5 Brands on a 4-Way Test
So far no one’s fallen below B+. We too nice?
- A for Southwest Nuts Blog
- A for New Hampshire Scavenger Hunt
- A- for Lenny & Joe’s Charity Carousel
- B+ for Stop & Shop Free Drugs
- B+ for Atticus Recesion Coffee
The point of our 4-Way Test is to show what’s exemplary. What to do more so than what not to do. We’re interested in what brands are doing great, and thus what we might all emulate in terms of being: authentic (vs. highly spun); inclusive (vs. one-way); constructive (vs. noise-mongering); and mutually beneficial (vs. imbalance between company and consumer).
Naturally, you’ll read about the good apples, the As and Bs. But it’s the component grades that really matter, where we can draw the lessons. So, Stop & Shop got a B+ for giving away free antibiotics, but got a D for not being inclusive. you couldn’t find the consumer voice anywhere in their campaign.
Occasionally, where there are great lessons to be learned, we’ll also write up F-grade campaigns. But as a rule our philosophy is: talk about what we can all emulate. What to do more than what not to do.