Seamless branding is almost expected of companies these days. The public expect continuous branding to run through all media; owned, earned and paid for. Limiting any effort on their part to work out which brand they are consuming/reading about etc.
When we see these distinctive letters it takes milliseconds to register whatever it is falls under Google's umbrella.
'Fat Face' is an active lifestyle brand; generally targeting families, selling practical yet fashionable clothing, footwear and jewellery. They are a key example of a brand which has maintained a very strong and consistent brand personality since their birth in 1988. The story began with two friends in the pursuit of adventure but lacking funds. They began selling t-shirts on the ski slopes to fund their exciting lifestyle and this grew beyond belief; arriving at the brand we all know today. Its launch was the complete opposite to a large corporate company's would be. I believe this is one of the main reasons their brand values and personality has stayed so strong and constant.
Fat Face is a rarity, in that they do not partake in any paid for advertising, instead they immerse themselves in sponsoring events like night surfs. This has worked well for them so far and is in keeping with their relaxed un-commercial image.
According to Campaign (2009) “Fat Face has worked with a small number of agencies on a project-by-project basis in the past, producing small-scale viral campaigns.
In 2006, it appointed Inbox Digital to create a viral game aimed at raising awareness of its website. The game, which involved racing a mountain bike while collecting Fat Face logos, gave users the chance to win a mountain bike.
Blue Barracuda produced another viral game for the brand in 2007, promoting Fat Face's winter collection. It challenged players to shoot targets with a squirrel.” (http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/905757/Fat-Face-calls-agency-pitch-first-UK-ad-push/)
As a brand with limited communication outlets, Fat Face stands out to me as a seamless brand. The atmosphere in store is consistent to their brand values with a beachy outdoor look.
Their catalogue, website, bags and in – store posters all have a young, rebellious, outdoorsy theme. This is pioneered by their slogan ‘Life is out there...’; a classic example of a slogan that is so simple, articulating a fact that we seem to forget frequently in our fast paced lifestyles.
Yes, I suppose as a brand it can be viewed as cheesy and try hard, but people revel in familiarity and a feel – good, adventurous theme running across all touch points isn't such a bad thing. It seems to be working well in this case anyway.
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