I recently worked for a gin brand at a festival where I was demonstrating and sampling different flavours of gin and explaining the concepts behind them to consumers. One of the style of gins was called 'Old Tom' and the story behind it was that in the Victorian times when gin was made in peoples homes, because of the production methods- it had a foul taste and contained a lot of nasty ingredients, hence a substantial amount of sugar was added which nowadays has lead to the style of gin being much sweeter. This little historical story was really memorable and made the product seem a lot more interesting and from my perspective was a lot easier to sell as I had a little story to sell it with.
Brand heritage is nothing new, from the likes of Kellog's Cornflakes to Vimto Squash, the roles that heritage and history have to play in delivering a likeable brand are invaluable. Long-established brands have a place in consumers' hearts and can in fact help a brand to ensure longevity and relevance.
From a creative perspective, brands who use their heritage to tell stories or communicate their values often succeed. It can really set a brand apart from its consumers, as is the case with these impressive brands:
Baxter of California
This American men's skin care brand produced this beautifully shot ad and their whole brand is built on this rich heritage and they are very true to their roots. Their tagline is 'Grooming generations of gentlemen' and Baxter Finley's story makes the consumer feel as though they are buying in to a person rather than a corporation.
The video really captures the values of the brand and by playing on their years of heritage- Baxters can claim to know a fair bit about skincare. This will also allow Baxter to charge a premium price for their products, make them appear to be more reputable and the brand legacy gives consumers this character to buy in to and appreciate- and also be entertained and driven towards.
The fact that Baxters were one of the first brands that got men grooming makes them instantly likeable and still, if you look at their products, they are simple and traditional. This means their entire brand is coherant and consistent. They aren't trying to be the Gilette of innovation or the Clinique of clinical products, but that's OK- you can't be all things to all people- and Baxters stick to what they know which is why they are so successful. They are also choosey about their stockists, sites such as Mr Porter- the male version of net-a-porter, an ultra stylish and premium site, means the brand is never undermined or cheapened by its distribution channels.
Overall- a really classy brand, displaying its brand heritage and playing on the originality of the brand.
Caterpillar
Caterpillar is the world's leading construction equipment manufacturer, fun fact- I was due to go to an interview for their marketing department after my interview at IBM, but turned it down after I got my job offer! This video is a bit long and super cheesy- but it really captures how the brand was started and how it has evolved.
Again, storytelling is key here and the fact Cat helped to build the hoover dam and the golden gate bridge are obviously claims which not many companies can match and the brand would be foolish to not play on this within their marketing activity. They also highlight heartwarming anecdotes like helping to rebuild the U.S. after the world wars and still continue to rebuild societies after natural distasters to this day. This is a really great example of how brands can continue to install faith in their consumers and reflect on heritage in a positive way.
Due to the nature of the industry in which Caterpillar operates, of course they must be innovate and evolve to stay relevant and use technology to serve customers. However, it is clever how Cat have used their heritage as their underlying principles and to deliver the same high quality products years on. The yellow trademark vehicles are iconic and Caterpillar should continue to use their extensive heritage within their marketing activity- what a priceless asset.
Nike
This one needs no introduction, the most valuable sports brand in the world. Their brand heritage is firmly embedded in their corporate culture and employees are given extensive training on the history of Nike and what it stands for. This then translates in to what they communicate to consumers- what their foundation was and why they exist, which lead to their longstanding commitment to athlete's performance.
Even their offices are designed around their heritage so it is engraved in the corporate culture from the beginning. Despite Nike's controversial setbacks, they still reign as number one over adidas, and one could argue it is their global relevance which gives them this advantage. 'Just Do It' is an absolute success story- no one can argue that the slogan doesn't belong to the iconic brand and it is the memorability of the brand based on its commitment to its heritage which makes consumers continually flock to buy the products. Of course, with sponsorships and TV adverts coming out of their ears, Nike's marketing budget means the brand always stays relevant, but I believe their strong heritage could help them in times of brand crisis- a problem they seem to frequently encounter.
Thought I'd return with one of my favourite blog posts to write- my pick of the newest adverts on TV!
Southern Comfort- 'Tan your lemonade'
This is so silly that I actually love it! The Southern Comfort brand show their cheeky side and the ad is just a fine example of creativity in my opinion! Everything just works, the music, the actors and the brand message. The ad reflects pushing boundaries and accepting yourself and fits in to a number of Southern Comfort ads within the same campaign. The Southern Comfort brand is really struggling so it will be interesting to see if their repositioning away from 'Californian drink' to fun and cheeky brand pays off.
L'Oreal 'The Waterproof Experience'
Not going to lie- I think this ad is a bit crap. There's a lot of emotional build up without transferring this on to the audience. The ads creative is very fitting with ad trends of real life/ PR stunts being filmed- typical of Dove etc. but without any beautiful filmography, or without getting to know the characters in the story, as other brands have done well. Yes, it gets the functional benefit of the product across just fine, but you'd have been better tipping buckets of water over the women's heads to prove that point! This is supposed to be 'product testing' but I'd say being waterproof is a fairly standard trait held by most waterproof mascaras...wouldn't you?
FIAT 'Parking Billboard'
Now this is the way to get across your product benefits whilst being creative! Fiat have done an awesome PR stunt here and they've really shown their technology capability- an impressive thing through advertising, whilst keeping it entertaining. Everyone finds parking stressful and this is a great function that Fiat really should be pushing! However, it doesn't really demonstrate the car or showcase it much. Would be interesting to see how well showing the car/ not showing it works in automobile advertising as there tends to be a 50/50 split in car advertising as I've seen.
One thing I did pick up on though, despite the idea being really strong- not sure how well I like the stereotypes of the bunny girl being 'sexy' and the young black guy being 'cool' and not sure how well this will go down with a varied audience too. Although, their target audience may be less receptive.
Dove 'Love Life in Full Colour'
And they've done it again! I'm a huge fan of Dove's advertising already- however it was really nice to see a British version of the type of ads! I think it's a really nice idea and adds an element of corporate social responsibility without spending a huge budget or making a really outlandish statement or move. It's simple but really, really effective and will put a smile on the face of any lady who watches it!
Now I know I have always said how much I love the Dove ads and how much they make me respect Dove as a brand, but I'm not sure how many products these types of ads actually help them to sell. At the end of the day that should be key to any marketing campaign. Yet, potentially Dove are a big enough brand that their products are so heavily integrated in the public domain, they don't actually need to push them to the target audience and can instead focus on painting their brand in a positive light, which they ultimately succeed at.
All in all, a lovely advert and nice to see real women associated with a beauty brand for a change!
