The Brand That Tries to Be Everything Becomes Nothing

Return with me now to those thrilling days of yesteryear (the 1950s & ‘60s) when TV was young & infomercials were new & fun.

Back then, as home cooks sought timesaving shortcuts, one kitchen gadget became all the rage. The one & only Veg-O-Matic. Invented by Samuel J. Popeil, it boasted amazing abilities: It slices, it dices, it splices, it minces, it purees. It even juliennes fries.

The Veg-O-Matic went on to become a cheesy cultural icon. Inspiring parodies from SNL to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Which added a kitchy list of unforgettable benefits: It mows your lawn. Picks up the kids from school. Gets rid of unwanted facial hair. Embarrassing age spots. It even delivers the pizza.

Now that’s organic advertising.

Today, I meet too many founders with Veg-O-Matic strategies. They rattle off a mile long list of features & benefits. Their wonder product slices, dices & so on. Sound familiar?

I’ve coined the word “Elephucks” to describe modern descendants of the marvelous Veg-O-Matic. Brands that try to be everything to everybody. But unlike the famed jack of all trades of yesteryear, the Elephuck won’t fly. & it definitely won’t be remembered.

As for me, give me a good old niche brand. One with clear POV. & well-defined audience.

What does that actually look like? Five things. No more.

A single, unique & ownable Insight. A razor-sharp Focus. Consistency with a twist - same message, different angles, same obsessive drum. A Promise your audience feels in their bones.

& Proof that closes the deal.

That’s it. The whole shebang.

Easy to say. Nearly impossible to execute. Because somewhere around week three of its launch, someone in the marketing department (or mail room or maybe Aunt Marge) says but what about...

Whatever you do, don’t.

Confession: since working on SciencePower Postbiotics 2.0 (BTW - a brand with a very clear positioning), I’ve been keenly watching the biotic space. There are countless pre, pro & postbiotics. Tribiotics, Synbiotics, Metabolics, Parabiotics - a.k.a. Ghostbiotics - all promising to bust a bloated gut, make pooping easier, tackle skin aging issues a.k.a. lines & wrinkles, support immunity, optimize energy, improve brain health all in one easy to swallow solution. Dare I go on?

Lately, one biotic caught my eye. Not for all it does. But for all it doesn’t do.

Purewell Supplements Psychobiotics. A single minded strategy executed with precision. Exactly why it works.

1. INSIGHT

Just one idea flawlessly presented. “Flat mood on a GLP-1 isn’t a willpower problem. It’s a gut problem. 90% of your serotonin is produced in your gut. When the shot suppresses appetite, your gut bacteria starve - & your mood, focus, & motivation starve with them. That’s anhedonia.”

Never heard of anhedonia? Me neither. But it sure caught my attention. I wanted to know more.

Turns out anhedonia is the inability to experience pleasure or interest in activities that were once enjoyable. Wow, who knew!

Here’s the thing about a great insight: it doesn’t lecture. Doesn’t brow beat. It never bombards you with TMI. Itconfirms something you sort of believed all along. Something you already half-knew but couldn’t quite put your finger on. It provokes what I call that the “nod factor.” Heads begin to bob up & down in agreement. You’re talking to me.

When someone reads “that’s anhedonia” & thinks oh my god, that’s me - you’ve got them. Attention grabbed. Not because you sold them. Because you felt their pain.

The best insights don’t introduce a problem. They articulate an existing one.

2. FOCUS

Not the kitchen sink of the same-old claims. Purewell Sciences has zoned in on a narrow but massive audience. GLP-1 users who didn’t just lose weight. They lost their joy.

Oh. So that’s why you feel so shitty.

Focus isn’t just about what you say.

It’s about who you’re saying it to - & who you’re willing to not say it to.

Every brand that tries to speak to everyone ends up speaking to no one. The riches are in the niches. Always have been. Pick your person. Name their exact pain. & talk to them like you’ve been in the room with them.

Purewell didn’t chase “gut health.” They chased a feeling. The hollow, grey, joyless side effect no one warned you about before you started your GLP-1 shots. That specificity isn’t just a brand strategy. That specificity is the brand.

3. CONSISTENCY WITH A TWIST

Purewell social posts entertain a consistent message in multiple ways. “We’re looking for women whose spark quieted on a GLP-1.” “Dumb ways to beat GLP-1 Anhedonia.” “Pick your GLP-1 Mood. Are you Numb. Anxious. A Ghost? Or are you Glowing?”

Same truth. Different doors. Content that grabs your attention. & keeps you coming back for more.

This is where most brands lose their nerve. They say the thing once, regurgitate it again & again, get bored, & pivot. Bad idea. Your audience didn’t hear it the first time. Or the third. Or the fifth.

Repetition isn’t desperation. It’s discipline. Rule of thumb: it takes 7 to 9 exposures for someone to fully hear your message, remember it & take action.

The twist is what keeps it fresh for you while the message keeps landing for them. Change the angle. Keep the stake. Run it back.

Great brands don’t get tired of their message. They just get better & more creative at delivering it.

4. PROMISE (WIIFM)

Your anhedonia will loosen. Your spark will come back. You’ll thank yourself - & us of course - for starting your gut-brain reset.

& here’s where loyalty begins.

A promise isn’t a feature. It’s a feeling with a future in it. Not “clinically studied gut-brain support.” Your spark will come back. One is a label claim. The other is a reason to hit Buy now. The best brand promises are personal, specific & aspirational enough to make someone lean forward.

WIIFM - What’s In It For Me - isn’t a marketing acronym. It’s the only question your customer is ever really asking. Answer it directly. Answer it emotionally. Then stop talking.

5. PROOF

Purewell is a clinically-studied 5-strain blend that supports the gut-brain axis the GLP-1 shot doesn’t touch. Most users notice the fog lift within 2-3 weeks. In 4 weeks, your spark is back. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Proof is permission. It’s the moment your audience stops wanting to believe you & actually believes you. Clinical studies say we did the work. A 2-3 week timeline says we’re specific enough to be accountable. A money-back guarantee says we’re so sure, we’ll put our money where our mouth is.

Proof doesn’t have to be voluminous. It just needs to be credible. One clean, confident claim beats a wall of asterisks & caveats every time.

One insight. One audience. One problem. One fix.

That’s a brand.

Not a Veg-O-Matic.

Not an Elephuck.

Not a laundry list of benefits looking for a problem to solve.

A brand is a bet. You’re betting that this person, with this pain, will find you & feel found. Feel understood. Maybe even loved.

Everything else. The strategy, the content, the proof points are just how you make that bet pay off.

So, pick a lane. Stay in it.

Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: most brands don’t fail from lack of ideas. They fail from too many. Too many features. Too many audiences. Too many messages fighting for the same square inch of attention.

Focus isn’t a creative constraint. It’s a competitive weapon.

Elephucks are everywhere. Cluttered. Loud. Forgettable.

The brands that succeed – then last - the ones with the cult-like following made a choice. They drew a line. They left things out on purpose.

That’s not a gap. That’s a Point of View.

What’s yours?

Happy to help you find it. Best, Robin