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In recent months, the world’s been met with news that the Johnson & Johnson and Kellogg’s brands would be no more. Well, kind of anyway. I’ll clear that up later.
Headlines blared that these great brands will be replaced by the newly formed Kenvue and Kellanova respectively, announcements that lit up the social media sphere as another example of corporatisation gone too far – but what’s caused such a storm in a cereal bowl?
“How dare they even think about dropping the typeface.”
“Where’s the red gone?”
“Another example of digital-first branding overreach!”
While there’s certainly no harm in examining their strategic approaches or having a hot take on the execution, could there have been something deeper at play here?
First, it must be pointed out that much of the commentary glossed over the corporate context driving these shifts. They weren’t cases of rebranding for the sake of rebranding but triggered by changes in the company structures of these giant multinationals.
In the case of Johnson & Johnson, it was spinning off its much smaller consumer healthcare division to form Kenvue. In the case of Kellogg’s, it was rebadging its global corporate group brand to Kellanova, as it spun off its North American cereal business into WK Kellogg Co.
Despite the changes however, they’ve both made it clear that these moves will have little impact on everyday shoppers – the Kellogg’s name will still appear on packs, and while the Johnson & Johnson name will slowly fade from the packs of BAND-AID, Johnson’s branded products will live on as is. So why the outcry?
These are names whose products have imprinted themselves into many a childhood. From boxes of Coco Pops on breakfast tables and LCMs packed in school lunchboxes, to the BAND-AIDing of scrapes suffered at Saturday morning sports and No More Tears shampoo that personally was always a bit hit-or-miss.
Johnson & Johnson and Kellogg’s are two brands with enormous emotional pull.
Or nostalgia as Mad Men’s Don Draper might say.
“Nostalgia – it’s delicate, but potent. Teddy told me that in Greek nostalgia literally means ‘the pain from an old wound.’ It’s a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn’t a spaceship, it’s a time machine. It goes backwards, and forwards… it takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It’s not called the wheel; it’s called the carousel. It lets us travel the way a child travels – around and around, and back home again, to a place where we know are loved.”
Now, I don’t speak Greek. So, I’m not well placed to say whether that true or not. And I don’t really want to look it up either for fear of breaking the illusion of the GOAT televised pitch. Either way, Don might be on to something.
Who wouldn’t want a nostalgia hit with things feeling a little dark right now?
Culture wars, political decline, fragile environments, wars on multiple fronts and a cost-of-living crisis.
It’s no wonder people ache for a simpler time.
Though Coca-Cola might’ve been able to “teach the world to sing” in the 70’s, I’m in no way suggesting that a can of Pringles is going to solve the world’s wicked problems today. That would be asking far too much of whatever mystery substance they’re actually made from.
But in reflection, it does make sense that there was a real sadness over losing Johnson & Johnson and Kellogg’s to history. Not as companies, but as time machines to our pasts.
Could the transitions to Kenvue and Kellanova have been approached better? Maybe. Could they have retained a bit more of their iconic brand assets? Sure. Would any of this really mean much to the average person at the end of the day? As it turns out, not really.
Above all of this, the news and reaction to it can teach us a valuable lesson in perspective, helping to highlight the lasting nature brands can have in our lives.
Not as heroes of their own stories, but as shortcuts to moments and meaning.
Truth is, good brands are only ever supporting characters. A means to an end.
These points are easy to forget while we’re buried in the constant need for reinvention and short-term results. Where those of us working on them can easily fall into the trap of placing brands at the centres of their own universes.
Instead, when we’re charging ahead thinking about where and how to best position our brands for tomorrow, let’s also remember to think about the trails we want to help leave behind for the people who matter once we get there.
Those crumbs of nostalgia. “Delicate, but potent.”
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This article was first published in Inside Retail
Gareth Joe is an Associate Strategy Director at Principals.
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Contact us to learn how Principals can make your brand a force for positive change.
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]]>Dramatic? Maybe. Scientific? Absolutely.
Since 2018, Scalene Group have leveraged data to helped retailers boost engagement, drive sales, and enhance productivity with one consistent focus – get to know your customer.
In this episode, Hamish Cargill talks with Tim Riches and managing director of Scalene Group, Mick Moore. As a leading expert within retail strategy advisory, Mick unpacks the science behind creating not only a satisfied customer, but a loyal one too.
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]]>The post How supermarkets use brand character to drive distinctiveness appeared first on Principals.
]]>One is green and fresh. One is red and down. The other is blue and different (in a good way).
These are the codes through which we view our supermarkets. Like shortcuts to meaning in the brain, they help us make quick decisions about where we head for the weekly shop.
But beneath these codes, there’s something else at play — something that makes you an unwavering Coles champion, or an ALDI aficionado. And it goes way beyond colours, price, and taglines.
We’re talking about brand character.
More than personality, a brand’s character goes much deeper and represents its authentic identity. Things like behaviour and values, what it looks like and why, the different hats it wears in different moments, and the way it sounds when it talks.
A clearly defined brand character also helps marketers, brand teams and comms professionals by drawing a line between what is in character, and what isn’t. That’s simple, practical advice that helps deliver real consistency for any brand’s expression.
The big three supermarkets rely on their unique brand character to build the entire customer journey from store layout to Insta stories and everything in between.
It helps to create differentiation in what is, essentially, the same product and gives each brand something real and true to work from.
In a retail environment where seasonality reigns supreme, having a brand character as a central source of truth is invaluable when crafting comms and the customer experience.
ALDI’s brand character is the easiest to spot. Quirky copy, fun Christmas campaigns, and special buys that see shoppers queuing up every Wednesday and Saturday for an inflatable pool ring that looks like a donut, or a waffle-maker with an FM radio.
Together, it spells a supermarket that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Couple that with good quality and lower prices, and you’ve got a brand character that feels fun, playful, and totally in touch.
When positioned against the other two, ALDI is a breath of fresh air. An ambitious target for comms, sure — but one they hit time and time again. Great example: the ‘Special You Can Buy’ campaign from earlier this year.
And Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas without ALDI’s tongue-in-cheek take.
Of course, brand character is more than just (great) advertising. It’s the entire experience.
ALDI manages to masterfully create a world in its communication that somehow feels linked to the reality in-store. When both are singing the same tune, you know you’ve got a strong brand.
Now, that’s not to say Coles or Woolworths are stale. Far from it. It’s just their characters are a little different.
To live up to The Fresh Food People, Woolworths adopts a vibrant, excited persona. With a focus, obviously, on people. It makes it feel youthful, bright and vigorous. All the green helps to boost these connotations, but it’s in the copy where the character really shines.
Punchy and positive, there’s wordplay and rhythm that tells you things are alive and happening. It’s never aiming to break ground or make some profound statement, but it doesn’t need to. By staying true to its youthful character, it’s doing the job.
All told, Woolworths feels like the younger sibling to Coles. Maybe that’s why the brand’s Christmas spot this year is full of kids dressing up and putting on a community play.
When you start to notice a brand’s character, it’s hard not to see its impact across everything.
So, Coles. Still, most definitely, the ‘older sibling’ to the rest. But there’s been a subtle shift in recent times — a change in character that moves them away from shouty and shiny to a more real, down-to-earth, cinematic aesthetic.
You hear it in the tone. It’s mature, committed to the customer, and not afraid of some good-natured fun. You see it in the content and photography, with more muted colours, more insightful slices of Australian life, and a fresh look at suppliers. Meaning we’re more connected to where our food comes from.
Ultimately, this character translates to in-store, too. It serves to soften the impact of red, a colour traditionally associated with strong emotions, making it more inviting and relatable. And it allows for the brand’s Zero Together mission – Coles’ ambition to reduce its impact on the environment by working towards zero emissions, zero waste and zero hunger – to proudly adorn the walls and staff shirts.
Every brand has a unique character. Even the boring ones. And once they’ve found it, it forms an integral part of their overall brand strategy.
ALDI, Woolworths and Coles know theirs intimately — and as customers, so do we. It’s why they stand out in their own distinct ways, and it influences their expression, brand codes, and end-to-end experience they offer.
Without brand character, these businesses are, for all intents and purposes, the same.
And that just makes choosing one for the weekly shop way harder than it needs to be.
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This article first appeared in InsideRetail
Alex Moore is an Associate Director at brand-language studio XXVI.
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]]>The post Have Australian Brands lost their edge? appeared first on Principals.
]]>Australian brands used to have the confidence to be unexpected. Weird and wonderful ideas and executions stuck in your mind, like a stone in your shoe. Who can forget Louie the Fly or the Smith’s Chips Gobbledok?
But today, Aussie brands are better known for playing it safe. For being cautious and careful with their brand assets.
A recent survey conducted by quantitative research consultancy The Navigators found high-profile assets of Australian brands still trail behind the well-worn brand codes of yesterday in terms of memorability.
The survey quizzed Australian consumers about brand assets including logos, characters and even colour schemes.
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Read the full article on AdNews
Charlie Rose is Strategy Director at Principals
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]]>Wars
Floods
Heatwaves
Earthquakes
Bush fires
Giant carpet snakes
Rising interest rates
Rising cost of living
Australia votes NO
The threat of recession
More wars
This has obviously all had an impact on the world of branding.
Uncertainty, reduced client budgets etc.
It’s no surprise many brands are still looking back to better times.
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Read the full article on AdNews
Martin Hopkins is Creative Director at Principals
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]]>The increasingly multidisciplinary nature of our engagements reflects the multi-faceted role brand can play across marketing, CX and culture shaping. It’s good to see clients appreciating the broad and deep impact that brand has as a means to execute business strategy and support change, and it’s a reassuring validation of the investment we’ve made in areas like employer branding, insights, brand experience and digital over the past 5 years.
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Read the full article on AdNews
Tim Riches is Group Strategy Director & Principal at Principals
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Contact us to learn how Principals can make your brand a force for positive change
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]]>From unpacking rich cultural symbolism to discussing the keys to building harmony between cultural aesthetic and brand identity, in this episode of Behind the Brand we have an in-depth discussion with the team behind the triumphant rebrand.
Understand the project’s unique requirements (1:47), discuss key narrative themes (3:35) and cultural symbolism (6:50), as well as dive into how it’s possible to bring a cultural narrative to life (18:00) through brand.
Anchored by positive cultural sentiments, the success of the Hamilton Airport rebrand is a testament to the power of informed design, a connection to community and authentic cultural storytelling.
Join Moensie Rossier as she talks with the award-winning team, including Cultural Leads Norm Hill and Eugene Kara, Group Customer Experience Manager from Hamilton Airport, Angela Beardsmore and Principals Creative Director, Jodine Bell.
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]]>Facing a talent shortage, some employers threw everything including the kitchen sink to try to attract people, from limitless holidays to wellbeing packages.
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Read the full article on The Sydney Morning Herald
Claire Gallagher is Employer Brand Director at Principals.
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Contact us to learn how Principals can make your brand a force for positive change.
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]]>Sweeping the 2023 Transform Awards for Best Employer Brands category, we received Gold for Pitcher Partners, Silver for Everyday Independence, and Bronze for Yarra Valley Water. Congratulations to our team and their ability to deliver projects that genuinely connect people to the organisations who employ them.
It’s only fitting that in a year where our employer branding offer expanded far beyond expectations, our practice head Claire Gallagher was shortlisted for Transform’s 2023 Strategist of The Year.
In a time of changing workplace dynamics and increasing awareness of the importance of brand in the employee space, Claire has single-handedly revolutionised the employer brand offer, developing a fresh suite of services that drive increases in project scale and sophistication.
EVP work is often political and linked to real culture shaping. Claire’s ability to balance client outcomes with commercial reality is a testament to her proficiency, inherent kindness, and generosity. To be shortlisted for this award is an amazing achievement, positioning Claire’s work as the benchmark for all Employer Brand Strategy.
These awards come at a time where compelling employer brand offerings are more important than ever before, as recent studies show two-thirds of candidates are accepting job offers based on a company’s benefits rather than the salary offered.
As employers struggle to determine the optimal benefits that will attract and retain talent, we’ve partnered with strategic insights consultancy Nature to create the Benefits Optimiser Tool.
The Benefits Optimiser tool utilises choice modelling to clearly identify where organisations should invest in their people. Further helping businesses understand the perceived value and impact of existing and potential employer benefits.
Together, Principals and Nature have innovated the methodology of the EVP offering. By prioritising the benefits unique to your company, we help deliver tangible results that produce an ever-lengthening list of benefits. A simple process that ensures your continued attraction and maintenance of talent.
Get in touch with us today.
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]]>The night was a phenomenal way to close the year, with Principals receiving Gold, Silver, and Bronze across multiple categories, including multiple Highly Commended and Special Recognition awards.
We’re incredibly proud of our achievements and equally excited to share the well-earned recognition of our clients and teams.
For the second time, we received 4 Transform gold awards.
Following their Good Design Award success, Hamilton Airport received yet another gold for Best Visual Identity in the Travel & Tourism Sector.
One judge noted, ‘the overall visual identity crafted for Hamilton Airport is not only strong but also remarkably clear. What truly sets it apart is the thoughtful inclusion of Māori principles and teachings, coupled with a strategic approach that prioritises seamless cultural integration.’
Reigning over the Employer Brand category, Pitcher Partners received gold for Best Employer Brand.
The judges celebrated the work, noting, “Clear demonstration of the challenge in uniting the six firms under one employer brand. There is a clear link between the strategic behaviours and the creative execution.”
Sweeping the awards across multiple categories, Stockland received gold for Best Implementation of a Brand Development Project.
The judges were impressed by the likeable nature of the project overall, one commenting, “The strategy of the brand implementation is very strong.” Another added, “I like that they thought beyond the external expression of the brand and incorporated brand governance and education beyond launch.”
Our fourth gold of the night was awarded to TMNZ for Best Visual Identity in the Financial Services Sector.
The judges were highly impressed by the work, one noting, “Great explanation of the purpose behind the brand and how it led the strategy”.
Building on their success at Melbourne Design awards, Everyday Independence earned silver for Best Employer Brand. The judges praised the work, commenting “They’ve developed something very eye-catching for the category”.
Our longstanding client NAB received silver for Best Visual Identity in the Financial Services Sector. The judges commended the work, stating “they have pushed the boundaries and brought a more personal touch to the brand”.
Principals Good Idea Foundation clients Cure Cancer and Biodiversity Council both took home silver this year. Cure Cancer for Best Creative Strategy and Best Visual Identity in the Charity, NGO or NFP sector and Biodiversity Council for Best Visual Identity in the Charity, NGO or NFP sector.
The judges praised Cure Cancer, noting, “this is such an inspiring strategy.” Another commented, “The platform demonstrates a strong sense of cohesion and accessibility”. Additionally, the judges celebrated “a commendable consistency in the look and feel of the branding” for the work of Biodiversity Council.
The Special Recognition category is our personal favourite. Any excuse to celebrate our superb team in front of the entire industry.
Across Australia and New Zealand, only three brand strategists were shortlisted for the 2023 Brand Strategist of the Year. Our very own Employer Brand Director, Claire Gallagher, was one of them.
To be shortlisted for this award is an amazing achievement, positioning Claire’s work as the benchmark for all Employer Brand Strategy.
Claire has single-handedly revolutionised the employer brand offer. Transforming a team of one into a thriving team of three, working together to develop a fresh suite of services that drive increases in project scale and sophistication.
Hollie Johnson won Transform’s Young Contender of the Year. This is a wonderful achievement, proving Hollie’s consistent excellence as our Business Development Manager.
The judges sang her praise, commenting, “Beyond her effort, the results she has been able to achieve for her agency are remarkable.” With another noting “Already commanding a leadership voice is an invaluable and rare quality in someone early in their career.”
With just two years in the industry under her belt, Hollie’s boundless and infectious enthusiasm helped Principals achieve a triumphant year.
Congratulations. Hollie!
Congratulations to everyone in our infinitely talented team. Our year wouldn’t be golden without you.
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See the full list of our award-winning work here.
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