At Pull, we exist to win our clients customers for life. It’s what makes us tick! In the design studio we achieve this by creating the most compelling and beautiful designs we can, that tell our client’s story as clearly as possible to their audience. One of the ways we can measure how successfully the target audience connects with a company is if they invest so heavily in a brand that they share it on social media, creating user generated content. When this happens… a brand ambassador has been born!
People are increasingly sceptical of big brands, in particular the millennial generation. They are far more likely to trust their friends and networks rather than believe a product claim. This is why we have seen an increase in brands partnering with influencers and bloggers who have a large following to endorse their claims.
Now… how does this link to print design?
We hear the pantomime line ‘print is dead: oh no it isn’t/oh yes it is!’ frequently within the design industry. And it is true that print spending has decreased, but this is hardly unexpected with the number of digital platforms increasing constantly through the meteoric rise of social media, search advertising and virtual reality etc. But what we are finding is that in a world where everything is photographed then consequently #hashtagged, Instagramed, shared and tweeted print work goes viral too!
The highest profile example that we’ve seen this year is KFC’s attention-grabbing apology print ad ‘FCK’ that went viral on social media despite being run as a printed advert (a savvy move that gave the campaign more gravitas with newspapers coming up top in trusted sources), and which picked up numerous awards at Cannes last week.
At Pull we work very closely with Schwarzkopf Professional, creating the brand for product launches and defining the Point of Sale for the whole salon journey. When we approach a project, we have to consider how we can create the most powerful and eye-catching designs that will work across multiple platforms. The haircare and styling market is incredibly competitive and consumers are smarter in their product choices because of the all-access nature of social media. Creating campaigns that not only hold their own, but stand out in a saturated market is what we excel at. Read about our Creative Directors views on why brands need to be more individual.
Last year we created the visual style for Schwarzkopf Professional’s new range Oil Ultime, which was launched earlier this year. The brief was to create a feeling of ceremony and luxury around the range. We wanted to create an experiential feel to the brand, and how better to demonstrate this than through a tactile approach which we delivered through delicate watercolour paintings, paper samples and print finishes - elements that can only truly be experienced when seen and felt in the real world. This offline approach was completely appropriate for the product range.
When Oil Ultime was launched and the POS packages arrived at the salons, hairdressers globally were snapping photos and sharing them via their social media channels. This beautiful and tactile POS looked so different to anything they had in-salon and they couldn’t stop shouting about it to the world! This user generated content was incredibly powerful and Oil Ultime went viral within the hairdresser community. As a result of this the end consumer has also become a great advocate for the brand because of the enthusiasm the salons and hairdressers have got for this product range.
So, no matter the stage for the communication, it is the brand that should surprise, engage and delight the audience. Most importantly, it should be the right form and media for the brand. This will ultimately be what makes it a success with your target audience and turn them in to brand ambassadors who share your brand message with their own networks. What’s more powerful than that?
Posted 4 July 2018 by