verbal identity cosmetics white paper - published
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www.verbalidentity.com T: 020 3053 8329 E: al@verbalidentity.com
BRAND LANGUAGE – THE MAGIC INGREDIENT IN COSMETICS?
How smaller cosmetics brands are using language to beat big beauty companies.
www.verbalidentity.com T: 020 3053 8329 E: al@verbalidentity.com
It’s 7am on Tuesday morning.
You’vejustshowered.Youreachforyour
moisturiser.It’sanintimatemomentbetweenyou,
themirror,andthe$1billionthatL’Oréalspentlast
yearonR&D.
Butwhathappensifabranddoesn'thave$1billion?
Howdoesitwinthatmomentinthebathroom?
Boutiquecosmeticsbrandsareincreasinglyturning
tolanguagetoconvincetheconsumer.
Foranybrandthatfacesabiggerspendingrival,it’s
alessoninhowtoout-thinkthecompetition.
We’veidentified3keytacticsthatbrandsinevery
sectorcanbenefitfrom,withonesurprising
implicationforthegrowthpotentialofmodern
brands.
A linguistic analysis of the boutique cosmetics market
www.verbalidentity.com T: 020 3053 8329 E: al@verbalidentity.com
“Trust me. I’m a person. Not a corporation.”
Cosmeticsareanintimateproduct,andintimacy
requirestrust.Peoplearelesslikelytotrustbrands
theyhaven’theardmuchofbefore.Butsome
brandsusetheirsmallersizetotheiradvantage,to
createacloserrelationshipbetweenthefounder
andthecustomer.
Typically,thebrandisnamedafterthefounder,it
speaksinthefirstpersonsingular("I","we")andit
usesaninformaltoneofvoicewithuneven
sentencelengthsandasprinklingofcolloquialisms
toechoeverydayconversation.Thisencourages
peopletoperceivethebrandandthefounderas
oneandthesame:thestoryofthebrandisthe
storyofthefounder.
“Our exquisite taste defines everything we do”
Otherboutiquebrandsuseanindirectapproachto
buildtrust.Interestingly,thisisoftenthestrategy
usedbybrandsthatarefoundedbymen.To
establishanemotionalconnectionwiththe
customer,theyemitarefinedaesthetic,andthat
determinestheproductstheymake.So,ifyoutrust
theirtaste,youtrustthebrand.
Thesebrandshavetremendouspotentialfor
growth.Often,‘aestheticbrands’startwith
fragrancesandcandles,thenexpandintoskincare.
Theycouldturntheirhandtomakingleathergoods
orfountainpenswithoutdegradingthebrand’s
promise.Inthisrespect,they’remorelikefashion
housesthancosmeticsbrands.
e.g. KateLoganusescolloquialwords(‘ickyness’,
‘dinky’,‘topsyturvy’)toshowthatsheisthe
authorofherbrand’slanguage.
MayLindstromisexplicitaboutherrolein
theeponymousbrand:‘Iwantedtoshare
thatspecialmomentwitheverywomanI
lovedandcaredabout.’
e.g. Aestheticbrandsareconfidentenoughto
useanesotericlexicon.Byredotalksabout
‘avantgardism’,Diptyquementions
‘Carthage’andLeLaboquotesDostoevsky.
Uber-luxuryupstartsMAVEreference
Brancusi’sseriesofsculptures,‘Birdin
Space’.
www.verbalidentity.com T: 020 3053 8329 E: al@verbalidentity.com
A blended strategy: VOTARY
Thereareothersmartbrandswhoareblending
someoftheelementswe’vementionedto
introduceadistinctiveidentity.
VOTARYwasfoundedbyCharlotteSemler,a
successfulentrepreneur,andArabellaPreston,a
successfulmake-upartist.(Fulldisclosure:we
createdtheverbalidentityofthebrand.)Thebrand
takesinspirationfromArabellabut,ratherthan
focusingonher,itfocusesonhowherexpertise
benefitsthecustomer.Thebrandfeelslikea
consultationwithher,ratherthanagiftfromher.
VotarylaunchedinAutumn2015throughLiberty,
London.USdistributionstartsinFebruary2016.It’s
abrandtowatch.
“We’re scientists, but we can still talk like human beings.”
Evenintheluxurymarket,thereisroomtoengage
customersontherationalmeritsofyourproduct.
Andalthoughbrandscanbeexperts,theycan’thide
behindjargon.AsEinsteinsaid:‘Ifyoucan’texplain
itsimply,youdon’tunderstanditwellenough.’
Brandscanspeakinthe3rdperson("BrandXdoes
this")tosuggestthecollectiveexpertiseofthe
groupofpeoplebehindthebrand.Butthey’re
carefultomakethescienceseemlessintimidating,
andthebrandmorepersonal,sothattheir
relationshipwiththecustomergoesdeeperthan
justtechnology.Somebrandsusepersonalstories
toillustratethebenefitsoftheiringredients,some
emphasisetheirfamilyorigins,andotherslistthe
syntheticingredientstheyhaveleftout.
e.g. Oskiawasfoundedonasingleingredient–
MSM.TheytellthestoryofhowMSM
helpedthefoundertorecoverfromaskiing
accident.Chantecaillemakeitclearthat
their‘technology’worksinharmonywith
nature(‘theextraordinaryallianceofnature
andscience’).Theyalsoemphasisethat
they’reafamilybusiness.
e.g. Eachinsertinsidethepackagingincludesa
quotationfromArabella,andalsoher
suggestionsonhowyouusetheproduct.
Theluxurycuesareclearfromtheopulent
namesoftheingredientsthatrestonthe
frontofthepackaging.Ithasastrong
aestheticsensibility,butitalsoshowsa
modernunderstandingofhowoilswork.
www.verbalidentity.com T: 020 3053 8329 E: al@verbalidentity.com
Alastair Hussain AlistheSeniorWriterandAnalystatVerbal
Identity.Hejoinedin2014.
Heappliesrigorousanalyticalthinkingto
strategicandcreativeproblems,andhaswritten
forsomeoftheworld’sbiggestbrands.
Chris West ChrisisHeadofVoicesatVerbalIdentity.He
foundedthecompanyin2011.
Heisamultipleaward-winningcopywriterand
brandstrategyconsultantfortheworld’smost
interestingbrands.
Verbal Identity is a brand strategy agency who specialise in the magic and mechanics of language.
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