Written by Lien Design ©2017
Lifestyle branding is defined as ‘a company that markets its products or services to embody the interests, attitudes and opinions of a group or culture’. Lifestyle branding can be a successful way to market but, without a successful marketing team behind you, it can also hurt a company. If lifestyle branding is a direction you are interested in taking your company in, California branding and graphic design company, Lien Design, can familiarize you with the risks you are taking and help you launch a successful lifestyle brand.
Lifestyle branding is all about appealing to a consumer’s need for self-expression. A good marketing campaign will identify their consumer base and figure out ways to cultivate a unique niche for the customers and work within these elements. However, setbacks can occur.
One way lifestyle branding can backfire, is in the customer’s need for self-expression. Needs change as do trends, and alternate outlets for self-expression are constantly being created by competitors. All this can affect the customer base as well as the focus of the branding campaign.
And, when we think of competition, taking the route of lifestyle branding can also put companies in more direct competition with each other. This is supported by a recent study whose results were published in the Journal of Marketing. The study shows that the constant flow of companies trying to appeal to customers through lifestyle branding can satiate the consumer’s need for self-expression and cause their loyalty to certain brands to weaken as their identities become less distinct in customer’s minds.
Companies should also be aware that if they move towards a lifestyle branding marketing strategy, it will take them out of the competition with other companies that may appeal to functional branding or may no longer target to the group you are marketing to. This may end up giving them an advantage.
However, just because lifestyle branding can be a difficult sea for companies to stay afloat in, it doesn’t mean they should shy away from this form of marketing. Many brands have been highly successful in using lifestyle branding. If you are interested in making this a strategy for your company, it is important to have a competent marketing team behind you, with a smart game plan, who know how to appeal to popular lifestyles. You also need to have the commitment and resources to stick to the lifestyle brand you are representing and stay consistent in your marketing while also keeping current with new styles and trends.
Lifestyle marketing can be an effective way to give your packaging design an advantage in the marketing industry. However, it is important that you are aware of potential pitfalls and that your branding is done strategically. To launch a well thought out, effective lifestyle branding campaign, consult San Diego’s premium marketing company, Lien Design. They will see to it that you outshine the competition, every step of the way.