Create an Atypical Brand
Think of a brand, any brand. If you study that brand, especially if it’s a smaller, niche brand, you will begin to detect the subtle things marketers do appeal to the brands target audience.  It’s almost as if marketers create brands that have the personality characteristics that appeal to the target audience. Below is a comparative list of characteristics brands may try to emulate:

conservative v. liberal
reserved v. wild
safe v. dangerous
muted v. colorful
indoors v. outdoors
subdued v. energetic
still v. action-oriented
feminine v. masculine
light v. dark
religious v. secular
sophisticated v. childish
deep v. superficial
predictable v. spontaneous
local v. global
thoughtful v. flighty
all-American v. ethnic

Popular, mainstream brands (ie. Target, McDonalds) are going to develop more  generic corporate brands.  It’s harder to put big corporate brands into a category.  Smaller, niche brands try to appeal to their target audience with branding that is edgier and more focused (Monster Energy, Hot Topic).  Young, small companies that succeed put a lot of thought and time into developing their image or brand.

Selling ice-cubes to Eskimos

Your next task is to take create a brand that tries to make a product appealing to an audience that would not normally buy it. This is done by understanding what appeals to your target audience and then crafting the brand to include what appeals to your target audience.

Freshly Dead Flowers is an example of a product (fresh flowers – fresh, outdoors, colorful) not usually associated with a group (goths – death mongers, anti-colorful) but with a message that targets the audience in a way that would appeal to them. (the flowers are freshly dead, watch them wither and die before your eyes).

Another example is selling purses to farmers. How would you describe a stereotypical farmer? Maybe you’d say a typical farmer seems hard working, dirty, calloused, manly and simple. A purse brand that appeals to farmer-man would have to be rugged, simple and include features that somehow make his life easier.

Here are some examples of target audiences and products you can use

Target Market Profiles	Products
Teen Males Prone to Risk-taking Goths Animal Rights Enthusiasts Low Income Country Music Fans Skater Wannabe’s The Super Rich Retired People with Health Issues and Disposable Income People Living in an Urban Environment People Wanting to Appear “Ghetto” Middle Age Male NFL Fans Prone to Laziness Housewives with Children at Home Slightly Obsessive about Cleanliness 5 – 7 Year Olds with Pets Hunting & Fishing Enthusiasts Athletic Individuals World Travel Enthusiasts Do It Yourselfers Mechanics Weight Lifters with Body Image Issues People with Psychological Paranoia Farmers	Tractors Leather Loafers (dress shoes) Converses Wood Stoves A Set of Cookware Tires A Skateboard Organic Apples Pencils Health Insurance Hair Color or Extensions A Vacuum A Candy Bar An Aquarium A Computer Scuba Gear A Tent

Sample Customer Profile: Ice-cubes to Eskimos

Our target group is typically low income and lives in a rural, barren, cold environment. We plan to sell to typical Inuit families. Average level of education for adults is 8th grade. Families average 3 kids. Almost all families are intact. Divorce rate is much lower than typical U.S.

The most unique aspect of our target market is that much of the culture subsists as hunters/gatherers. Children are educated in small communal schools subsidized by the Canadian government. The Inuit spend a lot of time outside in the summer. In winters they move indoors.

The Inuit diet is very basic and bland. The foundation of their diet is fish and seal meat with an occasional whale or bear. The Inuit primarily drink rain water or melted snow. There are few fruits and vegetables available and as a result the Inuit suffer from vitamin deficiency related illnesses at a much higher rate than most other North Americans.

Satisfying Customer Needs The main motivation to understanding your target market is to figure out what they need and how you can market your product to satisfy that need. The next part of your customer profile should explain the main customer need you want to satisfy and how you plan to do it.

The main need we want to satisfy with our ice cube product is the Inuit’s need for better nutrition. We will use spray on vitamins and minerals (the same kind used on kid’s cereals) to help our ice cubes meet the Inuit’s nutritional needs. A seconday need will be to add some interest to the Inuit’s diet. We will offer colored cubes and flavored cubes. If our product succeeds, we may start development work on additional products (ie. glow-in-the-dark cubes).

Now You Try

Create a Google Doc called “Atypical Brand” Write up a typical customer profile for your target market and the main consumer need you’re trying to meet. Be sure to give a clear picture of the people you’re selling to. Write your profile in paragraph form. Shoot for at least 100 words.

Next, craft a brand that is unique and fits all the characteristics you want to communicate about your product and company.  Develop brand elements for your atypical brand.

• the company name,
• the tagline (or slogan) and
• the logo