Occasion — The New Buzzword in Marketing
And What You Need To Know
What are occasions?
Occasions are a beautiful way to help better define the brand’s emotional and functional purpose. We typically define occasions as moments in which a consumer interacts with a brand or category based on their needs, motivations, and behaviors. A moment in time, where a product serves a specific, meaningful purpose. A lot of this is based on Maslow’s Hierarchy and understanding deeper human needs in relationship to a brand. A few brands that do this very well are Nike, Michelob ULTRA, and Apple. Let us explain!
As brands innovate faster, scale bigger, and act bolder, building from a strong base becomes vital to a brand’s long-term success. Many of our clients ask, ‘What does a strong base look like when evaluating a brand?’ The short answer: A clear definition of what the brand value system is, where the product or service solves a problem, and the tone in which it speaks to an audience.
When to use occasion-based frameworks
The long and short answer is… it depends. It depends on the story of how and the why of a brand matters to people. When the brand was created, what service did it provide to a person’s life? One of the most essential ingredients to building a great brand is truly understanding its purpose. Does your brand want to support a social cause? Will your brand teach kids a new way to learn? Can your brand help entrepreneurs better scale their products?
As you think about beer brands like Michelob ULTRA, they thrive in the space of better-for-you. But what does a brand like that lean into, a lot of the physical attributes like being 2.6 grams of carbs or 96 calories. These facts about the brand support the occasion of healthier choices in a social moment. As we look to shape the emotional identity of the brand, we speak about going the extra mile because it keeps someone motived in their life outside of the beer on their run, their career, etc. The brand speaks to the drinker that cares about what they consume and believes their extra effort is supported in the active lifestyle they pursue. Some occasions for a brand like Michelob ULTRA may look like: Activating at marathons; Paired with a light dinner in the summer; Giving back to social causes connected to fitness. Brand occasions are all about walking the talk, and placing the product in the right places to be enjoyed exactly as intended.
To summarize
Occasions are about consumer needs and behaviors. To land the right moments for a brand, it must show up in the way it was intended to serve the consumer audience at large.
