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Russ Klein shared thisA swashbuckling CMO would say yes to this. But so would a smart one. It's a close cousin to the juxtaposed tension created by Liquid Death. I'm imagining a Design Target of males 15-35 as the sweet spot. It sits beautifully at the intersection of multiple tensions; from the relatable idea of bad coffee, everyman's take on hole-in-the wall diners, and a rejection of expensive "designer" coffee shops. No competitor will follow them there if it works.Russ Klein shared thisWould you have dared to approve this ad? Because I am honestly not sure I would have. Dirty Diner Coffee has created what is probably the boldest and most “what the f*** did I just watch?” advertisement I have seen this year. It is absurd. Uncomfortable. Deliberately disgusting. And completely unforgettable. Most brands work hard to make coffee look warm, comforting and irresistibly aromatic. Dirty Diner Coffee does almost the exact opposite. That is what makes the creative choice so fascinating. The campaign perfectly embodies the brand’s name and creates the kind of reaction marketers dream about: 🔸 You watch until the end. 🔸 You remember it. 🔸 You want someone else to see it. 🔸 And you immediately ask: “Who approved this?” But memorability is not the same as effectiveness. When the product is something people consume, deliberately provoking disgust is an enormous risk. The execution may make the brand famous, but could it also make the coffee itself less desirable? Personally, I am torn between: “This is completely insane.” And: “This might actually be brilliant.” One thing is certain: in a world full of safe and instantly forgettable advertising, Dirty Diner Coffee chose to be impossible to ignore. But would you have been brave enough to approve it? Watch until the end… if you dare. 👇 _________________ I’m Coralie Garcia Perrin, a global marketing, product & strategy leader working at the crossroads of food, flavors, health and consumer insight, connecting category economics with sensory and emotional value. Follow me if you’re interested in food, flavors, marketing and leadership. Views shared here are my own and do not represent those of my employer.
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Russ Klein shared thisThe two brands have been going back and forth between #2 and #3 for over 20 years. The ebb and flow is perpetual. One brand overstays their position and the regression to the mean works like statistical gravity. Up until 2003, WEN was on a run of 17 years of uninterrupted growth. Dave Thomas died. The WEN CMO retired. MCD's 2002 "Plan to Win" led the recovery of QSR, after the industry obituary was written after the emergence of Fast Casual.. At the same time, BK put together six straight years of performance, unmatched to this day, by launching its own Renaissance. BK and the agency CPB ushered in digital media, breakthrough advertising and promotion, and new product innovation including a premium chicken sandwich and Chicken Fries among other moves. This round goes to BK, just as it did in 2003-2010. When BK sustains this current run for six straight years, we'll know if it's real...and it may well be. If they do, it will be against the odds, or rather against the Gods.Russ Klein shared thisSaw an interesting article the other day about how Burger King just passed Wendy’s to become the #2 burger chain in America again, and I think there’s a pretty good marketing lesson buried in how they did it. A few years ago Burger King realized it had lost some of what made Burger King, Burger King. So instead of chasing the next shiny marketing idea, they went back to the thing everybody already knew them for. The Whopper. They called the turnaround “Reclaim the Flame.” They invested in the restaurants, the advertising, the customer experience and the product itself. I think I recall seeing an ad where the new CEO was actually apologizing for losing sight of what them great in the first place. . They even went back and improved the Whopper based on what customers were telling them. And then they did something I think a lot of businesses have forgotten how to do. They consistently marketed the hell out of it. Now Burger King’s U.S. same-store sales were up 8.5% last quarter and they’ve moved back ahead of Wendy’s. I love this because there really isn’t anything complicated about it. Know what you want to be known for. Make sure it’s good. Invest in the brand. Stay visible. Keep reminding people why they should choose you. Too many businesses keep looking for the next marketing trick when the better answer may be sitting right in front of them. Sometimes Plan B isn’t starting over. Sometimes it’s remembering what made people care about Plan A in the first place. The ball is in Wendy's court now. . it will be interesting to see what they do. I have a couple ideas for them. . .maybe Wendy will reach out. 😊 Article link is in the first comment.
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Russ Klein shared thisThe revenue disparity has much more to do with the fact that MCD only gets royalties on 90% of their restaurants, versus SBUX units which are mostly company owned. One is a franchise company who's really a real estate company...the other is an operating company. The ops complexity, supply chain, and stakeholder management in the MCD model is significantly higher than SBUX. All the same, I always favor learning by doing than waiting for the "perfect" product.Russ Klein shared thisMcDonald’s has 41,822 locations and $23.2B in global sales. Starbucks has 40,199 locations and $32.3B in sales. Fewer stores. $9 billion more revenue. One big reason: how they treat innovation. McDonald’s takes 18 months from idea to national rollout. Focus groups. Internal approvals. Test markets. They want certainty before spending a dollar. Starbucks may go national in 3–6 months. No big ad campaign. Just: try it, track it, learn fast. In normal times, both approaches have merit. In a crisis? The McDonald’s model will kill you. Old ways matter. New ways are essential. The real skill is blending both. What’s your version of the McDonald’s/Starbucks tension right now? #BankruptcyProof
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Russ Klein shared thisYou are absolutely correct. Too many brands still think they have a "consumer" instead of a bundle of need states walking around inside a human. Understanding those need states and the inherent drama and tension in those moments is how great brands win.
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Russ Klein shared thisGreat analysis. https://lnkd.in/g53yryyiRuss Klein shared thisThe REAL reason WHY Fox Corporation BOUGHT Roku… in one chart. * Here’s the link: https://lnkd.in/dNUXeX5y * Ok, it’s actually 3 charts (posted in comments). * BONUS: WHY Paramount + Warner Bros. Discovery makes NO sense.
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Russ Klein shared thisA flame broiled critique. Didn't write it, just sharing. https://lnkd.in/g3PjVHQA
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Russ Klein shared thisAttachment is humankind's greatest cruelty.Russ Klein shared thisMost people don't know they are. They think they moved on. Kept going. Kept building. Kept showing up. But something changed. The way they read the next opportunity. The way they size up the next person. The way they hesitate where they never used to. A deal fell apart… and now they trust slower. A person left… and now they hold back. A decision didn't land… and now they second guess what used to feel obvious. Nobody says it out loud. But it's there. In every room they walk into. Every call they get on. Every decision they think they're making fresh. You don't carry the moment. You carry what it did to how you see. The people who move with the most clarity aren't the ones without hard moments. They're the ones who know what to leave behind. 🎥VC: awarehouse_studios
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Russ Klein shared thisIMHO Simon's "Why" has been hijacked and perverted into minimizing the "what" and the "how." When "why" becomes an inward concept rather than an outward concept, firms get hooked up to their own exhaust pipe and lose touch with the "for whom."Russ Klein shared thisStart with Why: A Powerful Way to Lead with Purpose How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action By starting with Why, leaders can inspire action and loyalty, as people are more likely to connect with a shared purpose rather than just a product or service. The most successful leaders are those who can clearly articulate their “Why” - the purpose or belief that inspires them to do what they do. Identifying and articulating your organization’s purpose is critical to its success. This is because people connect as consumers, partners, clients, or employees with organizations they trust and understand. Without clarity of purpose, there can be no trust or understanding. 👍 Give this post a thumbs up 💬 Repost to share this with your network ➕ Follow me at David Sym-Smith for more Tips Credit: Simon Sinek, Natan Mohart #vision #purpose #simonsinek
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Russ Klein shared thisThe last thing the business needs is some swashbuckling agency to jump on deck to "story tell" an experience that can't back it up.Russ Klein shared thisTwin Peaks Restaurants going to auction is going to be a really interesting one to watch because the buyer will decide if this becomes a turnaround story or another example of a brand with great awareness getting run into the ground. The brand itself isn’t the problem. People know it. The experience is clear. It has strong average unit volumes and a customer base that understands exactly what they’re buying. The problem is usually what happens behind the curtain. Bad capital structure, the wrong growth strategy, franchisees stretched too thin, operators trying to fix financial problems with marketing gimmicks instead of operational discipline. Who buys this matters. If private equity grabs it, the question is whether they actually know restaurants or if they just see a distressed asset with a recognizable name. If a strong strategic buyer steps in, someone who understands multi unit operations, franchising, labor, and guest frequency, this brand could absolutely stabilize and grow again. If the wrong buyer wins, franchisees will feel it first. Then vendors. Then employees. Then customers. One more bad ownership group doesn’t just hurt one logo on the building, it impacts an entire ecosystem. There are a lot of restaurant brands sitting in that same “could fail or thrive” category right now. Twin Peaks just happens to be the one on the auction block today. Brands rarely die because customers stop caring. They die because ownership makes too many expensive mistakes. Who do you think gets this? The Inspires of the world or Garnett Station Partners or Sun Holdings Leap Brands
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Russ Klein reacted on thisRuss Klein reacted on thisWhat’s next? Well, here it is: Professor Hosbein. For real! I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Wagner College’s Nicolais School of Business as a Clinical Professor of Marketing. Welcome to Staten Island! Having helped brands and clients navigate change across marketing, media, analytics, digital transformation, and most recently AI, I now am bringing that experience—including the network and relationships I’ve built across the industry—into the classroom. Business and marketing are going through an extraordinary period of change. Helping the next generation of marketers learn, challenge conventional thinking, and develop the skills and confidence to shape the future is an opportunity I can’t wait to take on. I know from the teaching I’ve done over the past few years that the learning goes both ways as we explore together where the industry is headed. And I’m just as excited about the opportunity to help shape and build Wagner's program. You can feel the momentum at the Nicolais School of Business, and it will be great to work with my new colleagues and Dean Michael J. Driscoll, Ed.D. to build on that momentum and expand the impact of the school. Grateful for the opportunity, excited to get started, ready to dig in. Go Seahawks!
Experience & Education
Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
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Writer
American Red Cross
- 1 year 1 month
Disaster and Humanitarian Relief
Writer, events coordinator, public relations spokesperson.
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Corporate Board Member
Jackie Joyner Kersee Foundation
Education
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Volunteer and donor
Belafonte TACOLCY Center
Children
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Corporate Board Member
Jesse Owens Foundation
Civil Rights and Social Action
I
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Founder, sole donor
A Mother's Love Foundation
Education
Since 2000, A Mother's Love Foundation has annually granted scholarships to more than 25 Ohio State University students who qualify for financial aid and have been raised in single parent households. The scholarship foundation is in honor of my mother, Bernice Rita Klein, who after the untimely death of my father while I was still a toddler, never to remarry, raised her three sons and put us all through university. She always told us if we can dream it, we can do it.
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Advisory Board Member
National Center for the Middle Market
- Present 11 years 10 months
Economic Empowerment
The NCMM is the original and premier organization devoted to the advancement of best practices for enterprises ranging $10mm-$1bb. A General Electric funded center of excellence.
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Senior Advisor
National Veterans Leadership Foundation
- Present 5 years 10 months
i18n_veterans
PARTNERING WITH AMERICA’S UNIVERSITIES TO ADVANCE THE FUTURE OF OUR NATION’S HEROES.
Publications
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Cultural Transformation: Lessons of Leadership & Corporate Reinvention
Wiley
Klein was featured in this Amazon #1 HR Best-Seller and #2 Management Best-Seller books' list of 14 top CEO's for his leadership.
In their new book, international leadership coach, John Mattone and CEO magazine Editor-in-Chief Nick Vaidya, unlock the keys to leadership development and cultural transformation through intimate interviews with fourteen top CEOs.Other authorsSee publication -
"It's All Math"
Russ Klein
Klein's case study, titled "It's All Math" covers his theories on the use of tension in advertising, what drives Social Currency, and the power of Integrated Marketing; all rooted in mathematics, is in use around the world by universities and colleges via the Marketing Science Institute Teaching Resources.
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Satire
Babylon Beee
Klein is an ongoing published contributor.
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Morgan McBain
Awareness doesn’t equal sell-through. You can have strong branding, great creative, and millions of views — and still fail in Walmart. In this video, I break down UPDATE Energy’s packaging and marketing through the lens buyers actually use: What converts in-store. What drives repeat. What protects velocity. Because in mass retail, attention is easy. Sustained demand is not. Watch here: https://lnkd.in/gC9HU57V
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