Green Mountain, while no slouch and now the dominant player in the single-serve brewing market (they are the Keurig people), has been all about growth.  Its familiar brand is carried by supermarkets and independent coffee shops everywhere and it is both a roaster and a marketer of equipment.  It’s a play on taking a big bite – or sip – out of the enormous worldwide coffee boom of the past 20 years.  For his smart work, founder Bob Stiller is a billionaire and the company sings all the right notes on sustainability and environmentally sensitive business practices, but behind it all is a growth-driven public company.

Counter Culture, founded in Durham, NC in 1995, has made coffee greatness its focus from day one.  It’s very positioning  – Coffee Driven – says passion for the product is the company’s driving DNA. Counter Culture is not known to the masses because it has not pursued mass-retail distribution.  Rather, through a network of eight locations in the eastern US, it serves fine restaurants, gourmet and specialty retailers and wholesale customers.  The centerpiece of each location is the Training Center, where customers are offered intensive education and training called “Counter Intelligence.”  Counter Culture is a world leader in sustainability practices and lives by the ethos of responsible growth, direct trade and minimal environmental impact.

The results?  Counter Culture’s cup runneth over.  Better yet, the product and the people are exceptional – and that’s what will make this company keep growing at its own comfortable, managed pace.  Counter Culture coffees win awards in all the highest level competitions. Founder and President Brett Smith has established a culture of empowerment and passion and has recruited professionals who love good coffee and the process of sharing it.  Just last month, Counter Culture Barista Katie Carguilo became the 2012 US Barista Champion and is now heading into the worldwide competition.  Amidst all the commercial success of the coffee segment, Counter Culture owns a very revered, high road position in addition to being a commercial success.

The lesson for all marketers is simple:  focus first on the integrity of your product.  Share that story, be an advocate for good practices in your trade and educate your customers to share your passion and beliefs. Then watch how greatness naturally drives growth.

Remember when ads for athletic brands used to be all about intensity? Those visually-striking Gatorade commercials where sweat poured off athletes in neon colors? Or Michael Jordan’s serious “Failure” spot? Most athletic brands used to only focus on team sports and high school athletes – until now.

In recent years, a new audience has emerged, an audience of consumers who no longer just buy apparel because their favorite athletes wear it, but because they enjoy an active lifestyle and need gear that supports it. Brands are taking notice, and their advertising is reflecting their desire to appeal to this broader audience.

Nike recently released a commercial for its Nike Free shoe, entitled “I Would Run to You.” Inspired by the idea that runners should be able to sing while running if moving at a comfortable pace, Nike created a “running musical.” The premise is simple: a young woman in California and a young man in New York City run cross country to each other. Well – the young woman does. The young man ends up being in the hospital, while his girlfriend keeps on running, eventually showing up to his sick bed.

While the ad is fun and creative, the true pleasure is in its appeal to what is becoming the average runner. Running is no longer a niche sport – it is embraced by people from every walk of life who are running everything from 5ks to marathons, and who have no problem spending money on gear, shoes, apparel and nutrition to support the lifestyle. Nike’s embrace of the everyday consumer demonstrates a shift in the industry that recognizes that health, wellness and individual sports now appeal to many consumers; not just hardcore athletes.

Brands should take note from Nike’s example. Being aware of evolving consumer trends, and more importantly, responding to those trends helps brands stay top-of-mind for consumers and competitors alike.

Nike Free – I Would Run To You

Here’s why … an analysis conducted by Simply Measured found brands that switched to the new look prior to March 31 were averaging 46 percent more engagement on their pages. Researchers compared early adopter page engagement from January 1 to February 29 and beginning February 29 (the day Facebook allowed brand pages to voluntarily switch to the Timeline feature) until March 26. For brands launched after February 29, Simply Measured started from that date. Here are the findings:

Livestrong and Toyota Facebook pages both experienced a huge jump in engagement and only a few brands in the test experienced a decline.

So, how can your brand leverage the new Timeline?

Have an eye-catching cover photo
This is the first thing visitors see when they go to your page. So use it as an opportunity to immediately grab their attention and explain your brand in a visually appealing way. See how Coca-Cola uses its cover photo as a bright and colorful way to show off the brand:

The cover photo and timeline encourages visitors to look around your page for more content, and the longer they stay on your page the more likely they are to engage.

Share more photos and videos
According to the data, responses to status updates actually dropped once the Timeline was adopted. But, engagement with videos and photos were up 65 percent. Adam Schoenfeld, CEO of Simply Measured, says that the larger images on Timeline are leading to more engagement with visual material.

Use Milestones
The “milestone” feature helps your visitors learn the history of your brand, which can, in turn, build loyalty. The New York Times used milestones to show the history of the newspaper and its effect on our country.

While the thought of switching to the new Timeline feature may have been daunting, brands should embrace it and use it to the fullest. It has serious potential to encourage engagement and could eventually result in higher brand awareness and loyalty to a company.

From the Chobani Champions board - mention of yogurt not included.

Smart marketers are generating serious traffic to their websites by sharing content, not coupons. It’s about connecting the many sides of your brand with the interests of your enthusiasts. Take Chobani yogurt for example: their boards include recipes, fun ideas for parents, and inspirational quotes for staying healthy.

You don’t have to sell food to generate a following, however. Oreck, the industrial vacuum manufacturer, has created boards that are a natural fit for their product, but just a few degrees enough away to make viewers appreciate not being sold to. From their glamour shots of floors that we can add to our dream home boards, to adorable, cuddly animals that obviously shed like mad when the cameras aren’t looking, Oreck’s pins are things people would actually want to look at, in addition to boards featuring actual products (just in case).

Oreck's The Funnies board doesn't exactly scream, "Buy a vacuum cleaner."

No matter your brand or category, seek out relevant ways to share visually inspiring content with your audience – teach them something, make them laugh, show them you have more to offer than a product or service. It doesn’t require much time or money to integrate your brand into the lifestyle of millions of pinners – get out there before your competitors catch on. When selecting content, be sure to ask yourself, “Is this Pinteresting or puffery?”

Many brands are offering sweet deals and promotions to win the hearts of consumers. Some enhance the love, while others simply take the romance out of the holiday.

Enhancing the Love

GODIVA Chocolatier is holding The Sweetest Story Every Told Sweepstakes encouraging consumers to enter their sweetest love story for a chance to win the “ultimate Valentine’s Day experience.” The chocolatier has partnered with author Nicholas Sparks to provide the grand prize winner with an autographed collection of his love stories, a trip to the movie premiere of the book The Lucky One, his or her name as a character in Sparks’ next novel and, of course, a year’s worth of GODIVA chocolates.

Hotel chain Four Seasons is using social media for its Valentine’s Day Giveaway. Fans of the hotel’s Facebook page can download a “Love Bucket” app to get romantic tips and share their romantic wishes for a chance to win a $2,500 gift certificate to Four Seasons. The chain also created an online magazine called 14 Days of Love for “ideas and inspiration to show your affection.”

Ruining the Romance

Reserve your table now at White Castle. Yes, that’s right, the fast food restaurant. It’s the one time a year the restaurant chain offers full-service, including tablecloths, table service, flowers, free dessert and “other heartfelt mementos.” Guests can call to reserve a table for the special evening and enter a Share the Love photo contest to receive a Valentine’s Day Dinner Kit with matching t-shirts.

For that special person in your life, name a cockroach after them! It’s a gift that will be around for, well, forever. According to the Bronx Zoo’s website, “How better to express your appreciation for that special someone than to name one of the Bronx Zoo’s 58,000 Madagascar hissing cockroach after them?” Then, send an e-card to tell them about their namesake. To make the gift even more special, send a “hand-painted, artisanal chocolate roach” along. This gift idea is all in good fun … each purchase helps support the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Whether you love the promotions or not, each of these organizations have capitalized on Valentine’s Day in a way that makes sense for their respective brands. From love stories and romance to burgers and cockroaches, these brands know what appeals to their audiences. When planning a promotion around an existing holiday, be sure to stay true to your brand – just like they did. And, don’t be afraid to go slightly “over the top” to grab attention. Then, you too will have a Valentine’s Day promotion that will make Cupid proud.