Does Your Brand Seize The Moment?

A couple of weeks ago, I had a cold. Nothing serious, but like most of us, my daily calendar at work and at home was full of “to-do’s” that wouldn’t go away just because of a little cough. So I grabbed a bag of cough drops and tissues, and got on with life.

My go-to cough drop is Halls. The medicinal taste, and the sinus-clearing menthol, let you know it’s working. Halls has a great brand, and their tagline, “A Pep Talk in Every Drop,” tells me that it’s going to do exactly what I expect.  It’s not going to cure my cold, but it will alleviate enough of the discomfort that I can do what I need to.

I didn’t pay much attention to the bag as I was reaching for a cough drop, but I must have been moving a little slower because the wrapper of the individual drop caught my eye.

I’ve unwrapped countless Halls cough drops without noticing this, but in this moment it caught my eye, and made me smile. There was an actual “pep talk” on my drop. And while the wrapper could have quickly hit the trash bin without much thought, it did not. After all, it gave me a pep talk! It read: “Tough is your middle name.” I thought to myself, yes it is! I’m a dedicated mother, wife and professional…and I know how to tough it out! Thanks, Halls.

I was so impressed with how Halls reinforced its brand, and created such a positive and lasting impression. Kudos to them for recognizing this was a great opportunity to reinforce the brand in a relevant and powerful way. And seize the moment. (And pull it through on their Facebook page too.)

When brand is at the center of your marketing, you can find interesting and unexpected ways to connect with customers. That’s why, at Tag, we find a brand’s point of difference and look for every opportunity to build a unique brand experience. (As proven here, you can even do it with a patented Mentho-Lyptus® formula!)

I’ve experienced two other brands that were all about creating positive brand impressions at every possible touchpoint. The Disney brand is legendary, and in their Walt Disney World theme parks, no opportunity is overlooked. The Disney Parks brand is all about magic, and my family saw it firsthand when trying to purchase a popsicle for my daughter. They call it a Magical Moment. After making a selection at an ice cream cart, the concessioner told her “This is a gift from Mickey,” and wouldn’t allow us to pay for it. It was a small gesture, but a magical moment that we remember fondly for a lifetime.

A few years earlier, I had the pleasure of visiting the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, on the island of Oahu. It was iconic, and luxurious, and you immediately saw why it became known as the “Pink Palace of the Pacific.” It is the lone pink hotel on all of Waikiki beach. The building, the towels, and the pool umbrellas were pink. The champagne and the bathrobes were pink. They even had a pink beer, brewed with beets to achieve a natural hue, on tap pool-side. They embraced pink, and used it to reinforce their brand at every opportunity. I’ll never look at pink the same way again!

Whether the gestures are subtle, or completely saturated in pink, every brand should strive to create brand moments that speak volumes, seize moments and leave a lasting impression.