Brands matter in retail and in our newsagencies. Brands provide us an opportunity to differentiate with competitors that are obsessed with house brands, usually inferior product sold for price more so than quality.
Brands invest in their customers and their retailers too. This is what gets shoppers shopping by brand. You only have to research online keyword searches to understand the importance of brands to the most valuable of shoppers.
I have been doing this recently, looking at what people search for when looking to buy and sure enough it is brands that matter.
With this in mind I was thrilled to see the new commercial from department store Harris Scarfe. Here it is…
I love their public declaration of love of brands. I love everything about this commercial, especially the choice of music. The Real Thing by Russell Morris is a perfect song for this TVC.
Come and see the real thing
Come and see the real thing
Come and see
Harris Scarfe and the brands they are partnered with are spending money on this TV commercial saying brands are the real thing. I agree with them.
Thinking about newsagencies, brands matter businesses. Take a look a stationery, people trust brands like Post-It, Scotch, Collins Debden, UHU, Pilot, Papermate, Bic and others. These brands are known, trusted. While unknown branded products are cheaper, people don’t look for them the same. They don’t search for them the same.
Brands promote themselves and, by extension, their retailers. Generic brands don’t promote themselves, they don’t promote their retailers.
In all departments in our businesses there are brands that matter, brands we ought to put ahead of cheap copies – because these brands will support us if we respect them like Harris Scarfe is in their TVC.
The Harris Scarfe TVC is a reminder of the relationship between retailers, shoppers and brands. We are more important to each other for the long-term than the relationship between retailers, shoppers and generic brands, copies.
I give preference to brands in each of my businesses including my newsagencies, I always have. Brands are important. Supporting them makes a valuable statement in our businesses.
I urge newsagents to stock and promote brands. Use them in out of store marketing. Like Harris Scarfe, be know as the brand business in your area.