And Yet 5 More Things Marketers Can Learn from Cheese

Happy National Moldy Cheese Day! It’s a divisive subject, the moldy cheese, but we are choosing to embrace its quirks and origin stories as marketing inspiration. If a smelly, old, sometimes strange tasting cheese can win, so can marketers who embrace an equally assertive, data-backed strategy.

This isn’t our first trip to the dairy. Several years ago we cheese-eating types here at Digital Media Solutions were so inspired by another marketing writer’s ode to cheese, we penned our own. In the spirit of this sacred cheese day, we’re back at it again, with yet more cheese, more marketing strategies that taste great with crackers and more interest in starting a cheese club at the office.

Roquefort

The cheese of kings and popes. The favorite cheese of emperors. Sharp, tangy and great on salad — and steaks. This venerated blue is also the only sheep’s milk cheese on our list. This cheese stands alone, and often in marketing that can be the unique approach that sets your brand apart. Don’t follow the herd. Use your own analytics to track the performance of your brand, and optimize the results that are right for you. You won’t get eaten by the wolves, if you follow your own data-optimized advice.

Gorgonzola

Some of us remember the 1990s. A time for flowered dresses, combat boots and gorgonzola pizza. And salad. And pasta. Simpler, less cheese-diverse times, but great for gorgonzola. This cheese seized its moment, and just in the nick of time. The rise of lifestyle brands, cooking channels, shows and magazines would soon flood the market with a smorgasbord of cheese delight. In marketing, you never know when someone might sneak up on you, so grab the limelight while you can. Find your market and fill the need. You’ll have a marketing win, while others are playing catch up. Or still listening to grunge.

Stilton

A jolly good English cheese, ye olde stilton can be an acquired taste, as it tends toward extra smelly and extra strong. But it remains at the top of the English cheese heap, because it isn’t afraid to own its brand. Classic, English, sort of rank. In marketing you don’t want to offend anyone, but you do want to be assertive. Don’t be afraid to stand out. Create a campaign that gets people talking — you might not win over everyone, but you’ll create conversation. Buzz may not mean much when it comes to 17th century cheeses, but it’s a marketing win.

Camembert

Not blue or green, but still moldy. The outer layer, or bloom, is a white fungus. And yes, you are supposed to eat it. Camembert is a cautionary tale. Eat it too young and it’s crumbly and bland, not at all like the gooey goodness you’ve come to expect from everyone’s favorite party cheese. Camembert needs time to mature, to grow into itself and become the cheese it’s meant to be. So should your data. Don’t be reactive. Let the data mature and do the work, allowing you to make strategic decisions informed over time. Rind optional.

Maytag

America’s blue cheese! Made in Newton, Iowa (birthplace of the Maytag washing machine), for the last 77 years and handcrafted in small batches to this day. Packaged in a decorative silver foil, Maytag is a distinctive, special cheese that is strikingly pungent and strong with a lemony finish. It’s niche. And your marketing can be too. Find your people, and make them your customers. You don’t have to be everything to everyone — that’s what cheddar is for.

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About the Author

Sarah Cavill is a Marketing Communications Writer at Digital Media Solutions (DMS), the fastest-growing independent digital performance marketing company. DMS helps its clients accelerate growth by deploying diversified and data-driven customer acquisition solutions that deliver scalable, sustainable and measurable marketing results. DMS performance marketing solutions connect the right consumers with the right offers at the right time to achieve the marketing objectives of our clients. DMS is continually innovating to provide new and emerging media and technology solutions that minimize waste and maximize results across the most competitive industries. Since its inception, DMS has demonstrated incredible year-over-year growth which has earned recognition on the Inc. 5000 list in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

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