The LOOMIS Agency’s Mike Sullivan was Featured on ManagingEditor.com
Recently, the CEO at The LOOMIS Agency was featured on ManagingEditor.com as a contributor writing about Challenger Brands.
Mike Sullivan is president and CEO of LOOMIS, a Dallas Advertising Agency and one of the leading challenger brand advertising agencies in the United States. For more than 30 years, he’s helped some of the country’s most successful companies build their brands. Michael Tuggle (co-author) is an award-winning creative director and writer with more than 25 years in the ad world building brands and growing companies. Their book is “The Voice of the Underdog: How Challenger Brands Create Distinction by Thinking Culture First” (BizComPress, 2020).
In the article featured on ManagingEditor.com Sullivan breaks down what it means to be a Challenger Brand.
You Have to Take a Stand
Sullivan makes it clear that if you want to be a challenger brand you have to state what you are and what you are not. He gives some good examples as Southwest Airlines doesn’t offer first-class seats, and in doing that they are essentially telling customers and potential customers that they aren’t a luxury brand. Motel 6 is nothing more than a clean room at an affordable price.
By being so clear, brands enjoy customer loyalty. Customers know what to expect and they count on those brands to come through for them.
Challengers are Underdogs
Challenger brands are the underdog, and people love it. People love a great story, and when consumers see a brand that is scrappy and challenging the bigger brands… many times they get behind that brand and as long as the challenger keeps its promise, those customers will be loyal.
Culture Agrees with the Challenger
In the article, Sullivan says, “We’re a nation of challengers, with underdog stories all around us. We can’t escape them.” Our culture wants to hear from challenger brands, and so challenger brands must lean into their underdog story when they create content.
Be Bold, Be Brave, and Be Who You Are
If you’re going to be a challenger brand you’ll have to be authentic. When a brand is bold and real they are rewarded with loyal brand evangelists.
The full article appeared on ManagingEditor.com and you can read it here.
