Has purpose gone too far? From serious to frivolous via 'wackaging'
Martin Oxley
Consultant & Advisor | Specialising in insight & market research solutions with start up and scale up agencies - especially innovation, marketing and comms
I am a man of a certain age and I like the comfort of my slippers. Please don’t judge me or think this is the most boring post you have ever read ( you can decide that when you have read it.)
I have been a loyal buyer of a fabulous German brand called Rohde. You may know them and if you don’t, please do check them out, they are the BMW of slippers. If engineers wore slippers they would wear these. Hardworking, style following function, sustainable and good value for money. They do the job beautifully with little fanfare ( they are just slippers after all).
I bought a new pair of these slippers yesterday (they cost ￡32 if you are interested) and I was surprised to see that someone had written a purpose statement on the box - see picture above.
Now I don’t know about you but the description on the side really leaves me cold (unlike my toes which are toasty). I don’t read German so can’t be sure if it is a bad translation or it is as much drivel (das Gefasel) in German as it appears to me in English.
I first came across this ‘wackaging’ – as it is called - on Innocent bottles a few years ago and really liked it. It was a bit of fun and gave the brand a fitting personality. But there is something about the statement on this box that, for some reason, irritates me. What do you think? Do you have similar examples of brands stepping (excuse the deliberate pun) too far?
?As always, I would love to hear from you. If anyone from Rohde reads this I am honestly your biggest fan but what were you thinking?
Global Brand Insight Leader
2 年What a load of old cobblers... and I'm not talking about the people who made them. I think the problem is that it is trite, glib nonsense which could apply to any brand or category if you changed the last word of the blue text. It would have been better if they took inspiration from Johnnie Walker and their brilliant use of walking as a metaphor for progressing in life. Or in this instance, relaxing and taking stock of life in a comfy pair of slippers.
Consultant & Advisor | Specialising in insight & market research solutions with start up and scale up agencies - especially innovation, marketing and comms
2 年Maybe Denyse but I imagine it's a step too far even for shoes. I dont even think a brand like Nike which could get away with this would actually do it?
?? Business Strategist for mid-sized CPGs | ????????Leadership Coach | ?? Keynote Speaker | ?? #1 Best-Selling Author | ?? Former Global Head of Consumer Excellence at Nestlé
2 年It may be more relevant for shoes rather than slippers Martin.