With this in mind, brand strategists need to consider every touchpoint that signifies a brand and replicate these signature assets across them. Packaging is a key example. An embossed paper bag in signature brand colors that is carried out of a store by a shopper becomes a brand advert for everyone who sees it — an association that enhances desirability. These assets are also valued by consumers.
“I went to Chanel in Milan once after a shopping session with Bottega, and they didn’t want me to enter with bags from another store. So I had to put them in a cupboard,” one interview participant said. “The packaging is important. For example, when I’m buying shoes, I don’t just want a nice box, but a matching dust bag for each shoe that will help make them last longer,” shared another.
Selecting brand colors and motifs that will remain unique is just part of the process. The key is to implement them across all other brand assets — from product linings and trimmings to brand stationery, hang tags, and email marketing templates, right down to the carpets in branded concessions. All should carry the visual cues that represent the brand.
However, Varley at OK Cool cautions against relying on these details alone to represent the brand, flagging that what a brand doesn’t do is just as important as what it does. “Logos and colors are evidence of a brand, not the brand,” he says. “What you actually recognize without the tag is a worldview — who they cast, what they won’t do, the crop, the silence, the refusal to overexplain.”
It’s a truth echoed by Nacewicz: “The filter is simple: does this deepen community, inspire wellness, or translate the Alo world in a way that feels true? If not, we don’t do it.”
The new rules of brand
What’s over: Relying on newness and product quality alone to boost purchase intent. Expecting design alone to drive brand credentials.
What’s changing: The story of the creative director. It’s no longer just about craftsmanship and the creative process, but the heritage and personal journey of the designer, too.
What wins now: Wholesome, warm, branded moments that spread joy and leave a memorable impression by giving shoppers something to take away that isn’t just the product.
Spotlight on: Jenny Galimberti, CEO, JW Anderson
How do you define brand success for JW Anderson?
Obviously, we measure commercial success as a KPI, but we are also looking at the spheres of influence we are affecting. Thanks to the introduction of new product categories, such as home and art, we are broadening our perimeter and discovering more areas of influence; not just reaching more people, but also learning from them.
What are the top three brand milestones over the last year, and what’s the most important milestone that you’re now working toward?
Redefining the brand, entering new categories such as interiors, and opening the Pimlico [London] store, which truly represents the new concept. The most important milestone we’re working toward is ensuring we strike the right balance between our core business and other categories that we have brought in, so that the new vision is truly reflected in our product and brand strategy.
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