Colours have become an important instrument in brands’ marketing strategies. It allows brands to express themselves and to communicate their true identity.
Each brand has managed to distinguish itself from the rest by adopting a single colour or colour palette of its own. These colours, in turn, are present throughout the integrated marketing communication campaigns for each brand.
Brands manage to include the same colours throughout their billboards, ads, POS, and much more. This is actually done in a manner which allows for more consistency for the brand to occur. At some points, colours are used to showcase a certain effect or feelings towards the product as well as to raise specific expectations regarding it.
The importance of colour usage mainly resides in making a brand unique, coherent, and more appealing. It can increase the familiarity of the brand and its recognition especially when it is included in ads in a consistent manner.
However, choosing specific colours for a brand can have a lot of symbolic and hidden meanings. Many brands choose a colour to express itself or to arouse certain feelings in the consumers.
To explore the true meaning that lies behind the usage of colours , here’s Ogilvy’s take on colours below;
“What works here, won’t necessarily work elsewhere.”
Have you ever seen a product with a different packaging across two different countries?
In the previous post, we talked about how packages can affect the consumers’ senses and their purchasing decisions. However, it is even more important to take into consideration the consumers’ cultures when designing a package. Some packages tend to work in some countries but fail miserably in others. So, what could be the reason behind this?
When designing a package, it is important to conform to the locals’ needs and preferences. This also goes to the global brands. For brands, going by a global standard poses them a lot of challenges and problems. Usually, when expanding abroad, brands customise their products’ packages according to the local tastes while keeping the brand’s identity prominent.
Thus, this suggests integrating labels or slogans that are tailored to the brand’s target markets into their global products. All of this can be summed up in the sense that brands are going “glocal” instead of global.
By adhering to the cultural norms, brands tend to add extra features to the global product’s standard. It might use the same shape of the product and logo in order to establish familiarity and increase brand’s recognition. However, it might change the language of the writing, the font style, the size, or even the colours of the product’s package to suit local tastes.
In some countries, locals might have a certain preference for a colour over the other. Also, a group of people belonging to a certain age group could prefer a colour palette over the other. For example, people of old age might tend to go for a colour palette that is different from the younger group.
Likewise, in some countries, locals are
more affected by informative labels put on the products. In religious
countries, it might be important to add the term “Halal” to the sealing of a
product. In health conscious countries, it could be adequate to add “Sugar Free”
or “Fat Free” on the seal for instance.
Keeping your consumers’ and your target market’s varied cultural backgrounds at the top of your mind when expanding is essential. It is important for a brand to embrace different ideologies and perspectives as well as to demonstrate openness to its consumers.
In order to stand out, it has become necessary for brands to “glocal” and to encompass their target markets’ religion, social habits, and other social values and artefacts across their various touch points.
It has come to my interest the fact how packages can affect the consumers and their senses. The very first thing the consumers tend to notice is the package of an item. The feelings that arouse when simply touching an item, impacts them significantly. Product packages play an important role in making buyers choose an item or a brand over the other.
Packages has become a form of art or an experience rather than just a seal made to protect an item and help preserve it. It has become a complement to the item that’s inside it which helps convey to the consumers what to expect inside. It has also become a method to communicate the brand’s identity by using symbols or vivid and bright colours.
Packages can serve as a key brand identifier. It allows to present some descriptive or persuasive information for the consumers; it allows for familiarity.
Some packages aid in establishing the consumers’ expectations. It can trick the consumers’ senses by hinting to them what they’re about to taste. There are a lot of packages with appealing images that turn out as a disappointment for the buyers later on. This in fact, is actually harmful for the brand when done continuously. The experience of trying an item should not be less than the expectations of what it might taste like. It might cause dissatisfaction of the consumers on the long turn.
On the contrary, packaging may be used for the benefit of the brand by influencing the consumers’ expectations. By simply touching or by smelling the packaging of an item, the consumer can be influenced and affected. This notion is proven to alter the buyers’ purchasing decisions and thus, can rather be exploited by brands to drive further opportunities.
It is really interesting how a design can make customers attracted to your products over others. Having a consistent brand identity which is communicated through the packaging of products can also help achieve brand loyalty and establish brand “tribes”.
After all, what are Apple’s designs known for? And what messages comes to your mind upon seeing them?
If you were planning to buy new earphones, how much would you be willing to pay? Of course, this might depend on the type or the brand of the earphones you want to buy or considering whether they’re waterproof or has some extra features. Let’s say you’d pay up to $100 as an average.
Would that number still be the same had that same earphones been sold in a jewelry store or were embellished with Swarovski crystals? I guess not.
Whether you notice it or not, the amount of money you’d be willing to pay is more likely to double up.
That is the effect of inferences on the consumers. A simple alteration in the product’s placement makes a huge difference. By merely placing the product in a place that gives an impression of high value, the consumers would shift their perspectives and believe so.
That pair of earphones might serve the same function no matter where it’s located. However, the consumers’ perception of it is likely to change when such inference takes place.
If you want your product to be perceived of high value, next time, make sure it’s placed in an environment that communicates such message.
What makes a brand so special? leave a reply below.
In a world where so many brands are present, each brand needs to maintain its own and unique identity in order to distinguish itself from the others. Nowadays, it has become extremely difficult for brands to either differentiate themselves or to maintain their true essence.
However, what makes every brand shield itself against such challenges is having its own identity, elements, and schema.
Having a brand identity of your own means that there are certain characteristics or features that sets you apart from the rest. A brand identity consists of the visible elements that make up a brand. This could include a logo, a design, or simply a colour or a colour palette. It could also consist of other elements such as a slogan, a symbol, a character, or a jingle.
These can aid in making a single brand concrete and solid in the consumers’ minds. However, it is important that such various elements which resemble the brand’s identity are cohesive in order to increase concreteness and brand awareness.
So what makes a schema?
To start off, a schema is a set of associations that could drive out attitude or behaviour for the consumers towards a brand. It is basically what consumers think and feel about a brand. It can entail trust, innovation, rebellion, happiness, etc. Every choice or act carried out by a brand has to resonate with its schema; the set of knowledge linked to a concept.
A brand’s schema consists off of what consumers have to say about the brand and what mental shortcuts resonate when they think about it. It describes different elements that constitute knowledge about a brand. When a brand maintains its identity or communicates a specific image about itself consistently and across various channels, it contributes in creating a certain set of associations or expectations along with it.
A brand’s image is a subset of associations stored in the brand schema. Every single touch point for a brand has to be consistent and cohesive with the overall image it’s trying to create for itself.
In every brand extension, brand alliance, or even in licensing, the transfer of such associations is essential for the brand to maintain its image and identity. It is important to note that a unique identity is not created instantly but rather, it takes up an effort throughout the years to be created and preserved.
Thus, it would be very damaging for a brand to send different signals regarding what it is and what it stands for as it might cause unwanted confusion for the consumers and alter their attitudes.
Have you ever faced such an issue with a brand? Could you possibly think of a time where a brand communicated something or created a product (like HD, previously) that did not match its identity and where it felt that it was just not right?
From the very start, Harley Davidson (HD) was able to build bonds with its customers and remain one of the most popular brands till this very day. It has built a lot of communities around it such as Harley Owners Group (H.O.G) and organised a lot of riding events. HD positioned itself as a lifestyle rather than a regular brand which helped it to create a strong relationship with the customers and to ensure their loyalty.
To grow its business, Harley Davidson made a lot of brand extensions that communicated its message and catered to its brand image. This allowed it to attract new customers and to retain the existing ones. The brand extensions done by Harley were usually consistent with its brand image and values. Its core values represent freedom, authenticity, toughness, masculinity which is represented by the unique sound of the exhaust, and community building.
Harley Davidson positioned itself as a way of living freely in the minds of the consumers. It was shown at first as a representation of rebellion. Its ads campaigns always show the motorcycle as the “machine of freedom and independence”.
When choosing a Harley, it is never about transportation for the customers, “It’s about living life in the way you choose.” Also, Harley Davidson sponsored a lot of riding and sports events such as “The Ultimate Fighting Championship” in order to alter the brand’s perception and to create certain attitudes and associations with the brand. It also helped it in its positioning in the minds of the consumers.
HD is popular with its wide variety of brand extensions, from accessories to match the bike to clothing and restaurants which matched the brand’s heritage. Brand extensions need to always be consistent with the brand’s image and core values.
For the consumers, they are kind of a representation of what the brand stands for, so consistency is a must. HD once failed when introducing a new product because it “did not resonate with the brand’s tough identity.”
Product
Harley Davidson introduced in the mid-90s a perfume which faced a major failure. They launched a perfume for the men and another one for the women that would presumably give them “the scent of freedom.” The HD perfume received a lot of criticism which led the company to stop its production. One of the major reasons of its failure was due to its incoherence with the brand’s values.
Harley Davidson failed to understand the consumers and their behaviour when launching this product. They only wanted to gain profits without thinking of the consequences or the impact that it may have on the brand positioning and its image.
HD stands for freedom and individualism, this product did not seem to fit in with its core values and brand identity. The customers perceive HD as a way to express their freedom and individuality, they perceive HD as something that makes them feel powerful, and such a product did not seem to resonate with their perception of the brand.
Harley Davidson has managed to meet the needs of its consumers from the very beginning, it gave them something that would allow them to experience new things and reach a point of self-actualisation. Part of the messages that they communicated was to make and encourage the consumers to go out on the open road in search of their true self and identity. However, Harley seemed to have a faulty understanding of its consumers upon launching the perfume.
HD had been constantly associated with a tough identity and this product seemed too soft for the consumers. They perceived it as something that does not belong to the brand. The consumers interacted with and responded to the product based on affection. Their emotional response and their perception of the brand seemed to be disrupted by this perfume.
Products that do not resonate with the brand’s image and identity might affect perceptions and cause confusions about the brand’s positioning. HD should have taken the psychological factor that affects the consumers into consideration. The continuous exposure to Harley’s messages affects the customers’ perception, attitude, and motivation.
Upon making a decision, consumers tend to be affected by a lot of factors. The past experiences of the brand extensions could have affected their perception of the perfume as well. Due to Harley’s messages and constant brand extensions that resonate with its image, the consumers perceived this product as a misrepresentation of the brand. Their attitude about the brand could have also contributed to this brand extension failure.
Harley seemed to create an attitude of rebellion which encouraged the customers to always try new experiences as well, it is very difficult to cause a change in that attitude . Producing a product that does not resonate with that attitude would also be very risky. HD did not understand the motivation of the consumers when launching the perfume. The experience and the heritage of the brand is what drive the consumers to act. HD encourages the costumers to be rebellious and to find and explore their true self out there on the road.
The perfume does not fit with this lifestyle, and it was not personally relevant for the consumers. They were not able to make a link with the perfume and the lifestyle and values of the HD. Customers are motivated by things that are consistent in their minds. Their perception of the HD is hedonistic and symbolic at the same time. The customers perceive the HD products as things that are for their personal enjoyment which signal and say a lot about their self-image at the same time. It seemed to cater for the need of affiliation and belonging to a specific group and pack of people.
When it comes to HD, it is always about the pack and enjoying the ride. In addition, having an attitude towards a brand usually makes it easier for the consumers since it does not require a significant amount of mental effort to make associations and links with the brand. Products need to always be consistent to compliment the attitude and the image the brand is trying to create for itself, it also makes it less risky for the brand as well. The perfume contradicted the links and associations with the HD brand. It did not resonate with the customers’ attitude and expectation of the brand.
Launching this product was very risky; it could have caused a change in the attitudes and the perceptions of the consumers due to its contradictions with the HD values. There always needs to be a consistency in the products and the brand’s message and identity so that the attitude and the perception of the consumers of HD do not change.
The continuous exposure to the wild and adventurous side of the brand led to a positive link with it, and it personalised the experience of the consumers which caused them to reject the idea of having a product like a perfume which does not match with these links.
When Harley Davidson launched the perfume, it was very likely that they were only thinking about profits disregarding the customers and their attitudes and perceptions. However, profit should not be the main incentive for HD or any other brand, building relationships and loyalties that could last for a very long time are more important.
Before launching a product, HD should make sure that they do the appropriate research to understand the consumers and how they will perceive the product. The priority should always be that the product matches and is consistent with their image and brand identity. It is very risky to alienate the consumers and affect their relationships and perceptions toward the brand. A product like a perfume could have meant a short-term gain for HD, but it would have certainly affected the brand and its core products a lot on the long run.
There happens to be a lot of products that
are launched by prestigious and very well-known brands yearly and yet, they all
fail miserably. This is mostly due to a faulty marketing research which often leads
to a misunderstanding of the market and results in a mixed up targeting. The
faulty marketing research might also include a misunderstanding of the
consumers’ habits, perceptions, motivations, spending patterns, or other
dimensions as well.
Undergoing a faulty research often creates confusion
in the consumers’ minds regarding the brand and its positioning.
At some point, the consumers’ existing
perception towards the brand and what it stands for proves to be of a high and
significant value. Tampering with it or simply choosing to distort it in any
manner does more harm than good and is rather costly on the long run.
When launching a new product, the company should take a lot of things into consideration that are relevant in understanding the consumers. The company needs to always start with the consumer and not the product. The main driver should mainly revolve around the target customers and their existing perception of the brand. When trying to launch a product, the company should try to understand their customers’ needs in order to achieve them and in order to live up to or exceed their expectations.
Having an image of what the brand’s products are supposed to look like in the consumers’ minds sets the stage for the brand’s products’ development later on. Each and every detail of any product has to be coherent with the brand and what it stands for. A brand that resembles rebellion cannot simply launch a product that gives the impression of conformity.
By doing so, it might breach the sentimental contract that has been formed between them and the customer throughout the years. Such act might also create confusion in the customers’ minds which happens to be one of the most consequential things to be avoided.
In my next blog post, I will talk about a case where a well-known brand launched a product and failed miserably due to a faulty marketing research and to misunderstanding their loyal customers.
BBB- Buyer's Black Box 