Functional products, including food and drinks products, were the original great brands – FMCGs that were the weekly essentials for households, such as bars of soap, washing powders, tea and coffee, cereals, etc.
In its earliest phases, brands made some amazing claims about their product properties to achieve real differential, usually based on a small grain of truth. But as branding evolved and matured, one of the key cornerstones was integrity.
Great brands were built on clearly identified values that accurately captured and communicated what made them different and special. Quality and consistency had to be a given in building brands that could compete and succeed in their market.
We began to trust and accept that BMW was technically superior and very well built, that Singapore Airlines consistently delivered a uniquely special level of customer service, and that John Lewis was the custodian of integrity on the high street.
Branding has expanded to cover a whole range of customer emotions and experiences. It’s usually pivotal to success in a competitive market to deliver added value to the consumer, which, by brand association, makes them feel special and plays a part in expressing their personality.
Niketown is a great example of brands taking products to an enhanced customer experience level.
The functional food and drink market has seen explosive growth in recent decades, and consumers have a growing and insatiable appetite for healthier, more natural and pure products that are better for their bodies and for the planet.
With this growing consumer craze has developed a booming market of new products, accompanied by some eye-opening marketing claims about their ingredients and special properties.
The brand is now vitally important in the consumer buying process, and a key tool in motivating choice of a particular product.
Here are a few key drivers to ensure a new brand starts on the right path to success in this market:
Great and successful brands have the capacity to enrich our lives, make us feel special and part of their unique world, as well as providing us with a functional and useful product which is of high quality and value for money.
Consumers are not stupid, and any brand that doesn’t meet these fundamental principles will ultimately fail anyway, no matter how powerful the marketing spin.
The Jamie Oliver brand keeps evolving and maturing through his unrelenting food passion and ethical food initiatives. He has moved from TV chef and cook books to monthly magazines and on to high street restaurants and high-end culinary products. His genuine ideology makes his brand one that keeps growing and that people are very happy to associate with.
Another example of brand success is Innocent Drinks who always have a fantastic tone of voice and unique visual style. Innocent – not the cheapest – ooze trust and quality through an inherent brand confidence built on simple and pure brand values and principles.
Although successful brands are always evolving and changing to meet consumer trends, the core building principles still remain true and critical to success:
Consumers love brands that can stretch and weave these values to create a unique world that they can share, and which makes them feel unique and special by association yet they will be quick to abandon a dream that fundamentally is a lie.
Tony Chambers has been account director of UK-based branding and marketing company Eat with Your Eyes for 12 years. The company specialises in the food retail industry and work with the likes of Greene King, Merlin Entertainment Group and Aramark UK.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024