Lifestyle Brands
Several brands that came out of my interviews share a common objective towards the consumer which is to connect on such a level that the brand shares the consumers life values and actively participate in his lives.
The
most known examples are the surf related brands such as Quicksliver and
Billabong which started more as functional or technical brands and nowadays
represent a lifestyle for millions of people who live surf more as a philosophy
of life than a sport.
I would like to focus your attention on a less famous
brand but a WoW brand to a colleague of mine: Petzl
Petzl is a manufacturer of climbing gear, caving gear,
work-at-height equipment, and headlamps based in Crolles (near Grenoble), France.
The company was created by the cave explorer Fernand Petzl in
the mid-1970s. Their three specialties are:
·
Work at height and rescue: solutions for
progression and safety in difficult-access worksites and in technical rescue.
·
Headlamps/head torches that provide hands free lighting
While
analyzing Petzl and other lifestyles brands as the above mentioned surf related
ones, it clearly came across that these brands follow 3 steps to become a so
called lifestyle brand:
1st
Step – Understanding the Consumer
Lifestyle
brands try to fit into behavior patterns of a specific target group of
consumers trying to understand them in every detail. How does the consumer enjoy
his free time, what are his challenges, wishes, how does he relate with others,
etc. For example in the case of our WoW brand, Petzl, the aim would be to
understand who is their consumer (e.g. business man/women between 30-45 years
of middle-high class with a healthy lifestyle, with no children that tries to
enjoy life via meaningful experiences such as mountain climbing)
2nd
Step – Product quality is crucial
The product is essential in these brands as it needs to fulfill a rational and emotional answer to our consumer needs.
In the case for Petzl, the product characteristics such as light weight and resistance is key to build its credibility among its target consumers.
The product is essential in these brands as it needs to fulfill a rational and emotional answer to our consumer needs.
In the case for Petzl, the product characteristics such as light weight and resistance is key to build its credibility among its target consumers.
3rd
Step – Creating The Brand
Once
the product is part of the consumers lives it is time for transforming the
product into brand value via extending the brand into relevant categories that
answer all consumer unmet needs of a specific lifestyle world.
In the
case of Petzl, the brand that began offering caving equipment soon extended its
range to equipment for Mountaineering, Canyoneering, Bouldering, rock climbing,
Ice climbing, Trail running, Backpacking, Trekking, etc.
Enjoy
the world of Petzl with this video:
I think that one of the reasons why niche brands like Petzl can become WoW brands is that they are connected to people's passions. When you are passionate about a sport, a leisure activity, etc. is easier to stablish an emotional link with the brand that makes your passion possible.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great opportunity for brands, since they can create engaging content, start conversations and build long term relationships with people.
Brands for swim/ski/board/trekking etc. as special sports gears really establish themselves among their consumers quite nicely. Very good example, Thank you.
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