Building a Belief Brand: Method

Here's a video link for ya. As far as keynote speeches at ad conferences go, this one's pretty good. Mainly because it gives you a glimpse into one of the biggest category-busting stories of the new millennium. (how you like that hype?)

I stole this guy's bio from some web site somewhere (the guys gets around to speak a lot).

Eric Ryan, Brand Architect and Co-Founder, Method
BIO: Eric makes soap. Really nice smelling soap that's non-toxic and good for the planet. Soap that's really beautiful, too, that makes people want to clean. He started Method in 2001 with his high school buddy Adam and has since built Method into a $100 million brand at retail — a brand that was ranked the 16th most innovative company in the world by Fast Company in 2008, and the 7th fastest growing company in America by Inc. Magazine in 2006. Today, Method has over 100 planet friendly cleaning products that can be found in stores across America, Canada and the UK. He's been named an eco-leader by Vanity Fair, a Food & Wine Tastemaker, an eco-revolutionary by Time Magazine, PETA's Person of the Year, and one of People Magazine's Sexiest People Alive. Okay, that last one's not true, but the others are. Eric lives in Marin with his wife Ingrid and two year-old daughter Anya, whose current favorite color is yellow.

And if you don't have time to watch the whole 20+ minute video, here are a few of my favorite quotes.

“Belief brands don’t have to spend as much in paid media. They’ll get more earned media because the story is stronger.”

“Own share of culture, not share of voice.”

“It’s no longer about building a mass market. It’s about building loyalty.”

(about their book, People Against Dirty: Detox Your Home) “By marketing a philosophy, you get people to pay $15 to read our ads.”

“We're spending less and less on trial, and more and more on loyalty.”

“I do think you can find some sort of belief in just about any brand today.”

The whole video of his speech is posted HERE.

I'm sure I'll re-visit Method's story in the future. It's a good one. I'm reading: Building a Belief Brand: MethodTweet this!