The Don Draper Guide

Happy Friday,

Welcome to sipping and branding!!!

Hopefully, I'm not sitting in your spam. If you find me there, let me know so I can fix it.

How was your week?

Love the fall, not for pumpkin spiced, sadly for every brand activation but for its weather. 

To put a little more pep in your step, I am resharing a note sent about one of my favourite characters, the one and only Don Draper. Granted, he would only last a minute with HR sanctioning his behaviour today. 

If you've never watched Mad Men, it's a must if you're obsessed with selling and advertising.

Aside from being a womanizer, drunk, and troubled soul,Draper is the best of the best in advertising. Across 7 seasons, you get a free masterclass on how to position a product in finding the angle that differentiates it from all the others—finding the hitch.

Take The Lucky Strike pitch, for example, and how it introduces the concept of laddering, the act of focusing on a brand trait that highlights a weakness of the competition that, in turn, makes you look even better by using its 3 golden rules to win. 

1. Ladder on a feature that's easy for customers to understand

2. Implement laddering across the customer purchase journey

3. Ladder on a feature that is differentiated, relevant and sustainable

Lucky Strike, It's toasted!

Some episodes are worth watching just for those scenes showcasing other valuable selling techniques;

• The Kodak pitch,

• The London Fog pitch

• The Mohawk pitch

• The Playtex pitch

• The Hilton Hotels pitch

• The lipstick pitch

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do; in doubt, see step #4 of his guide.

Now go take a 6-hour lunch!

See you next week!