Yuppiechef – A Recipe For Significant Growth

As Yuppiechef continues to grow and develop so too does its brands. The business needs to consider and implement a strategy for growing brands. It is important for Yuppiechef to assess their current situation as well as look for ways to grow in the future. Yuppiechef can venture into new product categories using extensions (line, brand and concept extensions) as well as other options such as co-branding, multi-brand, and endorsement strategies.

Yuppiechef is South Africa’s premier (online) kitchen and homeware store that sells primarily third-party products.  Their goal? To offer consumers the best kitchen and home products – and to be the very best at doing it.

Synonymous for innovation, uncompromising quality and adding value to their customer’s lives, through convenient shopping, superior products, and customer experience. The brand’s mission focuses on bringing “people together through the cooking and sharing of good food”.

Yuppiechef was founded by two friends, Andrew Smith and Shane Dryden, from a love of kitchen tools and a passion for cooking, the brand initially started with thirty-two products and has grown to over eight thousand, stocking a range of three hundred of the world’s leading brands.

The e-commerce pioneer predicted that the future of retail in South Africa was online… 11 years later and the brand has admitted that they were wrong. Yuppiechef recently opened their first physical retail store in October earlier this year. Co-founder Andrew Smith says the reason for this decision was due to a rise in customer demand for a brick and mortar outlet as many consumers wanted to experience the brand “in the flesh” and are still hesitant of online shopping.

Image source: http://www.arrcc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Yuppiechef-Willowbridge-Store-16.jpg

For many South African consumers (including myself), shopping is one of our favourite past-times. Many, still prefer the physical store experience – browsing, getting advice, being able to touch products and the immediacy of the purchase.

Smith says that he and the team at Yuppiechef — believe the future of retail is omnichannel, a combination of physical stores and e-commerce and I couldn’t agree more!

The future outlook of Yuppiechef should align with the company’s vision and strategic goals. Yuppiechef will need to increase the number of physical retail stores in order to grow its business and brand as well as ensure that a seamless consistent brand message is communicated both online and offline. The brand will also need to encompass brand growth strategies for the benefit of the brands future.

Yuppiechef could market their offering (market penetration) to further reach their intended market, present the same offering to a new market (market development), create an entirely new product offering and present it to a new market (diversification), or provide new product offerings to their existing market audience.

A brand extension strategy (market penetration) could potentially help Yuppiechef extend its product offering to their range to include more kitchenware and perhaps food and drinks. By leveraging Yuppiechef’s strong brand name and the quality associated with the brand, consumers will be more inclined to engage the brand in a new product category.

There are a number of advantages to brand extension:

• Consumers are already aware of the brand name
• Yuppiechef can make a profit in a different department
• Sales can increase
• Awareness of the Yuppiechef brand through promoting new products
• Reduces the risk associated with purchasing a new product

Disadvantages include:

• Brand image can be weakened
• Extensions can cannibalize the existing products of the brand when they are positioned in a close market
• Product extension if completely unrelated could result in confusion and skepticism amongst consumer group

Since its launch, Yuppiechef has expanded its product range to include many international brands as well as their very own Yuppiechef range of kitchen products. This has been the key differentiator for the brand as they are able to promote a line of products that can’t be bought elsewhere. Yuppiechef has ensured that all the branded products align with the look and quality of the overall Yuppiechef brand image.

Yuppiechef’s branded range of kitchenware products were initially designed to fill the gaps within the brand’s existing portfolio, offering customers more choice within a particular category and at a different price point.

I would suggest that Yuppiechef continue to develop their line extension, offering consumers a wider range of affordable own-brand products, which will ultimately enable the brand to reach a wider audience. By leveraging Yuppiechef’s brand name and resonance, products are given a more competitive edge. Advantages of Yuppiechef integrating this extension gives customers more option to choose from as well as more variety of existing products.

Other advantages include:

• Potential profit increase (as new products can equate to more sales)
• Brand awareness (more products and sales, Yuppiechef can gain increased recognition in the marketplace)
• The brand is able to sell more products to current customers
• Attract new customers who prefer the differentiated features of the new product line extensions
• Competitive barriers (a broader range of products within the same product category, closes the gap for competitors to enter the marketplace)

“In many markets, the development of product-line extensions is a competitive reality. As product categories evolve, a company must continuously adapt its product lines.” —Bruce G.S. Hardie and Leonard M. Lodish

Disadvantages include:

• Line extension being copied by competitors
• If perceived negatively by consumers it has the potential to damage the overall reputation of the Yuppiechef brand and other products in the brand portfolio
• Line extension is a favourable choice by many brands and has resulted in the consumer being harder to reach

Should Yuppiechef want to expand their presence internationally, they could make use of endorsement strategies in these markets, whereby a celebrity chef is able to transfer their positive associations of their personal brand image to that of the Yuppiechef brand and vice-versa i.e. the chef only uses the best kitchen utensil and products (Yuppiechef brand) and Yuppiechef’s products are good enough to be used by the best chefs in the industry. According to Riezebos et al, an endorsement strategy can be used to stimulate acceptance of the brand and create fast sales. Through this strategy, Yuppiechef will gain acceptance from consumers in different markets.

Advantages include:

• Endorser is able to expand its portfolio and transfer positive associations of the brand name to the new brand
• Generally cheaper to implement this sort of growth strategy
• Can help brands that want to increase their global presence (as a strong corporate name will gather momentum with these sub-brands under an umbrella)
• Enhance consumer trust with associations
• Used to stimulate acceptance
• Create fast sales
• Creates a lower purchase barrier for consumers (as they will already be aware of the endorser brand)

Disadvantages include:

• Image may undergo changes in which case this can affect the brands they endorse
• The one brand name may overshadow the other brand name
• Consumers’ skepticism (consumers might not believe that the endorsers really consume the product that they endorse)
• Consumers give less credibility to celebrities who endorse many products

Yuppiechef has successfully built a brand that has thrived within the South African e-commerce environment, however for the brand to experience continued growth it will need to pursue one or a combination of the brand growth strategies mentioned above.

Image source: http://www.arrcc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Yuppiechef-Willowbridge-Store-10.jpg

How The Woolworths Food Group Nurtures Its Reputation

Corporate branding seeks to link the name of the company with the overall advertising efforts of the brand as well as its products and services in the mind of the consumer. The reputation of a company is essential to its survival. The Woolworths brand understands the role that consumers play in shaping their reputation and the importance of managing their brand in the age of accountability and transparency. Building a corporate brand reputation is not something that happens overnight, it is an ongoing process influenced by products and services, employees, top management, relationships with suppliers, investors, the environment, society, strategic partners, competitors and innovation, value creation, financial strength and strategy.

Woolworths manage an extensive brand portfolio and build and maintain their reputation by delivering on its promise to customers and stakeholders.

Image source: https://www.arneg.de/sites/default/files/news/arneg-arreda-il-suo-primo-woolworths-sud-africa/slideshow/pnm3p_gl_sl_za_17.jpg

WOOLWORTHS REPUTATION

Woolworths corporate branding has been successful as when consumers see the Woolworths logo or hear the name Woolworths they associate it with the brand’s unique value and positive experiences.

Customers play a necessary role in determining your brand’s reputation. Consumers perceive the organization in terms of how employees and consumers are treated, how financially stable the company is, the reliability of the organization, what the quality of its products and services are and what its contribution to society and the environment are. For a brand such as Woolworths, their reputation as an ethical retailer is one of their key selling points.

A good reputation voices what customers think your brand is doing right in terms of service, products, pricing, supporting local sustainability initiatives and operating as a reliable enterprise.

Consumers’ perception of the brand has the ability to influence consumer behavior, which ultimately affects the profitability of a business. This perception is in part formed through shared experience. Woolworths’ grocer has a reputation for quality fresh produce and high-end convenience foods. As well as for being South Africa’s most expensive grocery store through the sale of its premium products (premium brands, ready-made meals, and pre-cut and packaged meat and vegetables).

High-quality food products, combined with innovative packaging, fresh food produce and freshly cooked, ready-to-eat meals are what Woolworths customers have become known to expect from the brand. Woolworths’ reputation has allowed the company to differentiate its products in highly competitive markets, and attracted more customers and investors to the company’s products, resulting in Woolworths’s premium pricing and positive reputation.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY

In the past, companies relied on word of mouth by their investors in order to establish, build and maintain their reputations. In the age of social and digital media, companies must be more conscientious of their reputations. Today’s consumers can interact with the Woolworth brand across multiple channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Blog), which have led to an age of accountability and transparency.

Woolworths can either be praised or held accountable for their products and services across these various platforms. Remember when Woolworths was accused of plagiarism over a Hummingbird design?

The Woolworths group is committed to transparency and accountability, understanding the significance of safeguarding the Group’s assets and protecting its value for all stakeholders. Woolworths use the various social media platforms available to respond to customer queries and complaints in a timely manner in an effort to protect the brand’s reputation. Woolworths also use social media as a means to be transparent with its community and make their community aware and educate them on the brand’s sustainability goals.

The rise of the conscious consumer has resulted in brands having to be more mindful of their impact on society and the environment. Woolworths’s vision is to be the world’s most responsible retailer.

So how do they plan to do this?

The Woolworths Group manages their business impact through comprehensive social, ethical, and environmental policies and practices. Woolworths positively contribute towards the environment and communities in which they operate with various sustainability initiatives and are actively engaged in economic upliftment projects around South Africa.

Woolworths Good Business Journey is an initiative that aims to reduce the business’ environmental impact and increase its social and economic influence across its entire value chain, placing sustainability at the core of its business strategy.

 

Here are the ways in which Woolworths is working towards making sustainability a reality.

MANAGING OF WOOLWORTHS BRAND PORTFOLIO

The Woolworths Group has an extensive and diversified portfolio of brands, ranging from clothing, general merchandise, to food and beauty products. Woolworths is flexible in managing their brand portfolio and have been agile in their approach to economic changes and meeting customers ever-changing needs. Woolworths has expanded its brand portfolio to enter new and emerging markets to accommodate for this, employing over 44 000 individuals over 14 countries with more than 1400 stores.

“A shopping experience is determined by so many factors and supermarkets need to demonstrate their ability to meet their ever-changing customer needs, consistently and reliably,” said Consulta CEO Professor, Adré Schreuder.

Woolworths considers themselves a brand-value driven business. Each of their sub-brands are aligned with the main Woolworths brand. Woolworths ensure that its brand purpose and values are understood throughout the organization and embedded and reflected in both the brand’s products, services, employees and stakeholders (organization).

CONSIDERATIONS IN BUILDING AND MAINTAINING WOOLWORTHS REPUTATION

Woolworths can build and maintain their reputation by being consistent with their integrated marketing communications across all points of contact. The brand must continue to act with integrity and involve its community in sustainability initiatives.

Woolworths has effectively created portfolio synergy across all their sub-brands and must maintain this cohesion going forward. Woolworths will have to continue to monitor the relevance of certain sub-brands, modifying these, adding new product offerings and doing away with non-performing varieties.

Woolworths is already led by great values and culture, the brand just needs to maintain its strong corporate identity within the organization as well as externally. Woolworths can do this by motivating and guiding employee behaviour ensuring that the brand message is communicated to the external environment accurately, which will, in turn, help the brand maintain its already well-established reputation in the South African market.

Woolworths’ has built and maintained a strong portfolio and reputation through the management of the brand’s portfolio as well as by showing accountability and transparency as noted above.

Go GoPro

A winning integrated marketing communication strategy includes the 4 P’s of the marketing mix (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) and the additional P’s (People, Process, Physical Environment/Physical Evidence, Philosophy) that make up the service mix. GoPro is one brand that manages to successfully apply the 8 P’s to its integrated marketing communications strategy to better reach its target audience and ensure that the brand’s message is consistent and strong across all contact points.

GoPro is known for capturing unreal footage of action sports and other adventures. GoPro began as an idea to help athletes document themselves engaged in sports, GoPro has since grown into an international company that has sold over 26 million GoPro cameras in more than 100 countries.

PRODUCT

GoPro is known for creating high-quality, portable and wearable digital cameras that capture high definition video. GoPro offers a wide array of unique product offerings from camera’s, drones, stabilization, accessories, and advanced systems.

GoPro’s action camera is small in relation to other cameras of a similar caliber, with a lens that captures the world in high-definition video. The camera is designed to be attached to helmets, surfboards, cars and other objects. GoPro’s camera has become a necessary tool for shooting outdoor sports, transforming the way consumers capture, manage and share meaningful experiences.

Image source: http://www.kainphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/gopro-ski-pole-mount.jpg

PRICE

Based on GoPro’s global success I would say that GoPro has priced their products effectively. The average price of a GoPro camera is anything between R2999 and R7999. In 2015 GoPro introduced the GoPro Hero, an entry-level action camera in an effort to appeal to consumer budgets and needs for a less expensive action camera with less advanced features.

PLACE

GoPro is available to purchase online from the GoPro e-commerce website. The GoPro website breaks down all of GoPro’s products, and what each product and package entails. The product information is very clear and precise, making it easy to purchase the equipment that suits your action camera needs.

GoPro products are also available from other online outlets such as Takealot, Action Gear and Outdoor Photo.

GoPro is also available from a large number of selected stores (specifically camera, sports and electronic stores): Cape Union Mart, Dion Wire, Game, Makro and Orms just to name a few. It is GoPro’s significant online presence and distribution of products that makes the brand so easily accessible to purchase.

PROMOTION

GoPro is very clever in this instance. The brand makes use of a lot of user-generated content to promote and advertise the brand’s products and capabilities. GoPro shares its communities GoPro footage on the brand’s social media platforms and website. This user-generated content is a cost-effective way to promote the brand. It’s user-generated content that easily showcases the power of the GoPro and the superior quality of its high definition video.

“By involving its fans in content curation, GoPro has built a loyal and engaged audience”. GoPro has established a strong connection with its communities on many social platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), reinforcing brand loyalty and brand identity by creating the opportunity for a user’s content to be used to sell the product.

In addition to this, GoPro sponsors several events, including Felix Baumgartner’s famous jump from space. GoPro provided the wearable high-definition cameras used to film this event and with the use of GoPro’s digital camera attached to Baumgartner’s helmet, fans were able to see his perspective of this event.

PEOPLE

GoPro was founded in 2002 by Nick Woodman. Woodman was a sports enthusiast himself, searching to find a better solution for documenting and sharing his personal sport experiences, which resulted in the establishment of a 35mm camera and a wrist strap that has grown into the international company that GoPro is today. GoPro is a product for people and through GoPro’s social media platforms, allowing their community to share their stories and experience with the camera, the brand has mastered the P for people.

Employees are another important element of GoPro’s marketing mix as they are well-versed in the features and benefits of GoPro’s products offerings. GoPro provide a service to their customers that is structured to embody their tagline “Be a Hero”.

PROCESS

GoPro uses their social media platforms to respond to consumers queries and complaints as well as share consumer-generated content.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL EVIDENCE 

GoPro has its consumers to thank for helping the brand build a reputable reputation. GoPro’s community share their user-generated stories with the brand who in turn shares these stories across their social media platform. These videos generated by GoPro’s target audience demonstrate the physical characteristics of the camera and serve as customer approval and recommendation of the product and brand.

PHILOSOPHY

GoPro’s mission is “to help people capture and share their lives most meaningful experiences with others – to celebrate them together.” GoPro’s website and social media platforms, as well as all other points of contact, communicate the brand’s belief system.

From cameras and drones to apps and accessories, everything GoPro do is geared to help the consumer capture life as they live it. GoPro has become known as the producer of the world’s most versatile cameras and an “enabler of some of today’s most immersive and engaging content.”

When considering the 8 P’s of GoPro and how these have been applied to the integrated marketing communications campaign of the brand, it is clear that the company’s success has been due in large to such great marketing efforts, consistently communicating the brand message at all points of contact.

Image source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=44&v=vr0qNXmkUJ8

The Skinny on Lululemon’s Integrated Marketing Communications Success

A successful integrated marketing communications strategy incorporates the four main principles of marketing (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) in one single integrated function, ensuring a consistent brand message is communicated in harmony. For a brand to be able to reach a specific target audience, it needs to be able to resonate and effectively communicate with this audience. All points of contact and marketing communication efforts need to be integrated and consistently aligned with the brand’s purpose. And brand orientation understands that all parts of the brand send a message to stakeholders and consumers and needs to filter through the entire organization across all activities.

Lululemon effectively and consistently communicates its unique value proposition (Quality and functional fitness apparel, manufactured with innovative fabrics to maximize comfort during high sweat activity) and brand message across multiple social media and digital platforms. Lululemon focuses its marketing efforts on integrated marketing communication elements that emphasize the personal and emotional connection consumers have with the brand.

Image source: https://pnimages.lululemon.com/content/dam/lululemon/www-images/Design%20-%20redesign/Hugged/Fit_Component_Hugged.jpg

Lululemon was founded in Vancouver, Canada in 1998 by avid surfer, snowboarder, and skater, Chip Wilson. Lululemon is an athletic apparel company whose mission is “to provide components for people to live a longer, healthier and more fun life” and its vision is “to elevate the world from mediocrity to a place of greatness.” Lululemon has positioned itself as the brand for personal wellbeing. Consumers associate the Lululemon brand with health, wellness, and fitness.

THE 4 P’S OF LULULEMON’S MARKETING MIX

PRODUCT

Lululemon manufactures active-inspired apparel and accessories designed for those who live an active lifestyle. Its apparel and accessories are designed to be simplistic and practical, as well as provide maximum comfort and quality.

PRICE

Based on Lululemon’s global success, I would say that the brand has priced their products effectively. Lululemon uses a value-based pricing strategy in that the price consumers pay for the products are justified by the quality received by the product.  The average price of a Lululemon’s apparel is anything between $350USD and $20USD.

PLACE

Lululemon is sold exclusively in Lululemon retail stores and on the company’s e-commerce website.

PROMOTION

Lululemon builds excitement and encourages purchases among its community members through its community events and in-store classes. Lululemon philosophy is demonstrated through in-store events. The brand also uses their social media platforms as a promotional tool.

Lululemon can attribute much of its success to its social media network. The brand has a multi-platform content strategy and is active on Facebook,  Twitter,   Instagram,  YouTube,  Pinterest  and its Blog. Lululemon builds relationships with customers through these various points of contact.

Lululemon’s content across all social platforms encourage their community to live a healthy active lifestyle in Lululemon apparel – which in turn fosters followers. Lululemon carries its in-store experience over to its online presence. “Providing a unified branding structure deeply resonates with consumer’s lifestyle concerns,” says Mary Elise Chavez, director of Creative Strategy at Blue Fountain Media. By utilizing the power of Social Media, Lululemon is able to reach an even bigger audience, acquire new customers, drive customer loyalty and build a strong brand identity among consumers.

FACEBOOK

Lululemon has an active presence on Facebook with over 1.9M Facebook Likes. Lululemon post about new products and designs, as well as share aspirational articles and use the page as a tool to communicate and engage with their customers. Lululemon is responsive to customer queries and complaints and has a quick response time to wall posts, reviews and comments on posts. Lululemon also use this platform to drive traffic to their other channels, particularly their e-commerce site and blog. Lululemon’s aim on this channel is to provide inspiration to their followers and to build brand awareness. The images used on this platform are aesthetically pleasing and are consistent with the brands look and feel. Every post includes an image to optimize engagement and almost all posts include a link or call to action.

Image source:

https://www.facebook.com/lululemon/photos/a.58207322731.69107.33693527731/10155510119712732/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/lululemon/photos/a.58207322731.69107.33693527731/10155503761297732/?type=3&theater

INSTAGRAM

Lululemon encourages their audience to share all their special moments with the brand using the hashtag #Breatheitallin. The brand often updates their bio to include a relevant hashtag for the season. The hashtag #Breatheitallin has 9 577 posts and the #Lululemon hashtag has close to 2M posts. These hashtags are used by Lululemon’s customers who are generally wearing their products in their Instagram photos. The brand also uses their brand ambassadors and influencers to showcase products on this platform.

Image source: https://www.instagram.com/lululemon/

BLOG

Lululemon’s blog is a mix of topics from all things related to health, fitness, Lululemon apparel and accessories, events, meditation, yoga and inspirational articles to help motivate their audience to be active. Lululemon’s blog is used to engage the brand’s target audience in the brand’s culture with relevant content, representative of the brand’s personality, tone, and style.

TWITTER

Lululemon’s Twitter Account has over 1M followers. The brand has a balance of retweets from their other Lululemon accounts versus brand-generated content, tweeting links that direct the consumer to the Lululemon website where they can purchase the item displayed in the photo tweeted. They also incorporate branded hashtags that align with their global campaign #breatheitallin which is consistently used across all of their social media platforms.

PINTEREST

Lululemon’s Pinterest Account provide its audience with multiple boards revealing different themes that demonstrate the brand’s depth and align with the brand mission, vision, and products.  The brand aims to create boards that inspire their community to live a healthy lifestyle associated with their brand. Lululemon’s e-commerce website is optimized for users to pin photos of garments and accessories as they shop online.

YOUTUBE

Lululemon uses this platform to educate consumers on topics, directly and indirectly, related to the brand. Through this media, Lululemon inspires movement and builds an emotional connection with the consumer by posting video content relating to yoga, meditation, their brand ambassadors, and motivational videos, all while wearing Lululemon gear.

Image source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMC1_RH_b3k

WEBSITE

Lululemon’s website fosters an online community and facilitates the online shopping experience.

PHYSICAL STORES

Each of the Lululemon stores offers consumers fitness events, free yoga classes and other group activities that align with the brand’s mission of health and fitness.

Lululemon maintains a similar look and feel to represent the brand across all social media and digital platforms (cover photo, brand logo), however, the brand uses cross-promotion to create unique messages for each social media channel tailoring this content to that channels audience.

Through the company’s strong lifestyle brand ethos, Lululemon is very skillful at creating a sense of community and remaining in consumers’ minds beyond the point of purchase. You can see from Lululemon’s website, social media platforms, and stores, they have built a very strong and distinct lifestyle brand that resonates with consumers and feels like an extension of who they are (mission) and who they want to be (vision).

Lululemon knows that it’s about more than just cool yoga pants and understands the importance of broadcasting their unique value proposition consistently across multiple digital and social media platforms.

Living Vida Local

A strong brand identity leads to easy management and planning of all points of contact with the brand. By adopting a people-centric approach to brand building and contact points consumers will have a great brand experience that goes beyond the brand’s products and service offerings. Brands need to ensure that their products are linked with the consumer experience associated with the brand and understand the value of internal marketing to promote greater understanding of consumer needs and the role that employees play in influencing consumers perceptions of the brand and its offerings.

Vida e Caffé has understood that creating a seamless customer experience everytime is what keeps customers coming back (including myself) for their caffeine fix.

The effectiveness of Vida e Caffé’s brand contact process and internal marketing efforts is no accident, it is through their employees, digital and social efforts, marketing campaigns, brand ambassadors, and partners, as well as the look and feel of their cafes that Vida manages and delivers its brand. Vida has carefully considered ways in which their brand at every level comes into contact with their customer.

There’s nothing quite like enjoying the Vida e Caffé coffee experience. The passionate atmosphere, African/Portuguese music playing in the background, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries, countered with friendly and energetic baristas who are eager to serve you the perfect cup of brew make the Vida experience all the more memorable.

Image source: https://i0.wp.com/bicyclesouth.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/vida-coffee2.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1

Vide e Caffé, more commonly referred to as “Vida” formed its identity around the heritage of a European espresso bar, inspired by the street cafes of Portugal combined with the vibrant and lively energy of the people of Africa. Vida e Caffé is derived from the Portuguese language, meaning ‘life and coffee’ and that’s just what the brand is about: making life better, one authentic espresso-based coffee at a time.

Vida e Caffé’s contact points play a considerable role in ensuring a quality consumer experience and brand loyalty. A contact point is commonly defined as any instance where a brand performs or expresses itself and influences what stakeholders think, feel and believe about the brand. Vida e Caffé’s contact points consist of the barista’s at the point-of-sale who live out the brand’s tagline of “Live Life” as well as the Vida e Caffé website, the brand’s social media channels (Vida Facebook and Vida Twitter), marketing and advertising campaigns, brand ambassadors and partnerships: Levis, Adidas, Apple, Mini, and Lindt.

Vida’s contact points serve as the foundational building blocks that facilitate and enable the customer experience. These contact points deliver a consistent and relevant branded customer experience and ultimately influences the consumer’s decision to enjoy a cup of coffee at Vida.

Vida e Caffé provides a service to their clients that is structured to embody their tagline “Live Life”. Their contact points consistently deliver on this message as staff communicate the same message during the delivery of the service and the Vida experience. Vida e Caffé’s employees are an important point of contact between consumers and the brand. The brand wants consumers to associate its enthusiastic and passionate employees with Vida e Caffé and wants that point of contact to be a pleasurable experience so that the consumer makes a return visit.

Image source: http://i0.wp.com/vidaecaffe.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/contact-2-page-3-1.jpg?zoom=2&fit=1335%2C666

Vida’s internal marketing has helped employ the brand’s values in their employees who effectively deliver the brand’s message at the point of contact with the consumer. Vida ensures that they recruit the right people i.e. those with passion, they further ensure that these individuals receive quality training in order to effectively deliver on the brands promised experience. Upliftment initiatives, coupled with incentive schemes are another way in which Vida encourages their employees to live out the brand purpose and promise.

Visit any one of the Vida outlets and what stands out, apart from the red branding and the richly-roasted Estrela blend of coffee beans, is the enthusiastic staff. “They have been a vital key to getting things right,” says Grant Dutton, managing director of Vida e Caffé.

Passion is at the core of the Vida way; their commitment to passion is what drives the brand in everything that they do, ensuring that each cup of Vida they serve is the best quality espresso it can possibly be. Vida has established credibility and authenticity by delivering on their brand purpose and promise at every point of contact as mentioned above. You can almost taste the passion that goes into every cup of coffee, Facebook post, tweet, and advertisement crafted by the brand.

Image source: https://media.timeout.com/images/102871733/image.jpg

The Fuel Behind The Red Bull Brand

Increased competition in the energy-drinks category translates into more power and choice for consumers and with this, brands need to be able to secure a place in the minds of consumers. In order to be the preferred brand of choice, brands need to set themselves apart from the competition by differentiation, highlight their competitive advantage (unique value proposition) and establish a strong position in the marketplace.

According to Klopper & North, Brand positioning can be seen as differentiating the brand in the mind of the consumer. Red Bull has positioned and differentiated itself as the market leader in the energy drinks category, tailoring their messaging to reach their target audience and gain competitive advantage, and here’s how…

Red Bull has differentiated its product offerings from competitors through its packaging, price, quality, behaviour and product experiences.

Red Bull has formed part of the category for functional beverages and has positioned itself as a substitute for coffee and other caffeinated beverages. The brand was considered the first product of its kind and from this, it created a whole new product category – energy drinks. Red Bull, being the first to launch a product of its kind made it easier for the brand to assert itself as the first in the market.

Red Bull defines their target audience as teenagers, young adults and athletes. The Red Bull consumer is not determined by a demographic or socioeconomic, but a lifestyle. Red Bull only affiliates itself with people and ideas that are “first”, “the best” or the “most extreme”. By sponsoring extreme sporting events (sky-diving, Formula 1, snowboarding, cliff-diving) Red Bull has associated itself with mental and physical performance. Through the association of these events, Red Bull has been able to connect with this young audience, capturing and inspiring extreme sports enthusiasts with the energy drink.

Image source: http://image.redbull.com/rbx00381/0001/1/1400/432/WORB_webpage_2__Brand_Image_25fb389a424839ce0f55.jpg

The brand has secured its positioning through sports endorsements and sponsorships, differentiating itself and consistently communicating its tagline “Red Bull Gives You Wings” at every touch-point. This tagline is used in all Red Bull campaigns worldwide and has created strong brand awareness of the product and a connection between the brand and the product type.

Red Bull expresses its beliefs and support of events that make the heart race in everything that the brand does. This is evident from the brand’s social media accounts, website as well as its marketing campaigns, an example of this is the Red Bull Stratos with Felix Baumgartner leap from the edge of space, which is regarded as one of the most extreme marketing campaigns to date – never has the slogan been so fitting. Red Bull has built a community around this adrenalin culture and capitalized on this market who feel a strong connection to Red Bull’s personality by embracing the brand through such sporting events.

Image source: https://image.redbull.com/rbcom/010/2013-10-14/1331615527569_2/0010/1/1500/1000/1/felix-baumgartner-stratos.jpg

The unique brand personality of Red Bull can be defined as adventurous, exhilarating and thrill-seeking. The strength and energy of Red Bull support the brand personality through the symmetrical logo of the bulls fighting which conveys the feeling of power and endurance. All Red Bull’s marketing campaigns reinforce the brand positioning and image.

Red Bull is sold at a premium price to support its positioning and to differentiate it from its competitors. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for Red Bull due to the quality of the product and the product’s benefits.

Red Bull’s slender silver and blue aluminum can is another differentiating factor that the brand uses to separate itself from its competitors. The can is light in weight and 100% recyclable, which may also influence the consumer’s decision to make a more conscious decision when purchasing an energy beverage and faced with a fridge with many brands to choose from.

Red Bull’s brand purpose is to energize the world. The brands positioning statement “revitalises the body and mind” convey the products tangible benefits to energize and refresh. Many of Red Bull’s consumers purchase Red Bull’s energy drink to benefit from the claims of being physically and mentally stimulated from its use. The brand positioning statement stems from Red Bull’s unique benefits to boost energy, enhance performance, increase concentration and reaction speed, improve vigilance, stimulate the metabolism and improve emotional status.

The outcome of Red Bull’s successful positioning and differentiation has resulted in the brand expanding into global markets, maintaining their position in the energy drinks category and expanding their product line to include new variants (Sugar-free) and flavours (Blueberry, Cranberry and Tropical). Red Bull’s product editions, however, are limited in comparison to its competitors (Monster Energy has a broad range of flavours available on the shelf), and this may be the brand’s shortfall.

Although Red Bull still maintains a prevalent position in many markets, it is no longer the only player in the energy drinks category. New competitors are entering the marketplace offering sugar-free options, fortified beverages, bolder flavours and more organic varieties e.g Play, Score, and 7 Stars  just to name a few.

Red Bull’s main competitor within the South African market is Monster Energy. Monster is considered similar to Red Bull in taste and has an advantage over Red Bull in terms of price-quantity. Red Bull is available in three size cans, 250ml, 355ml and 473ml. The 473ml can is priced at R24.99 compared to Monster’s 500ml can priced at 14.99, however, this is part of Red Bull’s pricing strategy, as consumers associate the premium price with the high quality of the product, well-known brand and product benefits.

The success of Red Bull as a premium energy drink is largely based on the way in which the brand has positioned and differentiated itself from competitors. As noted above, the brand’s uniquely designed can, premium pricing strategy, product benefits and presence in the sporting industry have helped Red Bull maintained long-term success and remained competitive in the marketplace (not only the energy drinks category but the carbonated beverage industry in general) by offering consumers wings to “transcend human limits”.

How Starbucks Translates Their Visual & Verbal Language

A great brand identity requires much more than a logo. “The purpose of a brand identity system is to bring the brand identity to life, both visually and verbally.” The Starbucks brand is a huge success and the key to its success is due to its well-structured brand identity system, that is seamlessly emulated through its visual and verbal language.

The visual and verbal language of Starbucks is prevalent at every point of interaction between the brand and stakeholders. From the moment the consumer enters the door to a Starbuck’s Café they are greeted with a smile and a friendly attitude from employees. This welcoming presence and inviting ambiance, offering customers a relaxing and enjoyable environment to enjoy their cup of brew is what sets Starbucks apart from the rest. Starbucks believes that a “coffeehouse should be a welcoming, inviting and familiar place for people to connect”.

The alluring aroma of brewed coffee, free WIFI, appealing product offerings (food products, gift sets, espresso-makers, serving dishes and coffee beans – all related to the enjoyment of the coffee experience) and warm, positive atmosphere, foster an environment where this is possible. Starbuck’s focus is on bringing people together, which they have achieved by creating an atmosphere that entices patrons to linger for hours.

Starbuck’s has created a total brand experience, the retail store, the customer service, the products’ quality and the accessorial elements are a part of the product and service itself, adding to the entire experience. It’s this experience that has enabled the coffee chain to charge the premium prices that it does.

Image source: https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2014/10/16/102095481-starbuck-coffee.jpg?v=1413493595 

Image source:  source: http://dandyarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/starbucks-photography-by-josh-humble.jpg 

STARBUCKS STORY
The consumer through every touchpoint is exposed to and develops a response to the visual and verbal language of the Starbucks brand.  Starbucks has transformed the coffee purchasing process into an experience, which has been consistently and effectively implemented in more than 21,000 stores in 65 countries across the world. To ensure consistency, Starbuck’s stores have used the same design, furniture and look and feel throughout. This was effectively demonstrated in Starbucks 2014 global campaign “Meet me at Starbucks”, which did an outstanding job at connecting stakeholders and consumers with the brand beyond Starbucks product and service offerings.

Starbucks tall order was to bring a feeling of connection to the consumer through the celebration of coffee and its rich traditions and the brand has stayed true to their roots by serving nothing but excellent coffee and exceptional customer experiences. “We are not in the coffee business serving people, but in the people business serving coffee” said Howard Schultz, Founder and CEO of Starbucks, this people-centric approach is what has made Starbucks the largest coffeehouse in the world to date.

The brand Identity system of Starbucks is composed of various properties that include brand purpose, personality, values, as well as visual and verbal language (tone of voice, brand symbols and story).

STARBUCKS PURPOSE
Starbucks mission statement is what defines and guides the brand’s values: “Our mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time”. The brand’s mission statement resonates as one experience and is firmly conveyed through their marketing campaigns and through these campaigns consumers have established a connection with what the Starbucks brand represents. Starbucks purpose is an accurate representation of the company’s approach to the market, its interaction with customers, and its perception as an “authentic” brand.

STARBUCKS PERSONALITY
Starbucks personality is stylish, trendy and quality-orientated. The brand’s persona is delivered through their customer service interactions, their packaging, their store décor, their product offerings and their corporate culture. Through the brand’s retail store, the company is able to communicate the brand’s personality.

STARBUCKS VALUES
Starbuck’s values guide the brand in every aspect of the business. Starbucks values are:

− Creating a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome.
− Acting with courage, challenging the status quo and finding new ways to
grow our company and each other.
− Being present, connecting with transparency, dignity, and respect.
− Delivering our very best in all we do, holding ourselves accountable for
results.

Starbucks delivers on these values in that they have established a coffee culture where employees, stakeholders, and customers feel included and welcome. The brand has also seen a steady growth globally in that they have expanded their product offerings beyond coffee and internationally too.

Image source: https://www.google.co.za/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwilnN-VvM3XAhUJbhQKHV3XDNIQjBwIBA&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimedotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2015%2F12%2Fstarbucks-store-front-sandwich-recall.jpg&psig=AOvVaw1x-IIfqalzzDxAw4RRbt07&ust=1511278202765038

Klopper and North suggest three verbal and visual language properties that are key to ensuring that any brand when defining these properties is able to align how the brand behaves to the brand’s purpose, personality and values.

1. Brand tone of voice
2. Brand symbols
3. Brand story

STARBUCKS TONE OF VOICE
Starbucks tone of voice is informal, genuine and friendly. This is consistent and recognizable throughout all forms of Starbucks marketing communications. Starbucks maintains this consistent tone of voice across all social media channels, promotions, advertising and the barista’s conversational style in which they interact with customers in-stores. Starbucks have also become known for their unique language for labeling drinks and placing orders. This lingo has added to the Starbucks coffee culture experience and has made it stylish to talk in this sense.

STARBUCKS SYMBOLS
The Siren at the center of all Starbucks packaging is the iconic symbol of the coffee brand. According to the article “Who is the Starbucks Siren?”, the Siren is considered to be a super-mermaid because of her twin tail. The original logo of the Siren was designed to reflect the seductive imagery of the sea, to that of the coffee itself. This nautical theme is present in its name, branding and logo. The logo is in a circular shape and features the image of the Siren in the middle. The logo is comprised of a white and green colour scheme, the Siren in white and the background green. The logo is so widely recognized, and simple and strong enough in design that with the redesign of this logo, Starbucks were able to communicate the brands essence through imagery alone. Starbucks logo of the Siren is communicated on cups, napkins, baristas aprons, signage above the storefront, film on the store windows, and all other packaging.

Starbuck’s brand identity system translates into their visual and verbal language through the components mentioned above. Starbucks has achieved flexibility, consistency and unity through  its brand’s identity system by clearing communicating the brands visual and verbal language at every point of interaction between the brand and its stakeholders.