There was a time, not so very long ago, when telling consumers that a product was well made seemed almost quaint — a relic of an era before influencer partnerships and purpose-driven manifestos became the preferred vocabulary of brand marketing.
Now, it seems, some marketers are rediscovering the appeal of simply saying that the thing they sell is good.
Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company that has long positioned itself as the conscience of the retail industry, is among a group of brands that have lately emphasized product quality in their marketing efforts, according to a recent report. Milani Cosmetics and Bogg Bag, the tote manufacturer whose colorful rubber carryalls have become ubiquitous at beaches and airports, are also cited as practitioners of what might be called the durability pitch.
The approach represents something of a countertrend in an industry that has spent the better part of a decade telling consumers what brands believe rather than what brands make. (Whether consumers were asking for those beliefs is a question that has never been satisfactorily answered.)
For Patagonia, of course, the quality message has long been intertwined with its environmental positioning — the company has famously encouraged customers to repair rather than replace its garments, which requires the garments to be worth repairing in the first place.
The others appear to be making a simpler case: that in a marketplace crowded with disposable goods and fast-fashion knockoffs, a product that holds up might be its own form of differentiation.
It is not, one supposes, the most revolutionary insight. But in an era when marketing budgets have often been directed toward things other than the product itself, the rediscovery of an old truth has a certain charm.
The goods, it turns out, still matter.
Original story published in adage.com: "How some brands emphasize product quality in marketing - Ad Age"