Is there anything that signals a major win for a new challenger brand as much as a nationwide Tesco listing?
For many challengers, this is the definition of success.
But for others… Tesco doesn’t always need to be the goal.
In fact, sometimes it shouldn’t be.
Because some types of cultural relevance aren’t found on the shelves of big box stores. They grow in local delis and off-licenses.
This gorgeous article stirred some almost decades-old memories from my first experience of working for a big brand multinational — in their future brands division.
Give it a read to hear the rationale for how Torres crisps became so synonymous with a particular type of Londoner it’s practically an aesthetic; the importance of consistency vs chasing trends; and the value of product quality.
If you’re not familiar with Torres, where HAVE you been? Even as a Northerner I’ve been fully aware of the delights of the latest ‘it’ crisp brand since it breached the Watford Gap.
Now you can analyse the cultural phenomenon of Torres to the nth degree, but what’s arguably more important here is what this brand (and others before it) can teach us about the power of distribution.
Perhaps place has become underrated as a 4th P?
In a past life, I had a dream job working in a small business unit responsible for seeding new and niche brands — from kombuchas to local delicacies — across markets in mega cities. Think London, Paris, Barcelona. Exotic I know.
We actively chose to list not in our key revenue-driving customers but in smaller, niche locations with cultural clout.
In the days before AI I even got to spend my days walking the (posher) streets of London to build a map of sufficiently ‘cool’ potential sales locations.
Not because this was a profitable strategy — but because it was a way to build a brand. An authentic way to reach the audience who set the trends for the rest of the market.
It wasn’t an easy ride, and tempting commercials from excited supermarkets sometimes caused us to change course, but it changed how I experienced building brands.
I learnt how you can start small, to scale in the right way.
Not all brands need to start in off-licenses or delis or your local farm shop, some belong in other places. Some belong in Tesco from as soon as you can land that listing.
But some don’t.
This is where the beauty of brand as an operating system comes in.
A strong brand strategy helps guide decisions not only on how you speak or look or act as a brand — but where you live too.
And if you’re reading this fancying some posh crisps, I’ve been reliably informed Brets are the next big thing…