Attitude Branding - Case Study Example

Attitude Branding: Selling a Dream, Selling a Lifestyle – No Logo Required By You Academic Organisation This paper focuses on the contemporary subject of attitude branding, which is often referred to as a fetish strategy, and involves the selling of emotions and lifestyles rather than focus marketing efforts on the actual, tangible product. Traditional practises of branding products generally mandate the utilisation of an attractive, well-designed logo to enhance the perceived sales characteristics of a product. However, attitude branding often involves the omission of the traditional brand logo in an attempt to appeal to consumers psychological beliefs and expectations. This project will identify the modern usage of attitude branding for modern markets. Introduction Virtually any professional in marketing can attest that branding a product involves creating a name, term, symbol, design or any combination of these in order to differentiate a product from that of competition (Boone & Kurtz, 2006). Branding, by most definitions, involves a series of artistic visions and design, geared toward building long-term consumer loyalty to a particular manufacturer or product. However, there are firms today that have utilised a new form of branding known as attitude branding, which is an attempt to sell emotions and consumer lifestyles, while appealing to various consumer beliefs, without the use of a well-tailored logo. Contemporary companies such as Apple and Nike are two of the most primary case studies of firms which have somewhat shed the traditional logo, inviting consumers to purchase products based on their relationship to lifestyle preferences and various consumer motivations. Essentially, omitting the logo from marketing efforts, and focusing on building a linkage between feelings and the company is the primary emphasis of attitude branding. However, is attitude branding a more beneficial strategy than that of traditional marketing efforts which focus around high-visibility for the products logo? This paper intends to uncover the reality of maximising sales volumes through attitude branding. A Design Perspective Logos are graphic elements which serve as a symbol for a firms products, which aids consumers in identifying a product to the brands symbol. It is generally desired by most firms to have a highly-visible logo to establish a presence in the marketplace and to aid consumers in brand recall. Logos generally consist, from a design perspective, of crisp clean lines, unusual shapes, and strong colour to assist with brand recall when the image is seen again (Olson, 2003: 33). According to research, constant and regular exposure to logos is known to improve the association between the product and its visible symbol (Olson). Despite the routine, corporate usage of logos, contemporary companies are breaking away from focusing on heavy promotion of logos, instead they are embracing a whole new tactic of linking attitude with the product, thus denying the use of logos in product advertisements. However, why is this occurring and how are todays firms accomplishing higher sales volumes without a visible logo? A recent study targeted 900 consumers asking the respondents to review 22 brand symbols and various logos. In this study, the respondents were unable to link the symbol with the product or manufacturer, and consumers indicated that over half of the given logos actually created less trust with the highlighted companies and made them less likely to want to purchase their products (Howard, 1999). Does this represent a poor symbolic design for the logos in the study or does this represent a shift of consumer perceptions which have eroded the effectiveness of logos as a marketing device? The evidence does not concretely prove either position, however the growing utilisation of corporate attitude branding tends to increase awareness that, possibly, far too many firms rely on logo and symbolic design as being a key tool to building brand loyalty. Apple Inc. and Nike – Attitude Branders The silver apple symbol: Updated slightly from its traditional form to give the logo a crisper, modern appeal for Apple, Inc., a leading manufacturer of technology products. The logo stands for modernism in the firm, which has made tremendous gains in terms of increasing market share through advertising. However, this highly recognisable logo is very rarely associated with the products that Apple Inc. readily promotes. According to Olson (2003), Apple tends to emphasise the emotion and experience of working with Apple Inc. products, rather than focusing specifically on the technology that actually delivers the sensation. In this instance, the logo plays virtually no role in securing product sales. Why, though, is this working for Apple Inc. when many traditionalist marketers remain focused on building long-term brand equity by emphasising logos? Apple represents more than a business, it is a brand built around myths, legends, and individual philosophies (Haig, 2004). The primary focus of Apple Inc. is the recapturing of liberty (Tyler, 2000), suggesting, through unconventional marketing tactics that Apples products have created both functionality and hassle-free computer and software applications through the firms modernisation efforts. In essence, the company is not heralding the attributes of the technology, rather the proactive efforts of Apple professionals to enhance the technology experience. Haig (2004) offers that emotions are not the product of tangible facts, and positive emotions cannot be created by promoting a products price or function. The emotions generated by companies such as Apple are directly associated with advertisements which focus around the consumer themselves. Does the product maintain the ability to enhance lifestyle? Does the product offer freedom or ease of use to the consumer? Attitude branding strikes at the heart of the consumer belief system and is completely disassociated from the use of a logo. Nike, a leading manufacturer of athletic sportswear, took a very similar approach to dumping the logo; that recognisable check mark so closely associated with the company. In the 1990s, Nikes "Just Do It" campaign stressed a marketing effort focused around building motivation from an athletic perspective, promoting advertisements which illustrated that personal accomplishments were a direct by-product of Nike innovation. Foregoing the traditional linkage of logo to product, Nike instead utilised celebrity endorsements and real-life consumer testimonials in their marketing efforts so as to continuously send a consistent message about Nikes position as a motivating and health-conscious consumer force. Rather than position the product to focus on the tangible benefits of Nike athletic wear, the aim was to position their products in an appeal to the end user: The consumer. Nike, through attitude branding, learned how to leverage the deep emotional connection that people have with sports and fitness (Klein, 200), without relying on traditional logo representation in its marketing efforts. The Bottom Line From a psychological perspective, people generally want to improve their lifestyles (Marketing Week, 2005). Therefore, it is suggested that if the ultimate goal of a company is to increase product sales volumes, they must sell consumers a dream. This is the basis of attitude branding, to actually conjure up a previously non-existent emotional response through tactics that inspire, motivate, and transcend the activities of competition. Javed (2004) offers an interesting statement regarding the current state of marketing by emphasising that without a drastic change in corporate attitude, marketing is ineffective. The author further offers that successful branding really has nothing to do with logo-related expertise. As consumers have been recognised as becoming more sceptical and aggravated regarding traditional advertising claims (GII Express, 2005), companies must express a set of internal values to the external customer that are relevant and important to the target audience. Attitude branding, then, is about making a well-publicised stand about consumer values and using this new attitude to build long-term relationships with consumers (GII Express). In short, attitude branding is the contemporary approach to making a product appear cool, which often cannot be accomplished even by utilising the most appropriately-designed, visually-appealing logo. Starbucks: An International Past-Time Starbucks, a leading producer and retailer of gourmet coffees, is another organisation which relies heavily on attitude branding and less on its logo. Starbucks has recently created a variety of consumer-related products such as office coffee, coffee ice cream, and even coffee beer in an attempt to appeal to consumer lifestyles and the growing tendency to utilise coffee as a staple lifestyle product (Klein, 2000). Starbucks Vice President of Marketing commented on attitude branding by offering, "Consumers dont truly believe theres a huge difference between products, which is why brands must establish emotional ties with customers. Its the romance of the coffee experience (that) people get in Starbucks stores". (Klein). Starbucks, according to Klein, built powerful identities without the use of their logo by making their branding concepts into a social virus, delivered to appeal to consumer attitudes regarding coffee as a lifestyle enhancement tool. Reducing Corporate Visibility as a Profit-Building Strategy? It has also been uncovered through research that logos can actually tarnish the corporate image (Howard, 1999), as events such as negative media coverage about todays firms directly associate negative sensations with a company brand and its logo. For this reason, a secondary approach to attitude branding is to remove the company name from high visibility, promoting only the attitude of the company. A large clothing manufacturer, American Apparel, has recently taken on a strategy of being unnoticeable, producing merchandise with no logo. This strategy paid off for the firm, as it has built 13 new retail store outlets in the last several years (Rothenberg, 2005). Further, in the United States, the world-renowned hospitality and hotel company, Hyatt, opened several posh, ultra-hip hotels under an inconspicuous brand name, with the brand "Hyatt" appearing nowhere inside any of the newly constructed hotels (Rothenberg). Hyatt has been involved in substantially-publicised lawsuits and has been the target of negative media in recent years involving an incident which killed 114 people and for alleged deceptive, unwarranted energy surcharges incorporated into patrons bill statements. (Campbell & Baker, 2006; Lawcash.com, 2003). Perhaps this is an indication that attitude branding can also be established as a damage control tactic, by avoiding negative consumer perceptions about the brand by removing the company logo from associated products or organisations. Hyatt promotes the chic and hip characteristics of its new hotel chain through aggressive advertising efforts built around the consumer lifestyle, but never promoting its association with the Hyatt brand or its related logo. Conclusion All of the aforementioned case studies of companies which have experienced dramatic success without the visible display of the corporate logo points toward a radically new method to appeal to the consumer: Through attitude and psychology. There is no evidence which clearly, and undeniably, refutes the effectiveness of a well-designed logo, however if todays consumer behaviours are dictated by personal values, activities and beliefs, it is likely to assume that companies will begin to benchmark the activities of firms such as Apple Inc., Nike, Starbucks, American Apparel or Hyatt in order to capture more long-term consumer commitment to their brands. One interesting fact to note regarding consumer attitudes is the recognition that with most consumers, over time their attitudes tend to become rigid and opposed to change (Boone & Kurtz, 2006). This suggests that consumers, today, are quite fickle in terms of their attitude toward any particular brand, making consumer attitudes an intangible trait that is difficult to monitor and react against using different marketing tactics. Further, research indicates that the consumer market ranging in age from 18-34 is willing to leave their favourite brand whenever a better perceived value arises (Van Riper, 2006). This suggests that the largest target market available maintains noticeably-minimal brand loyalty. At the same time, many companies still rely on graphic artistry and logo design to help build brand loyalty. Does this suggest that traditional tactics and an aggressive utilisation of the corporate logo are not meeting the demands of fickle and complex consumers? Perhaps firms such as Apple, Nike and Starbucks are realizing that the most appropriate method to reach customers is to appeal to their lifestyles, skipping the emotions that a well-crafted logo might provide. Whatever the reality may be, it is clear that attitude branding and consumer relationship-building, without presenting the traditional corporate logo, can still build brand equity and increased market share. Therefore, todays marketers who are searching for change should start with a change in attitude. Bibliography Boone, L. & Kurtz, D. (2006). Contemporary Marketing. 12th ed. Thomson South- Western. United Kingdom: 171,382. Campbell, M. & Baker, S. (2006). It was 25 Years Ago the Skywalks Collapsed at the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Killing 114 People. Tribune Business News. http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2006_3rd/Jul06_KCHyatt.html. GII Express. (2007). Adding Cool to your Brand in 2005. GII Express Vertical Markets Research Portal. http://www.giiexpress.com/products/dc26365/ Haig, Matt. (2004). Brand Royalty: How the Worlds Top 100 Brands Thrive & Survive. Kogan Page, London: 188. Howard, Steven. (1999). Corporate Image Management: A Marketing Discipline for the 21st Century. Singapore Butterworth-Heinemann: 117. Javed, Naseem. (2004). The Global Branding War. Larta.org. http://www.larta.org/lavox/articlelinks/2004/041129_branding.asp. Klein, Naomi. (2000). The Brands Bounce Back. No Logo. http://faculty.msb.edu/murphydd/CRIC/Readings/Klein,Naomi--Ch1b-and- selectionsB.htm Lawcash.com. (2003). Hyatt Hotel Guest Recover for Allegedly Deceptive Energy Charge. Case ID: 1875 – Young v Hyatt Corp. http://www.lawcash.com/settlement/lawsuit-plus.asp?plus=docket&ID=1875 Marketing Week. (Apr 28 2005). Ripping holes in big brands. London: 26. Olson, Chris. (2003). Evaluating Logo Designs. Information Outlook. 7(9), 33. Rothenberg, Randall. (2005). Brand Strategy 05: Get your name out by concealing it. Advertising Age. 76(4), 25. Tyler, David D. (2000). Doing E-business: Strategies for Thriving in an Electronic Marketplace. Upside Books. Van Riper, Tom. (2006). Sell Old!. Forbes.com. http://www.forbes.com/2006/03/03/marketing-seniors-retirement- cx_tvr_0303bookreview.html Read More