EPISODE 116 OF THE MARKETING SOLUTIONS PODCAST: ADAPT OR DIE: WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM FRANK GREEN

Sonya:

I promised myself there were words and phrases I would never say again, after Covid.

Top of the list?

Unprecedented times, “mask up” and… pivot

While the word ‘pivot’ certainly WAS overused during the pandemic, the ACT of pivoting was crucial to the survival of countless small businesses.

Now that we’re well and truly on the other side of Covid, it’s a great time to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned and to examine those businesses that not only survived, but THRIVED, in those turbulent times.

Because tough times never last, but tough (and adaptable) businesses do.

Adapt or die, as they say.

In this episode, we’re going to talk about a brand that not only adapted quickly, but built a cult following in the process: Frank Green.

One of my biggest gripes with big business has always been that it takes forever for new ideas and initiatives to be implemented.

While the old ways of operating may have worked twenty years ago, our world moves so much faster these days.

The design process is faster. Getting FEEDBACK from your customers is faster. Even making changes on your website is relatively straightforward, depending on your platform.

All these things mean that, if you’re paying attention and taking consistent action, when disaster strikes, you can make immediate moves to mitigate the damage.

This brings me to today’s lesson: What we can learn from Frank Green’s genius pivot during Covid.

Cast your mind back to life pre-Covid, if you can.

Your morning may have started with a walk to your local cafe, or maybe you dropped by a hole-in-the-wall on the way to work, reusable cup in hand.

Bringing your own brightly coloured beverage receptacle not only saved you 50c on your morning coffee, but it signalled to the world that you were an ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS, VERY TRENDY individual.

The hold that Keep Cups had on us all in 2019?

It was reminiscent of when Apple watches first came back. Just like Apple Watch owners were flashing their wrists at every available opportunity, the Keep Cup became somewhat of a status symbol, silly as it sounds.

And from a branding perspective, it makes total sense.

The Keep Cup is bright, it’s instantly recognisable, and it offers a low-investment way for users to express their individuality.

It was also one of the things that the government deemed a no-no during lockdown, and in the months that followed.

That trendy cup you forked out 29.99 for? All of a sudden, it was a potential virus-spreader, and cafes were no longer allowed to accept them.

This was an absolute DISASTER for Keep Cup and other reusable cup companies, and for smaller operators that didn’t see the opportunity in the situation, it spelled the end for their businesses.

Enter… FRANK GREEN.

Pre-Covid, Frank Green was kind of an also-ran in the reusable cup market.

They were the Pepsi to Keep Cup’s Coke-like status.

Also great, also had strong branding and a decent market share, but they didn’t QUITE have the cult-like following of the top performers in their space.

So what did Frank Green do that saw them absolutely explode in terms of financial growth and popularity?

They saw an opportunity, and they went ALL IN.

A quick exercise for you: when I ask you to think about ‘Frank Green’, what do you see?

I’m willing to bet it’s not a reusable coffee cup.

If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that those familiar with the brand would have immediately pictured one of their GIANT water flasks.

Loved by influencers, wannabe athletes, the mummy mafia and 9-5 office workers alike, the Frank Green flask has usurped the Keep Cup as the latest must-have item, spawning countless memes and TikTok videos mocking their devotees.

Do we need to lug around a giant water bottle that, if I’m honest, reminds me of a mini water cooler refill?

Probably not.

But do a whole lot of people want to be hydrated queens (and kings) who belong to the Frank Green army?

ABSOLUTELY.

The Frank Green team saw an opportunity, they gave it a red hot crack, and that gamble has well and truly paid off.

So, what can we learn from Frank Green? 

Three things:

1. When the world changes, you have to change with it.

If Frank Green hadn’t explored ideas to stay relevant and change with the times, they’d probably still be #2 in the keep cup industry… and industry that has been declining rapidly for the past three years.

When was the last time you saw someone with a keep cup? When was the last time you took YOUR Keep Cup into a cafe? (pause) Exactly. The way we’ve USED the product has changed, with more people using their reusable cups for beverages they make themselves at home, as opposed to the old behaviour of not leaving the house without it.

2. You don’t have to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

The pivot from reusable coffee cups to reusable water bottles was brilliant for two reasons:

Firstly, the premise of the product remained the same. Frank Green are STILL making beverage holders. They’re STILL environmentally friendly. They’re STILL fun and vibrant and quirky.

Secondly, they didn’t reinvent the wheel - they just redesigned it. Reusable water bottles have been around for decades, they’re nothing new. What Frank Green did was identify the features that were important to their customers, as well as emerging trends in consumer psychology, and they created a product that appeals to customers across demographics and social groups.

3. There are no bad ideas

I’ve spoken before on the podcast about how ‘no idea is a bad idea’, and the Frank Green pivot is a fantastic example of this concept in action.

If I were in the shoes of the Frank Green head of product development, I’m not sure I would have been so open to the idea of creating a water bottle that could knock out an assailant with a strong swing. But imagine if they’d dismissed that business-changing idea without looking into it further!

I saw a business owner on TikTok talking about how they have a “bad ideas” document that’s sent around a few times a year for the team to drop in anything that they would USUALLY pitch with the disclaimer, “This is probably a TERRIBLE idea, but what if we…”

Now, some of the ideas ARE truly terrible, but some absolutely BRILLIANT ideas have also made their way onto this document. By taking the pressure off ideas having to be perfect - or even GOOD - this company gives their team permission to be creative - and creativity without pressure is, in my opinion, where the best ideas are born.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas:

• Survey your customers. They’re the ones supporting your business, after all. It can be as easy as asking, “If we could provide your DREAM product and service, what would that be? What’s missing from the current options we have available?”

• Get creative. I LOVE watching improv actors when they’re given a scene from a word or scenario, and they create a whole scene that has the audience in stitches.
  The guiding principle of improv, the ‘YES… AND” can be applied to your business, too. YES you provide your signature service… AND a customer asked if you could do something that’s not only reasonable, but profitable, so why not expand your offering?

• Create a “half-baked ideas” document and send it around to your team. Invite them to drop in those ideas they’ve had in passing, but haven’t had time to fully map out, or something they think could work, but aren’t sure exactly HOW.
  The collaboration aspect of this document is really important. You’ll find that team members piggyback on an idea to create something better, or link up two ideas that might seem terrible on their own, but are FANTASTIC when you consider them together.

Covid may be over, but there are always going to be unexpected challenges for business owners to face.

It’s a great idea to think about what you would do if you could no longer do business the way you do everyday NOW, when the sky ISN’T falling, so that if and when it DOES feel that way, you’ve thought about ways to mitigate the damage.

You might even come up with a new product, process, service or offering that you can put in place NOW as an additional income generator to sure up your position in the future.

Business ownership isn’t for the weak, and it’s not something you have to go through on your own. I’d LOVE it if you joined my Boom Your Biz Facebook group to connect with other business owners and to discuss this episode.

Just search “Boom Your Biz” on Facebook, and request to join the group. And to stay up to date with my trainings and workshops, visit kissmarketing.com.au to sign up for my newsletter.