How to keep your brand exciting in 2024
Strategies for brand evolution versus an identity crisis
After brands reach a certain inflection point, it’s natural for them to start getting more experimental with their designs to dually broaden their audience and keep existing consumers engaged. While some brands like Porsche are heavily dependent on legacy and their fans don’t want new designs to deviate too heavily from the originals, audiences of other brands, particularly in fashion & beauty, are constantly seeking new perspectives and want to be at the forefront of the newest trends. As a modern brand, paying homage to your classic design language while still remaining exciting is a constant balancing act that requires a deliberate product and media strategy. What are strategies that marketers can use to push the boundaries just enough so that an experimental brand move doesn’t seem like an identity crisis?
Artists in residence
Now that collaborations are a core part of every brand’s strategy, there is more pressure than ever to deliver consistent releases without boring the consumer. Since brands over-indexed in luxury and mass market collaborations in 2022 and 2023, many brands turned to collaborating with artists for a unique spin on their collections. Brands have long established relationships with artists that started with brick and mortar stores. Aime Leon Dore tapped contemporary artist Tyrrell Winston to create several artworks for their stores which became a core part of their brand identity. Winston’s most iconic work features a grid of deflated basketballs. Considering the heavy 90s influence of Aime Leon Dore, the partnership with Winston seemed natural but was also an exciting entry into the art world for many. The basketball motif made its way into several capsule collections and led to a full collaborative release with the artist featuring jewelry and clothing. Ultimately, this created even more brand continuity between brick and mortal and e-commerce which makes the brand seem more cohesive. If you don’t live in NYC or London and can’t visit the Aime Leon Dore store to see the piece in person, at least you can buy part of the collection and you’re still part of the conversation.
Larger brands and institutions have adopted the same strategy, notably Ralph Lauren who created a formal artist in residence fellowship for indigenous artists to collaborate on Americana inspired designs. While preserving the same silhouette and design language of the brand, the fellowship allows for Ralph Lauren to become more experimental with their fabrics, offering a fresh but non-divergent perspective to their classics. This is part of a larger industry shift for brands to double down on storytelling and highlight the stories of these amazing artists in a dynamic way.
The focus is on styling, not the product
A co-sign from an influencer doesn’t cut it anymore. The original purpose of influencers was to prove that a product is topical and relevant. Now the purpose has shifted and influencers must highlight the versatility of certain products. As consumers become more discerning and as they are making fewer purchases, they want pieces that can be styled in a variety of ways while still showcasing a unique point of view. While highly produced content still has a formidable place in the luxury brand market, consumer taste has shifted to a more colloquial style of production. Evidenced by the rise of GRWM or ‘get ready with me’ TikToks, creators are recording minute plus long videos showing the process of them getting ready and highlighting the pieces as they put them on. This process puts less emphasis on the products themselves and shows them as part of a unique ensemble, showcasing how versatile a piece can be even if it’s a departure from the brand’s typical design language. Gen-Z and Millennials do not want to be sold or advertised to, but they do want to be part of a conversation with brands. Rather than the typical paid placement, consider an engaging format like this that creates a dialogue between the brand, the influencer, and the consumer. What fosters the best dialogue is including influencers from various subcultures, whether it be traditional menswear or workwear fans etc, because the purpose of these activations is to challenge your point of view.
The uniform model
The Pareto Principle, or 80-20 rule, states that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. Extending to brands, 80% of revenue is driven by 20% of the inventory, mainly classic items.
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