Insight Categories: Brand Strategy

Driving home from work the other day I was listening to NPR and heard a story about a battle between Chick-fil-A and a small Vermont T-shirt manufacturer who is producing T-shirts saying “Eat More Kale.” Chick-fil-A owns the tagline “Eat Mor Chikin” and, indeed, the corporation has done a splendid job advertising their fast food chicken restaurants through the Eat Mor Chikin campaign. It seems that the T-shirt manufacturer, Bo Muller-Moore, has been doing a booming business producing “Eat More Kale” shirts out of a studio above his garage and has enough orders to support himself. He decided it would be wise to apply for a trademark for “Eat More Kale” and was confronted by a cease and desist letter from the chicken guys. In a statement, Chick-fil-A  said, “We must legally protect and defend our “Eat mor chikin” trademark in order to maintain rights to the slogan.”

Laws regarding trademark and patent infringement are complex, which is why we always tell our clients to consult with their own trademark lawyers or use one of ours. But one test of trademark infringement is whether there would be confusion in the marketplace or whether the existing brand equity would be diluted. Muller-Moore’s lawyer commented in a New York Times article, “There’s no one out there that’s going to come forward and say, ‘I thought I was buying a Chick-fil-A product but I got this T-shirt.” Add to that the fact that the food chain does not have a franchise operating in Vermont so there is even less chance for confusion.

Can a company or brand own words exclusively? Clearly many wonderful campaigns have been copied such as the Got Milk? campaign that I wrote about several weeks ago. Harley Davidson has copyrighted the sound of their motorcycle—and no other motorcycle or bike can use the same sound. But can you hold a copyright to the words “Eat More”? I did a quick search on Google to see how many “Eat More” campaigns and ads there have been. Witness just a few.

Clearly there have been many campaigns that have used the the words “Eat More.” And it is equally clear that Chick-fil-A has done a superb job of imprinting their brand through their deft ad campaign. So what has been accomplished and what are the effects of this lawsuit? Well, Eat More Kale has gotten way more publicity than they ever thought possible, getting national coverage in the NY Times and an NPR spot. Muller-Moore has tapped social media and drew incredible support from Facebook followers, both a former and the present governors of Vermont, and a groundswell of kale lovers nationally.

At a recent press conference, Governor Peter Shulmin of Vermont noted, “If you think that Vermonters don’t understand the difference between kale and a chicken sandwich, we invite you to Vermont, and we’ll give you a lesson about the difference between a kale and a chicken,” Shumlin said. “There are some very distinct features that should be noticed in that difference. Kale is a vegetable; chickens are birds. Birds create manure; kale eats manure.”

What has the Chick-Fil-A brand gained—a tarnished reputation as a corporate bully that flies in the face of its humorous campaigns. How many people will look at the cows and think of the “Eat More Kale” controversy and leave with a bad taste in their mouths? With little possibility of confusion and not even one Chick-fil-A restaurant in Vermont, one has to wonder if this was a giant mistake by the Chick legal department with little thought how it might effect their brand. In this case their cease and desist order may have a real correlation to less counter orders. Governor Shumlin sent this message to Chick-fil-A, “Don’t mess with Vermont. Don’t mess with kale. And, Chick-fil-A, get out of the way because we are going to win this one.” (Source: NPR.org—Chicken Vs. Kale, Kirk Carapezza)

Vintage Ivory soap

Okay. I freely admit that I love old packaging. My house is filled with thousands of antique tins, old boxes, and discarded packaging from days gone by. I notice packaging, so when Procter & Gamble decided to pump up the packaging and advertising for one of its oldest brands, Ivory soap, I was eager to see what change was in store.

The new campaign devised by Wieden+Kennedy is nothing short of brilliant. But the new packaging by Sterling Brands is uninspired. One has to wonder why their advertising agency did not show the new look on any of their ads, TV spots, or online placements. If you want to look at 125 years of Ivory soap packaging, Procter & Gamble has set up a Facebook page that shows all the different ways they have wrapped their pure white soap.

The most controversial aspect to their simple blue and white packaging was the Procter & Gamble logo which was thought to have ties to Satan.

Old Ivory soap packaging the showcased a P&G logo that was thought to have Satanic themes

For years urban legend maintained that the man in the logo was proof of the company’s ties to Satan. Supposedly the curlicues of the moon man’s beard was an array of 6’s and if you connect the dots with the 13 stars, three 6’s appear. The curlicues at the top of his head resembled the horns of a ram representing the false prophet. Eventually in 1985 the Procter and Gamble logo was taken off of Ivory soap. Over the years the Ivory logo has been modified and most recently Wieden+Kennedy modernized the wordmark. Tag lines have also changed and those in use over the years have included:

• Pure Clean. Pure Ivory.
• 99.44% Pure.
• So Pure it floats.
• Keep it pure, clean and simple

“Ivory is P&G’s oldest and most beloved brand, and while consumers relish in the nostalgia and heritage of the product, it’s time for a holistic reinvention of the brand as we work to touch and improve more consumers’ lives in more parts of the world more completely,” says Jay Sethi, Ivory brand manager. “We’ve answered the call for consumers wanting a ‘simple and clean’ solution and the most powerful aspect of Ivory still remains the simplicity of the product.” Lisa McTigue Pierce—Packaging Digest Oct. 4, 2011.

Karl Lieberman, creative director, Wieden+Kennedy, spoke about the new advertising. “Unlike a lot of other brands, Ivory has stayed true to its equity. It has remained the antithesis of the overly complicated—from its ingredients, packaging and advertising—it’s a throwback to an era where there wasn’t time for such things. And that’s what makes its new voice so refreshing.”

Ivory has changed its look over the years, but has always kept it simple.

But while Ivory has remained a strong brand since 1879, competition in the soap category has changed. The Ivory brand has been running third to Dove and Dial. (Source: NY Times, Nov. 7, 2011). Product managers felt that with the increased consumer focus on cost savings during the recession years, it was a good time to promote the Ivory brand promise of “value and simplicity.” “Renée Richardson Gosline, an assistant professor of marketing at the MIT Sloan School of Management, also predicted the simplicity of Ivory and its campaign could appeal to consumers. However, she also questioned the absence of the new Ivory packaging in advertising. ‘If you’re proud of the packaging, show it off,’ she said.”

Display of Ivory soap products

I am a sucker for beautiful packaging. So it is no surprise that while drifting through the aisles at my local Safeway three years ago, I spied some hand soap and moisturizer that was absolutely beautiful and also at closeout prices. Needless to say, as the bargain shopper that I am, I scarfed up 10 bars of soap and several bottles of body wash. And that is how I was introduced to the Method brand, one of the most progressive brands in the market today.

When customers expressed their thoughts on the blog to changes to the packaging, a Method employee gave an informed and thoughtful response

I recommend spending some time on their website and to pay close attention to their social media (Twitter and Facebook) since they seem to be doing everything right. They use their site and their blog to tap into the desires of their loyal fan base—and most importantly they actually listen and act on what users say. Take the pink grapefruit dish soap. Now this is a dish soap that I can really get behind—it has a lovely smell, has great packaging and is priced right. About a year ago they decided to change not only the packaging, but to rotate in a new fragrance. BTW—they are unique in that they are constantly changing fragrances and producing limited editions. If a limited edition proves to be very popular, it is elevated to permanent status. Well, pink grapefruit was rotated out. Pink grapefruit lovers were irked, voiced their complaints, and the company has brought back the fragrance and will most likely give it permanent status.

Not only is Method customer friendly, but environmentally friendly as well. Method uses the minimum amount of materials when creating their package design, and the few materials that are used, are  biodegradable. Even the product (inside their package) has been designed to be eco friendly as well. Their site has a section devoted to the environment, their products and many of the their mantras have to do with being more eco-friendly.

Perhaps what I like most about this brand is that they are aggressive about engaging their audience. Their blog is up-to-date and interesting. They listen to and respond to comments in a thoughtful way, and their web presence fosters a friendly, engaged, progressive brand, and most importantly, they have brought back pink grapefruit!

One of my favorite clients recently sent me a link to Private Wealth magazine. There I found a very interesting article that discusses how high-net worth (HNW) clients make choices selecting an investment advisor. Which do they rank higher, expertise or brand? Before reading the article I would have thought that while brand is important, expertise has to win out. (And this coming from a person who makes her living off of branding no less!) The authors, Russ Alan Prince and Bruce Rogers have proven me wrong. They submit that “…the ultra affluent want to work with exceptional experts. So you might conclude that expertise trumps brand. In a perfect, rational world, that would be correct. However, the world we inhabit is far from perfect and rational. In sourcing the ultra-affluent, it turns out, brand outshines expertise all the time.”

They have created an expertise/brand matrix that I think can be applied to most professional services businesses. Most professional organizations want to be in the upper right hand corner—Talented Leading Authorities: they have the expertise to do an excellent job for their clients and they will “have the opportunity to do so,” as they are well-known among their target audience.

A person who is an Incompetent Leading Authority has the brand awareness and visibility—but no skill set to accomplish the tasks. The authors make this point, “Talented Leading Authorities and Incompetent Leading Authorities are actually on the same playing field. The reason is really quite simple. When it comes to choosing professionals in complex, specialized and unfamiliar fields, the ultra-affluent and their advisors are usually incapable of making proper evaluations.”

Professionals also do not want to be in the Hidden Talent box. This translates to a person who is very experienced but has no visibility and a weak brand. They have the knowledge and skill set to meet their clients’ expectations, but no brand recognition—so they remain invisible. In situations where a Hidden Talent is matched against a Talented Leading Authority, brand will cast the deciding vote for the latter. Prince and Rogers conclude that in building an HNW practice, Leading Authorities dominate. “Incompetents are rarely successful except for the rare wealthy client or two—often relatives. Hidden Talents tend to stay hidden. Hence, the competition is among the Leading Authorities—and, as we’ve stated, they’re on equal footing.”

The Private Wealth article was clearly addressing the financial services industry. But really, it is applicable to any service professional. You can be the best thing since sliced bread, but if no one knows about you, you are toast. And we have all run into examples in every industry where we expect to see an expert only to find that the King is wearing no clothes. Unfortunately when there are no ways to get an objective assessment, consumers fall back on brand. Famous imposters will continue to steal business from the Talented Leading Authorities based on name alone; witness the success of Bernie Madoff.

I remember as a kid in the 1950s looking forward to my mom opening up a can of Del Monte fruit cup for dessert every Thursday night (there was nothing as good as picking out the grapes from the fruit cocktail). Some nights it was Del Monte brand half peaches or canned peas for dinner. In the ’50s and early ’60s canned fruit and vegetables were the food of choice and Del Monte was the most favored brand. As one of my colleagues said, “I would not have eaten Libby’s even though they had a much better jingle.”

I have not given a thought to Del Monte for years and years—I never eat canned food any more. Driving home one day last week, I heard a report about Del Monte settling a lawsuit with Barclays. And yeah, I was surprised to find out that they are still in existence.

How can a brand virtually disappear? I did a very unscientific study of 20 people of varying ages on the Del Monte brand. I asked them what products Del Monte produces and if there was any emotional reaction to the name. Almost everyone older than 45 knew the brand and had fond recollections of eating Del Monte canned food. The company was defined as “wholesome,” “family,” and “quality.” The age group from 35-45 knew the name, and most could only identify the fact that Del Monte made some kind of food product. A few said that they would never buy their products since they never buy canned foods. The adjectives used were less positive since the association with “canned” was a negative with this group. The last group 25-35 had no idea what Del Monte produces. For them the brand simply did not exist. Looking at the Del Monte website, I was surprised to find out that in addition to their canned food line, they have a large product line that geared to pets. All of these sub-brands are marketed independently and not under the Del Monte name… which I think is probably a very good thing. After all, who wants to buy canned fruit cocktail from the same group that produced canned cat food?

The Del Monte brand has become less relevant as our tastes in food have changed. In the ’50s and ’60s, convenience was king, it was still hard to ship fresh food globally, so the produce you found at the stores had to be in season. You could not get peaches from Chile in the dead of winter, so Del Monte’s canned peaches became a good substitute during the winter months. As fresh fruit and vegetables became more available and as questions regarding preservatives more numerous, canned fruits and vegetables lost favor and a mighty brand started to wane.

Strong brand strategies have to change and evolve. While Del Monte has developed a line of fresh fruit cups and puts their name on fresh fruit such as bananas, one wonders if it is too little too late. Their brand can not escape the association with “canned” products.  And so it is no surprise that the corporate giant is on the sales block.

JK Moving Services is no longer the area’s best kept secret. Fresh from a brand overhaul, the nation’s third largest independent mover is quickly gaining ramping up marketing efforts, and attracting customers preparing to move their families, their offices, and their employees. Armed with solid research, Grafik helped JK identify a distinct competitive advantage, and leverage an astonishing string of ongoing testimonials. The newly revamped brand architecture includes smart new naming conventions that highlight the mix of services, as well as platforms that promote cross-selling.

Grafik’s comprehensive program touched every aspect of the brand including a powerful brandline (What Matters Most), and a new corporate logo. We redesigned JK’s trucks and uniforms, developed a full suite of print and online sales materials, managed a significant website overhaul, and established  a robust social media presence with active Twitter and Facebook accounts, SEM, and a company blog.

With a mandate to convert prospects into clients, Grafik made a strong recommendation to transfer media dollars spent on conventional placements to online paid search and key words. We also simplified the call to action by removing the myriad phone numbers found on all their previous materials and replacing them with jkmoving.com — a change most notable on JK’s most prominent advertising presence, the moving trucks.

The company that appeared to be a local “mom and pop” moving company now feels like a national carrier of choice. Of course, the work is just beginning. Look for more great things to come from JK Moving Services.

I’ve a couple of friends who have changed their names as adults, but I must say I often find it difficult to embrace this without having some context around their reasoning. I often “forget,” or truthfully—even resist the change and call them by their former names until I know a bit more about why their old name wasn’t good enough. I find even if it’s none of my business, I still want some help adjusting.

Renaming an organization can often encounter similar challenges. Dedicated employees who have long worked for an organization in the midst of such a change, if not properly informed, might feel mislead. External audiences who have done business with a renamed organization might wonder what prompted the effort. And shareholders will, no doubt, wonder, ‘is it worth it?” But a change for the right reasons can often be a good business decision when an organization or its industry has evolved.

The Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, (AIAM) approached Grafik to rebrand their organization. Let’s start with some context. While the association members are some of the most respected and forward-thinking automobile manufacturers in the world, the association itself was often passed over by the media to weigh in on key issues that effect the industry including policies on free trade, government mandates and more. The organization also suffered from dated, but nagging perceptions that the association was comprised of “foreign” manufacturers—this, in a time when just about every manufacturer collaborates across borders. Rebranding offered the organization an opportunity to update its image and better define their voice. The new effort would also allow them to improve their communications tools to members and the public.

Another factor, the timing was right. AIAM was planning to move their headquarters from Virginia closer into DC for a stronger physical presence near Capitol Hill. This meant they would need to develop new signage and change their address on all past communications tools.

Grafik began with a series of interviews to get a pulse on the organization’s goals, communication efforts to date and marketing resources. We knew that naming might be something to consider, but needed a deeper dive to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of such an effort.

Just as important, we knew if we were going to suggest a new name it had to be memorable—something easy to say, after spending years getting lost in Washington DC’s association acronym soup. We learned that even answering the phone for the organization was at times, challenging. “Hello, this is A-I-A-M.” Or, “Hi this is Aim.” If the front desk wasn’t comfortable saying their name consistently, how could they expect others to?

While considering the name, the show had to go on. Grafik reviewed their communications tools and competitive set to compare how like-minded organizations were communicating. The website, their primary marketing tool, was difficult to navigate and failed to surface the information that defines their industry leadership, innovations and investments in the U.S. market. In tandem with our rebranding strategy Grafik began an interactive discovery process to create the next generation website with new tools to publish content and get their message out as needed.

Still considering a name change we began exploring creative execution including the logo, brand thematic and voice of the organization. We developed “Ahead of the Curve” which captured the history of leadership and innovation that the association’s members have aspired to. Then, after brewing a witches’ potion and sacrificing a designer who unwittingly stayed late at Grafik, we proposed “Global Automakers” as the new name to move forward with.

Grafik developed the new integrated identity including the redesign of the recently launched website, and we continue to consult with Global Automakers regarding future needs.