livingbrands

Sweet dreams?

There are many ads that have the Howard family shouting at the tele. And Dreams have always been up there with the best of them.

Classic down 'n' dirty retail advertising, never has buying something so significant to your well-being (physical, mental and emotional) seemed so much like buying a bag of widgets.

In fact, if you're Wickes, buying a bag of widgets can actually seem more emotive!

And what is it with people never putting sheets on the bed. Despite what Dreams might think, it doesn't make a bed look attractive.

So it was with some surprise that we sat thru a new bed-related film at the weekend: vignettes of people in (real) beds...with bedding, all with great dollops of Hushabye Mountain ladled over the top. Not a Dreams ad surely, was my first thought. But yes it was...

My son's response (usually a vociferous Dreams hater): "that was actually quite good" (praise indeed from a 13 year old!).

Now it isn't the greatest ad I've ever seen: pretty 'must have seen it before' derivative in fact, without much of an idea. But, for a furniture retailer, it was a huge improvement on the usual tat.

It was nice basically: nicely shot, nice music, with a nicely human and emotive feel for what is the most important piece of furniture you'll ever buy, that was sorely lacking in the previous 'cheap cheap cheap' approach.

Here was the start of a journey to actually caring about where you buy your bed from...and believing that Dreams might just be a retailer who understands your needs beyond price.

Whether a genuine change in direction for the business, only time will tell.

Many are the retailers who dabble in brand building comms, and their longer term rewards, only to get cold feet and turn back to the (I'm guessing) more quantifiable short term 'returns' of undifferentiated 'pile it high sell it cheap'.

But I hope they don't, or else I'll have the family shouting at the tele again!!

New KFC: right ad...wrong brand?

New from BBH: looks beautiful; casting is great; it's well acted and well observed; with nice music.

And I like watching it.

Problem is, I get to the end, and simply don't believe it of KFC: they may be looking to (radically) change perceptions, but it just feels too untrue (to me at least)...so I actually end up feeling cold towards the brand.

But maybe it will work. It's a lovely film after all.

Does your brand speak directly to the senses?

I was at a local garden centre last weekend when, on the periphery of my senses, I saw (and smelt) this...

 
Without even cognitively registering, I just knew instinctively that it was Lush.

Looked like Lush, smelt like Lush, was laid out like Lush, had Lush-like products and Lush typography.

So it was Lush.

My son, who was with me, had exactly the same response.

Obviously, it turned out not to be Lush but a knock-off looking to exploit the very sensory response we had just undergone.

But potential litigation aside, it did once again demonstrate to me the potency of brand equities that work via the senses to hit the emotion and instinct centres of the brain directly.

After all, I think Lush is the only retailer I can identify before I know it's actually there (even if I now know this can also be used to trick me).

Makes you wonder why so many brands are dead to most of the senses.

How to engage the post-crisis consumer

This John Gerzema talk from TED is worth a watch.

Not saying anything radical, but all well put nonetheless. And highlights some key strategies for engaging people who now have a more frugal outlook on life...

1. A desire for financial liquidity rather than debt, means a valuing of affordable, unostentitious quality;
2. A desire for fair play rather than deception, means a preference for companies with respect-worthy (and lived out) values;
3. A desire for sustainable living rather than disposability, means an appreciation of things which last;
4. A desire for community mindedness rather than self interest (sorry, ran out of Ds), means a common cause with businesses that get involved.

Personally, it's kind of how I've always seen things...so nice to be on trend for once!

But if the economy picks up, I guess it'll be back to being a stingy, hairshirted lefty with a dodgy old car and cheap clothes!