BRAND RESEARCH Brand History
Product
Price
Malcolm and Melanie Rands had a dream to make a more sustainable world, and so, in 1993, they founded Ecostore in a permaculture eco-village in Northland. Ecostore manufactures its products in its own factory in Auckland, and sells internationally in Australia, the US and China. Ecostore have brought over 100 plant and mineral based products to the market, all of which follow their brand ethos; to look after the health and wellbeing of people and the planet.
Ecostore’s plant and mineral based laundry powders are New Zealand made, cruelty free, child labour free, gluten free and vegan. Ecostore’s laundry powder comes in environmentally friendly packaging which is recyclable and has less impact on the planet. The laundry powder is free of nasty chemicals, resulting in a healthy home. The laundry powders natural ingredients are able to be traced all the way back through the supply chain. Natural ingredients means the powder has less harm on the planet when being produced and when it is used. Furthermore, the natural ingredients are less irritating on the skin, and the consumers laundry is protected from harsh chemicals that would otherwise damage them.
The Ecostore laundry powder comes in a range of sizes, which means the product range in price. Where the product is sold also influences the price the laundry powder. The Ecostores website offers all the available sizes, the smallest laundry powder which is 500g goes for $5.50, the 1kg size is $8.49, 2kg size is $16.95, and the largest powder which is 4.5kg costs $29.30. The prices changes depending on the supermarket you visit, and the promotions they have at the time. Buying the powder from a supermarket is cheaper than buying directly from the website.
Ecostore products are plant based, but Ecostore is aware that plant based is not necessarily always good. The company ensures that all of the ingredients in their products are not harmful to the environment, or to the consumer, and they are very particular with the ingredients they say yes to when being approached by chemical researchers. Transparency and trust are important aspects that Ecostore follows, and by allowing this, their consumers are able to follow their products all the way back through the supply chain. Ecostore intend to convert an industry. They want to be leaders in the new awakening of the sustainability crisis, and they allow their consumers to make small changes in their lives in order to take steps towards a better world.
The Laundry powder has the option of three different fragrances - Lemon, Orange & Geranium, Extra Clean and Ultra Sensitive (fragrance free). These options allow a range of different people to choose what suits them best. The laundry powders have a range of different sizes available, suited to different sized family homes. The lemon powder has the options of 500g, 1kg, 2kg and 4.5kg, the Orange & Geranium has the options of 500g, 1kg and 2kg, the Extra clean has the options of 1kg, 2kg and 4.5kg, and the fragrance free has the options of 1kg, 2kg and 4.5kg. Ecostore’s laundry powder is the physical expression of the brand promise; safe, environmentally friendly, and efficient. The laundry powder backs up these promises made, and has been approved by ‘Environmental choice’.
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Product
Website
Countdown
New World
Commonsense
Ecostore 1kg
$8.49
$7.40
$6.99
$8.99
Ecostore 2kg
16.95
$13.50
$10.99 P
$16.99
Earthwise 1kg
n/a
$6.00
$6.59
n/a
Earthwise 2kg
n/a
$10.00
$9.79 P
n/a
P = Promotional Price
The most common sizes on supermarket shelves is the 1kg and 2kg sizes, and the powder is cheapest from New World and most expensive at Commonsense Organics (a niche boutique organic market). Supermarkets would benefit from economies of scale when buying the powder from Ecostores, therefore making it the most affordable for consumers. Ecostore would also want to sell their product at a cheaper price to supermarkets because they are able to reach more consumers than their website and store would.
Placement
Promotion
Environment
You can purchase Ecostore laundry powder at large chain supermarkets, smaller supermarkets, online from their website and from niche organic shops such as Commonsense Organics. The Ecostore website has all the products in every scent, however each supermarket has a different selection of scents and sizes to purchase. The 1kg and 2kg sizes are the most popular among supermarket shelves, and are located in the laundry isle of the supermarket. They are usually beside the other natural laundry powders such as Earthwise on the supermarket shelves. Other brands such as Living Green and Eco Planet can be found next to these two brands, but they usually don’t take up as much space. From observation at the different supermarkets, the Ecostore powder is usually at eye level and takes up a few columns vertically and horizontally. The space the powder has on the shelf is very little compared to major brands such as Persil and Surf, which have a very different brand ethos and marketing to consumers.
Ecostore’s Laundry powder is promoted online, in store, through its packaging, and through the voice and soul of the company; Malcolm Rands, also known as ‘Eco man’. Online, Ecostore has a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and a website to sell their products. Their social medias have a large following, Facebook 131.3k, Twitter 6k, and Instagram 24.4k. Through these social medias, as well as in-store, they are able to promote their product through sales, triggering purchases, and they are able to communicate their brand to their audience, through imagery, adverts, and discounts and deals. In store, their imagery is their packaging, which promotes their brand image and is designed to appeal to their target market, the female household shopper. The children displayed in the photographs, and the clean, organic coloured minimalistic packaging promotes the brand image, of being safe-child friendly, clean and organic. The book ‘Eco Man’ is written about Malcolm Rands, telling the story about how Rands started up his brand and took it global. As the voice and soul of the company, Rands is trusted and known by many of Ecostore’s consumers, linking to the trust factor of the brand.
Technology has allowed information to be readily available at our fingertips. We are able to learn and gain more knowledge of the impacts harsh chemicals have on our bodies and the environment. This has meant that eco-friendly products are now a common to be seen on supermarket shelves and in people’s homes. There has been an increase in demand for these natural products, and Ecostore has truly addressed the demand by creating new products and creating a strong trusted brand. Shopping sustainably has become a growing trend, which consumers have realised improves their lifestyle and the environment. Buying brands that support fair trade, are environmentally conscious and give back to the community shows others around you that you care for your world. It has become more and more common to want to achieve this aspirational sustainable lifestyle, so Ecostore allows you to achieve this by buying their products.
Competition Ecostores closest competitor is Earthwise, a New Zealand based brand that also offers a plant and mineral based powder that will leave your clothes fresh and clean. Both brands connect to the consumer through their slogans, Ecostore’s being “safer for you”, and Earthwise’s is “caring for our world.” Earthwise has a focus more on the brand being better for the environment, compared to Ecostore being better for you. Earthwise’s target audience does partially overlap, therefore creating competition for Ecostore. There are other ecofriendly brands such as Living Green and Eco Planet which are New Zealand made, but they aren’t as recognised and currently
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TARGET AUDIENCE Environmentally Conscious Consumers
Families • • • • •
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Wants the best for their children/family Aiming to create a healthy household environment Raising their children around eco-friendly products with the hope they will one day use them too Has a stable household income Parents trying to please their children - eco aware children
• • • • • • •
Genuine care and respect for the environment Sustainable Buys locally fresh produce Recycles Organic Buys brands they trust Supports local business
Shared Values/Attitudes
Tensions
Environmentally aware Aspirational Caring
Natural vs. Effective Affordable vs Quality
Image Conscious Consumers • • • • • •
Buys product because of the aesthetic wants people to be aware of what they buy consumerist Extrinsic Has a good taste in design Shares their life on social media
BRAND IDENTITY BLUEPRINT I Rational Features
Rational Benefits
Declared Emotive Triggers
Undeclared Emotive Triggers
• Name - ‘EcoStore’
• Name confirms its eco friendly
• Caring for your family Safety,
• To feel involved in this LOHA lifestyle
• Natural ingredients, Plant and Mineral Based
• Plant and mineral ingredients are thought to be better for the environment
• Packaging - feeling of aesthetic
• Attractiveness of the product
• Aware of the future
• Acceptance by different groups of people - environmentally aware people, families, people coming into your home
• Sustainable packaging • Aesthetic design (family images and local artists)
• Sustainable packaging is easy to recycle
• Neutral/organic colours/minimal touch of colours (beige, black and white, yellow, blues, oranges)
• Organic colours emphasises the natural ingredients used in the product
• Family images triggers an emotive purchase
• Made by Ecostore (NZ)
• Aesthetic packaging makes your home feel like the minimal modern home eco store wants you to feel you have
• Range of different scents - Lemon, Orange and Geranium, Ultra sensitive (fragrance free and
• Pricing promises the consumer they are actually buying a natural product
• Above average pricing
• New Zealand made brand draws kiwis into supporting local business • Different scents appeal to a range of different tastes
Brand Values
Unique Differences
• People - safety - ecostore values you caring for yourself and your family “safe for you (motto)”
• Ecostore is an aesthetically pleasing product that promises a healthy lifestyle for you and your
• Aesthetic - simple, clean, organic, minimalistic, simple but effective = simple solution • Authenticity - sticks to their values and beliefs, transparent
Central Tensions • Balance in sustainability, but don’t want to be too hippy in regards to having a natural product. Show the product works • Simple design, but not too simple • Trying to draw families in, but want to draw others in (environmentalists and image oriented consumers) - finding the right balance of trying to target all target audiences
Brand Essence
Timeless Equities • Organic, neutral colours used
The plant and mineral based laundry powder from Ecostore promises an effective clean whilst keeping you and your family safe and healthy.
• Black and white photos (children and lifestyle images) • Minimalistic layout • Kiwi artist - simplistic patterned art • ‘Safer for you’ - emotive motto • Brand reputation
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CONSUMER RESEARCH Emotive
Rational Question
Ecostore All believe it is environmentally friendly
Earthwise
Similarities / Contrasts
All believe it is environmentally friendly. Gentle, natural and simple were other words used.
Environmentally
All have used it. Half had it bought for them by parents, half bought it for themselves. Driven by being environmentally conscious.
Eco store interviewees have all bought it with their own money whereas half of Earthwise interviewees had it bought for them. Eco Store = family health, Earthwise = environment
What are your thoughts on the product?
No harsh chemicals, Trustworthy, eco eco friendly. friendly. Nice fragrances.
Both are eco friendly, Earthwise’s fragrances are remembered.
What made you choose this brand’s product over the other options available?
An honest brand, trustworthy, nice design.
Eco store = design. No comments on Earthwise’s design.
What comes to mind when you think of the brand?
All have bought it. Half bought it for their families. 1 Have you interviewee bought bought this it to fit in to an brand’s product, image. Half bought it for their families why? health and to be good role models.
Competitor Eco Store wrap their laundry powder in a plastic bag in the box. (false information, thought by interviewee)
friendly
Visualisation
Earthwise
Waiting Place
All members were waiting to be picked up nearby their homes, alone. Two during a clear brisk late morning, one in the afternoon.
Two members were waiting to be picked up at home, mid morning. The other at the airport. No clear sense of season.
Transport
Modern coach bus with an Ecostore representative driving, clean cut wearing all white, others on the bus. Baby blue classic car with friendly driver, alone with driver. Electric modern car, middle aged chatty man with semi formal clothing, alone.
A white van arrived, both had male drivers, one with long hair and the other not standing out. A private, not flash plane with only the pilot on board, good looking male wearing a hat.
Two were driving through the picturesque places (park and countryside), the other through central Auckland.
Van travelled through bushy road, loads of greenery. Other van travelled past trees, houses and people walking in the street. Plane flew over water and land.
Arrived at a park, large marquee set up with different stalls to sample products, other young/ middle aged people, no children around, social. Another arrived at Wa park, luscious greenery, large group of people (20-40), all socialising, relaxed vibe. One visited a modern clean farm, slick architecture, about to turn dusk, professional people, socialising.
Arrived at Earthwise factory, suburban area. other arrived at Earthwise factory, located in bushy environment, glass fronted office with factory behind it, felt weird, others there to get a tour of the factory. Landed on the beach, nothing to do, lots of trees, no one else around.
Approached by a friendly Ecostore representative, knowledgeable, clean appearance. Rep was going to explain the products for the marquee in park experience. Rep for the other park was going to reveal to the questioner they won a trip to Fiji.
Was approached by a nice Earthwise employee, gave kiss on the cheek, 3 years’ worth of products, but didn’t organise a ride home for me so I was stuck at the factory. Female organiser approached me, about to go on factory tour. Fijian man wearing a skirt took me to my tent, no activity planned but relaxing.
Journey
Destination
Approached
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Ecostore
INTERPRETATION Waiting Place
Journey
Approached
From the responses, all of the participants were picked up at a location close to home except one of Earthwises participants who was at the airport. The responses from Ecostore all had a clear sense of their surroundings, describing that it was midmorning for two responses and dusk for the other. Whereas Earthwise didn’t have as clear of a describing their surrounding environment other that the waiting place was close to home. Both the brands overall have homely associations, this could be because they’re both household products. Ecostores interviewees having a clear image envisioned from the beginning of their experience shows that ecostores brand image is already established in their minds, whereas Earthwise consumers didn’t have this clear sense of the Earthwise experience.
Both the Ecostore and Earthwise had elements of nature throughout the journeys to their destination. The Ecostore interviewees drove through the countryside, a park and Auckland central (which does have nature elements in the passing surroundings.) Earthwise participants described travelling through a more suburban area, a rural nature road and flying over water and land. The associations with nature in both brands experiences shows that Earthwise and Ecostore’s use of natural ingredients is something that comes to mind when people think of these brands.
EcoStore interviewees were both approached by adults who were about to reveal something. The EcoStore representative is about to reveal factual information, suggesting that the brand gives its product information clearly, factually and straight to the point. The EcoStore representative has a clean appearance, suggesting that EcoStore is viewed by its consumers as a clean brand, both with its aesthetic and with its clean natural ingredients. Two Earthwise interviewees had professionals approach them, and the other interviewee was approached by a Fijian man with a skirt. Being approached by professionals suggests that the brand is a well respected one. Being approached by a Fijian man in a skirt suggests that the brand is luxurious as it is linked to being on a tropical holiday, and the brand is also down to earth. One interviewee was kissed on the cheek when approached, more personal, emotive aspects of the brand coming through.
Transport Ecostore was picked up in a variety of modern vehicles, that were described to be in nice condition with friendly and presentable drivers. Two of the interviewees had a white van pick them up, the other in an airplane. The pilot was described to be attractive, and one of the van drivers was described having long hair. Ecostore already has begun to develop a friendly and inviting experience, and the modern vehicles and drivers emphasise the luxury perception of the brand. They want the people going on the experience to enjoy every moment. Whereas Earthwise’s white vans depict they just want to get the people from place A to B. The long hair driver creates a relaxed, organic image for Earthwise.
Destination When arriving at the destination, all EcoStore interviewees arrived to a large social crowd of older people, there were no children present. This relates to EcoStores target audience; young adults and adults, who buy the products for themselves or for their family. These people were all socialising, all three crowds seemed relaxed. This enjoyment and relaxation is an important aspect of EcoStore’s marketing. Furthermore, all of the destinations were set outdoors; two parks and a farm. The environmentally friendly aspects of EcoStore may be the reason for this link, the products being made of natural ingredients, and free of harmful chemicals. Earthwise’s destination completely contrasts EcoStores. Two interviewees arrived to suburban factories, there were people there but they were not there for social purposes, one of these factories ‘felt weird’, and they were both indoors. The third interviewee arrived to a deserted beach, alone with nothing to do. These three destinations are not social and they are slightly solemn.
Summary Ecostores experience was overall very social, which emphasises their human oriented values. Ecostore has created a strong connection between the brand and its consumers, through their marketing, and brand ethos. Whereas earthwise hasn’t created this emotional connection with their consumers, which explains the isolated feeling majority of Earthwise’s interviewees experienced. Ecostore had a very well put together experience for their customers, all visually appealing and of high standards. EcoStores experience was fondly remembered. This experience contrasted heavily with how the Earthwise interviewees experienced their journeys, experiences that would likely not be fondly looked back on. Factory tours and an isolated beach are not appealing, or enjoyable.
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BRAND IDENTITY BLUEPRINT II Rational Features • Name - ‘EcoStore’ • Natural ingredients, Plant and Mineral Based • Sustainable packaging • Above average pricing • New Zealand Brand • Range of different scents - Lemon, Orange and Geranium, Ultra sensitive (fragrance free and Extra Clean
Rational Benefits
Declared Emotive Triggers
• Confirms its eco friendly • No nasty chemicals - better for the environment and skin friendly • Recyclable • High quality product • Draws Kiwis into supporting local business • Different scents appeal to a range of different tastes + needs
Undeclared Emotive Triggers
• Caring for your family and for yourself
• To feel involved in this LOHA lifestyle
• Photographs of children - emotive triggers
• Attractiveness of the product - appealing to the image conscious consumers
• Aware of the future
• Acceptance by different groups of people - LOHAs, Families, people coming into your home
Brand Values
Unique Differences
• People - safety - ecostore values you caring for yourself and your family “safe for you (motto)”
• Ecostore is an aesthetically pleasing product that promises a safe and healthy l ifestyle for you and your family
• Aesthetic - simple but effective = EcoStore is a simple solution. The brand is clear and to the point. • Authenticity - sticks to their values and beliefs, transparent
Central Tensions
Brand Essence
• Natural, but still effective • Affordable but of a high quality • Simple design, but not too simple • Trying to draw the target audiences in, but dont want to exclude potential consumers outside of this target market.
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Timeless Equities • Organic, neutral colours used
While keeping you, your loved ones and the environment in mind, Ecostore’s plant and mineral based laundry powder promises to wash clothes safely and effectively.
• Black and white photos (children and lifestyle images) • Minimalistic layout • Kiwi artist - simplistic patterned art • ‘Safer for you’ - emotive motto • Brand reputation
BRAND COMMUNICATION PACKAGING
EcoStore portrays a sophisticated image through their packaging decisions; calm clean white packaging with organic and bright colours and black and white photographs. There are pops of colour used to communicate the important aspects of the product; the company’s motto, the fragrance, and the amount of washes. These pops of colour are enough to catch the consumers eye and helps the products minimal packaging still be seen on the shelves. The packaging layout is clear, and to the point, allowing the consumer to know exactly what they are getting out of the product. This aspect links to the overall transparency of the brand – EcoStore does not hide anything. The imagery is emotionally driven, showing photographs of young children having fun in their home. Children cannot be happy if they are not safe, reinforcing EcoStore’s message of safe products. The core consumer of families is most likely to be the female lead of the household, and the child imagery helps to drive purchases. The four different laundry powders communicate their purpose through the packaging choices. Fragrance free laundry powder has a photograph of a baby in the home. Babies have sensitive skin, and by using a baby they are able to communicate that this laundry powder is for sensitive skin. The colour scheme is a soft baby blue, linking to the ‘baby’ aspect of this laundry powder. Whereas the extra clean powder has a photograph of a child covered in mud, playing outdoors (the other extra clean laundry products have an image of a kid eating spaghetti, with stains on his shirt). These images tell the consumer that the laundry powder will succeed in taking out tough stains.
The strong orange colour is more saturated and harsh compared to the baby blue, portraying that it will be a stronger wash.The lemon fragranced laundry powder, and the Orange & Geranium fragranced laundry powder both have images which depict softness, the lemon has a young child playing in a sheet fort, and the Orange & Geranium has soft towels with a teddy bear on the top. This communicates that by using these laundry powders, the consumer will have soft clean laundry which is safe for the skin. The colours chosen for these laundry powders link to the smells of the fragrances. Both EcoStore and Earthwise use organic coloured backgrounds on their packaging. EcoStore uses a soft, offwhite. Earthwise uses a cardboard toned colour. Earthwise’s imagery in their packaging is solely text and water drop illustrations. The two products on the shelf communicate they are eco friendly through their design, but earthwise doesn’t emotionally connect to the consumer as Ecostore’s packaging does. The packaging successfully promises the Ecostores brand essence to the consumer. The physical packaging of a product is important because this is what people will display in their homes and will use everyday. The cardboard is thick enough to withstand it being handled multiple times and it efficiently protects the powder which is inside, which is fundamental need of packaging.
Central Tensions Natural vs Effective - The use of the photographs with kids with stains addresses the issue that although the product is natural it will be effective with tough stains. Affordable vs Quality - The packaging looks of a high quality because of its minimalism, the consumer will be willing to spend more on a product that appears to be of high quality.
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BRAND COMMUNICATION WEBSITE When you enter Ecostore.co.nz, you are taken to a cleanly designed website with banner of swaying animated grass with a clean text ontop saying, ‘Welcome to a world of good’. You feel welcomed and are drawn to exploring the site. When hovering over the symbols above the page banner they change colour to a darker grey and actually don’t have any headings to show what they are. When you click on an icon it leads you to a page for the following, ‘mum and baby’, ‘skincare’, ‘health and wellness’, ‘homecare’ and ‘our planet.’ Each page has articles and information about the topic and how Ecostores products are related, and they promote a few of their products. The website has a minimal, modern, organic aesthetic. The whitespace definatley emphasizes the products, images and texts the user is meant to be focusing on. It is very user friendly and easy to navigate, which is important when you visit a website. When looking through the products they make, the focus is solely on the product (image of the product on a white background). The website also has a ‘quick grid view’, which enables the user to quickly add items to their cart without having to leave the main product page. The website isn’t just a place to see the products they sell, they have other features such as their blog, an about us page, and heaps of information that shows the user they are a very transparent brand and aren’t hiding anything. You feel as if you are immersed in this online Ecostore world.
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When you reach Earthwise’s website, the first thing that your eye is drawn to is the title “I used to be a milk bottle,” which follows on by an article stating their plans for new plastic bottles that will be made from 75% recycled plastic. The website has a soft airbrushed like background of muted light greens and white, with a white foreground that images and texts are on top of. The website is easy to navigate, but you aren’t compelled to stay on the page if you didn’t have a reason to be there. The fonts and headings are legible, but when you’re on a page for a product, all the information in there and in the same size, so there is no emphasis on important aspects you would want the consumer to remember. There is no online store, so that eliminates a sales avenue for Earthwise. Overall, Ecostores website creates a place for consumers to feel rewarded when buying the laundry powder. The insight to the business and the product ensures that you are purchasing a product that will do a safe and efficient job, which backs the brand essence of Ecostore.
Central Tensions Natural vs Effective - In depth analysis of ingredients used in the products shows that they work Affordable vs Quality - The websites design and aesthetic compliments the packaging, and reassures the buyer their products are of high quality
BRAND COMMUNICATION INSTAGRAM Instagram plays a part in the way Ecostore markets themselves to their target audience and consumers. The social platform allows Ecostore, @ecostorenz, to share photos and videos with their followers (currently 24.5k followers as of April 2019) and their target audience in a captivating way. Their Instagram feed is made up of product images, giveaway posts, lifestyle images, photos showing Ecostores involvement in the community and animated images involving the products. Having an instagram that isn’t soley just about showing their products attracts more followers as people are likely to want to enter giveaways and tag their friends in order to win free products. Ecostore often teams up with other brands to gain more attraction for both accounts when doing giveaways, this is a common technique to boost followers and engage with more people. Ecostore has many sponsored posts of young female mothers posting photos of their children and the ecostore product, and the product captured in an aesthetic way. Sponsored posts have become an easy way for ecostore to advertise, as they offer free products to followers in exchange they post the products they send. The image orientated consumers are heavily influenced by some instagrammers, as they create this online lifestyle people aspire to have. So by buying the products they use they can get a step closer to their ideal life. Aside from Ecostore mains instagram account @ecostorenz, Ecostore has separate instagram accounts targeted at their international consumers. They have an Australian ecostore account, @ecostoreau, with a following of 26.6, and they have a Japanese ecostore account, @ecostore.jp, with a following of 10k, both of these accounts are doing well in terms of their following.
The Australian instagram is similar to the New Zealand instagram, using some of the same images, and a similar graphic design. However, a majority of the images are warm toned, versus the images for the nz account which are cool toned. This could be due to the different climates, Australia being tropical and New Zealand being cooler. The Japanese account ties in Japanese elements, targeting their Japanese consumers. Some of the babies are Japanese, the architecture is Japanese, there is Japanese writing, and wood is bamboo coloured. Earthwise’s instagram, @earthwisehq, has a total of 2.3k followers as of April 2019, a tiny fraction of EcoStore’s instagram following. This could be because Earthwise is not an international brand, so its following must be mainly New Zealanders. In recent posts, Earthwise has started putting a brown filter on the images, linking to the cardboard coloured packaging, a successful marketing decision. It is likely that they will continue with this aesthetic. Before this marketing decision, the aesthetic was bright and did not represent Earthwise. The graphic designed posts are very simplistic, and tedious. It appears that their marketing design is far less advanced than Ecostores.
Central Tensions Natural vs Effective - Close up images of people using the products, gets the message across that the products are effective at what they do, while being natural. Affordable vs Quality - The people captured look at ease alongside the products, as though the products were affordable to buy. The products must be of high quality due to the positive signals the people give off.
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BRAND COMMUNICATION CRITIQUE Packaging
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Website
Strengths
Weaknesses
Strengths
Weaknesses
Strengths
Weaknesses
• Organic aesthetic successfully communicates the organic ingredients used • Well designed, aesthetically pleasing packaging results in the image-oriented consumers happily displaying the products in their homes. • Photographs get the messages across. • The product information is clearly communicated in a simple yet effective way.
• The minimalistic packaging results in the product getting lost in the shelves. • The imagery is directed at the family target audience, therefore it could deter the other target audiences from the product. • The brighter colours appear more artificial compared to the more organic colours, which does not reflect their natural ingredients in the products
• Aesthetic website design relates to the overall aesthetic of the brand, • Transparent brand shown through all the available information on the website • Website, packaging, social media presence all has the same aesthetic which shows consistency of the brand over all platforms
• The lack of headings on the main icons on homepage deter viewer from clicking on them, therefore closing off part of the website to the viewer • By having an excess of information on the website, this could overwhelm some site visitors and result in them leaving
• Their instagram projects a lot of their community involvement and shows they’re more than just products, that ecostore is about creating better for the community • Many of their posts are engaging with followers to comment (many for giveaways but this still gets the followers involved) • Images successfully target the 3 target audiences lifestyle images show the target audiences how they could bring the products in to their lifestyles • Involvement in the community shows they’re more than just a product, that ecostore is about creating better for the community
• As the imagery is directed at the 3 target audiences, it could deter the other consumers who do not fit in to these target audiences • Overall aesthetic of the ecostore instagram is inconsistent. Some images are light and bright and others are dark. Instagram could be improved by using a consistent filter and putting more attention into how they plan their feed. Then again, having the contrasting images targets different audiences
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CONCLUSIONS Isabella Moon
Lauren Kjestrup
Before this Ecostore analysis, I simply only had to hear the brand name to gather that the brand is eco-friendly. Ecostore is successful in the way that they get their messages across immediately. This is because of their well thought through, successful marketing decisions. The laundry powders packaging follows this quick communication. At first glance the imagery of children tell the consumer that the product is ‘safe’.
Overall, I think Ecostore has established a very strong brand with an aesthetic that is consistent throughout all their marketing aspects. They’ve created products that consumers want to purchase, and a brand that people want to be apart of. Ecostore makes doing jobs such as washing laundry enjoyable. I feel the Ecostore brand is also a representation of our national brand/image.
I believe the driving factor that makes Ecostore more successful than its New Zealand competitors is its personal approach. Ecostore is aware that humans feel the need to be cared for, and they essentially are caring for their consumers. They use children in their imagery, which is emotive, and they use personal slogans, ‘safer for you’. ‘You’ and ‘safe’ are the two words here that are drawing their consumers in. The consumers feel that the product is being made for their own best interests, and for the best interests of their loved ones, and the environment. Because at the core of Ecostore, the environment is what they stand for as a company. It is why Malcolm and Melanie Rands started the company in the first place.
Ecostore has continued to expand their fast-moving consumer goods product range, and have even started to make products that aren’t cleaning products, such as toothbrushes. There could be a potential opportunity for the brand to develop other sustainable reusable products, items such as water bottles, food storage containers, etc. As the ‘sustainable image’ is a growing trend, there will be more demand for readily available products that meet sustainable requirements. Ecostore reaches a large audience of people so will be at an advantage.
Ecostore directly target their three target audiences; families, LOHAs and image conscious consumers, however, because they target them so specifically, there is a chance they deter other consumers who do not fit in to these target markets. Those who are not of middle to upper class, clean, and/or aesthetically and sustainably conscious people may feel that the brand is unapproachable. These people may want to take a step towards sustainability, but to them, they may feel held back as the people in the advertisements appear to be in an unachievable lifestyle. This issue has the opportunity to be resolved through incorporating people of different and more relatable everyday lifestyles in to the advertisements and imagery. By doing so, people would not feel deterred from the products, and sustainable lifestyle choices would feel accessible to everyone.
Ecostore has created a trusted brand, and trust takes time to establish. With this being said, I can’t see any other NZ brands creating competition for Ecostore in the near future that could pose a major threat. However with technological advances and increasing environmental awareness, it’s only a matter of time until major companies such as Unilever (Surf) and Henkel (Persil) start to break into this market on a global scale and create a major change overall for the laundry powder available in supermarkets. As they have more capital than Ecostore, they can invest more in research and development for global production of eco-friendly products. This would pose more of a threat to smaller brands but would still impact Ecostore to some degree. Throughout this assignment, my knowledge of environmentally friendly products has increased. But more importantly I’ve become aware of how brands differentiate themselves in the market, which has opened my eyes as a consumer.
Sustainability is a growing trend, and many companies have started incorporating sustainability methods as a result. This is a threat to Ecostore, because if bigger brands become sustainable, Ecostore will have more competitors, and as a result may become overpowered. I do believe that Ecostore have always gone about things the right way, and have earned their consumers trust, therefore by continuing to do so, they have an opportunity to become leaders of the sustainable industry regardless of threats.
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LAUREN KJESTRUP & ISABELLA MOON 222.215