bloom's blog

Nurofen's Bigger Brand Purpose

In the past decade, everyday pharmaceutical brands have been increasingly creative in their advertising. Eye-catching images and witty metaphors brought cold functional products to life. However, advertising has continued to serve primarily as a colourful wrap for purely functional product offers, with literal visualisations of the problem remaining the typical advertising approach in the painkiller category. 

For all their inventiveness and humour, traditional painkilling adverts have essentially revolved around a straightforward dichotomisation of the problem (pain) and the solution (painkillers).

Last month, however, a completely new kind of painkiller brand emerged in the UK. Nurofen, the Reckitt Benckiser-owned range of pain-relief medication, launched an ad campaign promoting its new, bigger brand purpose: ‘For lives bigger than pain’.

There is no product shot, no promise, no explanation. This is pure lifestyle branding. At long last, the idea that a brand purpose can be bigger than a product offer has reached the pharmaceutical category.

Quarter-inch drills vs. quarter-inch holes

Problem-solver brands have always polarised around those that focus on the problem they address, and those that position themselves closer to lifestyle brands. This polarisation is particularly well illustrated by the contrasting approaches that Weight Watchers and Slim-Fast have taken in their recent advertising. Slim-Fast’s new campaign deftly glosses over the problem, solution and the prosaic, primary outcome (weight-loss) focusing instead on the titillating secondary outcomes that motivate women to loose weight in the first place.

Weight Watchers, meanwhile, keeps the emphasis firmly on the solution and primary outcome, promising only that Weight Watchers will help you lose weight because, put simply: ‘It works’.

But, whilst a simple ‘problem-solution’ advertising model can make sense in the weight loss category, where a brand such as Weight Watcher’s can genuinely claim to offer a qualitatively different solution (a points system as opposed to a meal replacement approach), its efficacy is less obvious in the pain killer sub-category. With only three types of painkillers available without prescription (paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen), few brands can legitimately claim a unique product offer and, as consumers’ medical savvy has increased, so has their awareness of this fact.

Nurofen couldn’t claim to offer a truly superior pain-relief solution, so instead it became a first painkiller to abandon its medical career, and search for new opportunities as a life coach.

Making people feel worthy when they feel weak is a truly powerful brand purpose, and it is surprising that, in such low differentiation category, others still persist in putting ‘body first’.

 

 

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.

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?

 

 

Brand Britain: Part 1

‘Britishness’ is very much in vogue at the moment.  Brought about by the flurry of recent Royal occasions and ‘that’ sporting event, the trend has stuck with us throughout the year.

Unfortunately it is often poorly done, and our national symbol, the Union Jack in particular, seems to be used without a compelling rationale.

The Olympics identity tried a different tact but sadly ended up failing in its generic pursuit of coolness and youth culture.  A quirky chameleon graffiti marque, just doesn’t translate to a national celebration of human spirit as typified by the Olympic stage.

But the fault is not entirely with the marketing.  Unlike other countries such as Spain and Brazil, the language of Britain is very hard to pin down.

Representations often slide into a Britain that is either old fashioned or London centric, because other meanings are often too diverse to forge a conceptual unity.

Even in the optimistic times of Cool Britannia back in the Nineties, the look and feel was very retro-punk-mod, but it was not representative of the country as a whole.

Likewise, the popular Keep Calm & Carry On stamp clearly has a spirit that resonates now, but is visually retro.

Interestingly the recent ‘GREAT…’ campaign focuses on diversity – and partially overcomes the issue of fragmentation, but there’s still no sense of a singular graphic identity for Britain.

Perhaps Britishness is amorphous, a vessel that you can’t define. It allows us to be who we are, unconfined by a singular set of values and maybe that is what makes this country great.

Next week we’ll have a look at some examples of brands that have captured a sense Britishness to best effect.

Nuts about innovation

Crabbies have thrown us a curveball.  Their brand extension into flavoured nuts seems incongruent with their core ginger drinks heartland.  As one of the fastest growing alcoholic UK brands in 2010, its success is without question.  But is it right for a brand that is still in its infancy to seek such new pastures, rather than consolidate and protect the brand and its unique position?  Possible extensions into liqueurs, spirits, soft drinks and even other alcoholic ginger mixes would all be credible.  In comparison their new offering seems a little unrelated. Perhaps it’s unfair to criticise out of context.  The Crabbies brand itself is harboured in a culture of fast-tracking innovation through its privately owned company Halewood International.  Even the ginger beer was originally an extension from a ginger wine.  With this approach there will undoubtedly be some riskier launches.  Maybe ginger nuts will prove us wrong. Either way, they are not alone in this difficult territory.  Act and you may find trouble; don’t and you certainly will.

Magners had a huge competitive advantage in the cider sector, which they seemingly let slide.  This has resulted in the market becoming inundated with threats: Bulmers, Gaymers, Thatchers, Koppaberg, Aspall, Rekorderlig – the list goes on.  With their new release of Magners Specials they have clearly tried to kick back, defending their share of summertime cider and starting to grow their own winter market.

We look forward to seeing how both of these brands and their new innovations fair over the coming winter months.

 

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.

 

Hunter boots: Town & country?

We’re stunned by the speed with which Hunter has gone from being a specialist piece of rural kit, to a fashion statement you see daily on the high street. 

Urbanite branded welly buying is of course linked to the ongoing British love affair with festivals. Once underground, festivals are now very much mainstream. Festival fashion now informs high street fashion. Hence people wearing wellies to go shopping in.

Urban fashion...

...or country pursuits?

It will be interesting to see how Hunter manages its meteoric rise. How vulnerable is the brand to the pitfalls of going mainstream? Think Burberry and Pierre Cardin. In both cases popularisation drove away the brand’s core long-term audience. Burberry solved the problem by launching Prorsum (from the Latin, meaning ‘forwards’ and trademarked in their original knight logo in 1901), a high-end sub-range that reinstated its fashion credibility. Pierre Cardin pretty much disappeared.

We think there are 3 possible outcomes for Hunter:

1. Hunter’s original audience will leave the brand but it won’t matter
Carhartt evolved from the uniform of the American working class to a global street fashion brand. So what if the brand’s original audience were alienated in the process? The same could happen for Hunter as it shifts from niche functionality to mass market fashion.

2. Hunter’s original audience will leave the brand, dealing a mortal blow to its credibility
If those who live and work outdoors saw one Hunter-shod festival loon too many they may migrate to cheaper or more specialist alternatives. This would undermine the brand’s credibility as an outdoor expert, potentially killing it altogether.

3. Hunter repurposes for a dual audience
Hunter could prevent the above by putting greater emphasis on Argyle and Balmoral, its specialist farming and sporting variants, and treating the generalist everyday boot as a diffusion line (like Chanel, Dior or Prada do with their mass-market fragrances and sunglasses).

Either way we think credibility is key. Hunter needs to keep communicating the message that their boots can withstand whatever the British climate throws at them, that they’re durable, that they’re made from cutting edge materials. Luxury watches do this well. The Rolex Submariner is built for depths of 300m. But we doubt many Submariner owners are free divers.

Chameleon Branding

Traditionally a brand identity is fixed because it encapsulates the core essence of the brand.  While multi-channel campaigns may come and go, the identity should remain consistent, updated every few decades to reflect contemporary cultural trends or a change in proposition.

But increasingly we’re seeing a lot of what we’ve termed ‘chameleon branding’, where the identity regularly morphs, usually subtly but sometimes quite radically, to suit its surroundings.

The earliest brands were literally just that, a mark of quality branded on the product.  The replication of the same marque was all-important.  But as branding has become increasingly sophisticated logos that remain the same all the time can seem a bit staid. By being continually exposed to the same symbol, consumers may even fail to really register it any more.  There is an obvious watch out here in that a brand must change without losing all sense of direction, but there are a number of advantages to a chameleon identity.

Make a statement  

When MTV first hit our screens in 1981 the brand broke all the rules.  It had no color guidelines and through countless iterations – from the messy, dirty to the furry and fruity – MTV rebelled against the corporate logos that dominated other television networks. In 2009 it rebranded, dropping ‘music television’ to reflect its new positioning as the home of content for Generation Y. The new logo has a cleaner line; it’s less graffiti, more graphic.  It retained the same flexible identity but began using it to represent MTV’s more commercial purpose. Instead of embodying a spirit of rebellion the logo became a frame for whatever program it was presently promoting.  Something for (almost) everyone

Like MTV, the London 2012 Olympics logo was designed to appeal to a younger demographic. The logo is meant to show that London is a bold, buzzing, multi-cultural city, with a forward-looking emphasis.  It’s the first Olympics logo to come in a variety of colours, intended to reflect the fact that the Games is for everyone (although presumably not for shy, retiring types) and apparently it will continue to evolve in the build up to the Olympics.  As well as symbolizing the energy and optimism that the Games are intended to inspire, the logo is also able to blend into a variety of settings, which allows it to work in harmony with a wide range of corporate sponsors.

 

Easy to use

The rebranding of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has transformed a somewhat tired looking marque into a really useful campaign tool. The anagram is legible but has a rugged confidence that suits the people that it represents.  The shape’s strength and simplicity means it can be replicated with ease and ensures that the logo has impact whatever colour or material is used. Anyone wanting to support the cause can easily fashion a compelling call to action. Inspire creativity

Inspired by the architecture of the university, the new logo for the Ontario College of Art and Design (which now prefers to be referred to in a RISD-esque fashion as the OCAD U) creates a marque that can be mass produced but which inspires rather than restricts student’s creativity by providing them with a window which they can fill with their creative thoughts.  The idea is that each year students are invited to contribute to the logo, over time forming a library of the way that design and aesthetics has changed. It works because it’s a strong form that’s well considered, but with a maximum of flexibility that is ideally suited to this particular kind of institution.

 

 

Segment the business

Chameleon logos can also serve a functional purpose, differentiating the various arms of the business.  This doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective, as FedEx demonstrates.

Add another dimension

The merger of two popular telecom providers in Austria, A1 and Telekom, gave them the opportunity to leave behind their very corporate logos and embrace something altogether more distinctive while simultaneously advertising the wealth of benefits that this marriage offered.

Warning: Chameleon branding is eye-catching but risky. You wouldn’t want the IAVA logos to start showing up in blood red for example.  Lack of coherence across the execution could result in the brand sending mixed messages, losing some of its impact in the process. 

The phone network, 3, seems to have fallen into this trap.  Originally its dynamic and multicolored logo announced its arrival as the communications network of the future.  However it has expanded into so many color combinations that it has lost all sense of direction, looking more like a tie-dye project gone wrong than a confident brand marque.

 

Chameleon branding is a great way to catch the consumer’s eye.  It relies heavily on a strong marque and a clear sense of why the identity is allowed to morph, but done well it can help give your brand an edge in the modern marketplace.

 

The erosion of Habitat

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.

Extend to transform

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.