Andrea Belk Olson: Why brands are blanding

Differentiation, by definition, is what branding is. Which is precisely why I’m so baffled by blanding.

Blanding is the copy-paste model of consumer product development and brand marketing that follows repetitive patterns in the name of modernity but at the expense of authenticity and originality. With results that are, in a word, bland.

But why? Think back to all of the different branding trends which have come and gone. The "ball and swoosh" logo trend back in the late '90's. The neon colors of the '80's. While we all want our brands to stand out, we ended up working hard to blend in.

This is because blending in is comforting. No one wants to stick out in a negative way, so instead, we follow the current trend. Radical innovation often comes with a steep learning curve. It’s easier to satisfy customers by giving them something familiar. There’s safety in pursuing ideas already validated by the market. But now more than ever, identifying your points of differentiation — and not being afraid to stand out by using them — is critical.

For example, the grocery store bottled water aisle has been dominated by indistinguishable brands. Clear plastic bottles, soft blues and images of mountains and streams. Enter Liquid Death: a brand that zigs hard against the category’s tired zags. Death metal-inspired graphic design. Hyper-aggressive copywriting. And aluminum tallboy packaging that begs for a brown paper bag. It’s undeniably and unapologetically different. It’s also one of the fastest-growing non-alcoholic beverage brands in recent history, achieving a $700 million valuation in less than five years.

Blanding is just a way to skirt the hard decision of knowing your differences (or developing them) and being confident enough to highlight them. In the case of Liquid Death, it's simply brand packaging. But for other companies that aren't a commodity like water, they have a lot more things to choose from. The problem is, we fear isolation. Isolating potential customers. Isolating potential employees. And so we water down our brand and differentiators until they become just like everyone else.

It's actually quite sad. Where has our confidence gone as marketers, and as leaders? Maybe it's due to increased pressure to focus on short-term success, such as quarterly numbers. Maybe it's increased pressure not to offend key shareholders. Maybe it's that we seek validation in that executive team meeting where we can point to competitor actions to justify our decisions. No matter the reason, it reflects our continuing diminished connection to the customer - understanding what excites them, delights them, and grabs their attention to make them come back. This isn't exclusive to traditional branding - branding can only help bring your differentiators to life.

So, whether you like or hate Liquid Death or other brands who choose to step out and embrace being different, you've got to admit — different is memorable, and blanding is just that. Bland.