family. A dog parent throws parties and cares about the gifts they get their dog.\\u201d It\\u2019s this seemingly small distinction that Bark has built its brand around.\\n\\u201cWe\\u2019re obsessed with dogs.\\u201d So how does Bark understand their audience? Do they develop complex personas rich with quantitative and qualitative demography? Not so much. \\u201cWe only hire people who get dogs. Not everyone here has a dog but we all value dogs.\\u201d\\n\\u2018Hump Day\\u2019 is a little different at Bark. When your business is dogs, \\u2018hump day\\u2019 takes on a new meaning. Looking for way to celebrate the middle of the week with their fans on social media, Bark leaned into the innuendo. Would this offend some? Sure. But again, they know their customers.\\n\\u201cIf it makes us giggle we go ahead and post it.\\u201d This mix of culture, audience, and content, also informs their brand\\u2019s distinct voice, usually bringing a smile to their customers\\u2019 face.\\nWhat brand has made Stacie smile recently?\\xa0Stacie pointed us to the hip swimming trunks brand, Shinesty. \\u201cThey\\u2019re super bro-ey. The way they about their products shows that they really know their audience.\\u201d\\nTo learn more about Stacie,\\xa0connect with her on LinkedIn or check out her content at BarkPost.\\n\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'