When the charismatic J.P. Kuehlwein (pronounced ‘cool vine’) shared the secrets of ueber (think big, not taxis) at the Mumbrella 360 marketing summit last month, he had a lot of heads nodding about what makes a brand stand out. And it got me thinking about the brands that boomers trust (Qantas, Bupa, LG, according to YourLifeChoices research] and those that they don’t.
J.P.’s take is that the really good luxury or bespoke brands promise and deliver on seven key principles and he made a convincing case about the way they do this. I’m not going to give away his insights – you either needed to be there, or to buy his book Rethinking Prestige Branding – but here are three aspects of brand building that have strong resonance with the boomer consumer:
- Make your own myth
- Move from myth to meaning
- Product as essence
So if these deliverables are of relevance to boomer consumers – and of course they are – which brands have them? According to JP, the following global brands have these qualities in spades:
- Yuan soap
- Aesop
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Hermes Birkin Bag
- Mini
In particular, Hermes has managed to make its products the ‘holy grail’, the ‘dream come true through imagination and craftsmanship beyond compare’.
But the standout example he quoted was Patagonia, the outdoors equipment and clothing company founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973. Why did he love this organisation as an example of a successful ueber brand so much? Because it not only had a great story to tell, it managed to tell it through actions as well as words – the myth became the reality, with the preservation of both natural and human resources a priority.
Patagonia did this through actions first; the words followed. It makes sense. It created an authentic and compelling story, told it well, thus reinforcing its authority and consolidating trust.
JP’s message was both simple and doable – when you are clear about your mission and what it stands for, it gives you a consistency understood by your consumers.
With FY17 now upon us, it’s the perfect time to get to know YourLifeChoices better. YourLifeChoices is a specialist in producing engaging and targeted content for the Over 50’s market in Australia. Contact us to find out more.
