Smart marketers know that only change is certain. Market research confirms that we consumers have an ever-shortening attention span. We want our brands to live and move at the frenetic pace of our lives, adapt to our instantly changing needs, and constantly seduce us with the allure of the “new.” But what about brands whose unique value is built on their long-standing success? Can heritage brands remain relevant?
There is a common misconception that “heritage” is inherently “old-fashioned” or “outdated.” Like any other brand left unmonitored, a heritage brand may find that its identity can quickly become dusty. With proper care, however, vintage brands can be recast to address a current and relevant message while still leveraging their recognized consumer connection.
The value of being the genuine original cannot be overstated. Behaviorists such as of Malcolm Gladwell and Barry Schwartz recognize that in a sea of newness, we consumers find comfort in brands that are consistent, honest, and real. We immediately recognize their familiar identities and emotionally tie them to comfortable, no-risk, well-anticipated experiences. Joe Pine, co-author of “The Experience Economy,” believes that a marketer’s ultimate goal is to transform consumers through a brand experience that they believed to be authentic, not manufactured or contrived. These brand identities certainly evolve over time, but they always stay true to their essence. Brands such as Arm & Hammer, John Deere, Levi’s, and Jack Daniels have always known this. At strategic branding company Wallace Church, we call these products “icon brands.”
The Heinz heritage brand
Heinz ketchup is the very model of an icon brand. Whether or not you buy into green ketchup or clever label quotes such as “Are Your Fries Lonely,” there is no denying that Heinz is the world champion of the ketchup experience.
Beyond ketchup, however, dozens of products in numerous categories—vinegars, pickles, relishes–also live under the Heinz brand. In early 2005, all 30-plus products were loosely tied together using variations of the Heinz logo and “keystone” label shape. They had never been promoted as a family of products, never structured to encourage cross-brand sales, and never unified under “icon brand” status. As a result, these inconsistencies denigrated the brand impression, allowing the overall Heinz brand to become ineffectively generic.
Heinz took up the challenge of integrating all its heritage products under one relevant message. Research showed that “Passing the test of time since 1869” resonated best with consumers. Wallace Church was consulted to determine the visual strategies that best evoked this message. We then designed a unifying identity to recapture the brand’s authenticity. In short, our charge was to elevate these incongruent products into a unified and relevant icon brand.
In the first step of this process, Wallace Church defined the Heinz brand experience as “tried and true.” This perception became the emotional and experiential rallying cry that catalyzed the entire brand communications architecture.
Visualizing the essence
Traditionally the design process is initiated and analyzed by subjective interpretations of a positioning statement. One marketer’s visual perception of “tried and true” can be quite different from another’s interpretation. This can lead to a subjective analysis and lots of wheel spinning.
To streamline design development, Wallace Church used its Visual Brand Essence process, or ViBE, to prequantify the most effective visual strategies before initiating design. Other “tried and true” brands were visually deconstructed. Colors, type styles, graphic cues, product presentations, iconography, and all design strategies were analyzed for their potential impact on the unique Heinz heritage message.
Through this process, two visual strategies emerged as most effective. The first, labeled “Turn-of-the-Century Americana,” used graphic conventions of late 19th-century design. A second strategy, “Old As New,” effectively married late 19th-century conventions with early 21st-century sensibilities. We then conducted market research to help the team determine which approach was more effective. An efficient design process could now begin.
The design exploration focused on leveraging and consistently highlighting the Heinz logo and signature “keystone” label shape. Each new design architecture explored enhancements to these equities. Concepts ranged from nostalgic Americana to more-contemporary interpretations of traditional cues. Design systems were then applied to three core SKUs, thereby addressing the greatest adaptation challenges.
Several of the most effective concepts were refined and then adapted across the extensive product line. Life-size shelf simulations were developed to show how each design system would appear in differing retail sections. Again, we conducted market research to confirm the one most effective design architecture.
The selected brand identity is unmistakably Heinz. But the adjustments to the Heinz logo create more impact and readability. A consistent and prominent use of the keystone shape is now an icon of recognition. A consistent product illustration style recaptures the heritage perceptions. All form and flavor descriptions and supportive copy are featured in the same “staging areas,” allowing consumers to more readily find their specific product. And because we have visual consistency in all these core areas, we can allow background colors to change, reflecting each product’s individual benefits. For example, traditional vinegar uses a white background as a meaningful differentiation from the specialty vinegar’s richer, darker, more premium color cues. The resulting identity balances brand-wide consistency with individual product distinction. More important, by recasting its authentic heritage in a richly meaningful way, the brand reclaims its place in the consumers’ hearts and minds. It gives the brand more credibility, more authority, and a higher value. Now in the early phases of sell-in at retail, initial sales indicate increases across the entire product line.
The enduring relevance of icon brands
“Icon brand” status is not manufactured but instead is earned over time. For brands that have earned this trust, the single most powerful marketing tool is an identity that successfully synthesizes authenticity and relevance.
How does a marketer optimize that power? First, define the emotional experience that only your brand can truly own. Leverage the positive aspects of your brand’s recognition and emotional equities. Recast that message. Then predetermine the visual cues that best communicate this relevant experience. Deconstruct visual mentors. Find personalities to emulate. Research the resulting design strategies to achieve team consensus before starting the design process. And finally, design a brand identity/package architecture as the cornerstone of your brand’s entire communications structure.
When done well, this process will not only elevate your brand to icon status, but it will also convert your consumers into long-term, fiercely loyal brand advocates.
Rob Wallace is managing partner of Wallace Church, a New York-based strategic brand identity and package design consultancy. He can be reached at [email protected].
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