Changing up your brand wardrobe

We are living in an age of mass distraction. A time where we are inundated by more and more messages, delivered via more and more devices. A recent study by Microsoft highlighted that widespread smartphone usage has led to a deterioration of attention spans, from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds today. Given that proliferation of new connected devices, social media and entertainment platforms, attention spans are only likely to diminish further.

In this context, it is increasingly difficult for brands to stand out, get noticed and become part of the conversation. What follows is a perspective on an interesting brand behavior that can help brands really stand out and provoke interest.

A few years ago, I had the good fortune of working with the very talented Gerry Moira at Euro RSCG. We were working on a pitch and he made the interesting observation that the brands gaining notoriety were those brands that were embracing fresh influences from outside of their categories. They were throwing out the stale restrictions that arise from following the visual and linguistic codes of their categories, like they were discarding last season’s wardrobe. Instead, they were borrowing the more exciting “clothes” from categories outside of their spheres of influence.

Appearances are important, something we were all taught from an early age. Clothes do not merely cover the body, but they make a statement about who we are. As Shakespeare observed: “the apparel oft proclaims the man.”

So let’s adapt Shakespeare and suggest that clothes can proclaim the brand. When people or brands change clothes, they do more than change their appearance – they transform people’s perceptions of their character immediately. Brands can learn the codes of other categories, and adopt the ones that reflect desired values they hope to be associated with.

Let’s look at brands that have adorned the clothes of other categories:

Before Virgin entered the airline market, the traditional airline codes were very predictable. They were centered on old fashioned notions of efficiency, customer service, seriousness, and almost a military regimentation. Virgin adopted the codes of the entertainment industry, bringing a playfulness, glamour, a sense of fun, and when relevant, celebrity to the airline business.

Cirque de Soleil overturned all of the codes of the traditional circus. All of the noisy and childish atmospherics, the animals, the sawdust and cotton candy were thrown away. Cirque de Soleil borrowed codes from theatre: the sophisticated, character driven stories, the drama, the music and beautiful staging.

Geico has been fearless in embracing changing up its brand wardrobe and has become one of the most eclectic sartorial stealers. Unshackling themselves from the traditional insurance category codes of patriarchal protection, homeliness, and reserve, Geico has adopted the Gecko as a spokesman, epitomizing irreverence and playfulness. Donning the clothes of the beer and sports drink categories, Geico has appropriated the excitement and thrill of these categories. No longer encumbered by boring insurance company codes, they have achieved a level of breakthrough that many in the category envy.

Perhaps the grandest wardrobe change was instigated by Apple. BA (before Apple), computers were dominated by the world of business and science. Brands relied on the world of scientific proof and clinical sterility where nothing ever goes wrong. They created a distant and inaccessible place where normal people were not welcome, because you needed to learn a computer language. Computers were sold by conformists, men in blue suits. Apple adopted counter-culture ‘hippie’ codes. A world where everything is informal, creative, open, democratic and personal. Apple started off as the computer for the rest of us, and now has become the brand for the rest of us.

Brands that should consider a wardrobe make over

Having thought about this over the years, there are at least four types of brands that might benefit from a wardrobe makeover.

·      Over-familiar brands that need to break the pattern to reverse the feeling that people already know the brand and what it’s all about. People seem to accept them as part of life, or at its worst, as wallpaper

·      Challenger brands that have to fight harder, to confound the existing order.

·      Low interest brands that need to add some spice to become more talked about and vital again, often in categories with low intrinsic interest.

·      Outshouted brands that are successful, but don’t have the communication budgets of a brand leader, yet need to punch above their weight to compete.

How to change up your wardrobe successfully

To ensure that your brand doesn’t take a sartorial leap into the dark, there are a number of considered steps one can take:

·      Identify Values and Codes: Audit the brand to unearth the gaps between your brand today, and where you want it to be.

·      Identify New Categories: Semiotic analysis of categories helps find the categories that better reflect desired values for you to borrow.

·      Experiment with Existing Equities: Experiment by adapting existing equities to the desired dress code.

·      Create New Equities: Create new equities to dress the brand in the right competitive attire. As part of this, look at new partnerships that could be struck to accelerate change. Think how Fiat worked with Gucci to make their brand more exciting. Or, how Stella McCartney works with Adidas.

·      Body Language Alignment: Rather than just thinking about the brand’s tone of voice, think about the body language of the brand wherever it shows up. Evian did this masterfully. As they borrowed codes from the beauty category, it had a profound impact on everything from merchandising (in the skincare aisle), to product extensions (Evian skin spritz) to the copy on the packaging. Profoundly different body language based on new category codes.

Fortune favors the brave. If you need to reboot the fortunes of your brand, what better time is there than now to spring clean your brand wardrobe. Be adventurous, look outside your category for inspiration and borrow, without shame, clothes from whatever categories reflect your desired values.

Then get out there and flaunt it.