How to re-imagine your brand core product and gain new sales
As I walked the cobble stone lined street, I finally made it around the last corner and I could see it- I could see what I had just walked 2 miles, through the drizzling London rain- Harrod’s! Yes! I was standing in front of the famed luxury department store, Harrod’s, created in 1849 by Charles Henry Harrod. I slowly moved from window to window taking in the different gingerbread house themed stories. I saw a conveyer belt lined with Fendi bags moving in and out of gingerbread warehouse. I was awe-struck by the hundreds of red balloons with silk threads that had red lipsticks tied to the bottom as they floated over the over a tiny gingerbread village. And I loved seeing the way the Couture gowns looked perfectly at home with the child-like theme of building a gingerbread house.
Inside Harrod’s was just as magical as the outside, and it should be because its time for Christmas! I will admit, I walked each and every floor, and every aisle because I did not want to miss a thing. I kept noticing how Brands were continually re-imagining their Brand and core products. Hermes created an eye catching celebratory orange themed Pop Up. Fendi showcased new styles of mini-bags that I am sure will be the perfect gift for many fashionistas this Holiday. Mach & Mach changed the heel on their satin double-bow sandal to make it a unique platform. But, in my opinion, Carolina Herrera was the most inspiring of the re-imagined core products.
The Herrera lipstick is a cult favorite that women have pulled out of their chic bags for years. It is an iconic case with a pigment-packed lip colour. But this year, at Harrods, the Brand showcased a new way to show your love of the Brand plus show your own personality. You can now choose your favorite lipstick, then choose from a dozen elegant yet fun cap designs, and finalize your personalization with adding a heart charm, or a leather tassel or even a monogram initial. This gives us the ability to personalize an iconic item with our own personality!
The Brand Ambassador told me the Brand wanted to blur the lines between jewelry, beauty and accessories by allowing each person to express their own individuality through creating lipsticks and compacts that can be customized. She went on to explain the inspiration was taken from vintage pieces and given a modern twist to allow each to show their uniqueness.
As a small business consultant, I am floored by this! Someone was inventive enough to reimagine something every woman has hundreds of. Someone took an item we all have and made it into something new that we will all WANT to have. And that my friends, is what innovation and reimagining a core item is all about!
I want to encourage you to figure out how you can take your core product and make it into something that is new, inventive, reimagined and something that will push your sales to a whole new level! And while you think on that, I am going to get back to walking around Harrods.
Love * Brooke
If you want to see more from Carolina Herrera’s re-imagined cult favorite, click here
Choose your Lipstick. Choose your cap Personalize with accessories
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