Transforming Challenger Brands into Category Leaders with Mark DiMassimo & Lesley Bielby at DiGo Brands

How do you take a challenger brand from number two and make it number one? 

And how do you do that with a relentless focus on positive behavior change?

Those are the kinds of challenges that Mark DiMassimo and Lesley Bielby love to tackle at DiGo Brands, and over the past twenty years, they have elevated  and re-energized numerous better-for-you brands, including Weight Watchers, Crunch Fitness, The Partnership to End Addiction, The Bronx Zoo, and Better Help, just to name a few.

Whether they're making award-winning ads or redesigning a brand's identity from top to bottom, their work combines the latest findings from behavioral science with a unique blend of humanity, humility, and just the right amount of absurdist humor. 

Our conversation takes some wonderfully unexpected twists and turns as we try to decipher the motivating emotions surrounding embarrassment and the importance of teamwork when it comes to new business pitches.

Some of my favorite aha moments talking with Mark and Lesley include:

• Their “go-for-the-jugular” approach when it comes to customer research
• How they turned HelloFresh from a challenger brand into the undisputed category leader
• The key research findings and creative executions that allowed Better Help to connect with a wider audience 
• The insightful and entertaining ways they transformed Crunch Fitness into a national brand
• How Mark’s experience in his grandparents’ hair salon and Lesley’s experience as a hypnotherapist have shaped their approach to strategy and creativity

Show Notes:

Below are links to campaigns and other inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.

Campaigns

Visit Oslo

Movies

“Easy A” Trailer

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” Trailer

“The Holdovers” Trailer

Podcasts

Any Insights Yet? Episode 10: Andy Pearson at Liquid Death