When Branding and Packaging Work in Unity
August 25, 2008 by Susan Gunelius
Filed under Marketing
The new Radiance line from Procter & Gamble’s Downy Simple Pleasures is a perfect example of branding, package design and advertising/marketing support that works in unity to create a consistent and compelling message. It also differentiates the products in the line not just in package appearance but also in brand perception. Let’s take a look…
First, check out the package design that is not only unique and stands out on a store shelf, as Beth Nori from The Dieline can attest to in her post on the subject, but also creates a clear brand image. There is no doubt this package is meant to communicate upscale and luxurious indulgence.
And a close up of one of the bottles:
Next up, the website design. Take a look at the screen shot below. See anything similar here? Looks very consistent so far.
Finally, the copywriting. The description of the Radiance Collection (don’t you like how it’s called a “collection”) as taken from the website is below:
Radiance Collection. Discover the rich, luxurious scents in the new Downy Simple Pleasures Radiance Collection. Each scent is infused with tiny scent pearls that release as you move, so you can enjoy fresh, unexpected bursts of fragrance in your fabrics. Try each radiance scent:
- Amethyst Mist for a warm, sensual scent.
- Turquoise Frost for a crisp, sheer scent.
- Pink Opal for a light, delicate scent.
Check out the words used in the copy – rich, luxurious, sensual, sheer, delicate. There is no doubt this copy is targeted to women and it works not only in speaking to the target audience but in consistently communicating the brand message.
I should also mention that a variety of social media marketing tactics have also been used to promote the brand including user-generated “mood boards” that can be created on the Downy Simple Pleasures Radiance Collection website and a promotion wherein fashion designers created clothing inspired by the scents of the three new Downy Simple Pleasures Radiance Collection products. A contest added to the excitement of the new product launch where one person who created a mood board on the website won an appearance on the red carpet at the 2008 People’s Choice Awards.
I have to give the creative team behind Downy Simple Pleasures Radiance Collection props for creating such a unified campaign. I haven’t seen print or television advertising yet, but based on what I’ve seen so far, I’d be very surprised if advertising didn’t continue to consistently communicate the brand.
What do you think about the packaging, website and copy for Downy Simple Pleasures Radiance Collection?
Images: DiscoveringRadiance.com (a Procter & Gamble website)
Maybe I’m missing something…it’s JUST fabric softener! I don’t know why, but this product really annoyed me. I can’t help thinking that P&G probably should have spent their R&D money on something more useful to the average consumer like a better healthcare of baby/child product rather than developing a luxury frickin’ fabric softener.
I guess this goes to show I have no marketing/branding intelligence, but as a low-brow consumer I just don’t get it.
Scott, I’d imagine P&G’s strategy was one of trying to stand out in the over saturated laundry care aisle in stores. It’s a difficult category to differentiate a product in. There are cheap brands that stand out, organic brands and brands specifically for baby care, but otherwise, laundry products have become a bit of a commodity with little to compete with other than price and a few overly used differentiators.
I’m guessing P&G’s attempt at differentiation through a new product perceived as high-end and fashion-conscious will appeal to a specific target market – primarily fashion-conscious women who buy expensive clothes and want to treat those clothes as well as they treat themselves. Based on the marketing initiatives I’ve seen so far related to Downy’s Radiance collection, that’s my analysis.
I think it will probably work. There is certainly a niche audience who will respond to this brand differentiation strategy. Will it work over the long term? That’s hard to say. With the current state of the economy in the U.S. people are cutting luxury items (like expensive clothing) from their budgets. The product launch probably could have come at a better time but P&G’s strategy of tying it into fashion design which is extremely popular these days (think Project Runway, America’s Next Top Model and all the television shows and media related to fashion and design) is timely and should be effective.