1. WW upfront
Competing with the big end of town
As a brand and innovation specialist TRISTAN FAHEY has been helping corporate brands unlock growth for more than 24
years. In 2012 she embarked on a new venture, launching her own premium natural skincare brand, Rubifresh. She believes
that one of the greatest lessons she has learnt in small business is to think like a corporate.
Tristan initially launched Rubifresh as a
sideline to her successful brand consulting
business. It soon became obvious that 24
years of working with senior management
teams on some of their critical brand
challenges had equipped her with a
different set of rules. By thinking like a
corporate and embracing the nimbleness
of a small business, she discovered she
had a unique approach that could set her
brand apart.
In an intensely competitive industry looking
for the next anti-aging miracle, Rubifresh has
positioned itself as an all natural brand. Tristan
knew she had to find a way to compete with the
anti-aging promises of brands which contain
chemical ingredients. “I didn’t want Rubifresh
to be another musty old brand in the back of
a health food store. I wanted to compete on
a much bigger playing field, and to develop
products that really delivered . . . products I
would want to use.” The result is a luxurious
range of products marrying high performance
anti-aging ingredients from nature which are
backed by scientific research, with a ‘100 per
cent natural’ proposition.
“I think the default position for small
businesses is to believe they are competing
against small businesses,” Tristan says. But
small thinking yields small results. Imagine
what could be achieved if your benchmark of
success was not other small businesses but one
of the leading brands in your industry. “This is
one of the cornerstones of Rubifresh’s success
to date. We set out to be confident in the quality
and efficacy of our products – to be seen as a
real contender against the big brands.”
Corporate brands are single minded
about their brand. They know what
they stand for, what they don’t, and
why they are better, and they focus
their activity on building this story.
What this means is that despite a lot of wellmeaning advice from friends, market stalls are
off strategy for Rubifresh. It is important to
stay true to what your brand is about and how
you want to be perceived in the marketplace
and to not jump at any opportunity that comes
along. Instead, Rubifresh places emphasis on
the methods big brands use – beauty editors
and bloggers – which sets them up as part of a
bigger playing field.
In April 2013, less than 12 months after
launching, Rubifresh was one of only eight
brands including L’Occitane, Lancôme and
Estée Lauder to be featured in a ‘Super Serums’
article in The Australian Women’s Weekly.
Corporate brands are single minded about their
brand. They know what they stand for, what
they don’t, and why they are better, and they
focus their activity on building this story. If
you cannot articulate that, there is nothing for
people to engage with. Consumers respond to
clarity in knowing what you are promising or
solving for them.
Tristan explains why she avoided the
temptation to include ‘almost natural’
ingredients which she states are easier to
come by, and less expensive. “The Rubifresh
proposition is all natural . . . and to include such
ingredients is to weaken this proposition and
stand for nothing.”
All of Rubifresh products are manufactured
with 100 per cent natural ingredients and
backed by scientific evidence. We just had to
keep searching for natural ingredients and
our clients love the difference on their skin.
Beyond this, we connect with clients who have
similar values to ours. Values connect at a deep
level with consumers and can generate word of
mouth, advocacy and real loyalty.
In the first year of business we tried several
different marketing approaches, measuring
everything. Corporates understand the
importance of ‘Return on Investment’ and focus
their efforts on activities that deliver. According
to Tristan, small business owners must become
better at focusing on the core, and learn to say
no to activities that distract them from the job
at hand.
Marketing metrics and ROI are strong drivers in
the corporate world, but corporates know how
to invest in the longer-term success of brands.
At Rubifresh we are in the early investment
stage. I understand what activity we need to
focus on for a return in the longer term, as we
have tested and measured everything. We know
what drives awareness, trial and conversion
better than we did a year ago. This longerterm approach to profitability is an essential
component of success, as it helps drive the
business forward in a strategic manner.
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Finally, innovation is critical to the growth
of any brand, and some say if you are not
innovating you are dying. Innovation is about
products that better deliver to consumers’
needs, about better processes that better
serve the marketplace, and about a culture of
creativity.
At Rubifresh we are constantly looking for ways
to overcome the barriers to growth, and how we
can shake up the industry. We originally set out
to change the rules and that continues to drive
us day by day. n
Tristan’s tips for
brand success
1.
Behave like a big brand
2.
Position and prioritise
3.
Measure return on investment
4.
Invest to grow
5.
Be innovative
6.
Change the rules of play
Contact Tristan Fahey
Business Rubifresh Skincare
Phone
+61 (2) 9997 3125
www.rubifresh.com.au
available only online at
www.rubifresh.com.au
A r t i c l e c o u r t e s y o f WOR K IN G WO M EN ® m a g a z i n e – w w w.w o m e n s n e t w o r k . c o m . a u
Summer 2013/14 n Working Women® 9