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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.
fundamental trend: premium lines flood the low-cost market
Style has always dominated the rules of design: even budget brands and value products are introducing premium, elegant lines to arouse desire and to seduce the consumer. This is exactly what Happy has done – a value florist chain – offering a unique flower service at a price that defies the competition, but never failing to delight the recipients of its flowers. With its ultra modern black theme, it feels like a luxury florist.
The same is true of Carrefour Discount and Sainsbury’s Basics products, which – even though the packaging suffers for the sake of the low prices – boast an elegant, clean design, highlighted by their use of white.
Low-cost brands have thus given themselves a premium look to reassert their esteem for the consumer and prove that just because something is cheap, it doesn’t have to be ugly…
bucking the trend: ugly is the new cool
Nevertheless, ugliness is making a comeback, with some brands unashamedly extolling its virtues! The emergence of this trend is perfectly epitomised in the fashion world.Recessionistas and Hipsters are scooping up the worst clothes charity shops have to offer; “wolf” t-shirts are selling like hotcakes on Amazon… Unashamedly wearing cheap, ugly clothes has become the best way of making a fashion statement.
It’s now ok to be ugly. Australian brand UGG is totally at ease with the ugliness of its boots – made famous by celebrities including Pamela Anderson – by promising ugliness with its very name: UGG is short for ugly. Another example of brazen ugliness is the Crocs brand, proudly proclaiming their dubious design in their advertising campaigns.
Whether you’re talking about identity, packaging or advertising, ugliness is a choice, and it is becoming a new way of standing out from the crowd in a world where beautiful is usually best.
Ugliness is also becoming incredibly cool as a real social phenomenon. In Switzerland, the launch of MDD M-Budget by orange giant Migros (Switzerland’s number 1 distributer) created quite a stir to begin with: the discount brand’s products all have an unassuming look – the white M Budget logo plastered over a green background. Initially confined to some fifty products, the brand has now been rolled out to more than 500, ranging from chocolates to orange juice, from mobile telephones to fashion and even credit cards.
Without even trying, M Budget has enjoyed tremendous success, becoming such a counter-culture phenomenon that the brand decided to launch the concept of the M Budget Party: evenings out costing less than €8 (9.90 CHF) including drinks, and where everything is branded with the M Budget look.
In Japan, a shop that at first glance might look like some kind of bargain basement is actually a super-cool concept store, equivalent to Colette in Paris. It’s THE place to find all of the latest must-have accessories in a nameless jumble.
In a world where every brand is pouncing on the idea of premium lines – with budget brands trying to pass as luxury ones – true bravery is surely demonstrated by cutting through this sterile approach and embracing everything cheap and ugly. Standing out from the crowd is one of the most effective ways to attract consumers who are always on the lookout for something different…
The G Generation (for Generosity) is not defined by socio-demographic factors. It is comprised of people – whatever their age, sex or social background – for whom generosity, sharing and altruism are necessary to improve the current gloomy mood and contribute to the smooth functioning of society.
The emergence of this trend was rapidly accelerated by the economic downturn, which has helped to fundamentally change consumer behaviour around the world. Consumers now prefer quality to price and brands that respect the employee. The downturn also challenges our values and lifestyles and has given rise to new purchasing criteria: durable goods, fair trade, trusted brands, transparency, etc. Opportunities for positive change in our behaviour are therefore appearing.
the end of careless consumerism
today, genuine progress is not consuming more, but ‘consuming better’. Price is no longer the issue: looking for healthy, sustainable and fair products, respecting the environment and social issues play a more and more important part in purchasing decisions.
more generous consumers
We also see various spontaneous actions appearing, which contribute to combat the current gloom:
-Free Hugs: this movement, launched in Australia in 2004, has been taken up by INPES in particular in a campaign to combat discrimination against AIDS patients.
-Flashmobs: these mass demonstrations are a form of peaceful revolt that raise awareness of major causes (particularly ecology) and create a buzz.
-‘Giant aperitifs’ (giant drinking get-togethers) are more than just a call for public drunkenness, these gatherings of thousands of people are a great way to have fun and meet new people in a friendly atmosphere.
-Local and solidarity initiatives: the emergence of the local food movement, the comeback of market produce, the development of arts & crafts, Neighbour Days, Block parties, Massive Good project, group purchasing from organic farms, local exchange systems… all these are actions undertaken by people to contribute to improving their daily lives and those of others.
increasingly generous brands
Certain brands are developing many initiatives – notably via the Internet – to respond to the new demands of consumers, as well as to follow this trend on generosity:
-Ikea: The Swedish giant is well known for its campaigns that surf on the G Generation wave. In Denmark, the brand offers its customers a bicycle hire service so that they can take their purchases home. In Sweden, it has installed a hotel in the heart of a shopping centre where passers by can take a nap.
-Disney offers a free pass to all those who support their community by helping a charity for a day. The initiative, dubbed ‘Give a day, get a Disney day’, has received strong support on the web.
-In Israel, Tambour, a brand of paint, offered free parking spaces for one month, painted in the brand’s colours, in partnership with the tourist town of Eilat.
-Each year, Ben & Jerry’s, the ice cream brand, holds a ‘Free Cone Day’ during which it offers ice cream to passers by.
-Servus, a loan company in Canada, distributed $10 bills to its customers so they could do a good deed: buy a meal for a homeless person, pay someone’s parking ticket, make a donation to charity, etc.
-Apple and Starbucks are brands which are proposing a new type of ‘freebie’: free use of Wi-Fi, computers, and sofas for an unlimited period, with no purchase required.
-‘Buy 1, Give 1’ promotions are also increasing: office supplies, children’s clothing, food, computers… when buying one of these products, you have the opportunity to help the disadvantaged.
Often more effective than an extensive and very expensive communications campaign, these actions allow brands to enjoy an excellent reputation among their customers and to reconnect with them. Are these brands really generous or are they just looking for good PR? …
now as much as ever, the mascot model rules
An ambassador for brands for decades, the mascot is supposed to play a persuasive role, bringing the child into a brand’s world and so encouraging him or her to consume the product. From heroes to best friends, these characters are sadly all too often just masks, empty shells, without any real substance to forge a connection. The challenge for brands, in a world where the Internet rules and these ‘digital natives’ thrive on interaction, is to give these mascots a personality, bringing them to life via digital, interactive strategies.
today, the new expectations of a more mature audience
Expanding horizons through experience. Children want to learn new things: they want to understand, touch, play with the packaging… So the shape design of the product is key, as it provides an opportunity to create a real experience, just like the surface ‘canvas’ of the packaging has a greater potential for interaction, as long as it is used wisely. Appreciating the importance of the environment. Children are becoming much more aware of nature at school, learning how to respect it, becoming little eco-warriors, well on their way to growing up to become the ethical consumers of tomorrow…
Children are now so well informed that they are starting to educate their parents, thus consolidating their powers of persuasion. Above and beyond that, the product is becoming a tool for playing and mutual learning between parents and their children.
tomorrow, a new kind of parents-child relationship
Children who are more precocious at a time when adults are keen to rediscover the carefree feel of childhood… This is new territory for brands in which experiences are shared across generations, and learning becomes fun. So the rules are being rewritten: packaging for children or for adults? Nobody knows any more, but young and old alike seem to love it.
conclusion
To sum up, we know that the business model of the mascot has lost some clout and needs to be reworked for brands to get ahead in the game. At the same time, common ground is emerging, wherein brands are beginning to shape how children and their parents share. Note: this is just a summary of a study we carried out about children. Please feel free to contact us if you’d like the full report.
from a straightforward branded product to a charity-linked product
Could it be that charity-linked products will one day replace our current idea of products? A brief explanation first: a charity-linked product is one made by a company for an individual, where a fixed proportion of the price is set aside for a charitable cause.The first that comes to mind, and the best known, has to be RED. Launched by U2’s Bono, the “RED” label is intended to contribute to the fight against AIDS with the collaboration of some brand names: Converse has created a limited series trainer and Gap has offered to donate half of the profit on every red T-shirt it sells, not to mention HP, Apple and Armani, who have all produced limited editions, the profits from which have been given to charity.
RED is now a huge success. First of all from a financial perspective, as it guarantees the not-for-profit association a real economic independence. Then in terms of image and reputation, both for the NGO, whose cause is given a higher media profile, and for the brands, who highlight their social commitment.
This economic-charity model initiated by RED products can now be applied to less exclusive goods. So Solidaime has adapted the concept by involving brands from completely different worlds, such as Bonduelle, Héro and Senoble, to offer the first range of mass-market charity products. So already (and even more so in the future), we can quite feasibly imagine the possibility of eating charity-linked products and nothing else, from your starter to your pudding, and not forgetting your drinks. Might it also come to pass that these socially more useful charity-linked products will replace traditional brands?
from commercial transactions to social ones
As well as tangible products, NGOs and brand names are also investing in intangible ones. Massive Good, an initiative launched recently by the Millennium Foundation in partnership with everyone involved in the civil aviation sector, lets passengers donate $2, £2 or €2 when they buy their plane tickets. All of the money collected is given to Unitaid, an organisation hosted by the WHO.
Another even more interesting example is that of Orange RockCorps. An initiative by the mobile telephone operator Orange, the concept relates to the world of entertainment – live concerts to be precise. This is how it works: the only way you can get a ticket for a concert organised by Orange RockCorps is to sign up for four hours of volunteer work.
This is a real revolution, both for the brand and for the consumer: the brand doesn’t sell any tickets, but becomes a partner in community work, and the consumer doesn’t buy any tickets, but instead donates his or her time to help other people.So, the rules are changing: consumers are ready to pay more for a charity-linked product or to give their time in exchange for attending an event. It’s no longer just about consumption: now it’s all about useful consumption.For brands, this obviously involves changing the way they sell their products, but it is also an excellent opportunity to nurture a new kind of relationship with consumers, and even the whole of society. That’s necessary these days, but will be even more so in the future.
Emotion isvery often the starting point of a designer’s inspiration… Saying this, thereal challenge in our field is to move from an emotion-driven vision to agenuine emotional response for the end consumer. As underlined by Rafael Gomez,designer at Queensland University of Technology, ”to design enjoyable productswe must first understand what makes people happy and design products based onthat critical understanding.” He analyzed the emotional impact of MP3 and PDAdevices : beyond the functional benefits of these music players andcommunications tools, these devices were perceived as important for consumers,because of their « escape » and « relaxation » attributes. The understanding ofhuman needs should thus be leveraged to create any goods or services, accordingto Gomez.
Co-creationas an emotional commitment driver between brands and consumers
Youtube,Wordpress, Tumblr, Soundcloud, Flickr, Instagram, … numerous sites andapplications enable everyone to become creative and to share their words,pictures, songs, videos, and so on… Creativity is now everywhere, and itinfluences the evolution of marketing : today, brands can collaborate withtheir consumers-creators, in order to create always more bonding, commitment,and conversation.
Accordingto Cecilia Weckstörm, head of the Consumer Experience department at Lego,“Brands are no longer created, they are cocreated,”she argued. “Strongemotional engagement produces the motivation to cocreate.” Also, Legoencourages its millions fans to develop content via their social platformReBrick, which allows the brand lovers to share their own creations.
In additionto their commercial value, brands can try to boost their social value on along-term perspective, by raising awareness on their own causes. Wikipedia cancount on the involvement and support from thousands of contributors, and isthus able to offer a source of knowledge without precedent, that is accessibleto everyone. A brand such as Autolib incites people to share their car, insteadof owning one. This way, brands encourage creation and sharing, whileminimizing the destruction of human and natural resources. When they imply suchan equation, brands enhance their emotional capital towards consumers.
Brands thatcommit. For real.
We wrote anote on Generation G about three years ago : brands still continue to praisefor kindness. Interflora sending flowers to Twitter users when they feel down,Ben & Jerry’s offering free ice-creams, Tropicana bringing the sun back toa Canadian city during winter, Google supporting the LGBT cause with itscampaign It Gets Better, … All these initiatives truly reveal brands’ hearts.
Chipotle,the Mexican fast-food giant, proved its difference when fully repositioning itsbrand philosophy early 2000’s. In its report Food with integrity, the companydraws attention on its efforts to get supplies of healthy and free-range meats,organic products, hormone-free dairy products, family farms and as much aspossible, from local producers. In 2012, Chipotle communicated for the firsttime on TV during the Grammy Awards ceremony, with a campaign entitled Back tothe start, a poetic animation movie denouncing the devastating effects ofintensive farming, with a country-style cover of Coldplay’s song The Scientist.Chipotle invited the audience to buy the song on iTunes. The benefits have beendonated to their foundation Cultivate Foundation, which aims at encouragingresponsible, sustainable and healthy farming. In addition to thisCannes-awarded campaign, the display integrates a unique loyalty program – FarmTeam – dedicated to helping members chosing a more responsible diet, as well asa Cultivate music festival, mixing concerts, food, crafts and debates.
Throughthis assertive posture, aligned with the current consumers’ expectations, itssophisticated storytelling, a remarkable campaign that calls on emotion, we candefinitely say that this constitutes a great brand project, all the more surprisingcoming from a fast-food chain ! Rival fast food giants are learning lessonsfrom Chipotle’s stance.: McDonalds recently announced its willingness to stoptapping into intensive farming !
Brandswhich change the world : an utopia ?
In a crisiscontext which has brought along gloominess for a couple years, brands havefinally understood that consumers were eager to consume goods and services witha purpose : they want to feel that they contribute to building a better world.Brands like Fairtrade suggests another way to envision consumption, byimproving the life conditions of small producers. The positive evolution isthat this type of initiative is not only the prerogative of fairtradeorganizations…
The casethat moved us the most lately is the operation Help – I’ve cut myself… and Iwant to save a life. Help Remedies is a company which sells over-the-countermedicine and first aid products in the US, and which was already known forseveral reasons : its packaging that take the heat ouf the serious world ofdrugs with playful, colorful and minimalist boxes, affordable prices, a wittyand fun tone of voice, crazy website and videos, …
Last year,the brand teamed up with the ad agency Droga 5 and the bone-marrow transplantorganization DKMS, and included a marrow donor registration kit, a swab formopping up drops of blood and a pre-paid envelope. inside its band-aid boxes.The principle is simple : when cutting yourself, you can send some of yourblood to the national bone marrow registry, which will inform you of your donorpotentiality, by easily reaching for a plaster. This sharp initiative put thespotlight on this fundamental cause thanks to an simple yet powerful mechanism,and the brand saw its bands sales boomed by 1900% in a couple of months ! Notto mention the hundreds of lives that could have been saved, with one simplegesture…
Financialscandals, food crisis, frauds, relocations, bad buzz, … rarely brands have beenfighting over so many issues and threats. Though, they have the power and meansto make society sensitive to great causes. By launching heartfelt actions,generous brands can not only increase their profit, but also and beforehandgenerate loyalty from a commited and passionate audience. And let’s dream forone minute : they might be able to change the world.
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