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OPINION SERIES:

SIMPLICITY
RULES.
Against a backdrop of an increasingly complex and fragmented
consumer culture, media overload, multiplying retail channels,
and an increasing cynicism among consumers, some marketers
are rediscovering the power of simplicity in expressing their
brand ideas. It simply makes sense.
Simplicity Rules
Simplicity rules the day. In our über-branded world, we’re seeing a sea-
change washing over the landscape. Some say it started with Google,
sporting the cleanest user interface on the web at the time. (Interesting
that Microsoft’s Bing is now trying to out-simplify Google on functional-
ity.) Others say Target paved the way, with a simpler, cleaner shopper
experience, utilizing design as a strategic advantage in its pitched battle
with Wal-Mart. (Equally interesting that Wal-Mart is now trying to out-
design and out-simplify Target.)
Other examples abound:
• Häagen-Dazs touts a few simple ingredients with its Häagen-Dazs
five™ line.
• Pepsi creates Throwback versions, harkening back to simpler times.
• Coca-Cola renovates its trademark brands, eliminating gratuitous and
superfluous design elements to express brand symbols more simply
and compellingly.
• Volkswagen builds an entire design language around simple forms.
• Philips touts “Sense and Simplicity” as more than a tag line but as a
corporate covenant.
• Countless other brands feature simple, back-to-basic value proposi-
tions that appeal to a seemingly endless desire for the honest, the
true, the uncomplicated...in a word, SIMPLICITY.
SIMPLICITY RULES
What’s going on here?
This is more than a trend, even though it’s clearly trendy. It’s a more
fundamental change, a cultural shift, and one that the cultural
anthropologists and semioticians will be studying for decades. And the
brands that recognized it early are reaping the rewards of reflecting the
values that are driving the culture, even as they accelerate the shift
through their powerful brand expressions.
The shift has many parents: our increasingly fragmented culture, media
overload, overextended brands, SKU proliferation, and of course, the
current economic reversal that fosters a deep desire for simple value as
a response to the excesses of the recent past. In The Paradox of Choice:
Why More Is Less, psychology professor Barry Schwartz argues that con-
sumers today are faced with far too many choices, noting that consumers
would be far better off with a few distinctly different options instead of
the countless array of choices they currently have. Whether choosing an
insurance plan, a can of tomato sauce, or even a pair of jeans, Schwartz
shows that a bewildering array of choices is overwhelming, and paradoxi-
cally inhibits happiness instead of enhancing it. He debunks the notion
that more choices will make consumers happier, offering instead the idea
that having all these choices actually infringes on consumers’ psychologi-
cal well-being.
Author and consultant Jack Trout similarly contends, in The Power Of
Simplicity: A Management Guide to Cutting Through the Nonsense and
Doing Things Right, that simplicity is one solution for marketers who
find it increasingly difficult to gain traction among consumers beset by
too many complicated choices and options. He urges managers to “get
back to basics” and use simplicity as an organizing principle to guide
enterprises to success. Trout notes that simplifying the value proposition
will reduce cost and increase sales and profits.
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In our own practice, we’ve seen brand owners leverage the power of
simplicity to strengthen their brands. Heinz, in its Australian market,
launched a new line of frozen stir-fry vegetables with a fresh, confident
look that communicates convenient, everyday cooking. Bright, comple-
mentary colors, ample white space, simple design, and appetizing
photography suggest healthy, unprocessed, and easy to use benefits.
This trend toward simplicity and purity has also taken hold in the bever-
age category, where unsweetened flavored water beverages are growing
faster than any other segment.
Dasani Essence is an all-natural, no-calorie clear beverage that adds a
hint of fruit to bottled water, including lime, black cherry, and strawberry
kiwi flavors. The design took a straightforward, bold approach to the
brand that conveys honesty and simplicity. The new packaging is clean,
modern and stylish to help encourage a healthy lifestyle and attitude.
Gundowring Fine Foods’ design features a series of smart two-color
labels; the restricted palette, minimal typography, and a handdrawn swirl
create an appealing label design that conveys real food, few ingredients,
and simple authenticity.
SIMPLICITY RULES
Outside the FMCG world, smart marketers are applying some of the same
principles, and are gaining real marketplace advantages. In the used
auto business, CarMax has become the nation’s largest retailer in just
over 15 years, with around 100 locations today. Its growth traces directly
to the core concept driving the value proposition–honest simplicity and
straightforward dealing–the direct opposite of most consumers’ experi-
ences with used car dealers.
In another non-packaged-goods example, Intuit recently bought Mint,
the web-based tool featuring a simple design interface that helps people
manage their finances for an eye-popping $170,000,000. Simplification
is absolutely central to the Mint proposition: Mint simplifies financial
management, and does so in a way that is intuitive, accessible, and
non-threatening. By helping consumers get organized and in control, it
makes a notoriously complicated aspect of their lives more manageable.
And by providing an elegantly designed, deftly executed product/service
that WORKS, Mint has made a mint for its owners–while serving its user
base admirably.
iPhone application
So, regardless of commercial category, we can see that the principle of
simple, straightforward, honest expression of no-nonsense value is gain-
ing traction with consumers and delivering value to brand owners.
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A Few Simple Rules
Simple ideas capture imaginations, inspire organizations, and motivate
audiences. Consistent with this, a few simple rules can assist brand
owners in ensuring that their brand activities simply are effective.

1. Base everything you do on a simple, compelling, differentiating idea.

2. Make sure your brand expression is consistently executed, across
media and across geographies.
3. Use plain, honest, unpretentious language, not jargon. Think Strunk.
Think White.
4. Edit, edit, edit...not just verbally, but visually and conceptually. We
all know the maxim that “less is more.” Put it into practice with your
marketing communications: every element you add needs to “pay its
way” in furthering the central brand promise. If it doesn’t, you should
think twice, or three times, about adding it.
5. Create a “culture of belief” around your brand promise, making sure
you manage all brand points with the central theme of your brand
in mind. (Southwest Airlines has nailed this. Nordstrom’s famously
shopper-centric attitude drives sales and loyalty.)
6. Revisit your product line regularly. Are there too many choices? Are
products clearly differentiated from each other? If not, borrow a page
from Barry Schwartz’s book, and simplify!

Remember – managing brands for growth in these tough economic times

is difficult; but when done right, it looks...well...simple.

SIMPLICITY RULES 4
 Anthem Worldwide, a Schawk Strategic Design Company, is an integrated
global network that provides innovative solutions to articulate, unify and
manage brand impact. Anthem creates compelling brand experiences
by aligning its strategic, creative and executional talent worldwide with
the business needs of companies seeking a competitive advantage.
Anthem offers a full range of branding and design services to our clients
including Campbell’s, Coca-Cola, E-Mart, Foster’s, General Electric, Hbc,
Kimberly-Clark, Microsoft, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Revlon, Safeway
and Unilever. With our network of world-class design professionals in 13
cities, Anthem is presently located in Chicago, Cincinnati, Düsseldorf,
Hilversum (The Netherlands), London, Melbourne, New Jersey, New York,
San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and York (U.K.)

For more information on Anthem, please visit

http://www.anthemww.com.

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holder. Schawk is a registered trademark of Schawk, Inc. The Schawk,
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SIMPLICITY RULES 5