The Rise of Branding
The Day the World Stood Still
On 2nd April 1993, as consumerism became increasingly integrated with people’s lives, the unthinkable happened: one of the world’s first and foremost leaders in advertising and design bent down to price pressures and cut back on advertising. The company was Philip Morris, which had announced a 20% reduction in the price of its Marlboro-branded cigarettes to regain market share lost to lower-priced competitors. Experts believed that the millions of dollars spent on advertising, coupled with the addictive nature of Marlboro cigarettes, would make the Marlboro brand immune to price wars. However, the 2nd of April in 1993, now known as “Marlboro Friday”, sent experts reeling in fear that advertising had lost all its value. It was posited that consumers no longer cared about brand names, but rather the value derived from commodities. However, this was proven wrong as branding campaigns intensified in the decades following Marlboro Friday.
Issues
Education
Community development
Science & Technology
Author
Deaa Bataineh
History
Marlboro-branded cigarettes were originally targeted towards women. Following product and technological developments in the 1950s, Philip Morris wished to gain market share amongst men. The product being marketed was a filtered cigarette, which eased the harmful effects of smoking. Market surveys had revealed that while men would not mind switching to filtered cigarettes, they were “afraid of being seen smoking a cigarette marketed to women”.
At the time, most advertisements — including those of competitors — focused on the technology behind the cigarette, with boastful claims being made about its scientifically proven benefits.
Present
Numerous markets, today, are dominated by major companies’ brands. The companies spearheading the growth of these brands are meticulous in their planning and strategy, recognising that people now consider products as essential parts of their life — not just disposable items. Hence, with the Marlboro Man campaign’s major success, companies spotted the value in a particular style of advertising: lifestyle advertising.
A catchphrase that is popular in the branding industry says“people don’t just buy products; they buy better versions of themselves”.
Lifestyle advertising carefully ties segments of the average person’s life to a product. Such advertising tends to shine less light on the characteristics of the product, focusing instead on the attributes of the people who purchase the product. Lifestyle advertising convinces people that they, too, can be akin to a subject pictured in the advertisement. Thus, companies tend to infuse deep and meaningful messages with their products: Coca-Cola sells happiness and vitality; Apple sells individualism and simplicity; and Nike sells confidence and motivation with its shoes — the key to persuading a newbie in sports.
Thus, the rise of lifestyle advertising spurred a shift to focus on “branding” over advertising. A brand is more than just a name; it associates itself with a variety of actions and emotions. The most successful branding strategies tend to envelop the entire focus of a company, as opposed to simply promoting a product. Thus, strong brands typically rope in facets of experience design.
Present
Numerous markets, today, are dominated by major companies’ brands. The companies spearheading the growth of these brands are meticulous in their planning and strategy, recognising that people now consider products as essential parts of their life — not just disposable items. Hence, with the Marlboro Man campaign’s major success, companies spotted the value in a particular style of advertising: lifestyle advertising.
A catchphrase that is popular in the branding industry says“people don’t just buy products; they buy better versions of themselves”.
Lifestyle advertising convinces people that they, too, can be akin to a subject pictured Lifestyle advertising convinces people that they, too, can be akin to a subject pictured Lifestyle advertising convinces people that
Lifestyle advertising convinces people that they, too, can be akin to a subject pictured in the advertisement. Thus, companies tend to infuse deep and meaningful messages with their products: Coca-Cola sells happiness and vitality; Apple sells individualism and simplicity; and Nike sells confidence and motivation with its shoes — the key to persuading a newbie in sports.
Thus, the rise of lifestyle advertising spurred a shift to focus on “branding” over advertising. A brand is more than just a name; it associates itself with a variety of actions and emotions. The most successful branding strategies tend to envelop the entire focus of a company, as opposed to simply promoting a product. Thus, strong brands typically rope in facets of experience design.