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A Brand with No Name? ...Really?

November 22, 2011 at 9:49 am by Ted Mininni

It’s no secret: many consumers have been suffering from a case of the brand blahs. Not many brands seem to mean what they once did.

• Maybe it’s the rise of store brands that “seem just as good and cost less” diluting potent brands.
• Maybe it’s due to an unrelentingly sluggish economy.
• Or maybe it’s the perceived lack of authenticity, trustworthiness and excitement around many brands.
• Maybe it’s a little of each.

Now for whatever (obscure) reason, Walgreen’s has announced a new “no-name brand” of private label products. About 50 SKUS across the stores will be available from household products to food and snacks.

Rather than being defined by a brand name; the products will be defined by its visuals: “fresh” graphics dominated by a smiling sun. Walgreen’s Director of Product Development, Laura Sturdevant, refers to it as “Sunny Smile”. Question is: how will consumers refer to it? How can they refer to it? And when Walgreen’s promotes the brand: what will they call it? Sunny Smile? And if they do, shouldn’t they just brand it that? And how does “Sunny Smile” refer to the product line itself?

This reminds me of rock star Prince and his highly publicized decision to do away with his brand name, replacing it with a symbol. No one could pronounce it. Not even Prince. Recall that he was introduced as “the singer formerly known as Prince”? Lucky for him, he was already an established brand and people knew who he was. But the whole episode was odd. It may have brought him a great deal of PR but what did it ultimately do for his brand? The answer lies in Prince’s return to the use of his brand name, deep-sixing the symbol in the process.

• So coming back to Walgreen’s: is this idea of a new, no-name brand going to cause confusion?
• Will it come off as looking like a nameless line of “generics”?
• Will the Walgreen’s brand identity be enough to carry the new products?
• Will it fail?
• Or will it be a success, followed by the bestowing of the “brilliant” label by marketers and brand experts?

What’s your take on this?

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