Bill's Blog

There has been a lot written on the subject of "brand hijacking" including a great book - Brand Hijack: Marketing Without Marketing by Alex Wipperfurth.  It can be both a blessing and a curse, depending on the brand marketeer's point of view.  This past weekend Wall Street Journal columnist, Dan Neil, wrote an insightful and entertaining piece about what's happened to the workplace cult brand Carhartt as it slowly gets invaded and taken over by the fashion chasing elite.

Long associated with the working class, Carhartt has strongly identified with their midwestern Michigan roots.  Quality, well built clothes were the attributes readily associated by Carhartt enthusiasts.  It is a badge of honor, a statement of their being all things Carhartt.  Carhartt channel partners - from tack stores to Army/Navy stores - have long supported the brand both rationally and emotionally across generations.  User identity is very strongly linked to the Carhartt brand image.  That's all changing, and maybe not for the better for Carhartt.

Chasing the elixir of sales growth with new customers, markets and channel partners is intoxicating for many brands.   According to Neil, Carhartt plans to introduce the Adam Kimmel collection within the Carhartt brand portfolio.  A noted New York menswear designer, Kimmel's collection is going to be marketed solely through Barney's, where I'm sure there's never been a Carhartt Detroit tan jacket gracing the men's department.  Who doesn't want a Carhartt cashmere knit beanie and quilted blazer in moleskin?  You have to question how far you can push a brand into uncharted territory.

Brand hijacking is far more prevalent today, fueled by social media.  The hip hop crowd is responsible for turning the marketing world of Timberland and Dr. Martens upside down with considerable sales lift.  Cadillac rode the Escalade halo back to brand prominence thanks to hijacking. Serious outdoor enthusiasts are shaking their heads about what happened to North Face, their technical and performance brand of choice.  Spend a day checking out women's coat apparel - five out of ten will probably be black North Face jackets.  Available in most every retail outlet, North Face has gained tremendous sales velocity but lost credibility with their core customer by being trivialized.  They've become a dreaded fashion brand - being held hostage to the fickle whims of fashion driven consumers.

A cult following is both good and bad.  The comeback for Pabst beer was on the back of being the antithesis of a microbrew!  Being cheap helped as well.  The overriding question that marketers need to answer is future sustainability as inevitably the fad begins to fade away.  Buzz can be a great thing as long as it doesn't fizzle out as quickly as it started.

It all comes back to how brands treat their customers and channel partners for true long term loyalty.  It's easy to walk away from your core business by chasing short term sales growth fueled by the hijacking.  Where do brands draw the line?  The old adage of dancing with the one you came with is one to take heed of in a brand hijacking scenario.   There is magic and power of having customers and channel partners owning your brands and becoming evangelists that drive growth.  That is what established the brand equity of Carhartt, Timberland and North Face in the first place.  Don't lose sight of this when and if your brand ever gets highjacked.