What a Marketer Can Learn from a Beauty Pageant

As regular readers of the RandM blog can tell you, Robinson & Maites art director Ashley Bradarich won the Miss Illinois USA 2010 pageant the weekend of November 21^st. In a year when Chicago saw an almost endless string of competitive disappointments, this was one heck of a breath of fresh air … much like Ashley herself.

It seemed as though the Cubs and Sox were pretty much headed south before the summer heat and humidity got to the Midwest. Oh sure there were flashes of brilliance and hope provided by the likes of Mark Buehrle and Gordon Beckham. Unfortunately, whining and uninspired play got a bit excessive on both North and South sides of the city. There seemed to be a general lack of focus.

Just as things seemed to be going nowhere including into post-season play, the 2016 Olympic Selection Process grabbed the front pages. This was a stone-cold lock. There was no way on Earth that the most crafty and mighty political juggernaut could lose. Just show up and claim the prize. Lo and behold, a first round exit. The silence on Daley Plaza was deafening.

In the weeks that followed, the city licked its wounds, sought out scapegoats for the Copenhagen disaster, and turned its attention to football. This season would be a cakewalk. Kyle was exiled to the mountains and Jay was crowned king. Then Brian went down, the wheels came off and Kyle’s in the hunt for a playoff berth. What a year!

Focus, Preparation, Brand-building

With competitive disappointment following disappointment, you can see why Ashley’s win was such a refreshing change for the folks at R&M. They got to watch a nearly year-long effort to capture a prize that had eluded her 12 months ago when she finished as 2^nd runner-up in the Miss Illinois USA 2009 pageant.

As Ashley prepared for the 2010 pageant, she exhibited the traits we see in the best marketers. First she was relentlessly focused on the goal. Like many marketers she may have wandered off line on occasion, but she always returned to the task at hand. The best marketers we have met have been just as focused on their customers and their needs.

Second, she went through quite a bit of preparation to “get in pageant shape.” Diet, exercise, wardrobe and styling were not elements thought about just a few weeks before the event. To her co-workers it became apparent that the pageant business is hard work, months of hard work. The total package has to be put together. It helps when you are starting with quality ingredients.

Finally, she built her “brand” by having a real understanding of what the customers (read that judges) needed. They didn’t just need a pretty face. They needed a representative for Illinois with charm, intelligence and personality. The task for her, and for most marketers, is to make the essence of the brand instantly recognizable and believable. They are the support points for the benefit. And she understood that the benefit most relevant to the judges was not to pick the prettiest contestant but to pick one that would make them look good for selecting her. It is classic premium brand marketing. And Ashley is one premium brand.

The folks at Robinson & Maites cannot wait until the Miss USA pageant next spring. By the way, they are also looking forward to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Go Blackhawks!

Tags: 2016 Olympics, ashley bradarich, benefit for the customer, Branding, Cubs, marketing focus, miss illinois 2010, Miss Illinois USA, miss u.s.a., Sox

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 1:05 pm and is filed under Lowell Wallace, Robinson & Maites, brand development, sports/event marketing. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.