Branding is bullshit. However, it’s bullshit that people willingly line up for, pay extra for, and — in some very sad cases — will incite very real pain in the lives of others. And it’s something that good designers need to understand because the reasons that people subscribe the idea of “brand” gets at the very should of why we sign up for anything… and to understand that gets at the very heart of communication and cut-through (if that’s even possible these days).
In the 2016 election year, the need to reach people in very meaningful ways has become dreadfully apparent.
On the flip side, it’s gotten out of control in a very different way. I’ll present to you… a slipper.
It’s a cool slipper. It’s clever. It seems well designed and fairly well made, but it’s a slipper. You put it on your foot. You wear it around. It’ll stink pretty badly after a short while… and you’ll need to buy more.
And like a lot of new brands trying to get a foothold in today’s cluttered brand-scape, you’ll find it first through social media and Mahabis came to me through Facebook. After the 843rd ad viewing, I finally clicked on the little square partly in the hopes that it’d go away after I did.
Ok… interesting site. Cool slipper.
Hmm… You’re losing me at Luxury
I’m not buying the exclusivity bit.
Oh, not the brand-spin shit again...
What is otherwise a clever slipper is ostentatiously presented as if it’s magical.
"a deep respect for heritage and a love for the new. our design sensibilities derive from a universal aesthetic, steeped in heritage. when you use our products, you experience something timeless.”
For a company launched in July 2014, “timeless” and “heritage” are up for interpretation, I guess.
Unfortunately, like a lot of brands, they try too hard and hit on three bankrupt memes that represent traps that too many other brands feel the need to keep setting — and too many consumers keep falling into.
1 // Boasts of extraordinary bodaciousness (Quality / Service)
You can’t say you’re a good kisser. You can’t say you’re sexy. There are simply some things you cannot say — they need to be externally validated by others. If you try to say them, they come across very inauthentic (at best) or lame (at worst). We learned this at Banana Republic. We couldn’t say that our clothes were high quality. We could point out details that might draw folks to this conclusion, but as soon as we’d say “high quality” out loud, it’d be like a used car salesman in an ill-fitting suit saying: ”I’m trustworthy” … yeah, right, buddy.
As Kevin Roberts points out “Everything works: Coffee’s hot, french fries taste good…”… Things work. The idea that one brand is quantifiably better than another based on measurable quality differences is kind of a non-starter. If you do have an edge like that, though, you’ll need to find a way to say it in a very unique and engaging way. Testimonials are often good — again, external validation. Creating a running mythos through consistent subtle storytelling (reinforced by consistent strong design leadership and no-frills products) has definitely worked for brands like Volvo or Subaru — a case where product design and marketing were a natural fit (no bullshit branding, really… quite the rarity).
Statements of superior service always make me laugh: “We aim to provide quality service”… Because, the alternative is for you to provide crappy service? Shouldn’t that be something that we’d come to expect as a baseline of even being in business? “Table stakes” as Roberts calls them. That’d be like saying: Hi, as a husband, I promise to be pleasant. (Um, shouldn’t you do that anyway?)…that’s not something that I’m sure you’d want to build a brand on… at least not unless it’s through external validation (which has worked for a lot of folks: ”JDWhoever and Associates says…”)
2 // Statements of supreme awesomeness (Luxury / Exclusivity)
In 2016, the idea of luxury is a tough one. What is luxury? Well, in the past, it’s been something that has been knowingly — and, in most cases, flauntingly — wasteful: An impossibly long and hot shower. The skin from a cuddly forest creature. The meat from a rare beast. These kinds of things are incredibly gauche in the new century — at least in most circles.
I think there’s a ginormous opportunity to simplify redefine what luxury could mean in today’s context, but in the meantime these bankrupt words are still being tossed around. Exclusivity? A product hoisted on the premise of have/have-not? That’s kind of an asshole move, of course, but folks always tend fall for the “limited-edition” scheme which softens it a bit.
Sadly, people in 2016 are still being jerks to each other: we wave things in other peoples faces that we think that they cannot afford in the hopes to make them feel bad (and on the flip-side: to make us feel superior)… and that says more about a lot of other things that would take up a lot more blog space.
Bottom line: if all your brand has going for it is that it’s for jerks… then, fine: As a friend once said, “Let jerks be jerks…”. Until we redefine what luxury can mean, there’s probably no helping some folks (or some brands), so it’s best to not expend the energy and redirect it elsewhere.
3 // Guarantees of tasty waves (Lifestyle / Ease)
“It’s a lifestyle brand”... What does that even mean!? Do they sell a life? Twee statements like this tend to pop up more and more because they’re the hardest to nail to the wall... because they’re inherently so vague and meaningless. Take this statement from Mahabis:
“timeless freedom: more than anything we stand for the importance of turning down. whilst other may strive for achievement, our products help you, be you, when everything else is removed."
... and it's written in lower case. Everything on the site: lowercase. Loyalty beyond reason? Maybe not... Twee beyond words? Probably.
Seriously, what does that even mean… dissect that statement and try to derive any meaning essence. It’s a f*ing slipper.
Ok. Cranky-pants > off... comfortable slippers > on. We get it, brands need to find a space in a cluttered consumer environment. What's a brand to do? Let's start simple:
• Don't try so hard. There's no need for ostentatious, twee copy or man-buns — even for a British company. Stop it.
• Focus on the positives (i.e.: don't be an asshole). While we don't need the summer of love all over again, we can be nice (make a difference) and still make money (and/or capture mindshare).
• Think of what will prompt you to want to keep this or remember it in 10 days, 10 months or 10 years. This is what matters.
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