The other day I was next to 3 naked people at a bus stop. All sweating. It was weird.

The day after that I was next to 3 naked people in TESCO. All sweating. It was weird.

The day after that I was next to 3 people naked in a coffee shop. All sweating. It was weird.

The day after that I was next to 3 people naked people in a cocktail bar in London. All sweating. It was weird.

The day after that I was next to 3 people naked people in a sauna. All sweating.

It wasn’t weird.

Why isn’t the sauna weird?

Context.

The sauna makes sense. It’s normal to be naked and sweaty in a sauna. Well, maybe half-naked.

Out of context.

3 sweaty and naked people at a bus stop or coffee shop or cocktail bar IS WEIRD.

CONTEXT is vital in brand building.

Context is a soft velvet pillow, making everything safe for consumers.

But, the danger?

Brands get stuck in The ONE OBVIOUS CONTEXT + OCCASION PRISON

You eat peanut butter for breakfast (obvious context + occasion)
You drink oat milk with your coffee (obvious context + occasion)
You eat oats for breakfast (obvious context + occasion)

One context + occasion = harder to drive frequency of consumption = harder to drive rate of sale.

How to break out of The Obvious Occasion + Context Prison?

Magic exists for founders brave enough to play and rove and roam and adventure and streeeeeeeeeetch the context boundaries.

The common mistake:

Create lots of consumption occasions without changing the CONTEXT.

It doesn’t make sense for consumers. It’s like rocking up to a cocktail bar naked and sweating. It’s weird.

Imagine a healthy keto snacking brand trying to act foodie. Create foodie consumption opportunities. Without any context change. It just doesn’t work. Feel’s Icky.

No

Imagine a healthy snack brand, changing the context, partnering with chefs and great restaurants. Suddenly it works. It’s less weird.

YUMBUG are an amazing example.

No context: “Eat our crickets, they taste really delicious and are great for the planet”. Doesn’t work.

Mmmhhhh.

Context: “Eat our crickets. We’ve even opened a restaurant with London’s top chefs. They love it. You’ll like it too - we’ve foodies like Sam from Dynamo, Putney and James Nathan, 2008 Masterchef winner”

The chef context SUDDENLY normalises consumption of crickets and bugs.

If you’re going to create non-obvious consumption opportunities, you need context to soften the weirdness.

TRIP are another darling example.

Obvious context + occasion for CBD:

Consume TRIP, a health and wellness drink, in a coffee shop or Gym or at home post yoga.

Non-obvious context + occasion for CBD:

Consume TRIP, a health and wellness drink, in SOHO House or Annabel's as an alcohol free cocktail.

The Context Framing is vitally important for TRIP to work in Annabel’s or SOHO House.

TRIP has to show up VERY differently at Annabells’s and SOHO House vs. CoOp or Sainsbury’s.

TRIP are on the menu in Annabel’s with a host of delicious ingredients, on a swanky menu. The Non-Obvious Occassion works because the Context works.

TRIP also play with non-obvious context + occasion

Check out the poddy I did with their wonderful founder Liv Ferdi.

Can you bend the rules and stretch context?

Thinking in ONE context + occasion massively limits a brand’s potential.

Brands playing in different contexts + occasion = higher consumption opportunities = higher rate of sale.

But, an occasion needs context. Otherwise it doesn’t work. It’s weird. The consumer feels like rocking up to a bar naked and sweaty.

At Islands

The Obvious Context + Occassion = use Islands Cooking buttons for home baking or hot chocolate.

The Danger?

How many times do you bake cookies or drink hot chocolate per week?
Maybe twice.

We need to find a non-obvious context + occasion to increase frequency of purchase and ROS.

The Non-Obvious Context + Occassion = add two Islands chocolate buttons to your coffee to improve taste + health benefits of dark chocolate.

Why?

How many times do you drink coffee per week?
Maybe 20 times.

More occasions = more frequency = higher ROS.

BUT.

Islands can’t just demand to be added to the coffee occasion. It’s weird. We need to create context. Soften the weirdness blow.

How to activate the non-obvious context + occasion?

Partner with businesses or restaurants or influencers that are revered in the non-obvious context i.e. health and coffee.

Leveraging Tim Spector’s Wisdom about how chocolate is great for you. This provides CONTEXT.

Then partner with authorities in the non-obvious occasion to increase

Yoga Partners:

1. Create a Mocha Morning at London’s Top Yoga studios, talking about the benefits of two buttons of cocoa post yoga.

2. Create User Generated Content with Yoga or fitness influences, adding two buttons a day and the benefits of it chocolate.

Partnering with authorities in non-obvious context increases chance of unlocking new occasion. Without it being too weird.

Coffee Partners:

1. Create unique mocha’s with London’s most innovative baristas and coffee shops.

2. Interview London’s top 10 baristas about why they add two buttons a day to their coffee. Spread on social.

3. Create User Generated Content of people adding two buttons a day and the benefits of two chocolate buttons.

Partnering with authority in non-obvious context (coffee) increases chance of unlocking new occasion. Without it being too weird.

The magic trick

Increasing number of occasions = increases consumption = increases rate of sale.

But each non-obvious occassion. Needs context. Otherwise it’s just too weird for the consumer.

Right. I’m off to the sauna.

Have a wonderful weekend

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1. What on earth is Unleashed, I hear you asking?

Unleashed is Inventory management software that talks to your financial and eComm software. We use it daily at Islands. It's BANGING!!

2. Why Unleashed will change your life as a foodie founder?

Cut admin time in half. Save money. Lots of money. Get lucid clarity on margins. Be all over cash flow, after all cash is king. Manage stock and cash flow.

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Your fave brands like Candy Kittens, Tiny Rebel, TRIP, Tarquins Gin, Three Spirit, Minor Figures, The Turmeric Co., Volcano Coffee

4. Do yourself a favour

Feel free to reach out to the utter legends Josh and Bryony at Unleashed, book in a 20 min chat with this magical link. Even if nothing comes of it, it's worth having a chat. Click this magical link.

Please do share this newsletter, it’s SO fucking hard to grow, so Every Little Helps:

Ta Ta Bon Voyageee

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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