Audacity and mystery to (re)generate interest
In the confectionery market, Hollywood is the brand that has dared to go furthest. At a time when all F&B brands are transparent, this brand of chewing gum has created a product with a ‘mystery’ taste. An ambitious gamble, because on the face of it, which consumer would use a product that could have a bad taste or leave them with bad breath? The packaging deliberately does not solve the mystery, with its enigmatic question mark and its colour code looking about as chemical as it gets. To support the launch, the brand has implemented an integrated communications campaign around the theme of mystery: internet users were invited to discover the product’s recipe and the true identity of a band – Mega Mystery Band – who they could also challenge by creating their own mix via an application specifically designed for this successful viral campaign. All this took place on the top social network for young people: Facebook. An audacious brand content from Hollywood, which engaged thousands of people.
The brand has created a niche in the market, because other brands have followed the ‘mystery taste’ concept, i.e. Lay’s potato chips…
Audacity by totally breaking away from market codes
Standing out, attracting consumers and giving them the desire to buy… Isn’t this the dream of any brand? To do this, you must sometimes free yourself completely. This is true of the English brand The Icecreamists. The store took a bold brand vision by combining the world of cocktails and ice-cream, and using visual codes and an interior design more reminiscent of rock clubs and English punk bars than of the hyper-gourmet and colourful atmosphere which you normally see in this market. As for product innovation, once again, the brand played the audacity card and dared to shock: it created a stir a few months ago by launching ‘Baby Gaga’, the first ice-cream made from breast milk and served by a young woman with an uncanny resemblance to the pop diva Lady Gaga. Indeed, the singer has threatened to sue the brand if it did not change the name of its star product. ‘Viagra’, ‘Sex Bomb’, ‘Espresso Yourself’… All these product names are inspired by provocative pop culture. Finally, regarding communication, the brand managed to maintain the buzz by launching the first gay ice-cream boutique in the world.
Audacity means inventing the standards and philosophy of the future
Method, the brand that revolutionized cleaning products. Ecological through and through, it caused a stir by turning around the claims of efficiency from its competitors. With its ‘100% natural’ philosophy, Method surprises and attracts consumers by developing a much more ‘detox’ approach to cleaning, and with this manifesto, it engages its consumers. In Seattle, where the ‘Detox your Home’ campaign was launched, and incidentally where the brand was born, people were encouraged to get rid of their toxic and dangerous cleaning products, and replace them with green products offered by a Method representative. A branded pop-up store with the same colours as the product was also created so that people could buy products and get advice from the brand’s sales reps, the ‘people against dirty’.
Method also breaks the mould with its packaging. It capitalizes on its modern, simple packaging design, similar to cosmetics, so that consumers do not ‘hide the products under the sink’, but are proud to be users of this brand.
