A few weeks ago, I got an SMS message from a former colleague saying “Did you know that disguising brands is the new flex in marketing?” He linked to this nameless billboard with a red swirling background and the words ‘It Has To Be Fries.’
Color me confused. After a closer look, I realized the red was ketchup. But is this a Heinz or Hunt’s ad? Heck it could be any of these 13 popular ketchups. Insiders might be able to figure out it was Heinz from the Est 1869 or that ‘It Has To Be’ is their new slogan but the general public… no way.
Apparently, Heinz isn’t alone.
British Airways and Tesco did something similar earlier this year. (Maybe this is a British trend?) Kellogg’s ran a campaign focused on its rooster mascot and highlighting the letters ‘OG’ from its brand name.
As a former CMO, I have mixed emotions about this trend of disguising your brand.
For starters, a brand is more than just a logo and colors. A brand is the unique identity, perception, and emotional connection people have with a company, product, or service. A strong brand differentiates an organization from competitors, building loyalty and recognition in the customer’s mind. You definitely don’t want to bland the brand.
In that vein, these marketing campaigns aren’t really disguising their brands. Instead, they are really dropping the traditional logo and focusing on other elements of the brand promise. This alone can be startling because traditionalists have focused on plastering their logos everywhere and making it as big as possible.
From that point of view, these campaigns are a bit of a flex because only strong brands can pull this off. Done correctly, this allows the brand to focus on its value proposition or experience rather than its name and colors. In a world cluttered with ads, stripping away logos feels less like traditional advertising and can create intrigue leading to interaction. I suspect it might especially appeal to the younger generation who dislike over marketing.
Why don’t more brands try this?
Simply said, it wouldn’t work. Without a brand identity, messaging, and market position which are well designed and well understood, customers won’t understand the campaign. It takes time, money, and consistency to build this understanding – sadly most organizations (and marketers) are impulsive and don’t stick with a brand identity for long enough.
In short, disguising a brand is an interesting trend and one that marketers are likely to gush over for a short time. But it’s not a phenomenon most companies need to think about.
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