Silence makes noise! These new brands with invisible branding.
We live in an age of noise. Omnipresent hubbub, generalized cacophony, permanent tumult. Doctor, my ears hurt. The symptoms: assaulted eardrums and confused brain. What if all this noise only amplified the echo of the quiet ones? Between minimalist visuals, subtlety and controlled speech, brands with light branding show little, but tell us a lot. Seenk deciphers the "light branding" trend.
Soylent, The bottle is reduced to a minimalist silhouette: fragrance, logo, number of calories and that's it.
Coca-Cola dared to make the colour of his cult drink disappear. Oh my god. Gone is the emblematic caramel, replaced by a transparent liquid to emphasise the purity of its new formula to the Japanese. And it's not only in the land of the rising sun that people have a taste for clarity. The Norwegian brand Lofoten Water pushes the boundaries of minimalism by designing an invisible water bottle. A way to promote the virtues of the purest unfiltered water in the world. It's a no-brainer.
The design serves the function. Full stop. This is a lesson that comes to us - obviously - from Scandinavia.
The beauty brand Glossier shines through the subtlety of its expression. The slightest detail of her world enhances her posture, the packaging attracts by its simplicity. Only one element stands out: a flat area of pop colour. This reflects her desire to use make-up as a simple means of personal expression.
What is unusual is that new brands with almost invisible branding are overshadowing their established competitors, without raising their voices. For Miles Davis, "The real music is silence and all the notes are just framing that silence." These new communication virtuosos have mastered the art of shouting less loudly, but weighing their words so that they mean more.
The less you say, the more you do.
Discretion is not a matter of course, especially in the face of competition. To make room for yourself in a crowded market, you have to shout. Like the vehement fishmonger, the brands throw a profusion of messages at us - even if it means getting lost in the abundance... or annoying the customer. Brandless has understood this well and surprises us with a shortened brand speech. She tells us in one word who she is, we deduce who she is not. "Better everything, All for 3$". No blah, blah, blah. The reason the speech is so short is to make it clearer that she doesn't like smooth talkers.
This anti-branding is still branding.
It is not a matter of ignoring the outward signs of promise, but rather of paying careful attention to them. It is necessary to express oneself with finesse so as not to say too much... but enough to arouse our curiosity. For the painter Renoir, it is not the exposure of the models that makes them attractive. On the contrary, the perfect point of tension must be found. The little that is shown must be sufficiently suggestive to make our imagination work. Modesty is then sexier than ever.
Sacrifice is good.
The latest formula based on hyaluronic acid, glucosamine and non-ionic vegetable foam promises to make you 10 years younger and lose 8 kg in 2 days? All this nebulous talk manages to convey is a headache. By shedding the superfluous, the beauty brand The ordinary reveals its uniqueness. She describes her approach as 'abnormal' because of its simplicity. Ironically, subtracting ingredients produces more value than adding them. This essentialism reflects our desire to bring clarity to our lives and focus on what matters to us. A return to our roots that is good for the ears.
Saying little to suggest much. In the age of all advertising, of the permanent show off, this new motto allows brands to underline their difference in order to better elevate their discourse. Words that matter, brand that matter. When will we see a bottle of milk that goes so far as to tell us that "the way to all greatness is through silence"? Listen to Nietzsche's advice - not only because you can quote him at your next lunch (= personal branding) but also and above all because it works. So stop the chatter and start competing in eloquence.