by Miriam Hara | Sep 24, 2024 | Branding, Marketing
Last week we all got hit with the news that Tupperware has filed for bankruptcy. Some may have been surprised by the news, and others may have seen it coming. In this ever changing market, it’s difficult for iconic Brands to evolve in a timely way…and to maintain relevancy by staying just ever so slightly ahead of the curve. Many of us still remember Kodak and the end of an era. We’ve all read about the usual myriad of suspects as being the reason for the demise of Tupperware. Whether it resulted from the proliferation of cheaper copycat products, lack of innovation, failure to maintain its spearhead attitude when it came to sustainability, the result is the same. The end of the brand name Tupperware.
The Way of the Dodo
Perhaps the saddest aspect of this story is that Tupperware will always be part of our collective consciousness. How could a Brand name that not only developed an entire category but was its very definition (can you say Kleenex , Google and Xerox) go the way of the Dodo, and yet still be part of our everyday language? Ironically, there will be Gen Z’s who will refer to their Tupperware without ever realizing that Tupperware was once a Brand. And that is truly the real story.
How is it that a Brand that was made a household name in the 1950s mainly by the use of a new marketing initiative called the “Tupperware Party” end up here?
Brand Beware of ‘Genocide’
Well there is something to say about over exposure….especially if it’s going to be at the expense of the Brand uniqueness. A Brand’s USP disappears as it becomes synonymous with the category it developed! Becoming a category descriptor is a double edged sword. It speaks to providing consumers an innovative solution, and initially, the Brand does reap the rewards. But as they say plagiarism is the best form of flattery. If there is a need to be filled, or a new need that is identified in the market, there will be copycat competition for sure. And if brand owners don’t realize that they need to protect their Brand in context to the category, then it’s a slippery slope and the rest is history.
It’s All in the Language
Each and every one of us do it every day. At least once a day we say “google that” or “google it”. Are we actually using google, or is it another search engine? Disruptive Brands like google, are probably very much aware of how their Brand name is being used in the market. Without intention and mindfulness to the Brand they are uttering. Brand owners have to counter-act the category use of their Brand name. The basics of Brand guidelines are key…but it goes far beyond that. In today’s digital world, adopting monitoring and enforcement programs to stay informed of the market’s activities is a must. This will alert Brand owners of how their Brand’s name is being used and signal them if their Brand is slipping in to descriptive use by third parties. And don’t forget Wikipedia! Brand owners should work at actively correcting any incorrect definitions in reference sources.
The Expense of Doing Nothing
In our world market share and value, as profitability are the drivers. However, investing in protecting a Brand is a must. Albeit, extensive corrective advertising and consumer re-education is expensive for the Brand, however doing nothing, leads to the way of Tupperware. Brand owners of innovative Brands must focus on ensuring that people use descriptors with their Brand name at every instance. This reinforces the Brand with the category and cues consumers that the Brand name is a Brand. For innovative Brands, all communications would qualify the Brand name. ie. Google search engine or Kleenex facial tissues. Do not use the trademark as a noun or a verb. You can use it as an adjective. Is this subtle? Yes, but developing a brand is always one drop at a time. Little distinctions can have a significant impact over time.
As we bid farewell to the Tupperware Brand, those of us who witnessed its growth over the years can find comfort in knowing that the name Tupperware, just like the Dodo bird, will live on.
by Miriam Hara | Aug 13, 2024 | Advertising, Agency, Branding, Creative
Does your current brand visual campaign undermine your brand’s authenticity?
Brand visuals are the cornerstone of a brand’s identity.
It is my stance that you cannot build a brand visual campaign utilizing stock imagery, especially when they should depict your target audience. Stock images featuring a person(s) in brand visual campaigns undermine the uniqueness and ownership of a brand’s identity. As a brand-maker, that makes me shudder. Time and time again I have seen brand campaigns featuring photos of the intended target audience in one journal and consequently the exact same image utilized for another brand or service.
In the age of authenticity, utilizing stock imagery depicting a person as a main brand image in your campaign seems counterintuitive. How can you be authentic if you’re using a stock image that was created without any knowledge of your brand? I know that feels like a leap in thinking.
It’s perposterous to think that models hired to be photographed for the sole purpose of your brand’s position also use your brand…and that is a point well taken. But still, not enough to sway me! Regardless, a brand visual starts with a unique concept that articulates the brand positioning. A concept that is uniquely stated for the brand, and part of that concept is the brand visual. Hence, that very fact makes it erroneous to consider utilizing a stock image that your brand does not own one hundred percent.
Original photography is just for your brand
An Art Director or Creative Director tailors original photography to convey a specific message, embedding the brand’s values in every pose and facial nuance. Unique visuals help forge an emotional connection with your audience, building trust and loyalty, and creating a stronger coherent narrative. More importantly, it allows the photograph to be 100% what you need it to be. Many times, when utilizing stock imagery, there are hours of digital imaging required to make it just so – just right.
Planning can extend the duration of the Brand Visual
Original Photography also allows you to create your own library of images that provide you with the added value of utilizing images of the same person, strengthening the brand identity with every piece. This further cements the brand visual in the hearts and minds of consumers. Additionally, original photography can provide you with an array of options within the same concept for the brand visual extending the duration of the brand campaign.
I get budgets are real…and so they should be.
Budget constraints are a real issue, and duly noted. When launching a brand, budgets should include the development of original content. This content includes taglines, communications messaging, concept development, and brand visual development. Photography is a huge part of a brand’s content and should be factored in.
When to use stock imagery?
There is definitely value in utilizing stock imagery. For example, photos of landscape scenes, the universe, the moon, the stars, the oceans and the sky. I always implore my team to “make it the brand’s own” by digitalizing it, adding colour or a blend of filters that truly make it unique. It’s also good to use stock images for less critical content while reserving budget for custom visuals in key campaigns.
Lastly, I’ll ask you to chime in. I am sure you have seen an image in a brand campaign and noticed the same image used by a completely different brand? How did that make you feel about the originality and authenticity of those brands?
by Miriam Hara | Jun 18, 2024 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Marketing
Timing is everything…especially when it comes to marketing tactics. Whether you’re launching a new brand or executing a plan for an existing one, timing is critical to the success of any initiative, regardless of where the brand is in its product life cycle. As marketers we are all about being on-trend and staying slightly ahead of the curve. It’s our nature not to look in the rearview mirror. We tend to look at the open road and the endless possibilities of what lies ahead.
That said, any marketer or brand manager will concur when I say that history is something to review. It’s always important to know how past marketing tactics and programs have fared. Why wouldn’t we, especially given the wealth of data available to us? Unfortunately, many times, when a past tactic has not performed well, it is often disregarded.
I’ve often heard “Oh, we’ve done this in the past and it hasn’t worked” during the course of brainstorming sessions, or marketing meetings.
KPIs are everything… or are they?
It’s very easy to dismiss a tactic or initiative because it poorly performed. However, sometimes the second time around is a charm. When assessing or evaluating a tactical program, you should base it on pre-determined KPIs. However, consider other factors that may have prevented the KPIs from being met, and carefully assess these factors before permanently discarding any past marketing tactics.
Although there are many elements to consider when evaluating any tactic.. here are the top three:
- Timing is everything…and needs to be evaluated in different ways.
a)Was the timing optimal for our audience/target market? As an agency developing programs, there are often delays out of anyone’s control. This begs the question: “Should we delay to a more appropriate time?”
b) Is this the right time to launch this type of marketing tactic in view of the brand’s journey? Is it too soon for such a tactic to even be considered?
- Are all the ducks in a row? In other words, was there a glitch in terms of the execution. This can take many forms. Did all the communications go out seamlessly and in a timely fashion? Werethe communications clear and accurate, or did they lead to confusion?
- Was the launch tentative? Was the necessary ‘hype’ or groundwork put in place to optimize the performance of the marketing tactic? Did we allocate enough budget to the initiative to ensure it garnered the attention of our target audience?
Second Time’s a Charm
Don’t be too quick to disregard the tactics of the past. It may surprise you when the second-go does perform to the KPIs. Suffice to say, it’s always good to revisit the past to see tactics that may have been ill-timed for the brand’s journey or for the target audience. Dusted off and refreshed, a ‘been there, done that’ tactic may pleasantly surprise you!
by Miriam Hara | Jun 4, 2024 | Branding, Design, Marketing
What is functional branding?
You’ve heard of functional art. It’s where art meets practicality without giving up on its artistic value. In essence it’s the delicate balance of form and function. Functional branding follows the same line of thinking. It’s where branding meets the science of functionality. Functional Branding is a discipline where a brand’s raison d’être is based on solving the problems of its consumers, eloquently.
Succinctly stated, it’s where brands fulfill a practical consumer need, while crafting a compelling narrative that is anchored in the products real world benefits and attributes. By seamlessly integrating the features of the brand with every communication touchpoint, brands can deliver satisfying consumer experiences that appeal to consumers emotively, fostering loyalty. It involves aligning the brand’s identity, values, and communications with the functional benefits its products or services offer.
In functional branding, the focus is on the practical benefits and utility of the products, while in image branding, the focus is more on the emotional or symbolic attributes a brand represents.
Strengthening brand image
While functional branding is inherently focused on practical benefits, it can deepen the brand’s overall image. By building a reputation for reliability, efficacy, and quality, brand image can flourish. In fact, functional branding is a foundational layer that supports and enhances a brand’s overall image. It makes the brand’s promises concrete and verifies them through functionality.
Patagonia and IKEA: Two highly functional brands
Patagonia has a strong brand image centered around environmental sustainability, ethical sourcing, and activism. These transcended and evolved from the basic Patagonia offering that emphasizes the functionality of its products. Their clothing and gear are designed to be durable, high-performing, and suitable for extreme outdoor activities. From the very beginning the, Panagonia brand always focused on the technical aspects of their products, which were are functional benefits for their target market of outdoor enthusiasts.
IKEA is another excellent example of how brand image and functional branding work together to create a cohesive brand experience that resonates with customers. They’re not just selling furniture; they’re selling the idea of smart living, where style and functionality are available to everyone, regardless of budget. Needless to say, IKEA focuses heavily on the practical benefits of its products and the ease of which they are assembled. IKEA maintains a strong connection between its brand image and the functional attributes of its products, creating a distinctive market position that appeals to consumers’ desire for style, functionality, and value.
These are only 2 of the many brands that offer consumers a deeper connection by being functional brands. From Zippo lighters to Apple to Nike. What’s your favourite functional brand and why? Please let share them here.
by Miriam Hara | May 17, 2024 | Advertising, Branding, Marketing
‘Individuality’ segmenting is where it’s at. Ordering my Grande Chai Latte with oat milk at Starbucks got me thinking about marketing and how today our need to profile and segment has gone beyond the niche. Standing in line to place my order, my coffee craved humans waiting to place their order before me, made me realize how significant considering the “individual” as a segment has become the norm for marketing.
As names and orders were announced— “Tall white mocha no whip”, “Grande non-fat vanilla latte with 1 pump vanilla”, “Venti iced matcha with 2 pumps brown sugar & oat milk”, “Tall honey almond flat white”, “Grande chai tea latte with soy” – not one of us had the same order! That essentially means that not one of us had the same likes or parameters for our coffee… What does that say for marketing segmentation. Here I am in a “coffee lover niche” – and that’s all we have in common.
And while standing in line I realized how Starbuck’s menu mirrors the individuality of their niche target. Admittedly I am a Chai Latte with oat milk for sure. Am I the only one out there?
Individuality segmenting is where marketers will find true success. It wasn’t that long ago that marketing, and thus we, as marketers, relied heavily on demographics with the rigid dividers of age, ethnicity, gender (only 2!) or financial means, seems really archaic now. Can you believe we used to market so broadly?
The Digital Segmentation Era
Then ushered in the digital area, touting with its entry the new segmentation of psychographics. Psychographics is an approach to marketing that uses personality, value, belief and lifestyle as a measure. Wow isn’t that novel? The digital era required that as marketers, develop multi-dimensional targeting allowing brands and businesses to tap into digital properties and networks to reach inclusive grouping of minds, and hence the groupings of likes, dislikes, ideas and values…. With the digital era, it became the norm to speak to the psychographics of the demographics. Psychographics is the glue, connecting certain demographics (remember those rigid dividers?), and speaking to an underlying emotional character – sometimes subconscious.
Hello Social Segmentation
Segmentation evolved yet again, with social media. Along with its proliferation, from a marketing perspective, social media has opened the depth and breathe of market strategies to set aside the newly involved psychographics and start building communities. With social it’s about the community…but even the community isn’t “single-minded” or “one-minded”. Social media isn’t just about forming a homogenous community; it’s about embracing the unique identities within each community, as varied as individual DNA.
Marketing must now cater to each person’s ‘slice of life’— their journey, their identity…their individuality…just like their Starbucks coffee order. So, what do you think? Is Individuality segmenting a real marketing consideration or not?
