Thoughts on branding - Adventures in the mundane
I generally do not give much thought to how certain brands make me "feel". When people talk about the emotional responses to brands, I usually tune out. I'm not saying it doesn't have value or relevance, it's just one of those things that I don't have the luxury to think about at the current stage of my company's development. A brand you know nothing about doesn't have the ability to make you FEEL anything.
However, I did get some insight into this topic lately, and involved something as mundane as a trip to the grocery store.
There's some history here, which will really not be all that interesting to many people, but it is relevant.
When I was growing up in the 70's in Toronto, there were really 2 major grocery chains: Loblaws (owned by George Weston Limited) and Dominion (actually purchased by the A & P chain in the mid 80's). When I actually got old enough to tell the difference, I developed a perception of the two chains that have stuck with me into my adult life:
- Loblaws aims at a higher level of service, product quality and a more pleasant shopping experience
- Dominion sucks
I actually worked at a Loblaws store when I was a teenager, and that likely has much to do with the impression. The location I worked at was one of the first new "super"stores that they built, with a cafe and seating area, wide aisles, attention to aesthetics like how the store fixtures actually used wood... Those sorts of things. The Dominion near my house always seemed so run down by comparison, even though it was located in quite an upscale outdoor mall.
Dominion opened up a new store in the massive Liberty Village development in downtown Toronto within the last couple years, so it's the most convenient grocery store for me to visit. Now that I'm a parent, I don't really do much on weekends and the staples needed in my household now include diapers and wipes and other mundane things. My trip to the grocery store is a big getaway.
It should be a pleasant experience. It should also be Dominion's opportunity to show me that the prejudice I've grown up with against their stores is completely unfounded. Here's how they fared this weekend:
- The store is modern and clean enough. Aisles are still too narrow to negotiate around other shoppers
- The refills I need for my baby wipes dispenser: Out of stock. Not just this weekend either. Each of the past FOUR times I have been there, they have been out of this basic necessity.
- All purpose flour. The most basic staple you can think of. They are out of stock of the house brand and I get the last two bags of a name brand. How can you run out of this?
In short Dominion did nothing to convince me that the impression I developed over 20 years ago in inaccurate. They introduced a pile of stress into my trip when it was the last thing I needed. Whenever I hear about Dominion, I just immediately think it's inferior. It's not a fair assessment, just a complicated emotional reaction that encompasses all of my experiences, both real and imagined.
As a side note:
Loblaws domain name - Loblaws.ca
Dominion domain name - freshobsessed.com. What the hell does that mean?
