Destination Branding: A Look at National and Regional Brands
Today, we’re concluding a multi-week look at destination branding. So far, we’ve looked at city, state and country branding. This post will round out our series by focusing on national and regional brands. Since we’ve been covering destinations where we have offices, today’s focus will be on the U.S., Europe and Asia (and the Asia Pacific region).
First, a quick recap on the impact of tourism: Last year, more than one billion tourists travelled the world and five to six billion more were expected to have travelled within their own countries. With stats like that, a successful tourism brand could mean millions (or even billions) of dollars for a destination.
America’s destination brand is run by the Corporation for Travel Promotion (formed in 2010), which does business as Brand USA. Brand USA was established by the Travel Promotion Act to spearhead the nation's first global marketing effort to promote the U.S. as a premier travel destination and to communicate entry/exit policies and procedures to worldwide travelers.
Personally, I was surprised to learn the U.S.’s official travel/tourism entity was so young; I assumed it had been around much longer than just three years. That said, a lot has been done to round out America’s travel brand. The destination’s mantra, Discover America, is succinct, but still tugs at the hearts of travelers.
The logo feels seems to allude to points on a map and the destination uses a variety of colors when it comes to execution. A few examples are below.
It has to be daunting to try to encompass an entire country in terms of destination branding; there are so many landmarks and events to consider. But, the site for U.S. tourism does a decent job of spotlighting different activities while also keeping the overall navigation simple. It would be easy to over-complicate or clutter a site like this, but it’s clean and easy to explore.
Established in 1948, the European Travel Commission (ETC) is responsible for the promotion of Europe as a tourist destination. The organization is comprised of 33 countries’ NTOs (National Tourism Organizations) and focuses on PR, advertising and trade promotion.
The logo for Europe feels whimsical and unlimited. The wing-like effect makes me think of an adventure taking flight, and even though that might feel a bit cheesy, with all you can see and experience in Europe, it feels right. Two different executions are below.
In addition to the logos above, there is an additional treatment of the word Europe used on the site, paired with a tagline-esque call to action (see below).
The website does its best to pack in as much information about the region as possible, while maintaining a simple navigation with a lot of different pathways to planning a vacation. That said, I would have loved to see more photography from each country’s famous landmarks and events.
Asia Pacific
The Asia Pacific region (or just Asia, for that matter) doesn’t seem to have any sort of overarching tourism entity. There are several different organizations that represent various aspects of tourism to the region, and we’ll briefly look at each below.
Pacific Asia Tourism is the first thing that comes up when you do a Google search for “Asia tourism,” but it’s an independent research, consultancy and education/training organization focused on the capacity of sustainable tourism in the region.
The Responsible Tourism Initiative also comes up in a Google search. This initiative focuses solely on Asian tourism operators, so it serves as more of a trade organization than something consumer-facing.
Along those same lines is the Pacific Asia Travel Association: another trade organization where I hoped to find a consumer site focused on tourism in Asia. Instead, it’s built by and for travel professionals in the region and doesn’t really speak to potential visitors.
Finally, I stumbled across this site, titled “Asian Tourism.” This site doesn’t seem to have any affiliation with an organization or tourism entity, but it does offer information on the various countries in the region.
So, after a lot of Google-ing, if I were planning a trip to the Asia Pacific region, I’d research sites like TripAdvisor, Fodors, Frommers and AAA for the best/most reliable information.
So, this concludes our series on destination branding. If you want to review any of the previous posts on destination branding, here are the links: city branding- part one, part two; state and country branding- part one and part two. Now go pack your suitcase and discover your wanderlust!
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Disclaimer: This post is purely subjective. My background is in brand strategy (positioning, messaging and portfolio organization), not design. Good visual branding can be challenging to achieve, and I whole-heartedly respect designers at Addison Whitney and beyond.
Source
“UNWTO: Annual Report, 2012.” UNWTO.org, http://goo.gl/pp5a7g
“About Brand USA.” TheBrandUSA.com, http://goo.gl/tmsyNZ
“About ETC.” ETC-corporate.org, http://goo.gl/i22c
Destination Branding: A Look at States and Countries around the World (Part Two)
Last year, more than one billion tourists travelled the world and five to six billion more were expected to have travelled within their own countries. With stats like that, a successful tourism brand could mean millions (or even billions) of dollars for a destination.
On Tuesday, we continued our series on destination branding by looking at states and countries (specifically, North Carolina, Germany and New York). Today, we’ll cover the rest of the states and countries where we have offices…
Part Two: California, Washington and Japan
California is the third largest state by area, so you can imagine how much work goes into branding it as a travel destination. When searching for the tourism entity’s logo, I found two versions – the one being used on the website now and one from a few years back. The difference lies in the font treatment, where the current logo is more cartoon-y than the old.
Here’s the current logo:
And here’s one from a few years back:
Given the immense amount of information the website needs to cover, I think Visit California has done a good job of simplifying vacation options for potential visitors. And, it’s presented in a way that keeps it interesting and on-brand.
Washington seems to have had a somewhat tumultuous past when it comes to its tourism organizations. In February 2011, the Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) was created following the announcement of the closure of the state tourism office. The WTA immediately worked to protect and preserve a number of ongoing state tourism programs and valuable marketing assets of great importance to the industry. In addition, the WTA began to create a long-term strategy for funding, development and marketing of a new, industry driven state destination tourism initiative.
Washington’s tourism logo emphasizes the natural resources of the state in much of the same way that North Carolina’s new logo does. What confused me a bit was the inclusion of “The State” under Washington. I’m sure there’s some initial confusion regarding whether someone is talking about Washington state or D.C., but I’m not sure tacking on “The State” to the logo is necessary.
And, since the website does such a beautiful job of highlighting what makes Washington a great place to visit, I feel “The State” is even less necessary.
Last up is Japan. Since 1964, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has led a broad range of activities promoting travel to Japan through various activities overseas as well as tourism-promoting activities in the country itself. Interestingly enough, the country’s travel brand has two different identities: one for the NTO and another, more consumer-friendly tourism brand.
That said, the website follows a different approach. The landing page for Japan’s travel site features both logos, although neither is featured prominently.
Once I chose English, I found that the new site didn’t feature the consumer-friendly Japan travel logo at all, which I found a little strange. I feel like the “Endless Discovery” logo tells an intriguing story and could be used as a showpiece for Japan’s travel site.
So, that concludes our look at state and country branding. In two weeks, we’ll finish up this series by diving into how the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific regions handle tourism branding. Stay tuned!
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Disclaimer: This post is purely subjective. My background is in brand strategy (positioning, messaging and portfolio organization), not design. Good visual branding can be challenging to achieve, and I whole-heartedly respect designers at Addison Whitney and beyond.
Source
“UNWTO: Annual Report, 2012.” UNWTO.org, http://goo.gl/pp5a7g
“About WTA.” Washington Tourism Alliance, http://goo.gl/5GiRIn
“What is JNTO?” JNTO.org, http://goo.gl/o6J8NL
Destination Branding: A Look at States and Countries around the World (Part One)
Two weeks ago, we started a series on destination branding by looking at cities where we have offices worldwide (Charlotte, Munich, NYC, San Francisco, Seattle and Tokyo). A quick recap – Last year, more than one billion tourists travelled the world and five to six billion more were expected to have travelled within their own countries. With stats like that, a successful tourism brand could mean millions (or even billions) of dollars for a destination.
Now, let’s jump into state and country branding…
Part One: North Carolina, Germany and New York
Last month, the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development launched a new look and feel to its travel-planning website, VisitNC.com. The overhaul was the first time the destination refreshed its identify since 2009.
The previous look was a simple typographic font treatment that referenced the website and the travel destination’s 800 number.
The new identity is much more visual and showcases the state’s natural resources along with a new tagline, “beauty amplified.” Two different applications are below.
The new website pays precise attention to the natural beauty of North Carolina and showcases it in a way that draws the potential visitor in. It’s easy to navigate and really delivers on the “beauty amplified” positioning.
Germany is up next. For more than 60 years, the German National Tourist Board has been promoting the country as a travel destination. Germany is a nation rich in history and culture, but the logo doesn’t seem to reflect much of that life. Sure, the colors connect to the country, but overall, the icon doesn’t tell a story.
The website feels a little dated. It’s nice that the destination chose to exhibit larger photos from around Germany, but they’re muddled by the center navigation. With images like these, you would imagine a site rich in visuals that easily and cleanly tells the story of Germany’s most well-known cities and lesser-known jewels.
To round out today’s state and country branding post, we’ll focus on the state of New York. New York’s logo is probably one of the most well recognized in the U.S. and it works. Two different executions of the logo are below.
Of course, New York has a lot to offer as a travel destination. That said, it feels like it’s trying too hard to fit all of that information on the home page. I guess I wish it told more of a story about the state of New York, especially since so many immediately think of Manhattan first.
So, that’s part one of our look at state and country branding. On Thursday, we’ll round out our observations by highlighting California, Washington and Japan. Stay tuned!
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Disclaimer: This post is purely subjective. My background is in brand strategy (positioning, messaging and portfolio organization), not design. Good visual branding can be challenging to achieve, and I whole-heartedly respect designers at Addison Whitney and beyond.
Source
“UNWTO: Annual Report, 2012.” UNWTO.org, http://goo.gl/pp5a7g
Jobs: Past and Present
Ask someone who Steve Jobs is and they’ll say the founder of Apple, the guy who gave us the iPod, iPhone and iPad, among so many other things. Some, like myself, will go as far as saying the guy who taught us the importance of a strong, consistent brand.
Tomorrow with the opening of JOBS, the official Steve Jobs movie, the world will get a look into the life of the great Steve Jobs.
To celebrate, let’s take a step back in time and enjoy a clip from the 2001 WWDC where Steve Jobs first unveiled the truly revolutionary iPod.
Still need a little more Steve Jobs? Check out the official trailer for JOBS. If you’re not already excited for this movie, I think this trailer will do the trick. Enjoy!
Branding The Hunger Games
Branding the Hunger Games
Harry Potter set the stage… The Twilight franchise built on Warner Bros.’ foundation… And now, it’s The Hunger Games’ time to shine.
We’ve touched on movie branding in the past, but as Lionsgate ramps up to the premiere of the latest Hunger Games movie, its branding efforts are, in a word, remarkable.
I’ll admit, I was not an early adopter of the Hunger Games series. Initially, the idea of a book/movie series based on a post-apocalyptic America and an annual, televised event where children fought to the death did not appeal to me. That said, after watching the first movie (several times), I’ve been sufficiently sucked in. So, in my excitement for the second movie, Catching Fire (due in theaters November 22), I’ve started to follow the film’s branding and marketing efforts.
Somehow, in my daily news trolling last week, I stumbled across this website:
Apparently, it was started to promote the first movie, but re-launched this past May with a ton more content (for non-fans: The Capitol is the opulent metropolis and governing body of Panem, a nation in post-apocalyptic America [and the setting for the book]). This site has a Vogue-esque feel, complete with editorials and character profiles. Moreover, Lionsgate released couture images of cast members to further promote the movie’s heightened focus on costume design.
From there, I visited all the normal haunts for movie releases (websites, social media, etc.) and found an extensive network of storytelling and branding. The website is clean and beautiful, with easy navigation and just the right amount of content to get fans excited (even with the premiere still more than three months away).
Facebook features a whopping 14 individual pages, each with customized content: one for the movie franchise, one for The Capitol and one for each district within Panem (a total of 12 more pages). The Twitter campaign seems a bit more focused, with official Hunger Games and Capitol accounts. That said, two Capitol Couture journalists can also be found tweeting, @AthenClaithCC and @VelvetVeritas. The YouTube account builds on The Hunger Games series as a whole and the Google+ account seems to be an extension of the Facebook and Twitter efforts.
Also announced this past May is a partnership with COVERGIRL, marking the makeup corporation’s first movie partnership ever. Print and TV ads will help launch and promote the partnership this fall, but here’s a sneak peek.
Given the rise of smart movie and branding partnerships like The Great Gatsby and Tiffany & Co., I’m excited to see what else comes out of the woodwork in the months ahead.
“May the odds be ever in your favor…”
Sources
“‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Capitol Couture Portraits,” Hollywood.com, Michael Arbeiter, http://goo.gl/2R12yf
“CoverGirl Announces ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Makeup Collection and Campaign!,” MTV.com, Liza Darwin, http://goo.gl/KWVeOe
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Official Trailer,” YouTube.com, http://goo.gl/QsGGLb
Destination Branding: A Spotlight on Cities Around The World (Part Two)
On Tuesday, we started a series on destination branding by looking at Charlotte, Munich and New York. Let’s recap – Last year, more than one billion tourists travelled the world and five to six billion more were expected to have travelled within their own countries. With stats like that, a successful tourism brand could mean millions (or even billions) of dollars for a destination.
Now, let’s finish up our look at city branding…
Part Two: San Francisco, Seattle and Tokyo
First up: San Francisco, the City by the Bay. The San Francisco Travel Association promotes and maintains its tourism brand. In 2012, San Fran hosted more than 16.5 million visitors who spent more than $8.93 billion during their stay – that's more than $24.46 million a day. Needless to say, tourism is one of the city’s most important industries.
So, what about the brand?
I’ve never been to San Francisco, but it’s definitely on my bucket list. Having said that, I expected a lot from this tourism brand and I think there is definitely room for some tweaking. This destination seems incredibly diverse with such a unique personality and its tourism brand feels a little…vanilla.
Last year, Seattle welcomed more than 10 million visitors who spent $5.9 billion in the area. Visit Seattle has served as Seattle and King County’s official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for more than 50 years.
Seattle’s tourism brand (and its tagline) have certainly evolved over the years. Three decades ago, Seattle was dubbed the Emerald City via a public contest to come up with a new city nickname. Then, in the late ‘90s, the brand became a rebus that included the @ symbol, a nod to Microsoft’s headquarters in the area.
In 2006, Seattle became the “Metronatural” city. The firm who developed the slogan defined it as “…the fusion of city and nature. It is what makes Seattle unique.” The city went so far as to paint the logo on the roof of the Space Needle.
Earlier this year, Seattle’s DMO evolved from the Seattle-King County Convention and Visitors Bureau to simply, Visit Seattle. The upward slope of the logo evokes both the Space Needle and a mountain slope.
After each brand evolution, simple might be the smartest way to go for Seattle. The new tourism brand feels clean and modern and still manages to include some of Seattle’s personality. And, the website feels the same way.
Last but certainly not least is Tokyo, Japan. The Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau oversees its tourism brand. Tokyo has faced significant challenges over the past few years that greatly affected its tourism industry. In 2011, the area suffered a major earthquake and tsunami, followed by a nuclear disaster 160 miles outside of the city.
Despite an unthinkable series of events, Japan’s overall tourism numbers rebounded in 2012 and the hope is the trend continues into this year (specific statistics for Tokyo could not be found).
From looking at just its tourism website, Tokyo’s logo is pretty literal.
But, when browsing for this logo, I stumbled across two treatments for Olympic bids that offer a little more insight and flair into Tokyo’s culture.
Tokyo’s tourism site is pretty standard and does a decent job of highlight aspects of Tokyo people might not immediately think of.
Obviously, I looked at both Tokyo and Munich’s (featured Tuesday) tourism brands from a very western, U.S.-centric perspective. I’d be curious to speak with a native from each city to see what they think of each tourism brand.
That completes our spotlight on city branding. In the coming weeks, we’ll look at state and country branding and national tourism branding. Stay tuned!
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Disclaimer: This post is purely subjective. My background is in brand strategy (positioning, messaging and portfolio organization), not design. Good visual branding can be challenging to achieve, and I whole-heartedly respect designers at Addison Whitney and beyond.
Sources
“UNWTO: Annual Report, 2012.” UNWTO.org, http://goo.gl/pp5a7g
“About the San Francisco Travel Association.” SanFrancisco.Travel, http://goo.gl/ZhCB1
“We’re Metronatural no more – but will “Visit Seattle” trip off your tongue?” Seattle Times, Brian J. Cantwell, http://goo.gl/oVtZox
“Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau changes name to ‘Visit Seattle.’” Puget Sound Business Journal, Steven Goldsmith, http://goo.gl/t2WVUw
“Metronatural.” Wikipedia, http://goo.gl/uTTqrK
“Japan Tourism Rebounds in 2012: Hopefully 2013 will Witness a Further Increase.” Modern Tokyo Times, Tomoko Hara and Joachim de Villiers, http://goo.gl/S1AqgM
Destination Branding: A Spotlight on Cities Around The World
Confession: I absolutely love to travel. When I discover a new place and am able to soak in its secrets and beauty, something in me awakens. Because of this, I’ve always been drawn to travel and tourism branding/marketing/PR. Studying how destinations differentiate themselves fascinates me.
2012 was a milestone year for tourism – For the first time in history, more than one billion tourists travelled the world and five to six billion more were expected to have travelled within their own countries. Those are staggering numbers when you consider that 60 years ago, the number of international tourists was a mere 25 million.
With stats like that, it’s no wonder cities, states and countries are doing everything they can to attract visitors. A successful brand could mean millions (or even billions) of dollars for a destination.
So, because of my love of travel, this will be the first post in a series on destination branding (all based on our global office locations). We’ll start off looking at city tourism brands, then state and country brands and finally national and international brands. To reign in this comparison a bit, we’ll focus primarily on each city’s tourism identity and the positioning we find on its website.
Let’s get started…
Part One: Charlotte, Munich and New York
The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) is the area’s umbrella organization for six tourism entities: Visit Charlotte (Charlotte’s Destination Marketing Organization [DMO]), the Charlotte Convention Center, the NASCAR Hall of Fame museum, Ovens Auditorium, Bojangles Coliseum and Time Warner Cable Arena.
From a brand perspective, Visit Charlotte has several identities or presentations. The first, only a few of us have seen before.
The second was a campaign launched in 2008 that is still used today. The messaging is pretty straightforward: Charlotte has a lot to offer both business visitors and casual tourists.
And, in the past year or so, Visit Charlotte has redesigned its website to better visually depict the area’s tourism diversity.
Interestingly enough, Visit Charlotte doesn’t really have a standalone brand. The focus is on CRVA and its six area attractions (Visit Charlotte even uses a CRV-focused boilerplate in its news releases). With Charlotte’s impressive growth over the past decade (both in economic development and tourism), it could be really interesting to see a stronger city brand emerge – we’ll definitely keep our eyes peeled.
Alphabetically, Munich is up next. From what I could find, Munich’s tourism information is located on its larger city website – it doesn’t appear to have a standalone website for tourism. That said, here is its city brand (which obviously plays a huge part in its tourism branding):
And, after some serious digging, I was able to find its tourism logo.
There are two areas of the city’s website that seem to have tourism landing pages (below), so this particular destination’s branding feels a little disconnected.
So, Munich doesn’t seem to have a particularly prominent tourism brand, but with more than five million visitors a year and a huge emphasis on its annual (and infamous) Oktoberfest celebration, it’s interesting that the destination still manages to feel like somewhat of a secret. And, judging by the images I found while perusing the website, a gorgeous secret at that. I’d almost argue that a big, flashy tourism brand might even do the charm of Munich a disservice, so for that reason, I’m okay with its simplistic presentation.
What do you even say about New York?
NYC & Company is New York City’s official marketing, tourism and partnership organization. Last year, the Big Apple welcomed a staggering 52 million visitors. It’s almost unfair, as this city doesn’t really need strong tourism branding. But it does – and it’s bright, flashy and everything that makes NYC unique.
The primary logo has two prominent executions, horizontal and stacked.
The travel destination uses the horizontal execution to superimpose images from around NYC. Here are two examples:
With so many stories to tell, NYC & Company has its work cut out for it. It does its best to give visitors easy access to the information they want and need. That said, it is still a bit overwhelming – but in so many ways, so is the city itself, so it kind of works.
On Thursday, we’ll round out our look at city destination branding by focusing on San Francisco, Seattle and Tokyo. Stay tuned!
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Disclaimer: This post is purely subjective. My background is in brand strategy (positioning, messaging and portfolio organization), not design. Good visual branding can be challenging to achieve, and I whole-heartedly respect designers at Addison Whitney and beyond.
Sources
“UNWTO: Annual Report, 2012.” UNWTO.org, http://goo.gl/pp5a7g
“Charlotte’s Got A Lot: New Ad Campaign Visuals Show Just How Much.” CharlottesGotALot.com, http://goo.gl/jUI6G8
“Munich Statistics.” MUNICHfound.com, http://goo.gl/mbVaIA.
“New York City Tourism: A Model for Success.” NYCGo.com, http://goo.gl/L4pYUF
Visual Branding 101: Terminology
Last month, we started a series of posts relating to branding terminology. Here’s the next installment in our series – this time, we’re defining visual branding terms we use most often.
Area of Isolation/Clearspace/Clearance Area
The required space around a logo to ensure proper readability and integrity
Ascender
The part of lowercase letters (such as k, b and d) that ascends above the x-height of the other lowercase letters in a typeface
Baseline
The imaginary line on which characters in a typeface rest
Bleed
Full ink coverage extending beyond the edge of the paper
Brand Identity
A brand identity is made up of one or more of these elements: brand name, typeface (logotype), color or graphic (logo)
Brand Elements
Brand elements are used to express and differentiate the brand. The brand name, logo, tagline, packaging and tone of voice are all examples of brand elements.
Cap Height
The height from the baseline to the top of the uppercase letters in a font. This may or may not be the same as the height of ascenders. Cap height is used in some systems to measure the type size.
CMYK
The abbreviation for cyan, magenta, yellow and black, which are the inks used in process printing. They represent the subtractive color model, where a combination of 100% of each component yields black and 0% of each yields white. Also referred to as four-color process.
Color Palette
A set of approved colors used throughout communications. This applies to color fields and type, not to photographic imagery.
Condensed Type
A typeface with a narrow, elongated appearance
Configuration
The arrangement of graphic elements. The size and position relationships of elements within an approved logo configuration are fixed, and must not be altered.
Contrast
The degree of difference between light and dark areas in an image
Crop
To trim outer portions of a photograph or illustration in order to focus on one portion of the image
Custom Type/Hand-Drawn Type
Describes text elements within a logo or design concept that have been created by hand or customized to have a distinct style
Logotype/Type Treatment
A designed word, and/or mark, not available in type. It’s always used as a complete unit and never altered in any form. The Coca-Cola logo is a logotype.
Monochromatic
The use of one color or shades of that color
Offset Lithography
A widely used printing method where the inked image is transferred from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface
Pantone Matching System®
The worldwide color language for the selection, specification, communication and control of color
Point
Measurement commonly used in printing; approximately 72 points equal one inch
Positive
A term used to describe the appearance of a logotype, a mark or copy when it appears in a dark color on a light background
RAL
An internationally accepted color system used primarily for describing paint colors and coatings
Reverse/Negative/“Drop-Out”
A term opposite in meaning to “positive,” where the logotype, mark or copy appears light against a dark background
Resolution
The quality of an image based on the amount of pixel detail on screen and when printed (high resolution - 300 dpi; low resolution - 72 dpi)
RGB
Red, green and blue; the primary colors mixed to display the color of pixels on a computer monitor. Every color of emitted light can be created by combining these three colors in varying levels.
Sans Serif
A letter or typeface with no small projecting features, called serifs, at the end of the strokes. Arial is a sans serif typeface.
Separate Icon
A design element within a logo that can be pulled away from the type and used alone in certain applications; the Apple logo is a separate icon.
Serif
A short counterstroke stemming from a letterform’s main stroke; Times New Roman is a serif typeface.
Trim Marks
A guide for trimming the sheet during finishing or as register marks during printing
Typeface
A specific set of characters, numbers, punctuation and symbols having the same design and weight. A typeface family would include all the various weights and styles available for a particular design.
Typesetting
The process of converting text into a recognized font and producing it in a form suitable for printing
Typography
The method of displaying text; it covers font styles, sizes and colors
Visual Branding
Any design element or communication piece that relates to branding companies, products, services, technologies, places and experiences including but not limited to: logos, stationery, marketing materials, packaging, website design, brand standards, imagery and typography
And last, but not least…
Wordmark
The text within a logo design that may or may not be customized
So, that’s today’s vocabulary class. Hopefully, this has cleared up some of the nuances of visual branding terminology. We’ll continue these types of posts with each of our departments in the coming months!
On Target: New 'Simply Balanced' Brand
While wandering around Target this weekend, I stumbled across a shiny, new brand, ‘Simply Balanced.’ Intrigued by the clean packaging, I wondered out loud, “What is this? I haven’t seen this brand before.” A Target employee was working in the same aisle and gave me a quick history lesson- the cleaner, fresh brand was replacing Archer Farms Simply Balanced line. (Confession: In all of my Target shopping, I never noticed an Archer Farms sub-brand product line, so I immediately felt the introduction of a stand-alone brand, separate from Archer Farms, was a good idea.)
When I came into work this morning, I did some digging on the new line. It looks like the brand was officially launched last month “…in response to the growing popularity of organic foods.”
The products include wholesome ingredients, and more than 40 percent of the assortment is organic. There are no products with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, synthetic colors, artificial preservatives, artificial flavors or artificial sweeteners. And, the majority of Simply Balanced items are made without genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
From a brand perspective, this reflects a broader push by supermarkets and big-box retailers to improve the image of their store brands. Consumers have become increasingly accepting of store brands not merely as good values, but as just plain good. And they’re willing to pay more, at least compared with the old no-name brands of the past.
So, why did this brand catch my eye? At the simplest glance, the packaging has gotten a complete overhaul.
From old…
…to new…
And of course, one look at the ingredients made me quite happy to see Target committing to healthier food options.
To ensure understanding, Target has gone a step further and created frequently asked questions about the Simply Balanced brand. The positioning statement is clear and concise: The heart of the Simply Balanced brand is that it’s great-tasting, wholesome food with simple and recognizable ingredients.
And, Target’s site has a section dedicated to Simply Balanced. There are recipes using Simply Balanced products, as well as money-saving coupons.
We’ve written about private label brands several times on this blog, and I think this is a bit of a peek into the future. The bland, lower quality, boring store brands are history, and new, swankier, smarter brands are becoming a reality.
Sources
“Simply Balanced: Target’s wellness grocery brand,” Corporate.Target.com, http://goo.gl/15VNL
“Target To Launch Organic 'Simply Balanced' Brand,” HuffingtonPost.com, AP, http://goo.gl/FXBUf
“The Rise of the Swanky No-Name Brand,” Business.Time.com, Brad Tuttle, http://goo.gl/KLT9R
“Simply Balanced: Frequently Asked Questions,” Target.com, http://goo.gl/HGQR9
“Introducing Simply Balanced,” Target.com, http://goo.gl/0NjMf
Brand Strategy 101: Terminology
Brand Strategy 101: Terminology
We’re starting a series of posts dedicated to terminology. Why? Well, because our clients always ask how we define or approach certain challenges. And it can be tough; especially because different branding firms define words in different ways.
And, brand strategy terms seem to be the most puzzling and sometimes, overwhelming. So, here are a few words we use (and hear) the most – with a little insight into how we define them.
Brand
More than just a name or logo, a brand is…your reputation. It’s the sum of all of the experiences people have with you, what makes you different, a promise to and the place you own in the hearts and minds of your customers and your internal (employee) mantra.
Brand Strategy
Brand strategy is a long-term plan for the development of a brand within its market. Brand strategy is the foundation for and creates consistency across all marketing programs. Strong brands have a well-developed brand strategy that complements the business strategy and drives everything from communication to brand alignment within a portfolio.
Brand Strategy at Addison Whitney
We think of brand strategy as the evaluation and definition of long-term strategy to position brands for success. A client could be looking to define who it is, how its brands relate to one another, how to name its products or how to communicate about its brand, and we approach it all with a passion to find the right solution. We know each client faces its own unique challenges and a strong brand strategy outlines a clear path to guide the client through long-term success.
Brand Equity
Brand equity is the current value and goodwill that a brand has earned in its market. Equity can be measured by:
- Awareness: recall and familiarity of the brand
- Associations: images current and potential customers associate with the brand
- Loyalty: willingness of customers to repurchase and recommend
Brand Positioning
Positioning is a brand’s one big idea, what it can rally around. It’s important and believable to audience members, differentiated from competitors and sustainable in the long-term.
Brand Messaging
Brand messaging organizes and prioritizes the most relevant information and outlines how internal audiences should communicate the brand positioning to key audience groups.
Brand Architecture
The overarching strategy that outlines the role and relationship of brands in the portfolio is brand architecture. When companies acquire other brands or organizations, architecture can become muddled and confusing. A clear brand architecture builds a company’s brand from the inside, out.
Last, but not least…
Nomenclature Strategy
Nomenclature is a way of describing the strategy and guidelines for how to extend brand names within a portfolio. This strategy ensures product or service naming is consistent and makes sense to target audiences. It also provides clear direction for future naming decisions.
Apple’s iPod reflects a somewhat easy-to-understand example of nomenclature strategy. The nomenclature is the extension of the iPod name, so currently, the portfolio includes the iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod touch and iPod classic.
So, that’s our vocabulary class for today. Hopefully, we’ve been able to clear up a little of the confusion relating to brand strategy terminology. We’ll continue these types of posts with each of our departments in the coming months!