• 0

Marketoonist | Tom Fishburne

Marketoonist is the thought bubble of Tom Fishburne. Marketing cartoons, content marketing with a sense of humor, keynote speaking.

  • Campaigns
  • Speaking
  • About
  • Cartoons
  • Contact
  • Book
  • 0

trading up-manship

January 11, 2009 Leave a Comment

  • Paid licensing options include high resolution download.
  • Presentation $35.00 Add to Cart
  • Newsletter or Website $100.00 Add to Cart
  • Corporate Blog/Sponsored Post $50.00 Add to Cart
  • Looking for other licensing options? click here
  • View Cart
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

090112.tradingup

I remember learning about "trading up" when I worked on the Häagen-Dazs brand a few years ago.  Our VP was a big fan of the book Trading Up, which described how middle-market consumers felt affluent and were starting to trade up up higher premium products.

We baked "trading up" into our brand strategy.  Afterall, we weren't just a premium brand, we were a superpremium brand (ice cream is one of the few categories where superpremium is legally defined – fun fact for today).  Not only was superpremium more profitable, it was growing.  Consumers were willing to pay more for products with stories, with ethics, with higher quality.

I started going to natural products shows and realized there was a whole exploding world of superpremium products, many pushing the bounds of how much premium consumers were willing to pay.  I remember one brand calling itself "ultra superpremium", another "masstige".  I was struck by the one-upmanship.  It seemed like "trading up" applied to brands as well as consumers.  

It made me wonder if brands were juicing products with more premium than consumers really wanted.  Last year, I cracked up seeing a $40 bottle of water decorated with Swarovski Crystals. 

This dynamic has been on my mind lately, as consumers seem to be "trading down" to value in droves.  I heard someone describe a shopping bag from LIDL (a big European discounter) as this year's Anya Hindmarch bag. 

This environment is a litmus test for brands that are truly meaningful.  Rather than trade up, brands need to trade deep.

Filed Under: brand positioning, recession

Get a new marketoon each week:

Previous Post Next Post

blend into the herd

glass half full

Browse similar cartoons in: brand positioning, recession

Browse By Category See All Marketoons

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Paid licensing options include high resolution download.
  • Presentation $35.00 Add to Cart
  • Newsletter or Website $100.00 Add to Cart
  • Corporate Blog/Sponsored Post $50.00 Add to Cart
  • Looking for other licensing options? click here
  • View Cart
Your Ad Ignored Here Book Image

15 years of Marketoonist compiled for your marketing pleasure.

Order Now

About Marketoonist

tom_image

Marketoonist is the thought bubble of Tom Fishburne a career marketer and cartoonist. Learn More...

Subscribe

Get a new marketoon delivered to your inbox each week.

 

Browse Blog Posts

Most Popular Cartoons Browse Categories

Marketoon Campaigns

contentmarketing

Content marketing with a sense of humor.

Learn More

Keynote Speaking

speakingworkshops

Insightful, funny, and visual keynote talks and workshops.

Book Tom to Speak

Search Blog Posts

Interested? Let’s Talk!

Marketoons

Browse Categories

Get New Cartoons Weekly

About Marketoonist

Tom Fishburne is the Founder and CEO of Marketoonist, a content marketing studio that helps businesses reach their audiences with cartoons.

© 2022 Marketoonist