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And so it came to pass … the origins of 3 brand icons

Many of the world's loved and respected brand icons are born through happenstance. This week we’ve picked 3 famous food brands and investigated the unusual stories behind their conception.

Heinz ‘57 Varieties’

You’d be right in thinking that Heinz must have more than 57 varieties today. In fact they sell more than 5,700 different products in 200 countries. So how did the claim come about and why did it stick?

Back in 1896, Henry John Heinz was riding a train in New York City when he noticed an ad for ’21 styles of shoes’. He thought it was a clever way to advertise the plethora of canned and bottled foods his companies sold under one banner. At that time the company already sold more than 60 items. The number 57 was literally born from 5 (his lucky number) and 7 (his wife’s lucky number). He owned the company, it was his prerogative ... and Heinz ketchup still carries this claim today though less prominently.

La Vache qui Rit

The Laughing Cow was born soon after World War 1. French cheesemaker Léon Bel had a lot of comté, gruyere and emmental cheeses left over and decided to melt them down to create a new type of cheese.

In 1921 he noticed a meat truck go passed nicked name ‘Wachyrie’ after ‘Valkyries’ the creatures from Norse mythology that determine victors in battle. Considering it a relevant association Bel created the pun ‘La Vache qui Rit’ (‘The Laughing Cow’.  He then commissioned Benjamin Rabier, a cartoon artist,  to draw up the cow which has evolved into what it is today.

Green Giant

In 1925, Minnesota Valley Canning Company wanted to market its range of can peas. Unusually it came up with a grumpy grey gnome wearing a bearskin, stooping and scowling.

Realising that this was not the most relevant or consumer friendly face of the brand they soon hired an ad agency to revamp the mascot. It was none other than a young Leo Burnett who evolved the mascot into a friendly giant, painted him green, with a leaf strewn tunic, wreath and boots and called him ‘Jolly’ all in an attempted to make him more friendly.

The Jolly Green Giant was such a successful marketing campaign that the company actually changed its trading name to Green Giant.

Image that speaks for itself

Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter projected pictures of the Titanic on a giant iceberg off Greenland to mark the 100th anniversary of its maiden voyage.

Human Dominoes

We were delighted to hear today that the world record for human mattress dominoes has been broken a year after the Belgians claimed the crown with 550 mattress / humans. In a New Orleans Convention Center 850 people lined up to be toppled over in an event sponsored by La Quinta hotel group in New Orleans. It's a clever PR / Marketing stunt with a philanthropic outcome...all the mattresses were donated to local charities.

 

You can watch the full video here.

We also found this brilliant viral by Miller with their own take on human dominoes.

 

 

What's caught our eye in 2011

2011 has been a strange year. There's been continuing economic turmoil, an Arab spring and a Euro autumn, interspersed with a fairy tale Royal Wedding and an eagerly anticipated feast of celebration with the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee. We take a look back through the year and pick out 10 events, products and campaigns that have made us sit up and go wow or simply put a smile on our faces.

1. A beautiful CSR campaign

You can put your name to a star, a number plate or a stone in Wembley Way, but now, thanks to Dulux and UNICEF’s partnership, you can also own a colour. For a donation of at least £1 you get to choose a colour from a range of 16.7 million available on the average screen monitor. All proceeds go to UNICEF's campaign to bring clean water, education, medical assistance and other aid to children across the world. 

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Sir Roger Moore is a proud new owner of Swedish Blue, the colour of the flag of his wife’s homeland Sweden, and not far off the cyan blue that represents UNICEF. “Both Kristina and UNICEF are extremely close to my heart”.

ownacolour.com

This year's top Christmas drinks

Christmas is fast approaching; supermarkets are stocking up on ever more treats and delights and our televisions have transformed into beacons of feel-good advertising.

As the social season arrives, the drinks category in particular is expecting a boost in sales; last year 17% of all adult soft drink sales were sold in December, equating to £20.5m worth (The Grocer).  Naturally brands seek to maximise this boost.  Here we feature five of the most interesting yuletide offerings and debate the likely forerunners of new trends.

 

J20  Limited edition Glitter Juice Drinks

A grown-up Christmas twist and an innovation bound to generate more sales.  The glitter juice drinks drive interest and differentiate themselves in a very positive way.

Shloer

Limited edition Berry Punch is the newest offering from the adult special soft drinks brand.  Created specifically for Christmas this variant will add to the popular range and enhance the brand positioning as a drink best served shared over the winter months.

Stella Artois

Though a revival of their Originally Crafted for Christmas campaign, Stella Artois are using digital and traditional media to align themselves with the festivities.  This includes a transformation of their facebook page, which now includes a free download of an original Christmas jazz album Under the Christmas Star.  The designs may not be novel but we appreciate their act of generosity.

Copella

Drink-Me-Hot Winter Warmer was an obvious market gap that Copella have successfully filled.  As a non-alcoholic alternative to mulled wine we suspect it will fare well, however taking on more traditional winter warmers such as hot chocolate and Horlicks may be too far for the brand to stretch.

 

Coca Cola

With a combined total of well over 30,000 official Coca Cola Christmas facebook fans, it would be impossible not to mention the drink in any seasonal commentary.  It’s sure sign of the times that the campaign will now operate on a more integrated, multichannel basis than ever before.  It has also made a conspicuous effort to be more environmentally friendly (Popsop), revamping their world-famous Piccadilly sign to save 20% more energy.

French Connection campaign: ahead of a trend?

Ads were once copy heavy.  Back in the 60's, images were used to display product/beauty and lengthy copy communicated the brand's benefit.

By the 80's and 90's the clamour for attention demanded a different approach. Audiences had neither time nor headspace to read words, so arresting imagery took precedent.

Now it seems some advertising is striking a happy balance of the two.

We love French Connection's  2011 executions with their unusual imagery and thought provoking copy. The ads, which are part of a broader integrated campaign, serve to disrupt both the high-street fashion category and the brand's history (consigning the over-used FCUK idea to the rubbish heap).

It's refreshing approach from French Connection. We'd expect nothing less...

 

Top charity marketing strategies

In May, this year, UK charities reported an increase in regular donations for the third successive year (source: Rapidata). This despite the country teetering on the brink of a double dip recession.

Reassuring figures that not only highlight the generosity of the British people but also the resilience of the charity sector.

There are currently around 170,000 charities in England and Wales.  It’s a crowded sector where charities continually have to work harder and smarter to get their, often complex, messages across. Brand and communication strategies are key.

We look at 5 interesting cause-related strategies that have recently been used to great effect: 

1.  Create a memorable event

Movember has become a hugely popular movement since it started in 2004, supporting prostate and cancer charities. Over 480,000 people worldwide got involved last year raising $48.5M. An overtly visible, ownable, relevant and self-mocking occasion-based campaign, it is a great example of marketing at its best.

Due to its populatrity and worthy appeal many brands are clamouring to be a part of the movement.  HP Sauce, A suit that fits, and Byron Burgers are just a few of the brands that are rewarding charitable stewards this November.

 

2.  Partner with a large consumer brand

Get it right and this relationship will be equally rewarding for both parties. The charity gets instant exposure and awareness amongst a broad and relevant audience. The brand benefits from the warm halo of social responsibility. UNICEF, thanks to it’s “one pack = on vaccine” partnership with P&G's Pampers, is now aiming to eliminate neonatal tetanus in the developing world. 

It's a win win but, as a brand owner, be sure to be 100% committed to the cause. Consumers will quickly sniff out a temporary or half-hearted association driven by the interests of a PR wash or commercial gain. You only have to look at the backlash caused by KFC's alliance with a breast cancer charity in the US last year.

 

3.  Use disruptive communication

Where budgets are tight, it's often the disruptive campaigns that work to best effect.

Action for Children launched a guerrilla marketing campaign around the streets of Glasgow earlier this year that couldn't fail to catch our attention.

Through a clever combination of message-driven street art and hidden speakers playing recordings of children around the city, the campaign got national coverage and everyone talking about the cause.  It's a complex message delivered in in an engaging and relevant way. The beauty of this campaign is the use of technology to drive its audience to action. QR codes were also used to direct a technology savvy audience to an online petition to lobby the goverment to increase the amount of money they spend of indentifying children at risk of neglect. 

 

4.  The power of many: join a collaborative commercial initiative

Everyclick.com is a free internet search engine just like Google or Yahoo, but for every search made the site contributes half of its revenue to affiliated charities.  This is a great example creating an alternative channel for people to raise money simply through their existing behaviours. Smaller charities that don't have the marketing budgets can utilise this platform to drive funding to them. The beauty of this platform is in its transparency, clearly articulating the monetary amounts raised and for whom as and when it happens.

5.  Be in the right place at the right time

No British festival would be complete without the Festival Samaritans. Their tents have been a familiar feature at events for over 35 years now. This year they were present at 17 festivals offering a place of calm and warmth amidst the madness, where any festival goer can stop by for a cup of tea and a chat.

Not only does the charity access those in need within a relevant environment but it is also a strong platform for generating credibility and awareness amongst a younger audience. If they don't come to you then  reach out to them.

 

These are just 5 innovative strategies that charities have used to raise awareness and funding to best effect. Please feel free to contribute any other great examples. We'd love to hear them.

Brand Britain: Part 2

As we found in our last blog, the language of Britishness is difficult to pin down.  In comparison to benchmarks of national branding such as Brazil, Bahamas and Spain, our current representations fall short.
 


Interestingly each of these countries uses abstract colours and shapes to express national character, rather than using a flag or icon.  This week we consider how British character could be expressed in the same way, with reference to brands that have taken evocative stances on Britishness.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, these brands can also be grouped in terms of three prominent national characteristics.

1)   Authentic and earthy.  Graphics are colourful, deep, rich and busy but above all honest.

 

2)   Smart and bold.  As could be expected from these quintessentially British brands, their message is simple, clean, candid, and to-the-point.

 

3)   Eccentric and self-deprecating.  While being arguably the most sophisticated, these designs use humour to avoid taking themselves too seriously.

All these brands seem to capture Britishness in a more evocative way than David Cameron's recently unveiled 'GREAT...' campaign or the Olympics logo.

What agency wouldn't love the chance to do our country justice?

 

 

A right good yarn...

Our very own Jemma Golby’s knitting talent knows no boundaries. Recently it has been brilliantly showcased as part of the new Converse X Footlocker campaign.  Yarn bombing is an innovative trend whereby urban landscapes are decked out with woollen delights; cuffs and cosies for street furniture including lampposts, trees, fencing, bicycles and even scaffolding.




This concept was created for a viral ad from the streets of Berlin.

 

Jemma’s hard work was also featured in flagship stores in London and Milan.  Below are images from Oxford street last weekend.

It’s a lovely way to bring textile arts and crafts together with the outdoor space all tied in with a branded experiential campaign.

Great work Jemma.

The truth shouldn't always hurt

Brands have a tendency to assume consumer appeal equals relentless positivity and optimism.  When brands stick their necks out and challenge the utopia it can be incredibly refreshing.  In a previous Bloom Blog in June we explored the 'darker side of branding' sharing our thoughts on brands that provoke by deliberately embracing the alternative side of gritty, hard-edged reality.  This week we look at honesty and how some brands unapologetically expose the realism and truths of everyday life. This Canadian Club ad from 2007 is bold, beautiful and disarmingly honest.  Its willingness to dispense with the idealistic immediately sets it apart.

Likewise the new Weetabix ad makes no pretence towards creating a problem-free day.  Rather Fuel for Big Days unites the family by playing out the misfortunes and difficulties awaiting them.

 

The infamous Pot Noodle provided another edgy, provocative and dismissive voice that stood out from the crowd.  Critcally, the Slag of all Snacks ads were never afraid to embrace the truth that sometimes we want to eat rubbish. Given that two of these examples are over 4 years old, we wonder why more brands today don’t position themselves in this way?  Perhaps it’s felt that a certain level of optimism and escapism is appropriate and very much the brand's role in today's world of uncertainty. At the same time though, a more circumspect view of human nature can clearly pay off.