I always get excited when I stumble upon stories of brands putting the SUPER Model into action. In today’s newsletter, let’s dive into the most SUPER examples I’ve encountered over the last few weeks. Remember, we’re all living in an experience economy. There are lessons to be learned from brands in every industry and vertical. Here goes!
S: Start With Your Story
Boot brand Wolverine launched a new campaign, “Woman-Made.” It celebrates the achievements of women in skilled trades and advocates for more inclusive language for all. The spot highlighted many notable women and their accomplishments. Emily Warren Roebling, engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, and Anna Connelly, inventor of fire escapes, were among the featured icons.
Alongside the TV spot, Wolverine launched a petition on Change.org to add “woman-made” to the dictionary.
Director of Brand Marketing, Lauren King, explained: “…we hope to inspire girls and women around the globe to have the confidence to pursue any passion, especially within the skilled trades where women are drastically underrepresented.”
As a brand that takes pride in embodying the spirit of the American worker, Wolverine recognizes that it can’t accurately tell its story without acknowledging the unsung contributions of women in skilled trades.
U: Understand Your Customer’s Story
Basma Beauty, a cosmetic brand founded by burn survivor and pioneer of the Scar Camouflage procedure, Basma Hameed, launched one of the most customer-centric campaigns I’ve seen in a long time.
After going viral on TikTok with its inclusive Foundation Stick, Hameed took it to the next level. She decided to collaborate with her fans on the development of a new blush product. Basma Beauty shared product samples with followers. They asked for their feedback on the formulation, shade names, marketing plans, and recommendations for influencers . As a result, the brand received more than 10 million social views of the blush pre-launch.
Collaborating with customers on product development offers invaluable insights into their needs, preferences, and pain points, ensuring the final product resonates with the target audience. Furthermore, by including followers in the process, customers feel like they’re a part of Basma’s success and have a stronger emotional connection to the brand.
P: Personalize
The new MyLowe’s Rewards loyalty program is helping the retailer personalize its offerings to customers for the first time. As part of the rollout, Lowe’s incentivizes users to share their preferences in exchange for more points. They’ve even created “affinity groups” to segment their audience by interest, including pet lovers, first-time homeowners, decorators, and more.
Sr. Vice President of Marketing, Jen Wilson believes the MyLowe’s program will allow the brand to create a more tailored experience for its customers.
She explains, “…we can start to serve up the right products, the right services, the right offerings and the right offers to be able to speak to you in a way that we know is meaningful. This is most certainly the spine for how we will become more personalized in our conversations with our consumers.”
E: Exceed Expectations
If you’ve heard my keynote or read my book, Creating Superfans, you know I’m a superfan of Chewy. I don’t know of any other brand that goes viral for amazing CX with the regularity of Chewy. At least a dozen people have told me about Chewy sending flowers after the loss of their pet.
One customer told me Chewy had refunded him $1,000 for medicine after his cat passed away. Countless people have told me about receiving toys and treats for their pets unannounced, always accompanied by a sweet note.
This weekend, I discovered yet another way that Chewy goes above and beyond for its customers. An X user posted that Chewy converted her late pet’s profile into a memory page. 🥺
Putting intentionality into the smallest moments shows your customers that you truly care about them. Instead of painfully deleting her late pet’s profile or being greeted with her pet’s name upon login, Chewy got ahead of it. The brand avoided the negative interaction and instead created a heartwarming moment for the customer.
It’s not just the grand gestures that people remember. If you want to design experiences that your customers will talk about, you are bound only by your creativity.
Side note: notice that Chewy responded with, “Emmy is no longer by our side.” Not “your side.” Connecting your story to every customer’s story is a formula that works 100% of the time.
R: Repeat
If you’re a fan of Target, you’ll love this! Last week, Target officially launched Target Circle 360. It’s a paid membership program that offers unlimited free same-day delivery for orders $35+ and free two-day shipping.
While the brand will still have its free Target Circle option and the Target Circle Card program, this new paid tier will rival Amazon and Walmart and drive even more sales. With speed and convenience at its core, Circle 360 makes it easy for customers to come back again and again.
Have you seen other great examples of companies implementing pillars of the SUPER Model? Be sure to send them my way!
