Yoplait…it is so Greek.
What? A french yogurt company, owned by US cereal giant General Mills, is now Greek. What’s going on here? Actually it’s just a competitive response to the surprise success of Greek-style yogurt maker Chiobani who came out of nowhere to become market share leader in 2011. Watch their new TV spot below to see how Yoplait is fighting back.
Moral of the story – nationality, and national stereotyping, can have a radical impact on product expectations and purchase interest.
Filed under Sign of Quality
Quick – what make of car are you looking at? No, it’s not the new Mercedes GLK model as I thought today when pulling up behind it at a stop light. It’s the 2012 Nissan Quest.
This car seriously overhangs the market in the design department. It’s got features I’ve either never seen before, or have only just begun to see on the street. Things like radically sloping front hood, massive logos peaking out from the grill, front and rear brake lights that look suspiciously like bug eyes. Fasten your seat belts, another design revolution is underway and I for one am lost in America. Some design elements are absorbed into a shared vernacular. Others become distinctive brand identifiers – to name a few old and new:
Moral of the story – automobile designs come and go like hemlines, but some design elements stick in popular consciousness and come to define specific brands. For better or for worse, it’s all a matter of personal taste and tribal identity…but that’s for another post!
Filed under Sense of community, Sign of Quality
Ulterior Concepts 