As a marketing professional, it can be tempting to hop on the bandwagon of popular trends or memes that are hot with consumers. For example, because of the wild popularity of the release of the Hunger Games movie, a popular nail polish brand named China Glaze released the “Capitol Colors” line of polishes. A new Warner Brothers Green Lantern animated series debuted last month, so now McDonald’s is offering Green Lantern action figures in their Happy Meals. During October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month many brands including Yoplait and Conair promote special pink-colored products and packaging.
Oftentimes, aligning your brand with a popular trend can pay off in a big way. But is it always a good idea? This practice of co-branding can speak volumes about what your company values, so it is important to be thoughtful before associating your brand with the latest fad. Below are a few questions to consider if you’re thinking about jumping on a trend bandwagon.
- What is the underlying reason I would want to align my brand with this trend? Perhaps you’re looking to increase awareness of your brand or increase sales. Either way, you should ask yourself what your business objectives are before participating in any sort of cobranding to ensure your actions will benefit the business in some way.
- What does this trend say about my brand? Aligning your company with a trend can mean a lot more to your audience than you might realize. If you established a close partnership with an infamous brand, for example BP, right after the oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the partnership won’t make your brand look very savvy or culturally sensitive. Make sure you are aligning your brand with other brands you support, and be prepared to explain why.
- Is this trend affiliated with a worthy cause? Cobranding can be a great tool to improve or enhance your company’s corporate citizenship reputation. By affiliating yourself with charities or wellness campaigns that support the greater good, customers will likely respond in a positive way. But make sure you aren’t just “using” charitable partnerships – align your brand with causes your company truly believes in.
- Will this trend have staying power? Because of how quickly information is distributed online, memes, or internet fads, can appear one day and be considered “old news” the next. Before aligning your brand with a fad or trend, consider the lasting (or not-so-lasting) implications the co-branding might have for your company. Jumping on trends quickly can demonstrate agility and modern thinking, but without staying power, aligning your brand with memes might not be worth the investment.
- Am I going to alienate portions of my target audience? Think about which portions of your target audience will respond to trends. If your sales demographic targets males ages 18 – 35, aligning your brand with Twilight might not be a great idea because the trend appeals mostly to teenage females. If you take a stance on the upcoming presidential elections, you may alienate your customers whose political opinions differ. Make sure you are considering your whole audience before jumping on a trend.
By asking yourself these questions before participating in the latest consumer fad, you can make sure you are making a smart decision for your business and for your customers. What other questions do you ask yourself before aligning your brand with the latest trend?