Over the past two days, I’ve been exploring an idea I’m calling The Marketing Spectrum. Catch up on those if you haven’t yet. Today, I’m going to place a few companies along the spectrum, so you can understand how real life marketing fits within this scale.

First, late’s take a look at a some brand marketing-focused websites.

Lotus

Lotus’ website is very brand focused. There’s a beautiful, responsive image that takes up the whole frame. There’s a line of copy that captures the brand ethos. At first glance, there’s no visible button telling customers to purchase or sign up for a list. It’s all about the car.

This works well for Lotus, because they don’t make everyday cars. Their cheapest models start just under $100k. Even if their website was performance-focused, it wouldn’t be very successful because people wouldn’t be able to afford the cars. With a big focus on brand marketing, this website experience positions Lotus as an aspirational car. And when people have $100k to spend on a car, Lotus is top of mind.

Online Ceramics

Online Ceramics makes handmade, limited run shirts, and they’ve been praised by John Mayer and GQ. These guys got their start selling bootleg t-shirts outside Grateful Dead shows, then created an undeniable style and garnered a cult following.

It might not seem like this website fits under a strong brand focus at first glance–it looks more like craigslist. However, Online Ceramics is all about exclusivity and scarcity. They have a classic html style website to give their brand a timeless feel. Confused by their website? Want a discount? Want to return something? Too bad. They know their brand and they don’t compromise. Are they losing sales by not having a clear “buy now” button? Absolutely. Would John Mayer be so into them if they weren’t so exclusive? Absolutely not.

Next, let’s take a look at a performance marketing website.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels is the website building and email platform designed to help people close more sales online. Their entire website builder is centered around split tests. It allows you to easily create multiple iterations of landing pages and sales funnels to discover which one works the best.

This home page is all about performance, and not at all about brand. They have 6 fonts in 3 colors, 2 videos, and multiple buttons. But guess what? They’ve split tested it, and it’s working for them. They won’t attract the artistic Squarespace people, but that’s not important to them. They’re willing to give up a pristine look for the increase in direct conversions.

Finally, let’s look at some more balanced websites.

Asos

Asos has a strong brand identity on their home page, while still driving sales. They have 2 funnels right off the bat with their Men’s and Women’s lines. Immediate recognition and bold buttons. A sale CTA and a search bar at the top increase performance opportunities. All in all, this page looks clean and cool, and Asos maintains their brand while still driving sales.

Postmates

Postmates exists to deliver food to major metropolitan areas. There’s steep competition in this space, so they need to drive conversions while setting themselves apart. This landing page does a good job. The electric yellow catches the eye, and the creative photo design gives a good picture of what they do while remaining cool. Buttons to sign up, order, and pickup are strong, making conversion simple.

Video Ads

Finally, I’ll link 3 video ads below, and place them on the Marketing Spectrum.

Johnnie Walker - Brother

A beautiful piece. A short film. A poem. 100% on the brand marketing side. Did it make me want to share a drink with my brothers? Absolutely.

iPhone 12 Launch

This is a balanced piece of marketing from Apple. All of their launch videos are able to detail an insane amount of technical specs, while still remaining beautiful, engaging, and completely on brand.

Slap Chop - Infomercial

Slap Chop, and most infomercials, are pioneers of pure performance marketing. They show exactly how the product is used, they employ heavy sales tactics, and they have a call to action at the end. Call the number! Get a free Slap Chop! They aren’t sexy, and nobody brags about owning a slap chop. But they work.

Closing

Thanks for sticking with me through this short series on The Marketing Spectrum! I felt challenged by this, and felt like I really got to organize a lot of recent marketing thoughts. Share this with someone who would find it valuable.

Happy marketing!

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