King Consistency gets a new regent
The new ruler in the market jungle is dynamism. Countless contact points with different technical requirements, specific expectations and a rapidly growing creator culture are bringing consistency to its knees and ushering in a not-one-size-fits-all age. So what should brands do?
Letting go a little.
Brand dynamics: Rigidity vs. letting go?
A rigid brand is outdated, a brand that is too soft loses its recognizability. It's a fine line. To let go properly, dynamic brands rely on lane assistants: Values, vision and mission form the stable core, while other elements such as products, design, language and campaigns are adapted modularly to themes, placements and target groups.
One example is Coca-Cola's recycling campaign, which deforms its own logo to encourage recycling. Using distinctive assets that have been established over decades in this way requires courage - which pays off. This is possible because Coca-Cola has a strong core and other recognizable distinctive assets (e.g. the color red) that help to decode the brand. Our tip: Don't let go of everything, but install lane assistants - and share the throne.
Ok, but why?
One of the biggest fears of CMOs worldwide is the loss of control over their brand. But are they (still) in control? Not really - for two reasons:
Firstly, the interpretation of a brand is a constant process of negotiation in which the audience wields the sledgehammer. Every message is reinterpreted through the cultural and social filters of the target group. Especially in digital spaces, the Wild West rules: Content is independently reinterpreted and redistributed in real time. Sounds dangerous - so why let go and allow even more freedom?
This brings us to the second point: communication is becoming more private. Daily exchanges are increasingly moving into closed spaces - the cozy web (Venkatesh Rao). On platforms such as WhatsApp, invite-only Discord, TikTok-DMs, sub-reddits or Telegram groups, interaction takes place privately(-ish) in more or less closely connected communities. This decentralizes communication and calls for a rethink: brands should actively shape their significance, but not through rigid guidelines, rather with a stable core and the acceptance that they are also platforms.
Get invited: Brands as platforms for niches
This privatization and the growth of creator culture, which cultivates micro-communities around niche topics, opens up new opportunities for brands to achieve relevance that is difficult to achieve in mass media. Zoe Scaman, sums it up: “We find nurture in the niches.” That's where we build real connections around a topic. We take deep dives into the details and learn from creators in the niche. Here, the internet feels like a home - one that invites residents and visitors to help shape it.
How are brands invited into this home? By seeing themselves as a platform for the niche, listening and offering added value. One key is cooperation with influential institutions and creators in the niche.
Let's take the anime sector, for example. An area that has seen huge growth in the last five years and has fandoms that can be compared to sports team loyalty. Luxury fashion brands have recognized this and are increasingly testing this area through collaborations with well-known anime studios: LOEWE x Studio Ghibli or Jimmy Choo, which created a shoe collection in the Sailor Moon theme. These brands create extraordinary touchpoints, accept the freedom of branded content and offer a platform - instead of control.
Niche stitching as a growth driver: the example of “The V&A”
Music, fashion, gaming: subcultures and niches are key drivers of new pop culture. This is not changing. However, the development of trends into the mainstream has become faster, more fragmented and short-lived. Brands should therefore position themselves in such a way that their collaborations are inspired by deeper niche cultures rather than trends.
In order to secure reach with these collaborations, brands can define a larger audience through niche stitching, the targeted selection of several niches that harmonize with their own brand values, and thus compensate for any losses associated with niche projects. The clue is that in this self-created, fragmented mass medium, brands must offer added value to each niche while not diluting their core.
An exciting example of niche stitching is the Victoria & Albert Museum's “If you're into it, it's in the V&A” campaign - a detailed campaign that served 70 niches and worked with knitwear influencers, Twitch streamers and all kinds of other creators to create items and place them in the UK for target audiences to discover. Find out more on D&AD.
Conclusion: The throne is divided
King Consistency does not fall, but a duet with the dynamic regent lights the way to the future. Consistency remains the stable core, but gives up its rigidity. Brands can rely on flexibility and openness - especially when it comes to resonating with niches. For us, this means that those who are prepared to relinquish the sceptre of control become part of their audience's stories.
