The Finch Post

Seafood Shanty: A Shimmering Example of Brand Longevity

Iconic brands last, sometimes long after the companies behind those brands have closed their doors. Successful branding instills an emotional connection between populace and product that is rooted in memories and the feelings associated with those recollections. Simply put, these memory-makers nurture nostalgia.
 
One of our clients is such a brand. With 14 restaurants scattered throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey in its heyday, Seafood Shanty sadly sold its last shucked oyster in the early 90s. Until recently, that is. Earlier this week, the brand was resurrected, opening its doors to the cheers of an enthusiastic throng of hungry brand loyalists.
 
Diners didn’t need discounts as bait to reel them in, the image they had of the brand more than sufficed. That is the hallmark of powerful branding. It’s why new owner, Eddie Riegel, raised the restaurant from its watery grave.
 
In Riegel’s own words, the brand “brings back a lot of the great memories of my wife and me going to Seafood Shanty when we first started dating 20 years ago.” Some wondered if Riegel had lost his barnacles, but he knew that, just like him, others heard the siren song of the Seafood Shanty and shared in his enthusiasm and desire to feast on happy Shanty memories. After all, when a brand works and we’re caught in its net, it stays with us in our heads and hearts (and in this case, our bellies too).

Thanksbranding

Hear the word “Thanksgiving” and chances are images of piping hot turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie flood the brain. It doesn’t make any difference that the historical record is vague when it comes to the type of wild fowl originally served, or that cranberry sauce didn’t make its debut until about fifty years after the first Thanksgiving feast. We are happy to gobble down the Norman Rockwell version of our nation’s pilgrim past. That’s the power of branding. 

Strong brands are authoritative and tell compelling stories. They’re the reason why Everlast packs a punch, other ergonomic chairs take a back seat to Herman Miller’s Aeron, and why you don’t picture trout and apple sauce for Thanksgiving (forgive the shameless promotion of our clients).

While we all prepare to break out our sweatpants and feast on festive favorites, take a minute to ask yourself these questions: What images come to mind when people hear your company name? What story does your brand tell? Draw a blank, and you will have more to contend with over the next week than a healthy dose of heartburn. Companies that don’t know their proper brand positioning are like holidays without all the traditional trimmings and tantalizing tales—neither will hold the public’s interest for long.

Bottoms Up!

Amidst all the gloomy news out there, it’s important to remember there’s much to celebrate. Here’s to all of our clients who give us the opportunity each day to support their success in times that are tough for many.

The Amazing (but not all encompassing) Power of Facebook

In much of the social media buzz, it has been suggested that a presence on Facebook is replacing the need for a company website. But for a few rare cases; not from where we sit. For many businesses, the strengths of Facebook just don't jibe with a company's primary online objectives. For example, f-Commerce (sales transacted through Facebook) has yet to take hold; therefore, a Facebook page is not at all a replacement option for the traditional e-commerce website. Moreover, because the world of social media is so fluid, we would be hard pressed to recommend to anyone (regardless of industry or category) to link their entire digital presence to a platform that could become obsolete, like its predecessor (which was also unthinkable not too long before it happened). The emergence of Google+ at least serves as a warning that as ubiquitous as Facebook is, it's not free from threat.

Nevertheless, we remain enthusiastic advocates of Facebook and its role in a company's digital portfolio. Harnessed the right way, there remains no better mechanism for community aggregation and direct customer dialog. Here are two examples of clients we've helped incorporate Facebook into their suite of brand building activities.

Our relationship with Hydros Bottle began with packaging design and grew from there as they sought to create awareness of their revolutionary self-filtering water bottle.  We designed their website, and then applied the brand feel to Facebook, allowing both properties to do what each does best.  While f-Commerce hasn't taken off yet, we're betting that it one day will, as illustrated by the shopping tab we designed on their Facebook page. First things first, we are looking to give Hydros the exposure they deserve, beginning with the over 25,000 likers we've attracted to the page in the first three months.

 

Free Country,  a very successful wholesale manufacturer, wanted to use Facebook as a means to engage in direct dialog with consumers for the first time. In the process, the company has attracted countless non-aware customers thrilled by the quality and value of Free Country products, and  shocked that they hadn't  known of them prior. Two months in, Free Country has over 15,000 new fans.

 

Brand Evolution in Action

Modell’s Sporting Goods, the nation’s oldest family-owned sporting goods retailer, has been in business since 1889. They’ve grown from an original store in lower Manhattan to over 140 retail locations clustered around major cities in the northeast. As emerging consumer trends and aggressive big box/specialty competitors brought price and perception pressures and weakened its position, Modell’s chose to explore how to advance its own brand evolution. In 2008 they brought in Finch Brands.

We leveraged comprehensive research initiatives which enabled us to design a brand platform with an invigorated vision, mission and position enhanced by core customer archetypes. In response to ever-increasing national competition, we repositioned Modell’s as the trusted, intimate community-based sporting goods retailer of choice. Then, we worked with Modell’s to understand the plan by which the brand strategy would be executed across the whole company, from internal organization and merchandising to store experience and marketing.

With a rejuvenated and definitive brand strategy, Modell’s management team has been able to build an aggressive internal mindset with a clear mandate dedicated to the company’s progressive evolution. As they approach their market with a clearer message and a stronger roadmap for setting standards and improving their overall brand experience, Modell’s re-launched its brand in early 2010 as a unified and focused business ready to fight for market share. See the results in action: 

 

A True Champion

There are transcendent moments in the course of doing business that break the traditional rules and, because they are so genuine, have an uplifting impact on a brand. John Cena’s remarks after winning the WWE championship match on Sunday night was such a moment. It’s precisely because his remarks came from his core as a human being rather than from his character as a WWE star that he garnered a brand win for WWE. Truly meaningful words from a source that many would consider unexpected.

 

 

Together, they're even better!

Nothing makes us happier than two Finch Brands clients partnering to better each other and the world. Our work with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia began in the interactive realm, focusing on the ever important undertaking of internal branding; and our work with Virtua begins in the research and strategic branding realm, helping them enunciate their uniqueness to the world. Working together, the brand stature of both these market leaders increases. Check out the ad announcing their proud partnership [ Download Chop-virtua-ad-pbj-2] Congratulations!

WWE: One of the world's 'Hottest Brands."

Congratulations to World Wrestling Entertainment for being named one of the world's 'Hottest Brands' by Advertising Age magazine.  In our 7-plus years of working together on brand research and strategy, we have always been impressed by WWE and the uniquely passionate nature of its fans.  Among the keys to its success:

 · The generational aspect of its fan base - the company, nearly 30 years old, has grown up with its enthusiast - from the 'Hulkamania' heyday in the mid-1980's to the edgier 'Attitude Era' of the mid-90's to today's strategic reversion to PG programming to bring the children of its fans into the brand, WWE has created a cross-generational appeal that surpasses just about any sports entertainment brand.

 ·   A superstar factory - controlling the outcome of its competition enables WWE to nurture its talent as marketable sub-brands of the company.  WWE has minted entertainment megastars including Hulk Hogan, Randy 'Macho Man' Savage, Andre the Giant, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, John Cena and many others who have become part of American popular culture alongside WWE.

 ·   The corporate embrace of research - we are fortunate to support WWE as one of its conduits to the consumer.  While the company certainly has more than its share of vision, tradition and creativity, the degree to which its executive team seeks, values and heeds consumer feedback is one reason why the company is so good at giving the fans what they want.