The beginning of a new year always prompts reflection. While many are evaluating their favorite campaigns from the previous year, brand leaders should be asking themselves if their brand was distinctive enough in 2024.
As experts in branding within the food and drinks industry, we consistently consider this question. While we saw some great examples of distinction last year, there were also missed opportunities. It is a brand marketer’s responsibility to promote the brand, not just the category, but some still fell into predictable patterns.
For instance, most chocolate brands use a similar ad template featuring their logo emerging from liquid chocolate. Even burger ads often follow a masculine color scheme on a wooden background with bold fonts.
In this article, we highlight brands that effectively utilized their unique assets this year and those that missed the mark. Fortunately, Jaguar is not included in this list.
Chuck Studios business lead Robert Volten
### Unanimous branding
Distinctive Brand Assets (DBAs) are crucial for brand recognition, engagement, and recall in ads. These assets trigger brand recognition without the need for the brand name or logo. For example, when you see a lime wedge in a bottle of beer, you immediately think of a specific brand.
Brand leaders who overlook their DBAs are missing out. These assets are powerful elements that can be used across all media channels. If creativity is the system for a successful campaign, then DBAs are the hardware.
### Distinct Winners
KitKat continues to showcase why its ‚Have a Break‘ tagline and unique bar break are timeless. Even after thirty years, the brand remains effective and relevant, serving as a lesson for all marketers.
Magnum successfully tapped into nostalgia with a vintage ad that celebrated its role as the ‚original‘ ice cream. By incorporating iconic brand elements like the crack and pour, Magnum created a memorable campaign that resonated with audiences.
Cheetos excelled this year by highlighting the effect of their product as a valuable brand asset. The ‚Hand Genius‘ campaign showcased the residue left on hands after consuming the snack, adding a new layer to their DBA and making it even more memorable.
McDonald’s and Tesco also effectively utilized their strong visual identities in recent campaigns, emphasizing their core propositions without explicitly mentioning their brands.
Kellogg’s brought back Cornelius the Cockerel, leveraging its deep-rooted association with the brand as well as its representation of morning time to strengthen its position in the breakfast category.
### Brand Breakdown
Some brands failed to leverage their distinctive assets effectively last year. KFC, known for its founder as a strong DBA, chose not to feature him prominently in their campaigns. Twix missed the mark by not highlighting its iconic ‚two-bar‘ uniqueness in favor of unrelated humor. Tropicana also stumbled by neglecting its packaging as a crucial DBA, reverting to a design that lacked distinctiveness and drew consumer criticism.
### Don’t go changin‘
Being a brand leader is challenging.