21 Dec Ubiquity
Where your audience is, your brand should follow. But every customer doesn’t interact with your brand in the same way, so should they all get the same treatment or product? In an era of brand ubiquity, you may be able to connect with a larger audience by expanding where and how people see your brand.
As any longtime southerner can tell you, the Coca-Cola brand is the king of ubiquity. From movie theater partnerships to its very own tourist-friendly factory in Georgia, the Coke brand is everywhere. The soft drink is as southern as sweet tea and as symbolic to the state as our peach farms. But you won’t just find the Coke brand down south. Coca-Cola is everywhere. You’ll find the soda brand and its subsidiaries all around the world in North America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. The brilliance of the Coke brand isn’t just in the geographical placements of their products, but in the diversity of the products themselves.
Coca-Cola’s recognizable brand doesn’t just adorn the front of their classic glass bottles. The Coke brand is on t-shirts, hats, coolers, wedding cake toppers, bags, wallets, and more. When a consumer quits soda, there are still hundreds of other Coca-Cola products they can enjoy. The brand has transcended its most well-known product to reach platforms and people everywhere. Most companies don’t have access to a multimillion dollar budget like Coke does, but that doesn’t mean you can’t expand your brand. There are cost-effective strategies brands can utilize to connect with new audiences.
In what could be considered a bit of a stunt marketing approach, one way brands can attain ubiquity is through unique partnerships. These campaigns can include limited edition offerings that increase demand and spare your budget. Dunkin’ Donuts, the go-to, to-go breakfast spot for many Americans, partnered with Harpoon Brewery to make a breakfast-themed beer. Both businesses were started in Massachusetts, adding a local touch to the already intriguing combination. True to their roots, the Coffee Porter beer was made in Boston but is available in stores nationwide. This unique partnership allows the Dunkin’ Donuts brand to reach a new audience outside of their brick and mortar locations. The non-breakfast eaters, late risers, and beer lovers have the opportunity to engage with the brand in a way that suits them and their unique interests.
“Swag” giveaways are another way to expand your brand. Swag is branded merchandise that companies can give to clients and customers. These items are not only useful to your audience, they also function as walking advertisements. When your brand is emblazoned across backpacks, sweaters, and other everyday use items, there is an opportunity for your brand to connect with a new person every day. The key to effectively using swag is ordering products that are high-quality and practical. Gag gifts might be eye-catching but if they are not useful, they likely won’t make an appearance in the daily lives of your customers. Products like outerwear, bags, tumblers, and electronic device cases have the potential to become regularly used items that travel with your customers. With a small order of branded merchandise, your brand can travel everywhere your customers are.
Your brand doesn’t have to stay in one place. With strategic partnerships and quality merch, your brand has the power to move beyond the confines of your primary product or industry. Aiming for ubiquity doesn’t mean oversaturating your brand, it means considering the unique needs of your diverse audience and finding an approach that meets them where they are.
