AUGUST 7, 2024
Brand Anniversaries: Use 'Em or Lose 'Em
By David Cameron, Founder and Managing Partner
Anniversaries are not just dates on a calendar; they are powerful milestones that offer brands an organic, authentic opportunity to resonate deeply with their audience and generate new relevance. For heritage brands in particular, these celebrations can become pivotal moments to reinforce loyalty, celebrate your internal teams, and highlight your values for new audiences. Below are just some of the opportunities you don't want to miss out on if you have a milestone coming up:
Celebrating Heritage and Consumer Connection
Anniversaries provide a unique chance to celebrate what has tied consumers to your brand for decades or even centuries. Levi's celebrated its 150th anniversary with "The Greatest Story Ever Worn," featuring hardcore brand fans, including one man who was buried in his 501s and requested everyone wear Levi's to his funeral. Such campaigns can underscore the deep, emotional connections consumers have with your brand. In many cases, the more extreme the example, the more engaging and endearing it will be for brand lovers and new audiences alike.
Identifying and Highlighting Core Truths
A brand anniversary is an ideal moment to identify your most powerful, authentic, and differentiating truths. These are the elements of your brand’s history and identity that resonate most strongly with yesterday's, today’s and tomorrow’s consumers. Take Heinz's "150 Years of Clean Plates" campaign, which not only reinforced the brand's long-standing commitment to quality and excellence, but demonstrated that through a simple, powerful insight into what that means to their consumers — a clean plate.
Celebrating the People Behind the Brand
Most heritage brands owe their success to the dedication and craftsmanship of countless individuals over the years. People who take their roles as stewards of the brand very seriously. Anniversaries are an ideal opportunity to recognize those people, and celebrating them can be a powerful way to showcase their role in setting your brand apart from newer upstarts and challengers. For their 130th anniversary, Tiffany featured its craftspeople in ads for the first time in their history, shining a light on the talent and passion that define the brand.
Launching New Initiatives
Anniversaries are also the perfect occasion to introduce new line extensions or limited editions, providing fresh, relevant ways for consumers to engage with your brand. Yellowstone National Park’s "Inheritance Pass" is a brilliant example. For the park's 150th anniversary, the park invited people to purchase a pass usable 150 years into the future, creating a legacy that could be passed down through generations, and actively ensuring the park's future.
Creating News and Excitement
Above all, anniversaries generate news, excitement, and relevance. They reinforce awareness and understanding of what your brand stands for and the role it plays in consumers' lives. Failing to leverage such an opportunity is a big miss, especially if you are at the helm of a heritage brand during a big anniversary. A well-executed anniversary campaign can create a ripple effect of positivity, strengthening your brand’s position in the market and in the hearts of consumers.
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Brand anniversaries are not to be overlooked or underutilized. They represent a significant opportunity to celebrate your brand's legacy, engage with your audience on a deeper level, and set the stage for future relevance and growth. So, when a major milestone approaches, don’t let it pass by unnoticed.
TLDR: If your brand has an anniversary approaching, use it, don’t lose it, and let your brand's past fuel the future.
