Principles of Contrabranding

Six habits of successful

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SIX HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL CONTRABRANDS

Contrabrand (ˈkän-trə ˈbrand) noun

Among the pantheon of existing brands there are the inventive few who defy convention. They’re purpose-driven, inspired by fringe-y insights and continuously challenge the orthodoxy’s of their category. At The Sound, we call them Contrabrands and their approach is in contrast or in opposition to traditional marketing.

Having had the pleasure to work with Contrabrands up close and admire a few from afar we’ve been privy to some good habits worthy of calling out. So, in the spirit of openness and collaboration (spoiler alert), we have compiled Six Habits of Successful Contrabrands.

Why six? Well, although it’s not an exhaustive list, they are six habits we find ourselves talking to our clients about time and time again. Enjoy!

CONTRABRANDING

SIX HABITS

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FIND a bigger issue TO TACKLE STAND FOR something real BE human BREAK taboos EMBRACE collaboration GO TO extremes

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We live in an age of extreme parity. Product differentiation remains critical to success in this cluttered environment, but differentiation depends less on features and more on other intangibles. Unfortunately, many brands still end up getting lured into fighting the same insignificant fight.

Create a three-bladed razor and the competition creates a four-bladed razor. Add whitener and the competition comes out with 2X’s the whitener. The process ends up being more about the company’s capabilities than about providing consumers with anything useful.

Contrabrands have the confidence to let their product experience speak for itself. They find more important conversations to have. Conversations about issues that they’re passionate about and have a unique perspective on.

FIND a bigger issue TO TACKLE1

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Facing pressure from competition like Dollar Shave Club, Gillette took Father’s Day as an opportunity to

remind young men about the importance of their father’s

guidance and highlight the unique bond between father and son.

Instead of creating another watch company, Shinola has focused on

bringing manufacturing jobs, of all kinds, back to Detroit. They compete

based less on what they make (watches and a whole lot more) and

more on the people who make them.

Environmental degradation had left Hermit crabs without the shells they

needed as homes. Suumo, one of Japans largest real estate companies, funded

the creation of an environmentally safe shell substitute proving they can provide

the ideal home for any customer.

FIND a bigger issue TO TACKLE1

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Think about the publications you enjoy. Chances are their appeal, to you and others, lies the point of view presented - ones we agree with, disagree with, or just plain contemplate. Brands have a right and the ability to take a stance on issues that face us all.

In much the same way, Contrabrands take a position instead of simply having a positioning. They strive to positively impact people’s world, using their platform in ways that inspire and add value, rather than plastering the airwaves with SPAM. Ultimately, it’s their conviction that makes them stand apart.

Of course, the natural inclination for companies is to play it safe in hopes of not offending anyone. It feels prudent, but by playing it safe you’re guaranteeing failure.

STAND FOR something real2

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Over 10 years ago Dove pioneered the idea of a brand with a purpose, taking a stand

against body shaming and amplifying the debate about unrealistic (fake) standards

of beauty.

With youth participation in sports on the decline partially due to a lack of

school funding, Dick’s Sporting Goods saw an opportunity to take a stand while outflanking other “pro”sports

obsessed brands. “Sports Matters” has become the companies mantra, meant

to both encourage participation in youth sports, as well as activism.

As a brand that extolls the virtues of being outdoors, in 2015 REI put

its money where its mouth was and shut down all retail locations on Black Friday, historically the

biggest shopping day of the year.

Similar to REI, the UK retailer ASDA responded to the the Black Friday backlash by abandoning one day

mega-deals in favor of a more sensible approach…a month’s worth of

promotions that customers could take in at their leisure.

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People don’t trust brands. They trust other people. That’s why brands that are perceived as human score better on brand relationship quality. When we attribute human characteristics such as feelings, soul or even voice, to brands we can more easily relate to them. And digital channels give people ever increasing opportunity for direct access and 1:1 interaction with brands.

Contrabrands aren’t afraid to show the human side of their brand and often celebrate their company, its culture and employees. As such, they usually have a very clear tone of voice and a knack for engaging often and authentically with people and other brands.

And while being human is important to customers, it might even be more important to employees, because it helps them understand their intrinsic value to the company and to the consumer.

BE human3

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In response to a very polite Grandmother’s search queries that started with ‘please’ and ended in

‘thank you’, Google acknowledged her courteous manner in a tweet that went

viral stating, “In a world of billions of searches, yours made us smile.”

With Boeing marking a 100 year birthday celebration, Airbus wouldn’t allow their

competitive spirit to outweigh their respect for a pioneering rival or their sense of pride in the aircraft industry overall. They produced a

video of Airbus employees congratulating their rival on a historic accomplishment.

Immediately following the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub shootings, Jet Blue

(who has a major presence in Orlando) offered free flights to family members

and domestic partners of victims.

BE human

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As brands struggle to both stand out and find more meaningful roles in peoples lives, they often have a hard time figuring out where to focus their efforts. Often times inspiration can be found in the places that are restricted or prohibited by social custom, taboos.

Contrabrands embrace the role that they can play in addressing entrenched cultural taboos. That’s because many brands are uniquely positioned to reach specific audiences, say teens, in ways more conventional voices, say parents, may not.

And while many taboos can’t be taken lightly (brands must have a deep understanding of the issue before helping tackle them), other taboos might not be taboos at all, but rather culturally relative norms and category practices.

BREAK taboos4

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Shiseido won a grand prix for their gender bending short that took advantage of the burgeoning worldwide discussion around gender identity. The piece is deliberately

subversive, leveraging school girl fantasies only to reveal that the beautiful girls are

actually beautiful boys. So many confusing dynamics here.

Shoplifting is something most retailers aren’t comfortable talking about. So much so that that

they don’t even call it by name, preferring “shrinkage” instead (insert joke here). However, UK

retailer Harvey Nichols tackled the subject head using real footage of criminals caught in the act

and encouraging everyone who “loves freebies” to get them legally by downloading their rewards app.

In the wake of a high profile case of gang rape in Dehli, Gillette India, a razor brand

synonymous with masculinity pushed men to stand up for women. The work

challenged the patriotism of men from all different social strata linking their support

of woman to their support for their country.

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From startups to Fortune 500 companies, leaders are coming together to challenge conventional wisdom about the value of competition and instead embracing the power of collaboration. It may seem counterintuitive at first, but this phenomenon may not be as surprising as it seems on the surface.

Millennials make up 35% of today’s workforce and 88% of them prefer collaboration to competition. Meanwhile many companies have embraced the proven benefits collaboration has important aspects of business, like productivity (+15%) and improved time to market (+20%).

Contrabrands embrace collaboration within their organizations and from a cross-branding standpoint. However we are even seeing competitive brands find ways to put aside self-interests and collaborate to advance a shared objective. We call this phenomenon Collaborative Competition. And it’s a grown trend across the country. And while ultimately the audience wins, the result for the brands can be just as beneficial.

EMBRACE collaboration5

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In 2000, Amazon introduced the “Amazon Marketplace” a groundbreaking feature enabled competitors of any size to use

Amazon’s online platform and technological capabilities to sell right next to similar

products sold by Amazon itself. In effect, the Internet’s leading e-commerce site was inviting

competitors to join the party on their site.

Rival TV networks HBO and Showtime temporarily suspended their corporate hostilities in order to co-produce one of the highest grossing

pay-per-view events in history: the title fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao

at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

In early 2016, there was a well-publicized attempt by Burger King to collaborate with McDonald’s and produce the McWhopper, a

burger that combined elements of the chains' famous "Big Mac" and "Whopper". The burgers would have been sold for one day in a franchise jointly run by employees of both companies in

order to raise awareness and cash for Peace Day.

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The current rate of global culture doesn’t necessarily lend itself to things that are subtle. We live in the age of disruption, where we seemingly need a sledge hammer to the head to get attention. It’s odd then that the ‘light-touch’ still persists in communications. That subtle twinkle in the eye of a yogurt lover that should suggest delight doesn’t cut it any longer, does it?

Contrabrands mine the extremities. They embrace the interesting or fanatical points of view found on the fringes of culture. And they find delight in going to great lengths to stand out and evoke a fresh response. While not every brand needs to execute using such a severe approach, the process of examining the most exaggerated or drastic problems/ benefits can help a brand crystalize its value to people.

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To promote its century-long aging process for Louis XIII Cognac, Remy Martin created another piece of art, a movie

featuring John Malkovich, that has been locked away in a safe made by security specialist Fichet-Bausche, complete with

bulletproof glass and a timer that will automatically open in 100 years. The movies premiere will take place at the house of

Louis XIII in Cognac, on Nov. 18, 2115. #NotComingSoon

In another of the ‘test series’ by Volvo Trucks, the indestructibility of their FMX truck is put through paces by 4 year old Sophie. Piloting the truck by remote control she manages to

tip it over and smash through concrete buildings, but never manages to slow the vehicle down. It’s good old fashion truck fun in the wildest of ways and if it doesn’t convince you of the trucks

durability, it will at least make you jealous of Sophie.

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SIX HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL CONTRABRANDS

V A N C O U V E R | N E W Y O R K | L O N D O N | T O R O N T O | C H I C A G O | M U M B A I

W W W . T H E S O U N D H Q . C O M

THANK YOU!Would you like more of this kind of thinking? Or perhaps you just

want to meet for a coffee and a chat? Anyway, give us a call.

MATT PALMER

VP, Head of Brand Strategy matt.palmer@thesoundHQ.com

T 312.265.1775

IMAGE REFERENCES

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1 https://ahealthymedium.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/banksy-olympic-rings.jpg

5http://assets.creativity-online.com/images/work/print/g/i/l/Gillette_GoAskDad16.jpg http://digobrands.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/bap_ShinolaDetroit-GrandOpening_20130627191546_8543.jpg http://www.rohitbhargava.com/images/2016/06/insight-suumo.jpg

7http://aotw-pd.s3.amazonaws.com/images/Mary.jpg http://www.trbimg.com/img-562fee39/turbine/la-fi-rei-black-friday-20151027 http://static1.squarespace.com/static/54546ad8e4b00db0a1aab1ef/54546c3ae4b0331fc2f315a6/5566576ae4b06ebbbf484036/1434478956797/?format=1000w

9http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/4915/production/_89990781_76ffd6a2-0044-4dc5-bf8a-9f3865379759.jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ck3G9t9W0AALna2.jpg

11http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/shiseido-new-hed-2015.jpg http://gaia.adage.com/images/bin/image/jumbo/Harvey_Nichols_-_Shoplifters_15.jpg https://i.ytimg.com/vi/b4aiso6pvRE/maxresdefault.jpg

13http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/social/api-share/amazon_logo_500500._V323939215_.png http://news.directv.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/lrg_blog_mayweather_pacquiao.jpg http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/design/2016/5/mcwhopper_design.jpg

15http://static.louisxiii-cognac.com/img/uploads/homepage-slides/discover-100-years-14d0030c.jpg http://www.autotrader.ca/newsfeatures/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Volvo-FMX-Sophie-620x414.jpg

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