Managed to catch 2 marketing events over the past week: the Hush Puppies Spring/Summer collection fashion show and the Hennessy Artistry gig.As part of the Fashion in Motion week in Mid Valley, Hush Puppies held a fashion show featuring their new line at the concourse of the mall and I couldn’t help but think about the brand’s journey from shoe to shirt and skirts. HP is a great shoe brand that stands for comfort but somehow taking the concept of “comfort” through a clothing / garment line is a little too stretched for me. Yes, we all know that on paper, HP owns “comfort” and it makes logical sense to extend the product lines. But I think they ultimately failed because they couldn’t convince me that their line of clothes are more comfortable than others! And when there’s little or no noticeable difference, your brand equity erodes and will be bound to negatively affect the perceived value / proposition of the core shoe product.
Sometimes, what seems right in marketing theory may not be so in reality.
Next up was the Henny gig at the Loft. The gig was basically part of a global campaign to promote the “Global Art of Mixing”, featuring music artists at their events. Jennifer Johns, Lady Free and Paul T were featured here but I didn’t think the crowd cared too much as to who they were. I mean, after all they just wanted to have fun regardless of it being brought to them by Henny or Heiny. Anyway, I found this from the www.hennessyartistry.com website:Artistry brings together the finest of cocktails and innovative music talents to create a hot mix of music, moods, styles and culture. This blend of contemporary musical artists and cocktails from around the world offers unique events for an unforgettable experience.
True greatness in art is the fruit of daring. Hennessy Artistry represents a fusion of dramatically different, yet complementary, genres, proving that the whole is always better than the sum of its parts. Like a Master Blender who combines eaux-de-vie to produce an excellent cognac, the Art of Mixing blends music and cocktails to create Hennessy Artistry, or the Hennessy Art of Living.
Wow! What a fine piece of copywriting!
I don’t really have a problem with Henny or their Artistry thingy - it makes sense. I mean, I appreciate that it is done very well and that it’s probably “on strat” and all, i.e., leveraging on the whole music platform and honing in on the “insight” that people now like to mix their drinks. Maybe it's because they can't stomach the hardcore stuff on its own or that mixing helps extends the mileage of a bottle to over more sessions. But somehow I wonder even if something makes sense or is “on strat” on paper, would it make any difference to the consumer?
Henny is different from the HP case because it has been credible in this space / position. But if you remember some years back, Kent (the cigarette brand) also owned the rave / clubbing proposition through their events and all but after the gigs died down, no one seemed to care any more.
This is the reality of Marketing vs. Market. Only the consumer can have their cake and eat it too.
