Anyways, about five minutes into the movie, I was suddenly reminded that this was, in fact, a Disney film. Not a Pixar movie and certainly not a Dreamworks production. But what was it that allowed me to pick out the creative force behind a film I'd only seen five minutes of? Simple: a song.
Disney has done a particularly good job of establishing a brand identity. Think of it as a recipe: take one part princess, one part dashing prince/scoundrel, throw in an anthropomorphic side kick and sprinkle heavily with musical numbers. Sound familiar? It should—that describes nearly every animated Disney movie.
It’s the songs, though, that differentiate Disney films from the otherwise very similar productions of Pixar and Dreamworks. Ask someone in their twenties if they can hum the tune of “A Whole New World” or “Under the Sea,” and you won’t be disappointed. So as soon I as heard the first few bars of an opening song in Tangled, I knew it was a Disney movie.
That kind of instantly recognizable quality or qualities is the key to a strong brand identity, and a strong brand identity is critical to the long-term success of a business. On Saturday, Disney broke the 100 million fans mark across their assortment of Facebook pages. Those 100 million people all know what to expect when they sit down to a Disney movie, and that identity is something Disney has worked hard to foster and protect.
It’s easy to look at an industry giant and say, “They’re doing a great job, be like them.” But let’s scale things down and look at how one mid-size pizza chain has managed to accomplish the same goal of creating a unique identity that separates it from the pack.
Toppers Pizza is a 28-unit eclectic pizza franchise with locations throughout the Midwest. Their focus has always been on 18-34 year olds, and they have tailored both their product and brand identity to appeal to that demographic. With slogans like “We come fast, no apologies” and “spank your buds,” and menu items like the Hangover Helper and Mac ‘N Cheese, it’s instantly clear not only who Toppers is reaching out to but their approach to the entire pizza industry.
Toppers’ identity is also buffeted by social media, which may be their version of Disney’s songs. With massive bracketed contests like the recently concluded “Spank Your Pizza,” Toppers (with the help of No Limit Media Consulting) reaches out to its fans on a daily basis, getting their input and sending out swag in return. The level of fan interaction has even reached the point where a tagged photo of empty Toppers boxes on Sunday morning is a regular occurrence.
Toppers’ brand identity—its combination of message, product and social media—has helped the chain steal market share from national competitors and generated system-wide AUVs (the average sales per unit) of $966k, well above industry standards. That same identity is the guiding force in its national expansion and the reason it will succeed wherever it goes.
Just like you know what you’re getting when you pop a Disney DVD into the player, Toppers’ fans know exactly what to expect from the second they order to the instant they open the box and get punched in the face with flavor. And they keep coming back for more.
A Blog Post By: Brian Diggelmann (@bdiggelmann)
Brian is the newest member of the No Limit team and enjoys grown-up movies too.
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