strengthening your branding with color

Having always loved well designed (yet still aesthetically beautiful) products nearly my entire life, I became aware of just how bare the baby market was in well and beautiful designed baby gear and clothing when at the age of 18, I had my first son back in 2003.

I am happy to report that since then and now two more boys later, many new brands have stepped forward that offer intelligent designs for babies (and their parents who shop for them!) :) Not to mention that some old staple companies (Gerber and Carters comes to mind) have found ways to reinvent themselves, staying current and modern. I actually now joke with Billy that we will have to keep having babies simply because the gear keeps getting better and better.

However, I think until recently it was safe to say that it has been extremely rare that I came across "character" designs that weren't tacky, gaudy, loud, and a disservice to the artists who had originally created these beloved characters to start!

Sure every now and then I came across a great vintage inspired comic book character tee or Star Wars tee for my boys, but for the most part I have stayed completely away from anything with characters on it. Even when "character" clothes was given to me I just could not stand to put it on my children. Which is a shame, because children (and adults) love characters (from comic book heros to Thomas the Tank Engine to Pooh Bear and everything in between). Yes, everything had been so poorly designed and executed I used to look the other way...until now.

Behold. Character clothing...without...the characters.

I know what your thinking...this isn't "character clothing", right? But stop and think about it. It is! If you follow our blog I am sure you are aware of the fact that we are HUGE Disney Pixar fans...so needless to say I was thrilled when I came across these Disney Cuddly Bodysuits, brand spankin' new from Disney Baby (which is also new and another smart move on Disney's part).

I think what I love the most is that I KNOW whoever developed the concept for using the colors these movies were "branded" with for these bodysuits was more than likely up against a big fight to get these approved. Let's be honest...they cost more than regular bodysuit packs you can buy, so the company is going to want to know why people will be willing to buy these "plain" bodysuits at a higher price.

I can hear the conference meetings now..."We don't think the consumers will 'get' it." "These look great...now what are you screen printing on them." "Um...we are paying you HOW much to 'design' these?" "What do these colors have to do with this movie???"

Thank God someone over there had the guts to bring these ideas to light because though I have NO babies in my home that would fit into these, I have to admit I just purchased 2 sets!

Leave it to a baby's clothing line to be an excellent reminder of how strongly you can tie your brand to color. This marketing tool should not be overlooked in building brand awareness. Whatever colors you chose to market with...OWN THEM!

I can't tell you how many people tell us they think of us every time they see the color orange...and we've only been in business for just over a year! Imagine how much this color association is going to increase in value to us over time.

I will also add that their other Disney Cuddly Bodysuits that do feature actual characters are just as well designed as the "characterless" designs, so the whole collection is really worth checking out.

This line is not available in stores till Fall, however I purchased my sets over at Amazon (another brand leader).

So let's test how strong these "color script" themed bodysuits (shown above) are tied to their respective movies...If you guessed Monsters, Inc and Cars...you are right.

Take the time today to look over your marketing materials. Are you owning your brand colors?