Brand Purpose Boosts Unilever Brand Growth

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Some Unilever brands have been emphasizing sustainability and social responsibility initiatives--driving much higher revenue growth for those brands.

Unilever says those purpose-driven brands (including Ben & Jerry's, Lifebuoy, and Dove) are increasing revenue more than 50% faster than its other brands...and helping Unilever continue growing in the global marketplace.

Given the highly competitive nature of the product categories involved (such as ice cream and personal care), Unilever's experience indicates that consumers definitely recognize and respond to differentiation on the basis of non-functional benefits. In other words, many consumers will choose brands because of corporate citizenship and purpose, not just features that deliver benefits.

Yet brand purpose must also go hand-in-hand with brand usefulness, meaning the brand provides value in the form of meeting a consumer need.

Entrepreneurs Run with Sneakerization

Entrepreneurial marketers like Bucketfeet and Lechal are taking advantage of the ongoing trend toward sneakerization, the development of hundreds of niche markets within a particular product category. The obvious example is sneakers, which used to be canvas shoes with rubber soles, usually equipped with laces. If you were lucky, you had a (limited) choice of colors.

Today, of course, there's no such thing as a prototypical sneaker. Thanks to sneakerization, there are shoes for every sport, activity, season, age, personality, lifestyle, climate, you name it.
 

Bucketfeet shows sneakerization in action for the niche of people who want to wear art on their feet. The company recruits artists from around the world and pays them royalties based on sales of sneakers bearing their art.

Bucketfeet shoes are now in Nordstrom as well as being sold directly to customers online from the Bucketfeet site.

Buzz is important for young brands, and Bucketfeet is active on Pinterest, among other social media networks. The brand's slogan is "We believe art is for everyone." But the shoes also have functional benefits that appeal to buyers, as shown at left.

Lechal is taking a different approach. It's segmenting the market by technology involvement. Lechal sneakers are designed with Bluetooth built in so wearers can track their activity and be guided on foot to walking destinations via data from Google Maps.

Originally designed for visually-impaired wearers, Lechal shoes (the brand means "let's go") appeal to the wearer's sense of design and personality as much as to his or her preference for cutting-edge tech gadgetry. Navigation, fitness tracking, fashion--all in one shoe.

Pop-Up Shops Are Mainstream Marketing

Pop-up shops are no longer a passing trend--they're a mainstream marketing method used by brands, businesses, and even government groups to achieve one or more of these objectives:

• Increase brand or product awareness
• Introduce or test a new brand or product or line
• Reinforce brand image associations
• Reach new markets or segments
• Communicate brand benefits
• Provide a tangible, tactile brand or product experience

With the exception of seasonal retailing, such as stores selling Halloween costumes or Christmas products, pop-up shops are not necessarily aiming to make sales. Instead, communication and branding objectives usually take priority, even when revenue is involved.

For example, Kraft in Canada has planned a series of pop-up shops to reinforce the emotional connection between customers, Kraft dinner products, and fun family times. For three days, Kraft will operate pop-up shops in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, bringing the "fun" aspect of the brand to life. "It’s not enough to tell consumers to go out and have some fun," explains the brand director of Kraft Dinner. "We also want to create experiences that enable them to do so."

When the owners of Parlor Blow Dry Bar wanted to launch their new business in the Raleigh, North Carolina market, they began with a pop-up shop in a high-traffic area. "A pop-up is not something for financial gain," says one of the owners. "It’s a great way to introduce a concept and get to know people." Now the owners have a better idea of which customers prefer which services, an invaluable element in crafting marketing strategy for the new business.

The Canadian government has even used the pop-up shop concept to open a temporary office in Pittsburgh promoting trade between Pennsylvania and Canada. The space was called "Pop-Up Canada!" and remained open for four days, inviting local businesses to learn more about trade, energy, and investment. The opening featured, naturally, a hockey face-off, and the Stanley Cup made an appearance. The point was to highlight close economic ties between Canada (Canada as a brand) and U.S. businesses and of course to encourage more trade.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/07/12/3999999/triangle-pop-up-stores-proliferate.html#storylink=cpy