Quick read branding for a generation of skimmers.

Brand messages and images abound on many online media platforms as consumers consume product information at home and on the go, using multiple devices. With all this messaging going on it is easy to understand that consumers are reading less and skimming more. Brands will have to adapt or perish.

Quick read branding is an emerging trend in response to the shift in consumer behavior from reading to skimming. Brands that can capture their key message into their brand names build immediate awareness and garner consumer appreciation for not wasting their time. For example, the brand “Eat Well Enjoy Life” sums up the emotional and functional product benefits without a tagline or additional marketing copy. This brand name develops awareness and brand affinity in one simple stroke.

Another example is the brand “Good Food Made Simple”. The product commitment is upfront and center, and this commitment statement is made via the brand name on each and every package, with the capability to extend across multiple product categories. It alleviates the need to clutter packaging and promotional efforts with pure marketing pitches, allowing more space for the product attributes that drive consumer purchase decisions.

There is one trade-off that needs to be considered. Quick read brands tend to be lengthier than most “traditional” brand names. This cuts across the grain of most branding that consumers have become accustomed to…single or two word brands. However, those clever, condensed brand names, more often than not, require lengthy taglines or marketing “blurbs” to define them. In this case, marketers are asking consumers to read and remember both the brand name and the marketing copy. A quick read brand cuts to the chase and gets to the point, which is more in tune with current consumer thinking and behavior.

The big question for food marketers is this: how do you create a quick read brand, particularly if  you’re working  from an existing, established brand? The process is similar to the “please tell us about your brand and products in  one minute” opportunities you’re confronted with in everyday business situations. Focus on the key brand benefit and brand positioning. Distill these messages down to simple language, eliminating the marketing jargon, to a simple statement. Quick read branding is about clarity, not cleverness. In time, your over-messaged consumers will reward you for just getting to the point.