| So which is right? And what effect do the competing ideas have on this bubbly brand? As in many cases, the truth is probably a mixture of the two. While Disney's association with the anti-Communist movement is well-documented (he was supposedly an informant for the FBI), it's clear that he was also intent on producing family films that could transport viewers to a place where they could forget about their troubles. The same holds true for Disneyland, the massive project that Disney undertook in 1952, which has grown to become one of the most successful theme parks in the world. While the park's policies did fall in line with its creator's attitudes - long-haired men were barred from entering during the 1960s, for example - there's a carefree air to the place that the company continues to carefully cultivate even 36 years after Disney's death.
But it is hard to imagine that some of the company's current policies would have been endorsed by Disney (who actually owned a minority share of the company's public stock at the time of his death and thus wasn't as influential as some may have imagined). For example, Disney was known to have homophobic attitudes, which probably would have clashed with the company's current domestic partner benefits – an innovative approach by one of the first major brands in the world to recognize homosexual and non-traditional living arrangements. And who knows how Disney would have felt about the position of Michael Eisner at the company, given his touches of anti-Semitism.
The Disney brand, however, remains largely unscathed by these controversies, probably because the company simply doesn't deal with them. In an age where money will buy you enough advertising, marketing, and PR power to create any image you desire, The Walt Disney Company has built an efficient machine that keeps its "Happiest Place on Earth" motto front and center.
Its attorneys are litigious to the point that some Disney fan sites have had their plugs pulled because of unauthorized use of images, and its control of many major media outlets - including the ABC television network; an 80 percent ownership of the all-sports networks ESPN and ESPN2; a plethora of radio stations, including its own Radio Disney network; the cable channels the Disney Channel and Toon Disney; international TV networks that cover most of the globe; several magazines and book publishing imprints; five music labels; an in-house computer software division; a group of websites; and full ownership of the National Hockey League team the Mighty Ducks (named after one of their films) as well as a 25 percent stake in the Anaheim Angels, a Major League Baseball team and 2002 World Series champions - ensures that they can control what consumers see and hear to a large degree. So although you might find dissenting opinions at many alternative websites, you won't see much controversy on the mainstream ones. Of course, in some respects the company doesn't have to work too hard to maintain its image simply because most people have selective memories that focus on the positive and discard the negative. And with Disney there are a lot of positive memories to focus on. An entire generation grew up with The Mickey Mouse Club TV show and fond memories of family trips to Disneyland, where parents remarked on how neat and clean the park was and how courteous the employees were (this is still true today; to those who are critical of the company, Disney's demands on its employees are often characterized as fascist in approach). Add in an animation renaissance that started with the 1989 movie The Little Mermaid, and one can see how many of the sinister comments come across as basic muckraking to the masses.
Like any brand, though, the Walt Disney Company has to fend off constant competition to remain at the top of the heap. That animation renaissance, for example, has faltered in recent years and has allowed Dreamworks and 20th Century Fox to steal some thunder with the computer-animated hits Shrek andIce Age, respectively. Disney's deal with Pixar to distribute the wildly successful Toy Story andMonsters Inc. films, among others, has helped pick up the slack, but Pixar CEO Steve Jobs recently hinted that the company would like to forge ahead on its own as soon as its current deal ends.
As far as Disney theme parks are concerned, Disneyland in California and its bigger Floridian cousin, Walt Disney World, have thrived. However, the company hit a snag in Paris, where the French version, Euro Disney, has struggled. Critics cite the dreary European weather, which clashes with open-air rides, and the lack of available alcohol as instances where the brand failed to consider its region and culture. But the Tokyo park, called DisneySea, has done better and this month Disney broke ground in Hong Kong. The new park is being hailed as a study in "cultural sensitivity," after lessons learned with Euro Disney. The park will be trilingual (English, Cantonese and Mandarin), built to accommodate Hong Kong's rainy but warm weather, serve local cuisine in addition to its all-American fare, and celebrate local holidays. While the brand has come a long way from Disney's early struggle to turn a simple mouse into a star, it's hard to deny that it still captures people's imaginations and hearts with its appeal to the kid in everyone. Disney himself supposedly once said: "I hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse."
In the end, perhaps it's that simplicity that keeps this brand going.
Barbie
what a doll
by Brad Cook
December 22, 2003
If you had to choose one brand whose history mirrors America’s own history from the 1950s to the present, you couldn’t go wrong with Barbie. Mattel’s popular icon has weathered many political, cultural and social storms since her introduction in 1959, but in the end she remains a plastic doll with a cheery smile and a perfect figure, a woman many little girls admire even when they realize that Barbie’s proportions don’t match reality.Credit (or, as some might say, blame) for the toy’s creation goes to Ruth and Elliot Handler, founders of Mattel Toys. Ruth saw her daughter Barbara playing with paper dolls and realized that a 3D representation of a woman would make a better toy. | |
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| s | Billed as “a shapely teenage fashion model,” Barbie made her first appearance at the American Toy Fair in New York City and soon became a hit. Her abrupt departure from traditional baby-faced dolls, however, drew criticism that has never stopped even though the nature of the complaints has changed. Mattel did its best to satisfy both the critics and fans of Barbie, reshaping her face early on to give her a softer look and even trying in recent years to make her body more closely match that of an average woman. The doll’s ubiquitous fashion accessories have also changed with the times, although Mattel made sure that there was nothing salacious about Barbie wearing a mini-skirt in the 60s or a tube top in the 80s, despite her popularity in a culture that has become increasingly open about sexuality.
The company also began rolling out Barbie’s supporting cast in the early 60s, starting with Ken. (Mattel should abandon attempts to quell rumors that Ken is gay and Barbie is really in love with G.I. Joe; the speculation helps keep the brand in the public’s mind.) Barbie’s best friend Midge and her little sister Skipper followed soon after, and the subsequent 30-plus years have seen the addition of a black doll named Christie, an “artsy bohemian” named Chelsea, and others.
Critics argue that instead of representing a free-spirited, independent woman, Barbie stands for ideals that only a small percentage of women can hope to achieve. Indeed, the term “Barbie doll” is often used to describe rarities such as Pamela Anderson, whose bodies are unusually perfect or surgically assisted.
The critics, however, have done little to hurt Barbie, who has become not only a cherished plaything of many little girls but also the object of many collections. Mattel caters to the collectors with a series of dolls exclusive to certain retailers. From Wedgewood China Barbie to the Bob Mackie line, high-end renditions of the character are highly-prized by collectors and rare Barbies can go for a lot of money on the second-hand market. There’s even a magazine called Barbie Bazaar that caters to collectors with such articles as “That’s Barbie!” and “Denim on the Red Carpet: The Evolution of Casual Chic,” in addition to the usual price guides and classified ads. Mattel’s response to feminists include Astronaut Barbie and Doctor Barbie, which debuted in 1986 and 1988, respectively. Day to Night Barbie (1985) reflected the yuppie lifestyle of the 80s, complete with an executive’s outfit for Barbie’s 9-to-5 office job and evening wear for a night on the town. She even came with a small calculator, perfect for crunching the numbers needed for financial reports.
In 1992, the Barbie Liberation Organization became upset when a Talking Barbie included the phrase “Math class is tough.” The group switched her mechanisms with G.I. Joe’s, creating homemade Barbies that yelled “Vengeance is mine!” While the incident was amusing, and it did successfully spread the group’s message, it did little to harm the brand. In fact, Mattel’s strategy in this area is to ignore the critics, as many of them will be unhappy with the doll no matter what the company does. If a mother is truly unhappy with the image Barbie projects, there’s little Mattel can do that it hasn’t done already.
But while the critics have done little damage to the brand, competitors continue to search for ways to cut into Barbie’s market and mind-share. From cheap knock-offs sold in dollar stores to upstarts like MGA Entertainment’s Bratz, which tries to cash in on current American youth culture with a brash image, Barbie faces many threats within the market niche. In response, Mattel created the “My Scene” line, which features similar fashions without the “in your face” attitude.
Brand consultancy Interbrand ranked Barbie 97th with a value of US$ 1.87 billion, down three percent from the year before, in its 2003 Best Global Brands report with BusinessWeek. While a loss of brand worth is never good, Mattel doesn’t need to panic. It has spent more than three decades building a brand that includes not only toys but also videogames, board games, comic books, cartoons, and other spin-offs that constantly keep Barbie in the public eye. Barbie also embodies a clean-cut image that many moms remember from when they were children, and Mattel continues to keep it that way. After all, it would be hard to imagine a Sponge Barbie Squarepants or a Punk Rock Barbie. As long as Mattel stays the course, this brand should be fine.
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Playboy
exposed
by Abram D. Sauer
May 19, 2003
“At 50, everyone has the face he deserves,” said George Orwell. While he may not have been speaking of the Playboy Empire in particular, the brand certainly seems to fit the observation as it saunters into its second half-century. | |
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| It is hard to imagine that Playboy would enjoy its modern-day success had it stuck with the name founder Hugh Hefner chose for it, Stag Party. Having changed the original buck logo into a rabbit, the first issue of Playboy hit newsstands in 1953. In an open letter to readers of that issue, Hefner promised men “between the ages of 18 and 80” that Playboy would serve them a steady diet of “humor, sophistication and spice.” He added that Playboy was sure to become “a very special favorite.” Of course, there were two more reasons of fleshy prominence per issue upon which Playboy pinned its hopes. Despite having launched Ian Flemming’s James Bond and getting President Jimmy Carter to admit to having “lusted in his heart,” Playboy has always been known for its centerfolds; the first having been Marilyn Monroe.
In fact, Playboy’s identity as a nudie mag is so strong that on its corporate FAQ site, the brand tenders what may be the most rhetorical question in modern publishing: “Does anyone really read Playboy for the articles?” Their answer: “The only people who can rightfully claim [this] are the thousands of blind readers who peruse our Braille edition, which has been distributed by the Library of Congress since 1970.”
Playboy’s rabbit head, designed by Art Paul in “all of a half an hour” is probably one of the most identifiable brand logos in the world. Claiming 15 million readers worldwide, with an Internet presence, licensing deals and satellite and cable channels (both Playboy and Spice) some incarnation of Playboy is available to the vast majority of horny sophisticated men worldwide. However, parties end and the sun rises. In 1985 the bachelor woke with a hangover, unshaven and overweight; gracelessly graying in an id-less era. As if it were the next much-publicized event-euphemism of Playboy’s life span, Hugh Hefner suffered a stroke. Not long after this, Hefner’s daughter Christie took over as CEO. Another euphemistic event, Ms. Hefner’s arrival seemed to be the end of the old hedonistic Playboy and the beginning of sober, siliconed franchise expansion.
An unofficial mission statement from the Lady Hefner’s Playboy reads: “To maintain Playboy enterprises…with many windows of opportunity to expand the Playboy franchise and develop other related entertainment franchise globally by leveraging Playboy’s strengths of [content creation], publishing, brand management, and marketing.” That document then goes on to discuss what Playboy intends to do in the (rapidly approaching) event of Hef’s death.
Unfortunately, being seen working hard at anything, including brand building, doesn’t mesh well with the leisurely lifestyle Playboy champions. The Playboy life is that of the established man of experienced poise, comfortable in his leathery wrinkles and white chest hair. The Playboy man thumbs his nose at the prematurely ejaculated Maxim man-boy and his sophomoric loo humor. Yet, in a corporate statement, Playboy listed Maxim repeatedly as its primary competitor, speaking cantankerously of Maxim’s use of “partial” nudity, as if the word “partial” itself was an affront to taste. The geriatric seizure in the report’s words was one of a flummoxed curmudgeon, suddenly considering that little red sports car, a ponytail, an earring, or all three.
In America, society’s tolerance of both Playboy playmates going on to “legitimate” -- and clothed -- entertainment careers within the mainstream and established public figures becoming centerfolds, attests to the perception of the Playboy brand as no longer on the cusp of deviancy. Playboy’s “Women of…” searches, such as its most recent quests for the “Women of Starbucks” and the “Women of Enron,” are now received with the sort of boys-will-be-boys good humor not associated with more lewd publications such as Larry Flynt’s infamously raunchy Hustler. And, though iconic as ever, Playboy’s circulation numbers have more than halved since the 1970s; a majority of its revenues now come from sources other than the magazine. The truth of the matter is that Hef will die, sooner rather than later, and it has been underestimated how much he and the brand are intertwined. Much of the brand’s success is because Hefner worked so hard to build it; to live it. It is hard to imagine the public getting behind another man (his sons have been proposed) in a silk bathrobe with seven naked women at his side. Playboy is loved because Hef is loved. Unlike many other magazines, Playboy was taken seriously because Hefner sincerely mortgaged himself to the lifestyle, telling us that he’d live this way whether he had money or not. An assigned interloper in rabbit slippers will never capture the personality at the heart of the brand. And like so many Playboy readers already know, real is better than implanted.
Playboy’s answer may be to turn to parts of the world where its history is not so closely anchored to pornography, publishing or, most importantly, Hef. In February 2003, the Far Eastern Economic Reviewnamed Playboy the most popular brand in China. Playboy claims to have over 700 points of sale there retailing both men’s and women’s clothing.
The irony is that Playboy at 50 is what the brand played at being in 1953. Instead of the 23-year-old frat boy dressed gawkily in a silk robe feigning literate sophistication before a poster of Hef on the dorm-room wall, Playboy today is Hef. It is, well, a playboy. Yet, as a new editor of the magazine comes in promising competitive-edge change, it seems as if Playboy is attempting to forget its true self and act the lad that it once so dreadfully pretended not to be.
So, at 50, does Playboy have the face it deserves? Yes, probably. Though, in a twist of further irony, Orwell himself didn't live to see 50.
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Crayola
smell of success
by Abram D. Sauer
July 28, 2003
Crayola embodies the concept of branding more perfectly than any other brand this writer has ever encountered.In basic terms, branding aims to increase, through the development of a brand identity, the value of an otherwise generic product or service. Crayola has undeniably accomplished this. Crayons and markers are, by all means, generic products. The technology and expertise required to produce them is widely available. | |
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| Furthermore, the market for crayons is extremely static and practically guaranteed -- there will always be children, and children will always want to draw brown puppies on green grass under a yellow sun. Yet, despite competitors’ efforts and a product that is not technologically superior, Crayola crayons are asked for by name. One hundred years ago this year, a box of eight Crayola crayons made its first appearance. Crayola was the brainchild of two cousins, Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith, who had founded a chemical company that produced the red and black pigment materials used in products such as lampblack, automobile tires, shoe polish and red barn paint.
In 1900 the company, Binney & Smith, began producing slate pencils for schools. Further research into drawing utensils produced a wax-based crayon, the most important aspect of which was its non-toxicity. In 1903 Crayola was born. Its name, having been coined by one of the founder’s wives, combines the French words craie (chalk) and ola (oleaginous).
More than a billion crayons later, the company produces an average of 12 million crayons a day, which are available in 120 colors and packaged in boxes of eight to 120 individual crayons. Crayola products are available in more than 80 countries and 12 languages. The brand covers colored pencils, markers, chalk, Silly Putty and paint. Various public research has found that 92 percent of mothers of children aged 2 to 12 identified the Crayola brand when asked to name a brand of crayon; 100 percent of mothers who have bought crayons could draw a Crayola box from memory; and the Crayola name is recognized by 99 percent of Americans. A Yale University study found that the scent of Crayola crayons is the eighteenth most recognized scent to American adults. Perhaps best known for its creatively named colors, brown puppies on green grass under a yellow sun become beaver puppies on asparagus grass under a macaroni and cheese sun when drawing with Crayola crayons. Naming colors proved a perfect way to engage the Crayola end user, which is, of course, a child.
Yet, Crayola demonstrates a great deal of self-control by limiting the zany “wow” aspects of its business. The brand managers have been careful not to make color renaming a bigger part of the identity than the Crayola brand itself, a lesson other companies could learn from (e.g., Ben & Jerry’s). Throughout Crayola’s 100-year history, the brand has maintained the same packaging, the same green and yellow trademark colors and the same design on the crayon labels. Also, Crayola applies a dual pronged strategy of reaching out to both children and their parents (the actual customers). A few examples include:
- In 1996, the 1 billionth Crayola crayon was made by a popular childhood TV personality in the US, Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
- Crayola held Crayola ColorJam ’96 -- the largest gathering of people with colors in their names, including Crayola-hometown Easton, Pennsylvania’s Mayor Tom Goldsmith.
- On Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships, Crayola offers art programs for children and adults.
- Crayola surveyed celebrities on their favorite colors. (Fascinating results included Britney Spears: robin’s egg blue; Tiger Woods: wild strawberry; Mario Andretti: pig pink; and George W. Bush: blue bell.)
Branding is as much about building a brand as it is about protecting it. And when a brand is as strong as Crayola’s, it can be expected that others will try to capitalize on the success. In 2001, Binney & Smith went to court to defend its trademark green chevron laid over a yellow background, a design Crayola had been using since its inception, when competitor Rose Industries began packaging its own products in green and yellow boxes.
Crayola’s name is as recognizable as its packaging. Entered into the common lexicon of pop culture, Crayola’s name was used to denote the dumbing down of US high school English curriculums as “Crayola Curriculum.”
Crayola personifies the ideal mix of patience, steadfastness, creativity and flexibility -- for example, while rarely changing the names of its colors, Crayola remains sensitive to changes in society. In 1962 the company changed the pinkish "flesh" color to "peach" recognizing that not everyone’s flesh is the same color. Literal generations of children have grown up with, and will continue to grow up with, Crayola, promising a continuation of the brand’s colorful history.
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IKEA
put together
by Brad Cook
August 4, 2003
A recent advertising campaign in US markets urged viewers not to feel bad for the lamp.The award-winning spot features a forlorn lamp slumped on a curb, the rain beating down on it. In the background, we watch through a window as its former owner welcomes a new light fixture. A man with a Swedish accent approaches and says, "Many of you feel bad for this lamp. That is because you are crazy. It has no feelings. And the new one is much better.” | |
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| According to the agency that created the spot (which was directed by Spike Jonze of Being John Malkovich and Adaptation fame), many consumers are reluctant to part with old furniture and other accessories, so IKEA would like to help them feel better about buying new items. The audacity to tell viewers that their attitudes are crazy and that they need to get over guilty feelings is typical of the Swedish furniture retailer's approach of going against common assumptions. That approach has helped the company rack up worldwide sales of more than €9.6 billion a year (US$ 11B), along with a reputation for selling inexpensive, sturdy, self-assembled furniture.
Ingvar Kamprad founded the company in Sweden in 1943. He named his fledgling business by using his initials and tacking on the first letters in Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd, the farm and village where he grew up. Initial offerings consisted of inexpensive products such as pens, watches, and jewelry. In the late 1940s, Kamprad added furniture to the mix, and in 1951 he published his first catalog.
In the mid-1950s, Kamprad discovered he could ship his furniture unassembled and have his customers put it together after purchase. This lowered his production costs as well as his shipping charges, since he could send the furniture out in economical, flat packages that customers could bring home more easily than pre-assembled furniture. How the customer feels about this varies, depending on one's predilection for complex assembly.
The first IKEA store opened in the late 1950s. Today the company runs 174 stores worldwide, with plans for 50 more in the next 10 years, and employs more than 75,000 people. The key target market comprises those just starting out who are in need of relatively cheap, sturdy furniture. That can mean a young family, college students or single people heading out for their first apartment away from home.
Usually placed outside of urban areas isolated from other shops, IKEA has the customer all to itself, and it doesn't miss the opportunity to wrap the shopper in a 360-degree retail experience. Recognizing that a large factor of shopper decline can be traced to hunger, the store strategically places a cafeteria midway through the vast building to give shoppers an opportunity to fuel up before tackling the rest of the store. The alternative would be to pack everyone in the car and drive to a nearby restaurant, lessening the chance of return.
Bearing in mind its target market's preferences, the furniture needs to be strong enough to accommodate frequent moves and/or young, rambunctious children. IKEA uses in-store displays to demonstrate product sturdiness and assembly. The store’s size also allows it to easily accommodate entire design layouts so the customer can imagine how his kitchen may look and what sort of accessories would go with it.
In June 2003, IKEA became the first European company to use its own trains to transport goods. The company says it will be able to ship the equivalent of 60 trucks a day via IKEA Rail while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 70 percent. Environmental protection is reportedly a priority for Kamprad and his fellow board members; for example, their reliance on wood in their products is in part due to its renewable qualities.
That concern for the environment doesn't always help IKEA avoid the "bad corporate monolith" tag that dogs other large retailers like Wal-Mart and Home Depot. Some communities balk at the company's offer to put a store in their area because of concerns about traffic snarl and the fact that IKEA's stores typically occupy more than 300,000 square feet of space, larger than an average Wal-Mart. However, similar to the frenzy that surrounds American doughnut maker Krispy Kreme, IKEA also attracts a rabidly loyal customer base. Fans flock to new store openings, and sales remain steady even after the initial euphoria wears off (which offsets some of the local community protest by creating jobs and tax revenue). Last month, a marriage was held at a store in Canada; in addition to joining in matrimony, the couple were awarded a US $3,500 gift certificate. (According to news reports, the lucky couple seemed more interested in the IKEA gift certificate than the wedding ceremony.)
As other companies with solid brand communities know, all they have to do is nurture their customer base and their fans will spread the news through word-of-mouth. In fact, thanks to the enthusiastic crowds, IKEA usually garners plenty of newspaper coverage every time it opens a new store, amounting to free advertising.
However, IKEA is not invincible. There is a certain amount of brand fatigue in countries like Sweden where the brand has furnished entire houses for generations. It also faces stiff competition from furniture close-out stores and even the cheap knock-off designs offered by larger retailers. Here IKEAs competes on price, but it is hoped that discerning customers will choose IKEA for its stylish design and higher quality materials.
As long as the furniture retailer can convince shoppers to keep discarding furniture and replacing it with IKEA products, the brand will continue to furnish our lives.
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| source: http://www.brandchannel.com/ |
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