For this weeks task, the class were asked by Daniel to select three different brands that are seen as respectful and that create a divine emotional connection to the consumer.
The three brands I chose are:
- Sainsburys
- Nike
- John Lewis
Sainsbury’s
Sainsburys is a widely known U.K. retail chain specializing in food, clothes and electronics. They offer cheap prices and deals to the public at beneficial prices. Their motto says, “”Helping Everyone Eat Better”. Right of the bat this creates a strong bond for every economic class as they all are benefitting from the prices without sacrificing food quality. It also promotes them as being inclusive and concerned for the welfare of all.
Over the years Sainsbury’s have created countless television ads using both animation and videography which have all projected the same narrative of them helping families and caring for everyone, this is usually visually shown by a family surrounded by Sainsbury’s products at a dinner table smiling and laughing. Recently, Sainsbury’s produced an advert on television of a similar narrative only this time it shows a black family at Christmas finding ways to connect to relatives during a pandemic. This emotion packed short story shows a short yet detailed analysis of the life of this family which are laughing, cheering and having fun but from the comfort of each others screens. These are represent all the struggles everyone has felt in the past year no matter who they are. This is Sainsbury’s attempt at creating a deep emotional impact on every community and not just targeting one.
Like the story above, in 2014, Sainsbury’s launched their “1914 Christmas Day Truce” short film for Christmas (A time where emotions are at an all time high). This time they shown a light on a very emotional topic of the Great War in which the British and Germans laid down their arms for a day and crossed no mans land to celebrate Christmas. Their intentions was to produce a film to engulf the hearts of the British public, which they succeeded, through the power of positive emotional manipulation using nostalgia, national pride and humanity. The short film bombards and captures the viewers by powerful emotional control from the beginning using both the famous and beautiful sounding silent night song, which both sides join in creating a sense of connection and humanity. The ad brings the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster with one minute vocalizing calming music, then suddenly turning to a more fearful and sinister tone, as well as visually presenting a robin in a war torn environment creating a sense of beauty in hell. They also emotionally captivate the audience by showing picture of his wife back home. All these elements were implemented to capture the hearts of the public. Throughout the ad we find a lack of branding that was highly respected and noticed by the public, as Sainsbury’s didn’t want the public to see them as ‘cashing in on peoples emotions’. This added a greater meaning to the ad with it showing themselves partnered to the “Royal British Legion”. This film was a national success for the brand capturing the hearts of many even out of the United Kingdom.
Nike
Nike is a global multinational cooperation based in Beaverton, Oregon which designs and produces sports gear. It was founded in 1964 and was originally called “Blue Ribbon Sports” since then it has evolved in a major global success. It is highly respected by most athletes and the casual consumer for its stylistic and global clothing designs. In this market there is a lot of competition from different brands such as Adidas, Under armour, Puma and more. Although, the competition is harsh Nike is undoubtedly more respected and loved than other sports brands as it does this by their unique and good quality merchandise, unlike adidas it just doesn’t work on its successful line-up and embraces both modern and nostalgic designs with many of their newer products containing unique and innovative designs at a premium. Nike also rewards their loyal and frequent costumers through their mobile/website app called ‘Nike Plus’ giving the consumer a sense of importance.
Nike has fully embraced their motto “Just Do It” which inspirationally speaks to the consumer creating more of an engaging and encouraging catchphrase that emotionally connects with their consumers. The “Just Do It” catchphrase has been intertwined and seeded into their tick logo which is what many unconsciously say to themselves when they see the tick. The tick is so renowned that they don’t even have to include their brand name in advertisements such as billboards, shopfronts and on the tv in which they just include their signature tick. It is also proudly shown on all of their merchandise. Compare this to Adidas’s motto “Impossible is Nothing” which isn’t really known or attached to their logo.
John Lewis
John Lewis & Partners is a high end department chain operating throughout Great Britain, Ireland and Australia. It’s first store opened in 1864 in Oxford Street, London. In 2008 the store on Oxford Street was awarded a Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth II as “suppliers of haberdashery and household goods”. This shows the power and status of this long running business which is ingrained in British culture and identity.
Similarly to Sainsbury’s, John Lewis annually creates impactful and emotional Christmas short ads which capture the heart of many, in fact, they were the first to do it in 2007 that started a chain reaction of other companies to do the same.
John Lewis is more respected on it’s ethical and moral stance with its name “Partners” meaning their employees. This creates a sense of equality and builds a strong bond between them and their employees.
In a world where employees are usually seen as last in the line, John Lewis changes that. This has ultimately has set a new standard of work ethics and has gained huge respect not just from their employees but also from the public.
Finally, John Lewis portrays themselves as a forward and progressive brand as on their website it shows and tells stories of all kinds of people showcasing an inclusive and accepting environment.
What have I learned?
I have learned how successful brands create and convey certain emotions to become respected and loved by the public. It has also gave me a better understanding of how they create consistency throughout their brand to develop and build their unique personality. While not all brands use the same method of conveying emotion some create respect through their quality and identity others use ethics and enhancing visuals to capture hearts of the public. This has allowed me to see the different approach of building a respected brand identity.