The role of objects in owning the seasonal serve

Most brands rely solely on creating mass-market solutions to reach their audiences which will create awareness, but not differentiation.

The moment where differentiation can happen is the part of a brand relationship when the consumer actually touches an object - whether it is the bottle, glass, cup, cutlery or plate.

Objects help drive serve differentiation.

Traditional print and digital communications look to ‘disrupt’ categories, whereas objects look to ‘enhance’ consumer experiences. The seasonal serve, in particular, provides a wonderful opportunity to leverage the universal language of objects. It has the ability to be utterly unique and ownable. Think about the number of people you saw sipping an Aperol on your summer holiday, the infamous Pimm’s jug or the ice in a pint glass that signifies Magners.

Our heartland is in leveraging the experience humans have accumulated interacting with objects over thousands of years, which has become hard-wired into our consumer’s brain. Objects stimulate all of the senses.

The effective use of objects can drive premiumisation of a category, tell a unique brand story and create a fortified category position by setting a new standard and consumer expectation.

The best objects are the ones that solve a problem. Because they are naturally pulled and welcomed by consumers into their lives. They are also easy to use and understand.

Our diagnostic approach identifies the broken links in the consumer experience chain to find solvable problems to fix with solutions a brand can own. Much of the opportunity the seasonal serve creates comes from the shifting trend towards consuming ‘Al Fresco’, which is seeing summer maximised through more permanent outdoor furniture, sheltered areas and the growth of the fire pit. The winter season no longer sends us indoors, but more to Christmas markets and outdoor consumption occasions.

Anyone can do a seasonal serve, but you can protect and grow your market share by making sure, that only your brand, can own your serve.

Isn’t it time you owned the only part of the brand relationship that the consumer actually touches?