Generic Branding--Saying a Lot About Nothing

Do you remember the generic aisle at the grocery store? Remember the plain black and white packaging? The complete lack of any attempt to pretty up the packaging or the description of the contents?

My dear friend and colleague Eric Sickler sent me this generic brand video. You’ve got to see it. Click on this link to watch it: Generic Brand Video



​I’ll confess that as I watched it, I laughed until I cried. “Have we put in a baby?” Hahaha, that’s just good stuff. I’ll also confess that after seeing it, I squirmed a little to be part of the brand development business. I’ve seen a lot of brand marketing materials and many, I’ll also confess haven’t been as good as this generic video made entirely of stock footage about no company in particular. Ouch.

Having been a part of many a brand audit or brand development project, I know how generic branding happens.

• Generic brands happen when people forget that brands are best forged through a consistently distinctive customer experience. The marketing of that experience with representative pieces like a video or logo are only meant to be the promotion of that experience and should not be mistaken for the whole thing.

• Generic brands happen when marketers and their leaders are too nervous to stake a flag in a clear territory. Playing it really safe seldom sets you apart. Let’s go ahead and mix metaphors: Envision a generic herd of zebra in the distance, and a horse in the foreground…and the horse has painted itself black and white.

• Generic brands tend to happen when the process is subjected to too many opinions and everyone has to get their product, or program, or department, a shout-out and the result sounds like a lot of shouting rather than a clarion call. Each part might be vital, but the customer’s sense of things tends to be more holistic, even subjective than we realize.

• And, sometimes generic brands happen when people are too close to the situation to get perspective on what few things really make their offering different and relevant.  That’s when getting outside insight from customer research, competitor analysis, and even (here it comes) a brand strategist might be just the thing.

​Kyndra Wilson, KW Brand Translation 

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