Yesterday Bloom attended Marketing Week Live 2011 and was impressed by the scale of the show, which is increasingly coming into its own. The day demonstrated that marketers have the capacity for inspiring insights that drive real growth and gave attendees the tools to leverage those skills within their organisation. Highlights included an empowering speech from Syl Saller on how to promote your ideas through the business, La Senza’s demonstration of how to go viral and of course Tom Rainsford’s hair, which proved to be the most popular twitter topic of the day. The main stage was unsurprisingly packed for Matt Brittin, Google’s MD for the UK & Ireland. Some were disappointed that he didn’t mention +1 or any of the exciting new projects Google has in the pipeline but he did give an excellent demonstration of how the internet is becoming more social. He rightly pointed out that ‘social’ no longer means just Facebook - the internet is interactive and can be used in a multitude of ways, activated by touch, sight and sound. At this rate it’s only a matter of time until Google find a way to use the other two human senses - taste and smell.
The event is open to all and is particularly good at exposing entrepreneurs to the world of marketing and empowering them to run their business better. After all, as Mark Brittin pointed out, they are driving internet growth & their innovations are likely to be the key to getting the British economy moving again.
By the looks of things the event is going to just keep getting bigger and better. If you haven’t made it this time around you should probably clear your diary for the end of June next year.
Severe cracks are showing in the High Street. Border’s is gone, JJB, HMV and Clinton Cards are all under threat and Jane Norman is entering administration. Consequently Habitat’s recent announcement shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Consumer confidence on the high street is still low, many retailers borrowed heavily during the boom times and are now struggling, especially with the rising prices of raw materials and the internet is finally proving to be a truly formidable foe. Habitat in particular is suffering with fewer people moving house and putting off redecorating for a later date.
The Independent asked ‘Why did we fall out of love with Habitat? Was it them or us?’ But the question is redundant, both had an equal part to play - consumer habits changed and the retail brand failed to keep up.
The high street is tough and overcrowded, natural selection dictates that only the fittest will survive, but this doesn’t mean that Habitat was doomed from the off. We thought we’d have a look at where Habitat went wrong and what other retail brands can learn to avoid the same fate.
Founded at a time when chintz and willow china were de rigueur, Habitat, brought good design to the masses and revolutionised British taste in interiors. But recently it has been struggling, operating at a loss for the last three years and over £88 million in debt. Where did it all go wrong?
Out with the new in with the old
There has been a shift in the popular design aesthetic. In its heyday Habitat was the harbinger of modernism, baby boomers wanted to break free from their parent’s stuffy style and embrace something much more futuristic. But this forward-looking aesthetic has come to seem somewhat naff in the 2010s, relegated to the interior of the now defunct Big Brother house. When it comes to interiors minimalism has replaced futurism, and nostalgia has taken the place of optimism. Consumers prefer to decorate their houses with catchphrases from World War II (increasingly ubiquitous), not Habitat’s ‘sag bags’.
Habitat’s exaggerated emphasis on the new meant it lost out, while retailers like John Lewis experienced an 8.6% rise in sales last year.
Failure to lead from the front
Another contributing factor to Habitat’s demise was its failure to find an enigmatic designer to lead the brand. Under Conran in the 60’s and 70’s and Tom Dixon in the early 2000s, the retailer flourished, but apart from a few token collaborations with celebrities, which felt more like something DFS would do, they failed to really capture the imagination of consumers.
Outwitted by the competition
Ikea entered the UK market in the 80’s and matched the design aesthetic that Habitat had been so well known for. But Ikea didn’t stop there. They easily beat Habitat on price and actually delivered on the British store’s original promise to bring design (although not quality) to the masses. Ikea offered utilitarian storage and a Scandanavian design ethos that Habitat just couldn’t match. For the last few years Habitat has sat in no man’s land. Unable to compete with Ikea on price or functionality, yet unable to match the more high end retailers like Heal’s, the heart and soul of Habitat went missin and they lost their reason to be.
Failed to leverage the in store experience
Interiors retailers have flooded the internet. You can get everything from handmade pieces at affordable prices to cheap furniture delivered fast. To compete Ikea and Heal’s have launched their own online stores but they still capitalise on the in store experience and each offers something that you can’t get online. Ikea guarantees the same experience no matter where you are and Heal’s holds the promise to surprise you every time, both are compelling reasons to actually make the trip to the store, reasons that Habitat failed to articulate and therefore lost footfall.
The future of Habitat is uncertain. Creating concessions in Homebase may now be the only viable solution for the business. But it’s a sad reality for the brand. A retail icon becomes another piece of tat in a general home store. How the mighty have fallen. For more ideas on the future of retail click here.
Each day countless new products and services are launched, the majority of which fail. Look at a single brand in isolation and you will find the good (Virgin Atlantic), the bad (Virgin Brides) and the ugly (Virgin Cola) of brand extensions. Countless articles have been written about the best and worst examples so we thought we’d focus on brands that do more than extend, they disrupt, creating new categories in the process.
Brands require careful management. Stretch them too far and they can snap. But get it right and the rewards can be huge. Create a lucrative new category and you own it. By the time others have entered the race you’re already round the first bend.
Market leaders are often best placed to create new behaviors. The classic example is the Clinique three-step system. The line was created when Estée Lauder, the cosmetics mogul, read an article written by dermatologist, Dr. Orentreich, which stated that clean skin was the root of healthy skin. From this simple principle stemmed a revolutionary range of scent-free cosmetics that turned the simple act of washing your face into a skin care regime.
Today brands no longer need a dermatologist’s endorsement, they have become trusted ‘professionals’ in their own right. Consumers will allow new product launches to guide their behavior, particularly when a well-known brand enters a new field. The big brands have an advantage because both the retailer and consumer are more likely to trial a familiar name, even if it’s in an unfamiliar field, as long as the transition makes sense.
The potential for failure is huge which is why many companies invest millions at the front end to create, research and craft a product that’s truly compelling. There are a number of brands that have achieved it and rolled out brand extensions that broke the mould, to create a new experience that most consumers hadn’t even realized they were missing out on.
Old brand, new audience
The classic example is of course the Wii. Rather than incremental innovation, Nintendo put their core consumers to one side and gambled ‘the house’ on a ground-breaking product that brought the video game out of the teenage boy’s bedroom and into the lounge. Crucially they didn’t stop there, they kept innovating. The recently released Wii U fuses the popularity of the tablet computer with the interactivity of the original Wii to create a family-friendly device that fills niches the Xbox Kinect cannot.
Tapping into a trend, creating a movement
L’Oreal is an outstanding example of a brand that noticed small changes in consumer’s behavior and used it to carve out a whole new category. Scores of brands had dipped their toes into the men’s skin care arena but L’Oreal put the full weight of their organization into creating a comprehensive men’s skin care range. Like what Clinique did for women in the 60’s L’Oreal did for men in the 90’s, creating new habits and gradually extending consumer’s consumption into new areas. L’Oreal has since replicated this feat in China, experiencing 40% growth in the men’s skin care market in 2010. Making value essential
Waitrose also achieved a double whammy when they launched their Essentials range. Of course it was a response to inevitable changes in consumer behavior after the downturn, but it defied the traditional ‘value’ range model that The Big Four had had for years. Waitrose showed that value doesn’t have to mean trading down, it could mean ‘staple’. Accordingly their traditional clientele could afford to maintain their consumption levels, and new consumers could now ‘trade up’ and buy into the Waitrose ethos. Off the back of this success Waitrose has gained confidence to launch their ‘LOVE life’ range, which makes it easier for consumer to select the healthiest options. Watch a newspaper
Apple has used the emotional pull of its brand rather than functionality to drive consumption. Initially consumers weren’t sure they really needed an iPhone and iPad. The former didn’t seem to be particularly good at being a phone and the latter seemed to be an emasculated laptop. But the social cache of the brand created a snowball effect, changing the way we interact with the world around us, igniting the push towards mobile technology and redefining entertainment, as the latest iPad 2 ad demonstrates.
The key to the success of these disruptive brand extensions was two fold. Firstly the brand owners were listening carefully yet broadly, spotting new opportunities outside of their daily focus. Secondly, once they spotted an opportunity, they didn’t enter the fray half-heartedly but put considerable effort into designing and promoting a product that would meet these needs. It’s vital that brands don’t falter at the finish line, especially when they’re trying to convince consumers of a product choice and experience they’re unfamiliar with. It’s a difficult task, but if carefully crafted it can be hugely rewarding.
Optimism is pervasive in the world of branding. The general consensus seems to be that an upbeat and positive proposition is what drives people to buy. By and large emotions in the world of branding are uplifting – Nike is empowering, Coca Cola encourages us to ‘open happiness’ and Tropicana fills your morning with sunshine.
However there are a number of brands that refuse to follow the crowd. Edgy, mysterious, sometimes slightly sinister, they stand out because they play to the darker side of human nature. Many government advertisements, in particular the truth and Frank campaigns, have successfully capitalized on this phenomenon to create a message that is darkly humorous in order to deliver a serious message to young people. However brands can also tap into this sentiment to get noticed.
In the last few years French Connection has dropped its FCUK moniker and replaced it with a more pensive ad campaign. They still channel the same rebellious streak that was part and parcel of the FCUK ethos but in a way that feels less mass market (although of course still accessible). Their ads are intriguing and captivating - more Eva Green than Cameron Diaz.
The campaign is also true to the clothing line. The brand has dropped its brash branding and instead opted for subtle detailing and demure yet alluring tailoring.
Diesel has always defined itself in opposition to the buoyant optimism of Levi’s, the market leader. They take an item of clothing that has become ubiquitous and invariably tied to images of the Wild West and make it subversive. Their mission statement ‘be stupid’ is act of defiance in a world overrun by health & safety and political correctness. This rebellious attitude extends across multiple touchpoints. Diesel encourages consumers to live their ‘be stupid’ mantra in the way they hand out merchandise. Likewise their ads are grimy and full of dark humor, reveling - sometimes quite literally - in the dirtier side of life.
You could almost say that the Diesel and Persil brands embrace the same mantra - 'dirt is good'. Persil still caters to the optimism that the majority of FMCG brands aspire to. Diesel on the other hand, as a fashion brand has more leeway to have an attitude, to reject cleanliness for something more raw.
However that's not to say FMCG brands are incapable of showing their darker side, in fact those that do are generally rewarded. Their clear positioning differentiates and gives them stand out in highly saturated markets. While Dairylea is all green fields and rainbows, Pepperami represents the darker side of snacking. Rather than trying to pluck a health claim out of thin air, the brand makes a virtue of the fact that it’s unrefined. It’s refreshing for a brand not to claim anything more than what it is, a tasty snack that’s fun to devour.
Even the green movement has gone over to the dark side. With hybrids growing in popularity the new Lexus CT 200h prototype has chosen to focus on the driving experience rather than the car’s green credentials. They’ve created an interactive online game to promote the vehicle, in which you drive cross country from New York to LA, on the run from the enemy trying to steal Lexus’ hybrid technology. Designed to convince consumers who are skeptical of the tree hugger association of the Prius, the game looks like something out of Grand Theft Auto and features a reckless driver with a need for speed.
Increasingly brands are realizing they need to consider consumers in the round and not just pander to a utopian world. Sometimes the mischievous, the wayward and the devious can be much more compelling. However, as always, it’s important to ensure this idea aligns with your brand’s positioning. Monsoon couldn’t emulate the mysterious allure of French Connection, just as SunMaid Raisins couldn't become the 'animal' that is Pepperami.
The weekend before last our very own Jemma Golby ran the Blenheim Triathalon. After a 750m swim, 20k bike ride and a 5km run, crossing that finish line really was an incredible feat - so much so that some of the Bloom spectators cried tears of joy (naming no names...Catriona). She did Bloom proud.
Increasingly the world around us is branded. Not only the products we eat, wear and use but also the places we visit, work and live.
Spain was a pioneer of destination branding. In the 1970s it was a European backwater, unappealing and tainted by Franco’s dictatorship. However in 1983 Joan Miró created the ‘España’ marque to signify a new chapter in the country’s history. Unifying under this banner the country successfully rebranded itself as a cultural mecca and idyllic refuge. This platform provided the focus for public and private investment in regeneration projects across Spain. The idea of a vibrant and passionate culture appealed to Northern Europeans visitors and investors from colder climes and more staid traditions. Today Spain is the fourth most popular tourist destination in the world and nearly a million Britons live there for at least part of the year.
Brand associations seem to be inherent in the way we construct and relate to our surroundings. 30 St Mary Axe is a case in point. Better known as The Gherkin, this London landmark’s real name has been forgotten, sacrificed to the brand created by the popular imagination.
We are intimately connected to our surroundings. In ‘The Death and Life of Great American Cities’ Jane Jacobs criticized modernist urban planners for eradicating the complexity that makes us human. She argued that community was being sacrificed to logic as commercial, industrial and residential spaces were separated out. Instead Jacobs championed redundancy, places where inhabitants could idle and recharge. She pointed to Greenwich Village, New York as an organic community in which people were able to emotionally connect with their surroundings as well as taking advantage of functional benefits. Some of London’s most successful branding efforts in recent years, Bankside being the most notable, have followed these principles and inspired similar ventures. Many developers have recognized the potential benefits, both tangible and intangible, of a well-branded property. Therefore it is surprising how few have been successful in creating a meaningful and compelling brand identity.
Chiswick Park is one such example. The core philosophy was compelling, although not necessarily ownable. They believe that a workplace should be about people not buildings, and this inspired their architecture. However they fell at the final hurdle. Their communication strategy is a classic case of wearing your strategy on your sleeve. The website is patronizing and demands that you ‘Enjoy Work’ and all the claims feel forced and empty. Ultimately it is just a place of work, and office buildings with bigger windows aren’t enough to inspire a genuine emotional connection in tenants. By contrast, Urban Splash has successfully created the kinds of spaces that Jacobs deemed vital to fostering a genuine sense of community. They refurbish landmark buildings, so every development is essentially indigenous. Yet there is a clear brand identity across all the sites as they update each property with their trademark colourful style and encourage mixed usage. The result is a valuable piece of property that suits the area and meets resident’s functional as well as emotional needs. Each property developer has their own trademark, a principle that links their developments and guarantees a certain standard of service. However the overriding concern, particularly when creating a brand for an individual development, should be that it is rooted in a genuine brand truth that aligns with the historical significance of that area. The Candy Brothers caused a furor when they proposed the redevelop the area traditionally known as Fitzrovia and call it NoHo. Residents felt it was transitory and superficial, like ‘putting a big white paintbrush over something that’s incredibly delicate and has been very delicately woven together over hundreds of years'.
A carefully considered brand identity provides focus for the numerous stakeholders involved in property development, ensuring they construct a location that caters for both the emotional and functional needs of their consumers. Crucially the brand must be grounded in a product truth, which in turn informs an identity, executed across multiple touch points. The result is a clearly communicated and compelling brand that stands out, sometimes literally, as a beacon that the consumer wants to buy into.
This week our innovation work for Quaker landed in store. With the Oat So Simple range experiencing 30% growth year on year Quaker seized the opportunity to extend the appeal of the brand to new occasions and consumers.
Introducing the ‘Indulgent’ range to the adult market, the brand is now moving beyond its breakfast proposition to create additional opportunities in the day to eat porridge, such as afternoon coffee breaks or an evening snack.
We had a lot of fun designing the new Oat So Simple packs that replace the ‘Paw Ridge’ range. Now mums who already bought OSS for themselves can buy flavours their kids will love as well.
Also out this week is a brand new ready to eat cereals range, Harvest Crunch, whose bright colours and energetic design give it great standout on a particularly cluttered shelf. We also designed a new Jumbo Oats pack for Quaker but weren’t able to find it at our local Tesco Metro – if you spot it please let us know.
Today book covers straddle the divide between art and commerce. Just as great design must convey the brand essence, so cover illustrations must sell the story concealed within.
The changing role of book cover design reflects changing attitudes towards books over time. In the Middle Ages tomes were encrusted in jewels and dusted in gold leaf, a testament to their value. With the proliferation of libraries in the Georgian period books were widely available yet reading was regarded as a rather sober affair, reflected in the era’s restrained leather-bound volumes. The modern dust cover, with vibrant illustrations and bold typefaces, owes its origins to the United States, where in the 1920s the rise of mass communications and increase in consumption encouraged publishers on both sides of the Atlantic to introduce richer visuals to entice passers by to purchase.
Penguin was one of the first to enter the fray. Instigated by Allen Lane and later refined under Jan Tschichold, the paperbacks marry a clear logo with a classic yet contemporary typeface and a colour coded three-band cover to create a range that has stood the test of time.
In the twenty-first century publishers are multi-national conglomerates and books must compete against a host of other forms of entertainment in crowded supermarket aisles. As a result some feel that book illustration has become formulaic and thoughtless, a case of shrewd picture editing rather than ingenious design.
However if you look hard enough it’s still possible to find exceptional cover designs that sell their wares without prostituting themselves.
Ebooks may be convenient but they simply can’t compete with beautiful, tactile book covers. Coralie Bickford-Smith’s designs for Penguin Classics are a case in point. Here she has managed to capture the essence of Fitzgerald, immediately transporting the prospective buyer to the louche glamour of 1920s New York. In a crowded marketplace minimalism and attention to typography make a book stand out. The unexpected also helps to get you noticed. By opting for monochrome in a category awash with involving food photography Caz Hidebrand’s cookbook draws attention to the craftsmanship in every piece of pasta. So ignore the old expression - make sure you do judge a book by its cover. After all that’s exactly how your brand is going to be judged.
Following on from this post we'll be featuring some more of Bloom's favorite book covers on the right hand side of the blog. This week’s suggestions came courtesy of Jenny Dean. Let us know your favorites and keep an eye out for new additions.
