Using heritage to drive sales certainly isn’t a new concept for brands; nor is it a strategy employed solely to echo British involvement in major events like The Olympics, or national celebrations such as the Diamond Jubilee. As the economy slid towards recession, for example, a number of household brands started to play on British heritage cues to satisfy anxious consumers’ need for the comfort of well-known, trustworthy brands in the face of uncertainty.
There are many recent examples of ads using ‘Britishness’ as a central theme. Hovis’s campaigns over the last few years is one example, another being the Pimm’s Summer Party campaign, which celebrated British summertime at its best. M&S is also making the most of being British in its advertising strategy this year, celebrating 100 days of summer. The retailer also uses British icons such as Twiggy and Take That, and in the past celebrated its 125th birthday by running penny bazaars, as a nod to its humble origins as a market trader in Leeds.
Other brands such as BA, Mini, Walkers Crisps, Warburtons and Duchy Originals all play on their associations with Britain to drive sales, and evolve and craft their brand design depending on the nation’s events calendar. Take the Royal Wedding last year, when brands went into overdrive with heritage-based campaigns. BA equipped several of its airliners with special liveries, whilst Warburtons increased its product ranges to include burger buns and hot dog rolls ready for street party BBQs. They were among dozens of British brands that shaped their design around the occasion to drive sales.
As for this year, during The Olympics there is likely to be a shift from brands using heritage to cement trust and tap into the excitement and celebration of national pride that heritage can bring, as the nation gets behind its competitors.
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