Where brands and products come from, and the associations (real or created) people have of this origin can significantly influence and alter the way brands and their products are perceived.
In a recent Wall Street Journal interview with Brian Cheskey, CEO and a founder of Airbnb, reporter Preetika Rana discussed the way in which Airbnb survived during the pandemic and is now flourishing. Although there were several financial measures that Airbnb employed to sustain itself during the crisis of Covid lockdowns and quarantines, one of the most important Airbnb strategies was to leverage the power of localization.
In 2013, Pharrell Williams had a huge hit song called Happy. That song played everywhere. Happiness was all around us.
Guess what? The iconic world of Geoffrey the Giraffe, Toys “R” Us, is back.
When you think of challenger brands, you’d be forgiven for associating them with scrappy startups and companies so small that agility doesn’t come with compromise. Because the essence of being a challenger is often associated with the underdog and overtaking market leaders with smart strategy, it’s easy to align their characteristics with rising stars.
