Essay 3

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

"As androgyny and gender fluidity become the norm rather than the exception in today's cultural landscape, brands are faced with the challenge of tackling gender norms both in their advertising and the products they offer," Ruth Bernstein (2016). In modern society gender neutrality is becoming more accepted as the inequality between men and women is becoming eradicated. Subvert is a gender-neutral makeup brand, who’s demographic is not specified to one age range or gender. Originally the Visual Investigation brief aimed to rebrand the makeup brand, Morphe. Recently the company has grown in popularity, however the logo and overall look of the brand doesn’t suit the exceptional reputation the brand has built. After further research into the project, especially during the demographic analysis section, it became clear that the developing concept was becoming too far removed from, albeit stronger than, the original idea. Therefore, instead of rebranding an existing company, the decision was made to create a new cosmetics brand focusing on the premise of the brand not being gender specific, as anyone should be able to wear make up. Make up brands are often aimed at females, including advertising and packaging, the designs tend to use typically 'gendered' colours, for example, pink for more products aimed towards women. The intent is to create a brand that is gender neutral and not aimed towards any gender in particular, in order to keep the company modern and changing with the times. Subvert is intended to have a positive effect on teenagers who want to buy makeup. Chris Hudson (2010) discusses in his article ‘How Branding Is Shaping Teenagers’, that how teenagers base their identity and what brand they belong to, can “be stronger and overshadow the values of developing integrity, thought out values and sound relationships as the basis for understanding who they are.” The idea for a gender-neutral make up brand arose from the belief that not only women should be able to wear make up and the knowledge that there is an increasing amount of successful male ‘beauty guru’s’ challenging the traditional gender constructs. Outcomes for the brief include a logo, product packaging and an advertising campaign to promote the brand. The advertising campaign focused on distributing the information via social media, as it is a more modern channel of communication.

Many products are tailored to attract specific genders, for example, the chocolate bar Yorkie used to carry the slogan ‘Not for Girls’. This tagline was discontinued in early 2012 along with the original packaging, which featured the universally recognised icon for a woman as well as the prohibited sign, further enforcing the idea that women couldn’t buy or eat the brand. The same premise is behind women’s and men’s razors. The packaging of products aimed at different genders relies on colour to attract these specific audiences. Female razors tend to be pink or purple whereas men’s razors are usually darker colours like blue or grey. Subvert aims to counteract these gender biases by avoiding typically gendered colours completely. Instead of using pink and blue for female and male products respectively, the colour palette is limited to monochrome with the addition of a pale green. Green was chosen as it considered as a neutral colour, and one that is not typically ‘assigned’ to any gender. It evokes the emotion of growth, which can be attributed to society’s growing acceptance of non-conformity and individuality. This colour palette is applied across Subverts packaging and advertising, providing consistency across the brand.

As well as using colour to attract a certain gender, companies use advertisements in order to draw in the intended consumer base. Cosmetic companies traditionally use female supermodels to wear and advertise their products – the use of a beautiful female face prompts other women to buy these products in the hope that they will look like the model wearing the product. However, by exclusively employing female models, the company is encouraging traditional gender norms and excluding any other genders. Recently, big name make up brands have teamed up with ‘beauty boys’, men who have made their name in the make up world creating tutorials online. An example of this is Maybelline who has partnered with Manny Gutierrez, known online as MannyMUA, to promote diversity in the world of beauty. The progression shown in this move by Maybelline reflects the change in attitudes towards the relationship between gender and cosmetics – however the company still uses the tagline ‘maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline’. Despite the push towards a growing inclusivity of other genders, the fact the female oriented tagline is still being used highlights the effect gender norms have had on society. Whereas on social media platforms such as Instagram it has become more of a regular occurrence to see brands promoting male make up artists, the likelihood of seeing a man in make up on television is very slim.

Subvert has aimed to counteract this limitation in advertising by choosing to partner with diverse well - known social media influencers to endorse the brand. The celebrities chosen include a young Filipino male, a fuller figured woman as well as a transgender woman of colour. Using diverse celebrities of different races, ages and gender in the social media campaign expands the inclusivity of the brand and creates brand recognition as well as building up a solid reputation.

Nike used a similar tactic in their 2011 ‘Make Yourself’ women’s wear campaign (fig 1.) By using a diverse range of female athletes from all over the world the campaign is as inclusive as it could be – despite it only advertising women’s sports wear and so exclusively using female athletes, the campaign in question celebrates a range of ethnicities.

Subvert relates to the overarching theme of society by challenging archetypal gender norms that still are a major contention in todays world. While attitudes towards gender and in particular its relationship with make up and beauty are shifting towards a growing acceptance, the standards and restrictions enforced on all genders continue to plague society, creating unease within individuals who feel repressed and unable to express or be their true selves. Subvert has aimed to challenge these norms and include all genders and personalities within its neutral branding.

fig 1

Adweek. 2016. Brands Are Throwing Out Gender Norms to Reflect a More Fluid World. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/brands-are-throwing-out-gender-norms-reflect-more-fluid-world-174070/. [Accessed 24 April 2017]

Understanding Teenagers. 2015. How Branding Is Shaping Teenagers. [ONLINE] Available at: http://understandingteenagers.com.au/blog/how-branding-is-shaping-teenagers/. [Accessed 24 April 2017].

Essay 2

Essay 2

Image 1 belongs to an advertising campaign run by Nike Women entitled “Make Yourself,” Image 2 is from the Apple “Silhouette” campaign and Image 3 is a Coca Cola advertisement. I will be comparing these images.

Image 1 features the sentence “Make Yourself” with an interchangeable word following this - in this particular image “Proud” and “Fit” are used. The type itself is large, bold and capitalized to enforce the intended meaning with the interchangeable word in a handwritten style font, which makes it feel relatable to real life. Whereas image 1 and 3 bear type, image 2 does not contain any type at all, and it is also lacking a logo to identify the brand. Image 1 and 3 clearly show the logos of the companies Nike – whose logo is placed in the bottom corner and also emblazoned on their sportswear - and Coca Cola. Their signature logotype is repeated 5 times in the advert alone, making it almost impossible to miss. Apple does not use their logo in image 2 allowing instead for the white iPod each silhouette is holding to be the focus of the image and element that helps viewers identify the brand behind the campaign. As the company grew and the campaign continued, the image of the iPod grew more and more recognizable. As well as the iPod, the silhouettes are also wearing white Apple earphones, which would later become synonymous with the brand.  Apple is not the only company to use icons within their advertisements. In Image 3 Coca Cola were able to use not only their logo as a significant recognisable feature of the advert, but also the iconic bottle shape Coca Cola is famous for. As (Lury, 2004) states ‘It’s hard to think of Coca Cola and not think of the flowing, white, copperplate script on the bright red background, or the distinctly curvaceous bottle.’ According to (Kapferer, 2004) ‘Brand reputation is created by familiarity’, so by using pictures of the bottle almost everybody within the Western world is familiar with in the advertisement, again, drums the brand into people’s minds.

Whereas Coca Cola use illustrations of their famous bottles to advertise their product, Nike and Apple use people as the subjects of their advertisements.

In image 1 the motivational phrases of the Nike campaign are placed over images of muscular women, dressed in sportswear. Included in this particular image are Sofia Boutella, a French - Algerian dancer, and Perri Shakes Drayton, an Olympic athlete from the UK. Image 2 also contains people as subjects but here they are in the form of silhouettes. The silhouettes are black in colour with no distinguishable features, which makes the advert all-inclusive of race, class and gender. Image 1 also alludes to include all classes and races. The athletes in the campaign come from all over the world, which makes the campaign more diverse despite its language limitations and Westernized format – which is deemed inappropriate in some places, the Middle East for example. In these places, women are forbidden from showing any flesh – the practice is contradictory to the countries religion/moral code. This makes image 1 limited in its capacity, as it will not be shown in places such as these. Image 1 is also limited in the sense that it excludes men from its audience. The campaign is targeted solely towards women – but as the brand advertised is a womenswear brand this makes sense. Nike’s advertising campaign as a whole has strong feminist links, due to the use of a positive motif coupled with powerful female figures. This is important as men dominate the sportswear sector of the retail industry – creating an ad campaign to promote purely women’s sportswear helps to expand and diversify the brand image in the public eye. This is one of the objectives of advertising, ‘to change people’s perceptions of a brand and its attributes.’ (Lury, 2004).

Nike reaches out to women by centering their campaign on a wholly encouraging message. The motivating spirit of the phrase “Make Yourself” along with positive words such as “Fit” and ‘Proud” is meant to inspire women to go out and do just that. By using the female athletes in particular for the subjects of the advertisements, as opposed to non famous fit women, help encourage the message as these women are known in the public eye for being - and making a living as being - as the sentences say, “Fit” and “Proud.” The athletes are used as inspiration and as a sort of “end goal” for women aspiring to be fit and healthy. However it could be argued that the images used in the campaign sexualize exercise. The athletes show lots of flesh, especially in the second advert in the image; Shakes – Drayton’s legs are photographed in such a way to make her body look stereotypically “sexy”. Using sex to promote a product is proven to work, which has given way to the phrase ‘sex sells’. This again links back to feminist values – how women should not be treated as sex objects. However using these photos of the athletes could be argued to be vital to the success of the campaign – part of the premise of it is to motivate women to get a “sexy” body. ‘Sex sells whether it’s an athletic model or curvy model. Although these images may empower women to accept their bodies, I think these ads also build on the ideal body image, making viewers want the bodies advertised.’ (Racanelli, 2012).

By linking the empowering message of the campaign to its brand, Nike has added a subliminal message to its advertising. Nike is effectively stating in image 1 that if you buy their products, you will be able to “make yourself proud/fit” etc. It is enforced in consumers’ minds that the products will aid them to reach their fitness goals and that it will be harder to look like these women without purchasing Nike branded sportswear/trainers. Apple does something similar in image 2. The product that they are promoting - the iPod - is a portable music player, and Apple have shown this by making the silhouettes in the campaign appear as if they are dancing. Apple have intentionally evoked the happy feeling of carefree dancing in the consumers mind, which, when coupled with bright colours of the background, subliminally makes the consumer attach a sense of fun, youth and brilliance to the brand. ‘The consumer is persuaded that the brand is desirable’ (Lury, 2001).

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Kapferer, J.-N.N. (2004) The new strategic brand management: Creating and sustaining brand equity long term. 3rd edn. London: Kogan Page

Lury, G. (2001) Brandwatching: Lifting the lid on the phenomenon of branding. 2nd edn. Dublin: Blackhall Publishing.

Racanelli, J. (2012) ‘Response to Felicia’s post “Make Yourself-Nike Ad”’, let your light shine, Available at: http://let-your-lightshine.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/response-to-felicias-post-make-yourself.html (Accessed: 29 January 2017).

Essay 1

What components of a brand are vital in establishing its success and how do these affect consumers?

Keller (as cited by Kapferer, 1997) defined a brand as ‘a set of mental associations, held by the customer, which add to the perceived value of a product or service.’ Branding is not just design, but rather the process involved in affecting the consumer’s perceptions of the brand, how he thinks and feels about the company - in other words creating a brand image. The image must be positive in order for the company to succeed. Branding aims to instil and reinforce the image’s presence in the consumer's lives, to encourage their ongoing interaction with the brand. Brands need specific requirements in order to succeed. Successful brands have clear, well established personalities and internal values.

‘A brand personality is all the human characteristics associated with a specific brand.’ (Lury, 2001). Personality is used as a tool to help create differentiation between brands, in a similar way to how we see humans as individuals. 2 brands with very similar products can appeal to different audiences if their respective personalities vary. As well as this, brand personality helps to create brand appeal. Consumers will be more likely to engage with the brand if it reflects their own characteristics, or characteristics they wish to possess. Alternatively, ‘an appropriate brand personality is not necessarily one which consumers like. Sometimes it can be more important that consumers reflect or trust it.’ (Southgate, 1995).

The personality shapes the way the brand is communicated and can help define a solid corporate identity. The corporate identity of a brand is the way in which the brand is presented, and this encompasses a logo, websites and advertisements.

Advertising is highly influential in the growth and success of a brand, as well as a powerful means of establishing the brand personality. By reflecting the personality in the way the advert is structured and presented, the consumer attributes these characteristics to the brand.  The consumer may have never heard of the brand before in which case the advertisements are creating awareness. On the other hand the viewer of the advert may have indeed have heard of the brand, in which case the ad is used to build brand preference. The company does this by using adverts as persuasive tools, in order to encourage the consumer to purchase their product. Methods such as repetition or creating an emotional resonance with the consumer instill in their minds that they need to buy this product as it will improve their life or solve an existing problem they already face. Alternatively the advert can be used to assure people they have made a good choice in buying the brand. These categories can be defined as ‘informative, persuasive and reminder advertising’ (Dutka and Colley, 1995).

Arguably though, the most important component of any corporate identity is a logo. ‘A good and successful corporate identity cannot be created without a well crafted logo. This is the foundation of any brand.’ (Apeloig and Kelly, 2004). A logo is often the first impression a consumer will get of the company, and it must effectively and concisely communicate the brand’s personality and meaning. Creating a solid personality and conveying this through the logo helps in this by increasing brand awareness.

A perfect example of a successful corporate identity is one of the biggest companies in the world. The sportswear brand Nike is internationally recognised instantly by its logo - the ‘swoosh’ or tick. The clean and fresh logo stands the test of time and is unlikely to go out of style. The logo has positive connotations - the tick almost encourages people to buy the brand, by instilling that their products are right for the consumer - and the dynamic appearance symbolizes the sportswear basis of the brand.

To summarise, a logo is a visual expression of a brand personality and crucial as ‘55 percent of the impression we make on others is determined by what they see’ (Mehrabian, 1972). However, a company with an outstanding logo is nothing if the brand has no internal values. As Michael Bierut says, ‘Symbols [logos] are empty vessels and the meaning is poured into them’ (Vox, 2015). All brands have and represent certain values and these values are key in distancing a brand from the vast wealth of other brands competing against them.

The core values attributed to a brand are based on the company’s beliefs about their business and help to guide their approach to not only marketing their brand, but the manner in which they conduct business and handle customer relations. Michael Willmore believes that ‘brands that embrace and encourage core values that have a citizenship component’ will gain a strategic advantage over brands that do not. (Willmott, 2001). In essence, Brand values are the “how” of the business. By creating strong brand values, others are attracted towards the brand and this helps to create real ongoing relationships. These relationships can develop in strength if the values are steadfast, and this in turn creates brand loyalty – the consumer now has a relationship with the brand as they share the same values. They are more likely to keep buying the brand as they trust it more.

Brands are complex and multi faceted and many aspects of them need to satisfy the wants or needs of consumers in order to be successful. A brand with an appealing personality, strong design, solid core values is more likely to attract and keep consumers, therefore establishing its success.

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