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Inkeeping with my fast-approaching midlife crisis [ha] … I bought some Converse shoes at the weekend [in camouflage of course!] and the thing I really loved was that on the side of the box, were a couple of the lace-hole ringlets that are inherent in all Converse shoe designs.
I know it’s a little thing, but it’s a little thing that reinforces the brand – which ultimately makes you feel you are buying something abit special, something that has been made with care, attention and passion, something worth paying a ‘little bit more’ for.
Of course treating packaging as a marketing device is nothing new … but given this is on a pair of relatively cheap sneakers, you have to question why some of the bigger – supposedly more aspirational brands – don’t do it.
It’s not hard … it’s just about an appreciation of what your brand is, both to the company and to the consumer … but I guess this goes back to the point that too many marketing departments are filled with underqualified people and/or too focused on the bigger things [the stuff they can show off about] even though it’s the miniscule things that can make all the difference. At least to the consumer.
Something that is interesting is that Singapore Airlines have just awarded [after 30 odd years with BATEY] their whole advertising business to TBWA – even though the team that handled the pitch actually work for the below-the-line division, Tequila.
I think this is brilliant … not just because Tequila are a fantastic agency who are doing some of the best work around Asia at the moment [and I include ATL agencies in that declaration] … but because it implies Singapore Airlines want an agency who will pay attention to the small things as well as the big – which might give above-the-line agencies a much needed kick-up-the-arse … because for all their talk about being media neutral and 360 thinkers, the reality is they tend to focus the most energy on the ‘television spot’.
Well done Converse … well done Singapore Airlines … well done Tequila!
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They most certainly do. Just about to blog about Dolmio getting the smallest thing totally wrong.
Comment by Will April 23, 2007 @ 8:26 pmAnd – you will have an email in a few.
Comment by Will April 23, 2007 @ 8:26 pmconverse are great at sweating the details. did a great thing for their (red) stuff where they just made the top two eyelets on the trainers red. very nice and understated
Comment by Gareth April 23, 2007 @ 11:36 pmAttention to detail AND subtlety … no wonder Converse are still a brand with energy and relevance after all this time. As I said, other brands should take note, especially as they tend to rely on spend power rather than brand power.
Comment by Rob April 24, 2007 @ 7:58 amYou could write and entire blog on who gets the little things wrong. I’ll settle for nearly every packaged goods brand that thinks packaging only needs to work from face on (and believes no one needs to wear glasses)
Comment by NP April 24, 2007 @ 3:29 pmNP you are so right … which is why I laugh when P&G go on about understanding the importance of packaging as a marketing vehicle. They don’t even understand the importance of brand, let alone packaging. Again – they are mixing up distribution strength with brand adoration – it’ll bite them on the arse one day. I hope.
Comment by Rob April 24, 2007 @ 3:53 pmDefinitely.
Converse managed to turn themselves from a fad brand into a real living breathing brand, that detail made the difference.
Comment by Rob Mortimer April 24, 2007 @ 4:29 pm[…] this photo and some corresponding lines, I thought I’d add to the point Rob made on his blog about the importance of attention to detail and subtlety in brand communication, which […]
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