How brand life-styles are hurting companies

This is the opinion of many branding agency executives. They believe that not all brands benefit from creating an additional image. In some cases, it can lead to losses and to sales being sidelined.

Jeff Swistan, who heads his own branding agency, was particularly clear on this point in his blog. He recently talked about a meeting with representatives of an interesting start-up. They were planning to open a point of sale for branded but already worn clothes. The idea is that a girl could wear a Chanel dress a few times and then not need it. In this case, she returns it to the shop and gets a part of the money back. In addition, the startup involves an additional service that allows you to alter things to your own liking.

As a result, the representatives of this company turned to Whistleblower for help. They wanted him to help them create a lifestyle brand. For Jeff himself, this was an interesting proposition. That said, he noted that many brands are now trying to position themselves as lifestyle brands. Not everyone needs to do that, though.

Many brands are calling themselves lifestyle brands for nothing

As an example, Jeff Swistan cited Listerine mouthwash, which has long tried to associate itself with lifestyle. However, he believes that no hygiene product company can claim to be a lifestyle brand.

As for Listerine, Swistan criticised the product’s global advertising campaign. After all, the bullhorn promotion is based on the result of an alleged survey showing that consumers of the rinse aid have a lot in common with each other. This survey result alone is questioned by Swistan and even if it is honest, it still does not give Listerine the right to be called a lifestyle brand.

Geoff explained that the concept itself came about at a time when marketers began debating the importance of interacting with a product and building a community around it. Swistan himself doesn’t see much difference between a brand and a lifestyle brand. These days, all companies are trying to stand out and focus on the emotional impact rather than the functionality of their products or services. As a result, all brands are trying to communicate the impact of their product on consumers’ lives in creative ways.

Financial consultant Rich Dupre agrees with Jeff Swistan. In his book he clearly shows why positioning as a lifestyle brand is not a good solution. He cites the motorbike manufacturer Harley-Davidson as an example. The brand used to be positioned specifically as a company that produced quality and reliable motorbikes. But then it started producing perfumes, grill accessories and other products. As a result, individuality was lost.

Therein lies the main mistake of the brands

It is the imposition of lifestyle that spoils the effectiveness of marketing communications. Companies get carried away with social issues and forget about sales. For example, in 2015, Starbucks launched an advertising campaign against racial discrimination. The idea was to put not only names on customers’ glasses, but also the hashtag racetogether. Yes, the company received several billion mentions on social media. However, most of them were of a negative nature.

Therein lies the mistake. Companies, in an attempt to build a lifestyle brand, simply forget about sales. And it is they who play the main role. The result of imposing a lifestyle is a decline in share price and profits. In addition, customers are now difficult to mislead. Yes, they are still interested in products. But they are not interested in a situation where brands are trying to run their lives.