Branding for a company is crucial. Companies that can leverage their brand, understand their market, and share their company with its consumers rise to the top. Those companies that leave out one of the previously mentioned tapper off, loose traction and inevitably fail.
In the fashion industry, a companies brand is essentially everything. People not only recall brand names but some of the most iconic clothing companies have leveraged logos to makes their brands stick. When we think of Nike, we see the iconic swish. When we think about Lulu Lemon its hard not to think of the infamous (yoga pants) upside down horseshoe. Or when we think Lacoste we can see the tiny green crocodile on the front of a fitted polo.
Well surprisingly enough, Lacoste has done away with its iconic crocodile. Lacoste has launched a new campaign “Save Our Species,” which replaces the logo with ten emblems of endangered species that will individually appear in a series of limited-edition polo shirts. This kicks off a three-year partnership between Lacoste and IUCN to raise awareness for animals that could use the more visibility.
The company will only have the number of shirts available for sale that corresponds to the number of animals of each species that remain in the wild. This will be a total of 1,775 shirts running for $186 each.
Although the company has replaced its logo on this line, this has shown to be promising for the brand. With millennials disrupting the market, companies have to find new ways to position their brands. Companies that have relied on being a “big brand” have the potential to fade out as millennials continue to disrupt markets. Millennials seek to buy into companies that prioritize “making an impact” on the world around them. Companies should follow in Lacoste’s footsteps by making a shift of being purpose-led. Not only to gain traction with the new wave of consumers but to use their resources to change the world.
4 Responses to Purpose-led Branding: A Concept