Bold Bean Co's ONE Secret Marketing Weapon, Banker W*nkers, East London Roller skaters & How To Play The Status Game To Wipe Out Competition

On Sunny Sunday’s in Victoria Park something very strange ALWAYS happens.

Something weird.
Something abnormal.
Something perplexing.

Something Special that teaches challengers brands a Special Something about brand building.

Last Sunday, the sun was a gorgeous blob of lemony white bobbing along the boundless creamy blue sky like a tennis ball. A brilliant, voluptuously silent blue day.

———— wooooooshh ——- sskkkkiaaaa - woooooshhhh ——skaaaaaa —— woooosh

——— wooooooshh ——- sskkkkiaaaa - woooooshhhh ——skaaaaaa —— woooosh

——— wooooooshh ——- sskkkkiaaaa - woooooshhhh ——skaaaaaa —— woooosh

——— wooooooshh ——- sskkkkiaaaa - woooooshhhh ——skaaaaaa —— woooosh

In the left corner of Victoria Park, as you walk away from the sumptous stench soul-spankingly delicious food trucks.

The rifling stench of WhackyWhacky GAN JAAAA. JahBlesss. percolated - - penetrated - - pierced my nose.

Roller skaters. A small little community of roller skaters smoking pot.

All the roller skaters admired the best roller skater, Rodney. Rodney roller skated backwards. forwards. danced. grooved. ooooooozed- -grooooooooved like hot caramel sauce marbling in cold vanilla ice cream. Swimming on concrete. Prancing on Pavement.

Rodney, the body of an Olympic Runner. Huge bowling-ball deltoids. V shaped batwing-back. Smothered in scraggly tattoos. Scuffled denim shorts. Big voluptuous, extra-terrestrial Afro. Head a Moroccan Pot of Pot. The snow white cream of his eyes curdling lipstick blood red shot. Wake & Bake. Head a Swimming pool of Fizzy Blue, Melting Orange Stoned.

Rodney was a true Roller Skater (the authority + high status)

The other Roller skaters were Wanna-Be Hipster Dipster Roller Skaters (the aspirational + low status)

Natty Wine Nat, did I tell you I like Natty Wine?and-Roller skating (ohhhhh…. just give it a rest and fuck off….to Somerset for a dog walks… in your Defender with your…Labby called Tilly…)

Buys-Second Handbooks-Only-Bertie. White Dungarees & Flat Personality gluging overpriced Flat Whites

Natty Wine Nat & Buys-Second Handbooks-Only-Bertie wore knee pads and elbow pads and mawkishly and dorkishly fumbled about on their roller skates.

Everyone looked up to Rodney. Everyone wanted TO BE Rodney.

What’s going on here?
Why is this important to brand building?

The Status Game.

Does your challenger brand think about The Status Game?

If you’re a challenger brand owner and know about The Status Game AND if your brand makes your consumers feel High Status - you’ll WIN.

Why?

People want to feel Status.
People want to feel Important.
People want to feel like they belong.

Seth Godin: 3 ways ideas spread (check out pod with Seth too)

1. Status

2. Affiliation (connection)

3. Fear.

Will Storr wrote a wonderful book, The Status Game. (he’s been on the podcast - coming soon - fucking game changer this one).

The Status Game is EVERYWHERE.

In the book, Will details a story of a prisoner called Andy at the end of his 22 year sentence, Andy is a freeman, finally. However, Andy LITERALLY wants to stay in prison because he high status in prison. In the real world, he’s low status as an ex-prisoner.

The 4 lessons:

1. We CRAVE status.

2. We’re all playing status games. All the time. Everywhere. Anywhere.

3. There’s an infinite number of status games.

4. If you’re brand infiltrates status games, you win.

Status Games in Everyday Life

Roller Skating in Victoria Park = Status Game
The City Banker HighFlyer = Status Game
The Cheese Rolling competition = Status Game
Sports Day Fathers = Status Game
Cross Fit = Status Game
Hipsters Roller Skating in East London = Status Game
The Golf Club = Status Game Book Club = Status Game

One Status Game, Two Different Contexts.

Let’s pick rollerskating as our Status Game.

Context One: Roller Skating in Victoria Park, East London
Context Two: The City of London Banker Wankers

Roller Skating in Victoria Park, East London is HIGH STATUS
Roller Skating in the City of London Banker Wankers is LOW STATUS.

Wearing a Patek Philippe Watch in the City of London is HIGH STATUS
Wearing a Patek Philippe Watch in East London is LOW STATUS (in fact cringe)

Imagine, rocking (or rolling up) to pints in The City on roller skates…. you’d be met by sea of Wank-Over-Wonga-Pathetic-Patek-Philip-Plonka’s

“MATEEEEEEE…… WHAT. THE. FUCK. ARE. THOSE mate… Roller Skates, mate? What the ACTUAL. FUCK mate…take them off now?”

You’d be laughed at.

Why?

Roller skating in The City amongst Wank-Over-Wonga-Pathetic-Patek-Philip-Plonkas is LOW STATUS.

Now imagine,

Roller skating to a Hipster-Dipster coffee gaff in East London is HIGH STATUS

“ahhhhh BROOOOOO, that’s sooo Calm… those Roller Skates…are Bless.. fancy a rollie?…. I mean a cheeky ciggy… not Roller Skates…. Do you know if wont’-shut-the-fuck-up-about-Natty-Wine Nat is on her way? Donde Esta Always-Lethargic-Lime Bike- Lucy? ”

Conversely, wearing a Patek Philip watch to a Squat Race in Hackney is LOW STATUS.

The crucial point:: there’s an infinite number of status games going on all the time. People are signalling status everywhere.

High Status in The City = watch on your wrist
High Status in East London = roller skates on you feet.

Low Status in The City = roller skates on you feet.
Low Status in East London = watch on your wrist

What status game is your brand playing?

Nike know how to play The Status Game
Nike Metcons are a brand infiltrating The Status Game in Crossfit.
Nike Metcons are a status symbol.
Nike Metcons are a “if you know, you know”

A status signal to show other people that you’re into Crossfit.

Status = connection + affiliation.
Status shows to other people “look, I’m part of the tribe, too”

How Your Brand Can Play The Status Game

The best challenger brands make their consumers FEEL status. When consumers feel STATUS ideas spreads far and wide.

How on earth do you make your consumers feel status?

My wonderful friend, Amelia and Bold Bean. Co is darling example.

Use (GENUINE) Authority + Status Influence

Amelia did an amazing job of putting Bold Bean in the hands of the right people. People who had HIGH STATUS + AUTHORITY + BIG FOLLOWINGS.

Chefs.

Nigella Lawson, Ravneet Gill, Mellisa Hemsley, Mob Kitchen.

These chefs are like Roller Skating Rodney. High Status. Aspirational.

Every foodie consumer wants to be a like a chef. Every roller skater wants to be like Rodney

When Foodie consumers cook with Bold Bean Co. they feel part of the Foodie Tribe. They feel Status from “if you know, you know”. They feel Affiliation + Connection from being in the Foodie tribe.

The result?

Ideas begin to spread.

Amongst many other amazing things Bold Bean Co. have done, one of the greatest was tapping into The Foodie/Chef Status Game.

Thanks for reading fuckers.
Enjoy your weekend

P-dog xx

Pretty-pease may you do me a huge favour, mate. This newsletter took me +18 hours to compile + write. It’ll take you literally 10 seconds to forward it on to a friend. Please may you ping it on to someone? We grow one recco at a time. Hugely grateful for you support xx

North Star. Get listed. Stay listed. And Grow.

Struggling to get your mitts on bloody expensive data?
Struggling to get get your pitches to really speak “buyer” language?
Struggling to actually analyse the data - lost in the Excel vortex?

Soooooo excited to announce our podcast partner North Star.

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Anddddd, the even better news?

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Fly in one of their amazing category managers in time for big range reviews, without paying full whack for a full time category manager.

Check them out here. Thank me later.

Feel free to email Huw or Keiran (they’re both legends) for a demo.

Still Hungry? Course you are…

Please feel free to gorge on the most downloaded podcast episodes of all time (these are CERTY: BANGERS)

1. Rory Sutherland: Why Challenger Brands Must Never Follow Logic to Truly Disrupt Categories 

2. Waitrose CEO: How Challenger Food & Drink Brands Can Win and Build Profitable Partnerships with Waitrose - James Baile

3. Spencer Matthews: How Spencer Matthews Built Unshakeable Resilience and Raised + £10m to Launch Clean Co. in Sainsbury's, Tesco and the U.S.A. 

4. How Grenade Exited to Mondelez for £200 Million and Lessons in Unapologetic Authenticity- Juliett Baratt

5. Tyrells Tycoon: How William Chase built and sold Tyrells for £50 million and sold Chase Distillery to DIAGEO 

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