This week in branding, the Kelce brothers demonstrated their marketing genius, Filson revealed its first-ever collection for women (it only took 127 years!), Tropicana has made up for its terrible 2009 rebrand, and more. Here’s everything you need to know about the most recent branding news.
The news: The Kelce brothers have had a big week, both on TV and in the press. First, General Mills announced that Travis and Jason will be debuting their own cereal (called the Kelce Mix); then, Buffalo Wild Wings brought Jason on for a new ad campaign; and in the biggest news, it was reported on Tuesday that the brothers have struck a three-year, $100-million deal with Wondery for exclusive rights to their podcast, New Heights.
The big picture: Career-wise, both Travis and Jason have existed in the public eye for years as the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and now-retired center for the Philadelphia Eagles, respectively. They started their popular podcast back in 2022. But, undoubtedly, their recent jump in popularity can be attributed to Travis’s highly publicized relationship with Taylor Swift, which has definitely taken the brothers’ marketing prowess to, um, new heights (wink).
Why it matters: Marketers can take quite a few lessons from how Travis and Jason have embraced (and capitalized on) the countless eyes that are on them now. What could’ve been a brief moment of media attention has been wielded to build out the brothers’ arsenal of brand collaborations—including spots with Experian, Pfizer State Farm, Kraft Heinz, and Franks RedHot, to name a few—also to further define their own personal brands, which focuses on family, transparency, and charitable causes.
The news: After 127 years of operation, the outdoor apparel brand Filson unveiled its first-ever womenswear line on Thursday, and it comes complete with chunky jackets, pink prints, and embroidery of a raccoon.
The big picture: If it seems a little late for Filson to be debuting its first collection for women, that’s because it probably is. To be fair, the brand has created womenswear versions of some pieces in the past, and women have always been consumers of the brand (regardless of whether it was marketing to them). In its very earliest days, Filson was founded to dress gold prospectors and lumberjacks. Nowadays, not many people are doing either activity—nevertheless, the aesthetic’s appeal is increasingly gender-neutral.
Why it matters: Filson’s expansion into womenswear comes as younger consumers begin embracing a hip, often semi-ironic streetwear-ification of Western styles. One needs look no further than the recent popularization of the Carhartt beanie and work jacket for proof that outdoor brands are no longer the purview of dads on fishing trips.
The news: Tropicana is making up for its historically terrible rebrand of more than a decade ago with a new package-design refresh for its European markets, and it’s a juicy one-two punch of nostalgia.
The big picture: When Tropicana tried to execute a total brand overhaul in 2009, it didn’t go well, to say the least. The company scrapped the iconic image of a straw piercing an orange, simplified its logo, and generally tried to give the brand a more “modern” look. Fans protested the change so vehemently that Tropicana was forced to take the new packaging off shelves, an embarrassing backtrack that has since become fodder for marketing-class exam questions.
Why it matters: The 2024 refresh, spearheaded by the design agency Sunhouse, shows that Tropicana learned its lesson—and it’s an important takeaway for any legacy brand. Rather than erasing the nostalgia-driving elements that consumers love and remember, like the orange graphic and the retro logo, Sunhouse brought those details to the fore with a few new touches to spruce things up. Sometimes, the old adage rings true: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The news: Totino’s, the company best known for its addictive, oft-parodied pizza rolls, is breaking into the breakfast aisle, and they want to make sure no one forgets it. To achieve that goal, the brand released two new retro-inspired spots targeting Gen Z, and they have a bit of a menacing energy.
The big picture: According to the company, the new Breakfast Snack Bites are inspired by research indicating that 75% of teens skip the first meal of the day. They’re looking to change that with ads that take inspiration from the breakfast spots of the ‘80s and ‘90s—but things take a bit of a wacky turn with cameos of a Teletubbies-esque sun character and a man with a head made of pizza rolls. (Can’t picture it? See the Tostino’s spot here.)
Why it matters: ‘80s and ‘90s aesthetics have been trending in the food aisle for a while, and it seems the interest hasn’t waned. Snacks like Gushers, Fruit by the Foot, Kit Kat, and Magic Spoon are just a few examples of other brands that have recently foregone modern looks for a more Y2K-inspired vibe.