By Stephanie Walden
The Marketing Evolution of Three Iconic Brands
These three legacy brands will celebrate milestone birthdays in 2018. Here’s how they’ve managed to stay relevant—and iconic—in the marketing world.
The holy grail of marketing is instant brand recognition at the mere glimpse of an abstract symbol. Case in point: Majestic mountain peaks automatically bring to mind Patagonia. Harley-Davidson’s classic typography can be spotted on a baseball cap from a mile away. And a pearly-pink Cadillac zipping by on the highway immediately makes you think Mary Kay.
In 2018, each of these brands will experience a milestone anniversary: Patagonia is 45, Harley-Davidson is celebrating 115, and Mary Kay is turning 55. Each of these companies is deeply ingrained in the American cultural identity, thanks in part to decades of masterful marketing. What’s more, each of these companies survived the developing years of the dot-com era, transforming once-static campaigns into two-way social conversations with energy and style.
There’s an important distinction between branding and marketing, says Dr. Andrew Selepak, director of the University of Florida’s graduate program in social media. A distinct branding backbone that holds strong in the face of drastic cultural and technological shifts is foundational to iconic marketing. “A brand is a mental impression that becomes an expectation, and for the most part, successful brands don’t change,” Selepak says. The consistency we attribute to “classic” companies such as Harley-Davidson, Mary Kay, and Patagonia is rooted in intangibles—associations with freedom, femininity, the great outdoors. “To be a successful brand means that the mental expectation customers have is positive; it’s something they want to be associated with,” he says. “New marketing techniques like social media only make it easier to reinforce this image.”
As the digital era enters adolescence, brand strategists must be more future focused than ever before. Marketers need to stay on top of cutting-edge trends to keep up with exponential rates of technological growth. While it’s impossible to anticipate the future of this ever-evolving industry, it’s worth taking a look back at the brands that have withstood the test of time—and the campaigns that have defined their success.
Patagonia: The Everyman’s Anti-Brand
Patagonia’s marketing strategy is paradoxical; the New Yorker has gone as far as to call it “anti-growth.” The brand targets eco-conscious consumers who cherish the great outdoors, prioritize sustainability, and value transparency. To do so, its advertising strategy frequently flies in the face of convention.
Patagonia’s tactics are curious yet effective. They align perfectly with the ethos of the brand; dating back to the 1970s, Patagonia has appealed to a wholesomely outdoorsy, decidedly low-maintenance contingent. A magazine advertisement from 1980 declared Patagonia Pile garments to be, “for people who demand more from their clothes than fashion.”
While it’s clear that typical Patagonia customers may scoff at opulence, they do value top-notch quality. In the brand’s Worn Wear program, which launched in 2013, Patagonia established a website for customers to trade, sell, and buy secondhand Patagonia products. In 2015, the company took the campaign up a notch by driving a biodiesel-fueled truck around the country, visiting consumers at retail stores, farmers’ markets, and trailheads—and offering free repairs on used clothing. On the brand’s blog, Patagonia writes about the campaign: “Extending the life of our garments is the single most important thing we can do to lower our impact on the planet. In keeping our clothes in use longer, we reduce overall consumption.”
Consistency has been key throughout Patagonia’s marketing history. They’ve prioritized narrative since long before the days of Instagram Stories. Their vintage ads accomplish this primarily through powerful imagery: full-page ads of campers, rock climbers, and skiers reveling in the grandeur of Mother Nature.
The company’s origin story is well-known among loyalists. Founder Yvon Chouinard penned a memoir in 2006 titled Let My People Go Surfing that gave a behind-the-scenes glimpse into one of the most environmentally conscious for-profit companies in the world.
The brand’s anti-materialism status was perhaps cemented in 2011 with its “anti-Black Friday” campaign, encouraging consumers to think before they automatically buy something new—to repair and repurpose old clothes and to buy only what they need. Full-page ads featured the message, “Don’t buy this jacket,” next to an image of a popular product. That’s right. Patagonia purchased advertisements—in the New York Times, no less—specifically instructing customers to not purchase their clothes.
Patagonia’s commitment to radical sustainability resonates with consumers. In the wake of the 2011 campaign, the company’s revenue skyrocketed almost 30 percent. In an era of elaborate (and often wasteful) marketing ploys, customers seem to find Patagonia’s affront on advertising to be a refreshing change of pace.
Harley-Davidson: The Spirit of the Open Road
Harley-Davidson’s marketing has certainly modernized since 1903, but the brand has consistently tapped into a fervent fan base by capitalizing on consumers’ deep-seated identities.
“Customer identification with Harley-Davidson is so strong that many brand loyalists tattoo indelible images of the logo on their own bodies,” explains Eric Pinckert, cofounder and managing director of Los Angeles-based agency BrandCulture. “The brand has earned a passionate following through absolute fidelity to the singular idea of living wild and free on the open road.”
But the brand hasn’t always been evocative of Americana cool. Back in 1911, Harley-Davidson’s print advertisements targeted farmers, suggesting that motorcycles were economical, time-saving machines. In the 1950s and ‘60s, the brand positioned itself as the top ride choice among police officers. It wasn’t until later decades that Harley adopted its famed tagline, “American by birth. Rebel by choice.”
In the brand’s developing years, its print ads featured front-and-center visuals and allusions to raw power—elements that largely persist in the company’s modern marketing. Beginning in the mid-1960s, ads with verbiage such as, “If you fish, hunt, camp, or just like to roam” began making appearances.
In old-school newspaper spots, black-and-white sketches of a Harley took up prime real estate on the page. In 2017, the product-heavy nature of Harley-Davidson’s advertising remains consistent—majestic motorcycles adorn magazine spreads, television spots, the brand’s clothing line, and finally, its website and online presence.
“Harley’s messaging is easy to sustain and highlight through social media . . . for example, a video in which the sound of the bike is distinguishable from the rest of the environment, and the rider—a look of steely determinism on his face—rides his Harley off into the sunset,” says Selepak. “While no brand will ever connect with everyone, this imagery has been powerful enough to keep the company going for over 100 years.”
Today, Harley-Davidson takes an inventive approach to social, with efforts such as Live Your Legend, a global, omnichannel campaign centered around the primary pillars of freedom and fearlessness. The brand commonly uses social to direct fans to its own community on harley-davidson.com and to microsites such as Free Country, which debuted in 2011. Here, exclusive content such as route suggestions, Q and A forums, and photo-sharing opportunities entice brand enthusiasts to share their stories (read: exert bragging rights).
On the technical side, Harley is flirting with artificial intelligence as a tactic for boosting sales. “Innovative dealerships are now using the AI marketing platform (nicknamed Albert) to drive in-store traffic by generating warm leads from digital channels, including Facebook and Google. [This is intended to] supplement Harley’s traditional strength in word of mouth and reach younger potential buyers,” explains Pinckert.
Mary Kay’s Marketing Makeup
In the ‘60s and ‘70s, Mary Kay’s primary sales venues consisted almost entirely of housewives’ living rooms. Today, this space has partially migrated online. In the era of the mommy blog and beauty vlogging, there’s great potential to peddle products to a highly targeted online demographic.
Today, Mary Kay’s Independent Beauty Consultants no longer rely solely on door-to-door canvassing—they incorporate calls to action and carefully curated hashtags in their social strategy. On a corporate level, Mary Kay also employs curated Pinterest boards to encourage users to share “skin-spiration” photos and seasonal styling tips. The brand’s Instagram account boasts more than 390,000 followers.
“Mary Kay is a great example of an old brand learning new tricks,” says Pinckert. “Through a deep partnership with the TV show Project Runway, Mary Kay engages makeup enthusiasts by showcasing models and makeup artists putting Mary Kay products to use in a singularly aspirational context. Viewers then enjoy exclusive content on MaryKay.com and active engagement with the brand through social media fan voting.”
Mary Kay’s digital tactics go beyond eyeliner how-to guides. The brand’s Virtual Makeover app allows users to upload selfies to experiment with hair and makeup combinations, and the company’s e-catalog comes complete with keyword-searchable pages, video tutorials, and social-sharing capabilities.
Lasting Legacies?
It’s no secret that many legacy companies today are struggling to keep pace with changing consumer demands. But brands are making moves to stay relevant in the face of modernity. For example, the Mary Kay Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for cancers that affect women and to ending domestic violence, aligns with millennials’ penchant for social consciousness. Harley-Davidson is experimenting with the changing American cultural landscape; the brand’s 2011 big-screen feature film, Harlistas: An American Journey, examined Latino motorcycling culture in the United States—a nod to diversity. And Patagonia falls right in line with America’s newfound obsession with corporate responsibility.
So, what lies in store for the future? VR cross-country motorcycle journeys or mountaineering experiences? Holographic makeup consultants? The next frontier of digital is yet to be determined, but one thing is certain: These brands’ legacies won’t soon be forgotten.
