By: Alisa D. Lewis, White & Case, Hong Kong
Brand Modernization and The Rise of The Mega-Brand 1960 to 2000
The last half of the 20th Century was, in essence, a "coming of age" period for the world of trademarks. Brands and branding became ever-present commercial phenomena, touching every aspect of daily life. The growing popularity of television, the explosion of print media, and the continuing appeal of radio ensured that at nearly every point during the day and evening, brand owners had access to a captive and receptive consumer audience.
The result: the nearly constant introduction of new brands, the strengthening of already established brands through "adaptation" and modern recasting, and the rise of the "mega-brand." It is the last two of these events that are most noteworthy.
Everything Old is New Again
The 1960s declaration from Bob Dylan that "the times they are a' changin'" was a political and social commentary on the burgeoning awareness and activism of America's youth, and the youth of the world. Political, social, and geographic borders were being challenged around the world, and expanding television and print coverage of news and world events brought expanded opportunities for brand owners to reach consumers through television and print ads. Savvy brand owners intent on promoting and building their already well-established but arguably "out-dated" brands were faced with a challenge: get hip, or get out.
Many brands rose to the challenge. First introduced in the United States in 1893, the AUNT JEMIMA trademark was used in connection with pancake mixes and syrup, and depicted a black "mammy"-type character in a kerchief. But the civil rights movement of the fifties and sixties raised social awareness of the inappropriateness of using, and perpetuating, harmful stereotypes in commercial media.
In a recent article naming the Top 10 Advertising Icons of the last century, Advertising Age magazine listed the AUNT JEMIMA logo as a commercial icon worthy of being called a "'cultural touchstone' of significant political and social change." The magazine noted that recognizing that the original logo had become " an outdated and negative portrayal of African-American women," the logo was gradually revised beginning in the 1950s, and continuing throughout the 1960s, with the most recent revisions occurring in 1989. This recasting of a venerable but no longer socially acceptable icon allowed the brand not only to survive, but to become one of the most well-known and easily recognized brands in its field.
Another "old favorite" that has survived through modernization is BETTY CROCKER. Originally introduced in 1921, BETTY CROCKER was a fictitious character meant to represent the average American female homemaker. Her original image, as described by Advertising Age, was that of a "stern, gray-haired older woman" (in 1936). But the last decades of the Century brought an enormous change in society's image and understanding of the modern woman.
And BETTY CROCKER changed with the times. Between 1936 and today, the icon has had a reported eight different personifications, growing younger, then older, then younger; growing from stern to serious to friendly. In fact, the ever-changing, increasingly modern BETTY CROCKER kept up so closely with the fashion of the times that the regrettable fluffy bow-tie scarf (the working woman's equivalent of the male business tie) of the 1980s didn't miss her.
Fittingly, the present incarnation of this resilient woman is the product of highly sophisticated computer imaging, making BETTY CROCKER a shining example of how "everything old is new again," and of the power and adaptability of well-nurtured brands.
Rise of the "Mega-Brand"
Another notable aspect of brand development in the last third of the 1900s was the rise of the "mega-brand." The success and survival of true cultural trademark icons such as AUNT JEMIMA and BETTY CROCKER drove many brand owners and their advertising components to strive for the creation of cultural icons of their own. What better way to build a brand than to make it a household name through constant, high profile, and positive media exposure?
NIKE, MICROSOFT, CALVIN KLEIN, WALKMAN and SWATCH are all examples of latter-century super-marks that became daily parts of consumers' psyche--and even vocabulary-- through enormous advertising campaigns and positive media associations. The uniforms of sports heroes the world over sported the NIKE SWOOSH Design. In the booming infant decades of the home computing revolution, the name MICROSOFT had relevance and meaning in households around the world. CALVIN KLEIN and SWATCH not only reflected the fashion and mind-set of youth from New York to London to Hong Kong, these brands themselves began to shape and affect cultural trends.
The crucial element that sets the "mega-brand" apart from its "merely famous" counterparts is that it's mass appeal, media exposure, and cultural impact are tremendous and global. For a "mega-brand," growth is exponential. As the world of brands and branding leaped towards the last years of the 1990s, the rise of the computer age and the ensuing world-wide phenomena of "instant access" to news and information made possible through home computers, Personal Digital Assistants, the Internet, and mobile telecommunications, new and seemingly endless avenues for brand advertising were only just being explored. But can these highly prolific brands adapt and change to the needs and fancies of an increasingly globalized consumer market?
Who knows? Maybe in thirty years the thoroughly modern and almost always hip BETTY CROCKER will be living on the moon, still baking fabulous meals, and sporting the latest in high-tech, fruit-scented watches from SWATCH -- proof that brand equity is a true and lasting commodity, even across centuries.
