L’Eau En Vogue. Foodie Fashion. Alpha Side-Eye.
Paris finds its way into our across-the-pond sightings.
From Paris
A special dispatch from Mia’s weekend in The City of Lights.
Please, Cupdom, rename your brand. I spotted these reusable ‘cup condoms’ in pharmacies all over Paris. They’re essentially a cover you pop over your glass on nights out to protect your drink from getting spiked. A simple solution to a serious problem. But there’s something so off-putting about the naming and packaging tie to condoms (and men) for a product designed to protect people (mostly women) against sexual assaults. They’re blowing an opportunity to do something much more inviting, powerful, and relevant. Could the biz weather a strategic repositioning under a new name? I’d like to think the investment would be worth it. Cupdom, you know where we are…
Trust the French to make water chic. Evian has a collaboration going with buzzy French brand, Coperni. Bottles feature an illustrated galaxy where the universes of the two brands intertwine to tell a story centered around an imaginary meeting between Copernicus and Evian founder, the Marquis de Lessert, which is only visible through a clear portal on the wrapper. Meanwhile, Perrier has a limited edition collaboration with French industrial architect and designer Philippe Starck on store shelves throughout the city. I often find artist ‘takeovers’ a bit cringe, but Starck’s reimagining of the 160-year-old company’s iconic green bottle is an elegant match.
Chocolate is getting chunkier. Remember how a few years ago it was all about the ‘thinification’ of chocolate and sweet snacking? Skinny Almonds, barkTHINS, Oreo Thins…and the worst offender of all, McVities Digestive Thins (the launch of which was met with uproar by biscuit-loving Brits and is now discontinued). There’s a 180° turn happening in the chocolate world. I first noticed it on the London Underground, with ads celebrating the recent launch of Cadbury’s Fruitier & Nuttier line and its Dairy Milk & More platform. But France is hot on the trail with chunkified lines from Côte d'Or, Le Vie Claire and Nestle’s Les Recettes de l'Atelier going unapologetically extreme with their product and photography/illustration. The future of chocolate is big, bold and ready to take up space. Because when it comes to indulgence, less is definitely not more.
You (wear) what you eat. Le Bon Marché had a huge display of Brooklyn-based menswear brand FLAN, the star of which was their ‘fromage’ hoodie featuring a hunk of Emmental. I also spotted tote bags and flatware emblazoned with the names of legendary Parisian brasseries, SATC-throwback pretzel necklaces and more than a baker’s dozen references to baguettes and Pains aux Raisins. Too cheesy (ahem) for my taste but a whimsical way to celebrate the fusion of two Parisian passions: fashion and food. Très chic, très croissant.
From Chicago
Back here in the Windy City, Ellen’s getting wind that…
The word “preppy” can get you some serious Gen Alpha side-eye. Every generation is responsible for coming up with their own lingo. “Rizz.” “Skibidi.” “Ohio.” You know what I mean? (Actually, you probably don’t know what I mean, and that’s ok— we’re not 12.) But when a generation takes an age-old term and drastically alters its meaning, adults and— in this case— brands, BEWARE. “Preppy” as a style has had many iterations throughout the years from blazers and popped-collars to now, leggings and cropped sweatshirts. The one constant is that it has always been as much about the labels as it has been about the look (think Ralph Lauren, J. Crew, and Aviator Nation). Call this obnoxious, call it cool— Gen Alpha seems to be calling it out. This cohort of rising consumers born after 2009 tends to use the word “preppy” with disdain. To them, it’s a personality flaw defined as “someone who’s trying too hard to be something they’re not” (Gen X-ers, we might call this “being a poser”). Even tweens who fully buy into the modern-day preppy aesthetic will staunchly reject alignment with the word “preppy”. So, teen fashion brands (ahem, H&M and Hollister), perhaps go with “polished” to describe that new look, not “preppy”.
Paperless Post just went Pro. Well played. Launching a “pro” line (or similar) is a fairly common premiumization strategy attempted by a lot of brands in a lot of industries. (Look no further than the maker of the device you’re probably holding in your hand right now.) The dream and concept are simple— create a separate line, throw in some added features, jack up the price, and (boom!) more money. Hmmm, not so fast. Successful premiumization is often about tapping into something different vs. something more— a different consumer base, different benefits, different purchase considerations, and different competition. I’m working on a more in-depth study of this, but— for the moment— let’s just say Paperless Pro nails it! This line is everything an administrative assistant, event planner, or publicity coordinator would want for a multi-day, multi-tiered, multi-hundred-person event… and everything I would not to invite 15 kids to my daughter’s birthday party. Point is, there’s no confusion, no ill-fated aspiration. Paperless Post for me. Paperless Pro for them.
Campbell’s is pulling a Dunkin’… well, kind of. Back in 2019 when Dunkin’ Donuts dropped “Donuts” from its trade name the public freaked. Some were angrily suspicious that the working class-bred brand was trying to go all fru-fru Starbucks on them. Others feared that donuts would be cut from the chain’s menu. Neither of these things happened (not really, the fru-fru edit is debatable), nor did the widespread adoption of the name change. Corporate still only uses “Dunkin’” on its website, but many retail locations all across the country have either kept or added back “Donuts” and adopted “DD” (instead of “D”) as their lead symbol. I suppose this is the downside of having a franchise business model and die-hard consumer base.
Well, Campbell’s just announced its plan to make a similar move by cutting “Soup” from the corporate name. The difference relative to Dunkin’ is that The Campbell Soup Company’s change to “The Campbell’s Company” might only get noticed by Wall Street. Campbell’s Soup will still be “Campbell’s Soup” and all other brands owned by the company— including Cape Cod, Goldfish, noosa, and Rao’s— will retain their existing trade names. So, why bother? Campbell’s CEO, Mark Clouse, has this to say about it:
“This subtle yet important change retains the company’s iconic name recognition, reputation and equity built over 155 years while better reflecting the full breadth of the company’s portfolio.”1
Huh. Ok. Maybe the name “The Campbell’s Company” does this for Wall Street. But what about consumers? Aren’t you just leaving us hanging like Dunkin’ with the part of the name that has no meaning? I can’t help but think this is a missed opportunity for the company to build more enterprise-wide equity. Ya know, go big or…
For fear of flying off the handle, I’m going to keep this one brief. After literally turning off the lights on its employees and leaving thousands of pounds of fresh food to rot behind paper signs that read “Closed forever (not a joke)”, one of Chicago’s most hated brands, Foxtrot, is attempting a re-do. Their location at Wells and North Avenue just reopened, and it looks eerily like the old place. I can only think “Really? This is your plan! You’re not even going to re-arrange the furniture or give us a cheerier brand refresh to create some cognitive distance from the disgraceful events of just a few months ago?”. Apparently, they’ve cleaned up a lot of their operational flaws which subscribers of Dan Frommer’s The New Consumer can read about here, but still… the cloud of betrayal to our city’s workers, vendors, and patrons looms large. I felt a chill just peeking in the windows.
In case you’re wondering, our topics and links are never sponsored.
Joseph Lamour, “The Campbell Soup Company is changing its name after more than 100 years,” Today, pub date: 9/11/2024, https://www.today.com/food/news/campbell-soup-company-name-change-rcna170614.