The toll of the bland, brand, band wagon!
Brands are really knocking themselves out recently to be our heroes as well as saviours of our sanity and our purchasing conscience, or so it seems.
Brands are really knocking themselves out recently to be our heroes as well as saviours of our sanity and our purchasing conscience, or so it seems.With carefully crafted imagery and messaging to appeal to our beliefs and allay our worries and fears, i.e. diet, wellbeing, environment, inequality, culture, mental health, hacking/cyber-security, privacy, fairness etc., it’s become commonplace to see a brand bragging about a plethora of benefits. 50% less sugar or salt, no artificial additives, 100% natural, ethically sourced, locally produced, consciously made, or the fact that it’s constructed from recycled materials, completely secure or produced in the UK.
The disease to please
Now as a consumer this is obviously relevant. But really if I’m being honest, I am finding it all a little smug, hollow, contrived, hypocritical and self-righteous. With life currently conspiring on every front to be challenging, coupled with an overwhelming choice of everything, what I really want from a brand is something entirely different.
Typically, marketing campaigns nowadays feel like a cross between scaremongering and the actions of an over-enthusiastic puppy! So to avoid being lost in the marketing sea of sameness, please can you think about making some changes!
Mystery and suprise
I want a brand to be brave, creative, innovative and appealing. I want something that will make me sit up and take notice, not have me nodding my head in agreement at their “right on” values. I need a brand to be authentic, but I also want a dash of mystery and perhaps a surprise. Essentially, what I am asking for is a return to the nineties, when branding and marketing was fun!
Find your own rhythm!
Currently, I find myself getting weary of businesses whose scruples have been pricked by world events and feel the need to trot out unoriginal promises, guarantee and meaningless waffle to ensnare us. Of course I can see why they are doing it – I am a marketer after all – but just for one day, how refreshing would it be to see some big names refusing to ride on the bandwagon of sameness and instead being bold enough to stand out from the crowd and beat out their own rhythm!?
Bring back some fun!
Brands – take note. We are not sheep; we like to be treated as individuals. I can’t save the planet, my health, my sanity and everyone else single-handedly and neither can you!
So, I ask you to cut me and yourself some slack. Think of the reasons why we buy anything – desire or fear - and then reimagine your proposition, before being a little bit cheeky and adding in a huge dollop of brilliance and enjoyment!