Does Your Brand Spark Joy?

How the KonMari Lifestyle Can Influence Your Marketing

Last week, I completely purged every last camisole, gaucho pant, and embezzled top I had hiding in the crevices of my closet. I disposed of all of my mismatched hangers and 2-for-1 purchase flip-flops and gazed upon my more organized, more intentional wardrobe. I closed my closet door and thanked Marie Kondo for inspiring me to face the outdated and out-of-style version of myself, and walked away with a sense of empowerment and serenity.

So why am I sharing the distressing details about getting rid of my middle school wardrobe with you? The cultural phenomenon that is the KonMari lifestyle at its core involves “tidying up” your environment by examining every aspect and asking yourself, “Does this spark joy?” If the item doesn’t spark joy, you should thank it for its impact in your life and let it go. And while this personally involved me thanking a few dozen Tupperware lids, professionally, it got me thinking about how marketers today can view their brands through the same lens. Interested to see if your brand sparks joy, a la Marie Kondo? Keep reading, and get ready to tidy up.

What’s your brand’s gaucho pant?

Step one of the KonMari process: lay it all out on the table and analyze. Take each piece of your marketing mix, from your social media strategy to your point-of-sale displays, and ask yourself, “Is this really bringing my audience joy?” Identify the items that are working, and address those uninspired aspects you’re holding onto that are no longer connecting with shoppers. As marketers, we often get stuck in a routine of doing exactly what we know works…until it doesn’t work anymore. Remember that just as gaucho pants go out of style, so do current trends and purchase behaviors.

Successful brands not only keep current with today’s shoppers, they also anticipate what’s to come. They spark joy by providing solutions to meet current demands, and they are willing and able to pivot should those demands change.

Have you visualized the destination?

Another pillar of the KonMari lifestyle is visualizing your destination – identifying your goal and ensuring that your next steps don’t clutter your ability to reach that goal. As a marketer, it’s important to identify a clear path for your brand and set a strategy that prevents you from distracting from that clear path. We’re often presented with interesting, shiny opportunities to market our products, but that doesn’t always mean they’re strategic opportunities. That discounted rural area media buy or virtual reality booth feature might feel exciting in the moment, but if it doesn’t help you arrive at the intended destination, it won’t contribute to your overall ability to create value—and spark joy—with your customers or consumers. Visualizing the destination is all about directing your marketing dollars towards the goal to maximize your overall investment.

What emotions does your brand inspire?

Let’s say a shopper is in the store comparing your product with a competitor’s. What emotions are they feeling at that point? Maybe they’ve seen an inspiring video on Instagram and remember your brand name. Perhaps the bright colors or attractive, informative packaging makes them feel they are making a healthy decision. According to the New York Times, 92% of consumers want brands to make ads that feel like a story. They crave more than just your product: they also want the story behind it. Successful brands inspire joy and increase their value by creating meaningful emotional connections with shoppers.

Have you already identified clutter in your existing marketing mix? At DMA, our mission and core values inspire us to help brands in the fresh produce industry elevate their unique stories. Whether it be an outdated website, an unengaged social media community, or uninspired packaging, we’re here to help you clean it up—and really begin to spark joy.

Have a KonMarie-esque tip we didn’t include? Leave us a comment below, or tweet to us at @TheCoreBlog!