Its a dog eat dog world out there for brands, all trying to compete to be the best at what they do, but its all become rather unsentimental. Rather than buying products from loved brands for their notable usage has now turned into a vicious cycle of desire where consumers are looking to buy the best, their buying habits clouded by powerful branding, shrouding any thoughts that they may actually have to buy a product that does the job...and not something which has been advertised by a laughing baby or some sort of cute animal (although I must admit I'm a sucker for the Ikea - Happy Inside 'Cats' advert...here's the link, just in case you want to be sold a piece of Swedish flat packed furniture by a bunch of cats).
Its become clear that our culture has become driven by the endless cycle of consumption and brands are playing their role well, selling products to somewhat naive audiences who, as they well know, will buy anything if it's connoted through some sort of appealing nature. However this may prove more relevant to the fresh minds of the younger generation. Many consumers who weren't brought up in this advertising age will most undoubtedly be one of the sceptical few who actually stick to what they know and love best. Many household brands have accepted this as a part of their USP, communicating to consumers nostalgic side in a hope that the brand traditions will run through the family.
"Products are made in the factory, but brands are made in the mind"
- Walter Landor
Brands must have a strong, inspirational and affluent presence within the market place in order to hold power over the consumer, ensuring their flawless, seamless branding. But what does this mean?
To communicate your brand seamlessly means just that...make sure nothing slips through the cracks in vital and tangible interaction. Many companies have gone as far as to brand their '404 Error Page'. What was once an annoying pop up to show a break in the connection, a misspelled URL or an old link, one was trying to access has now become just another way for companies to brand themselves. With altered discourse and recognisable images are a few select ways to show yet another route to the 'brand experience' and how they don't want you to forget them.
As I was browsing the web for some error pages to display on this blog I was expecting some of the bigger companies to come up first, the usual suspects Coca Cola, Disney, McDonald's, as they are renowned for their branding (mostly as they have to funds to do so) but the one that caught my eye the most and linked the error message to the real brand narrative, whilst making an irritating situation humorous, was from outdoor company - The North Face.
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