The Next Wave of Branding: How to Ride it

The Next Wave of Branding: How to Ride it

Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed some Potato Head furore over the last few weeks. Hasbro dropped the ‘Mr’ from their famous Potato-inspired toys, which has angered a few pretty loud people but has been hailed as a positive move by GLAAD and many parents.

Hasbro made it clear that their potato head toys will still contain the 40+ accessories kids are used to, but they are removing ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’ from all packaging and copy, allowing children to create the potato families they want to create, regardless of gender norms. This means that in some cases kids will be playing with toys more reflective of their own non-traditional families. 

This might all sound trivial because it’s about a children’s toy, but Hasbro actually did something really smart. They have kept ahead of changing trends in branding, and made an inclusive move without it being widely demanded of them.

Other brands, such as the Washington Football Team (formerly the Redskins) and Pearl Milling Company (formally Aunt Jemima) have not had such foresight. And those two really should have, given that there have been campaigns to change both names for years!

Whatever your company’s product or service, and whatever your brand and branding strategy, it’s more important than ever to think about inclusivity in all your marketing decisions. If you’re starting a new company, do so with inclusivity in mind. And if you already run a successful company, maybe now is a great time to step back and look at the big branding picture. Are you sending an inclusive message? Is it clear that your company is anti racist, gender-inclusive and welcoming to all kinds of consumer? If not, make changes before they are asked of you and be a Potato Head rather than an Aunt Jemima.

Why Does Inclusive Branding Matter?

Inclusive branding matters because it creates a welcoming environment for all potential customers. It matters because, frankly, it’s the right thing to do. But in 2021, it also matters because there’s a huge amount of scrutiny on brand choices in this area. If you don’t think about the messages you’re sending around race and gender, you are likely to send outdated ones and be pulled up for it. This could be hugely damaging. A whole slew of brands made changes with inclusivity in mind in 2020, and the list is only going to grow in 2021. 

On the other hand, companies that have built inclusivity into their branding are doing really well. A great example of this is Third Love, who bucked industry trends by making their commitment to serving women of various shapes, sizes, races, and gender presentations a central part of their branding from the get-go. 

Which side of that divide would you rather be on?

How to Make Sure Your Branding is Inclusive

Hopefully, you have a diverse and knowledgeable team working for you and value everyone’s input when making big branding decisions. Even if that is the case, though, you should always carry out extensive and intersectional audience testing when making changes to your brand’s image, advertising, name… anything, really! A cross-section of the public are bound to see things you’re not. And the most important part? It’s listening to them, of course.

It’s also important to keep things relevant. If you’re looking to get woke purely because that’s what you’re supposed to do in 2021, you customers will see through it! Why not look into the issues that matter in your industry and go from there? Or else look at who your customers are, and have a think about what matters to them and how you can genuinely further those causes. 

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

That is to say, if you proclaim that black lives matter, you also have to live up to those ideals. If you have an all-white management team, or say, pay your BIPOC employees less on average than your white employees you will be called up for it. Consumers are very aware of the intricacies of branding vs the realities of business practices, so make sure your brand always reflects the true values of your company. 

A lot of this will come up when you’re thinking about your secondary branding elements. If you’re telling an inclusive story, or believe your business’ values to be inclusive, what practical steps can you take to make sure that the day-to-day running of your company lives up to those promises?

Don’t Let Old Fashioned Ideas Hold You Back

The biggest takeaway from the changes in what’s expected from brands in the last couple of years is that inclusive branding isn’t a fad. As a business owner, you have to find a way to bring your brand into the 2020s or you’ll be seen as not only old-fashioned but offensive. 

But remember, brands have always gone through changes. I mean, when Mr Potato Head was launched the toy required an actual potato. All you got from Hasbro was the body parts and accessories on spikes. Yeah, spikes. You had to give your kid a potato to skewer and hope they didn’t skewer themselves, or leave potatoes rotting all around the house. 

Of course, that iteration didn’t last long - Hasbro took the time to come up with a way better idea. And that’s why the Potato Heads have been around for almost seventy years!