The winning combination of heritage and innovation
In 2005 Kate Moss wore a pair of Hunter wellies to Glastonbury. The pictures went global and the 150-year-old company saw demand soar. Hunter leveraged their newly acclaimed fashion credibility splitting the brand for two polar audiences - Hunter Field, a newer range with a focus on product innovation, and Hunter Original for the growing fashion follower. In a world of unlimited choice we often look for comfort in what we know and heritage brands by nature are often embedded in the fabric of our society. Clever marketing and product innovation can help a company remain relevant for a new audience.
In 2006 Angela Ahrendts became CEO of Burberry and turned an aging British icon into a global luxury brand by capitalising on its historic core. “We would reinforce our heritage, our Britishness, by emphasising and growing our core luxury products, innovating them and keeping them at the heart of everything we did… We also had to rethink our entire marketing approach for Millennial customers - to make it digital,” she wrote in an article for Harvard Business Review.
It’s not just fashion, Aspall Cyder at 284 years is the oldest family-run business in the list of Britain’s CoolBrands. “We’re very lucky that we have a long and rich herit age to bring into conversation… It just helps cement the position that everything we do is steeped in authenticity,” said Henry Chevallier Guild, who runs Aspall.
On the back of a food revolution they have diversified into a cooking ingredient, with supporting digital content that offers recipe inspiration. Some of our best loved brands are seeing a revival through the winning combination of heritage and innovation, being careful not to lose sight of their current audience as they innovate for a new customer.
Read on for examples…
Pernod Ricard’s Innovation team knew they could create a great vodka, but they wanted an authentic story and a product with new relevance. Our/Vodka not only challenged the category, but the entire Pernod Ricard business model.
Setting out with the desire to do something completely different, the team had a vision to create a global vodka with local production by independent entrepreneurs all over the world. The result would give residents from cities including Berlin, London, Amsterdam and Seattle, their own small piece of the brand.
Central to the idea was sharing profit and eliminating distribution, which is why it had to be pitched internally to Pernod Ricard seven times before being given the go-ahead.
The vodka is partly distilled, blended and hand bottled in urban micro-distilleries that are specially built in each city. It is made with ingredients sourced as locally as possible whilst adhering to a global recipe. Our/Vodka always looks the same but each city gives its name and character to the product.
Agency: Great Works, Stockholm
Heritage brand Clarks Shoes wanted to convince young, trendy males that their men’s collection was stylish and credible. To help achieve this they created a designer pop-up shop in Covent Garden, that put the shoes in a totally different context. The shop launched with an exclusive event covered by the elite fashion press, and enabling the brand to appear alongside other aspirational menswear brands. The result was a product sell-out with 80% of customers new to the Clarks Men’s range.
Agency: Portas, London
Family-owned Georgetown Opticians, based in Washington D.C., transformed from a conventional retailer into an instant iconic fashion brand with a quirky film to promote their eyewear. Part of their #OurFamilyKnowsGlasses campaign, the Wes Anderson inspired piece plays on their family heritage and tells the story of eccentric, eye-obsessed siblings growing up.
Agency: Design Army, Washington D.C.
To help attract fresh recruits and inspire existing staff, the Royal Navy wanted to tell the stories of adventure and bravery that live at the heart of the institution. This meant identifying two audiences – the personal and the political – and to develop a digital strategy for each. The Royal Navy has an amazing heritage, one that touches most families in some way. A content-first, mobile responsive website was designed to house the new and historical stories and inspire the next generation on Royal Navy candidates.
Agency: E3 Media, Bristol
Looks like you need to create a Creativebrief account to perform this action.
Create account Sign inLooks like you need to create a Creativebrief account to perform this action.
Create account Sign in
