By Tomorrow People

No Noise – Can Toning Down Help Your Brand Get Noticed?

Silence is a virtue? Selfridges’ ‘No Noise’ branding campaign could inspire your online strategy, writes Florence Edwards.

Black and Yellow

If you’ve been watching Mr Selfridge, you’ll know that Selfridges is a company famous for its decadent approach to branding.

With its canary-yellow and black bags and focused attitude towards a luxury shopping experience, Selfridges is all about the brand. However, their marketing experts revised this traditional marketing strategy from 7 January to the end of February across stores nationwide, adopting a minimalist ‘No Noise’ approach to product branding to reverse the hustle and bustle atmosphere of modern shopping.

Marketing Strategy: quiet down!

Famous brands such as Marmite, Heinz, Acne, Crème de la Mer and Clinique fronted this debranded, ‘quiet’ approach to marketing within stores: stripping their products of logos in a refocused emphasis upon the brilliance of their product rather than the fame of their brand. In doing so, these companies proved their confidence in their products, suggesting they are good enough speak for themselves.

While some products rely heavily on the reputation of their brand, these no-noise brands were practically shouting, “We need no gimmicks or ploys to lure the shopper into a purchase!”

Silence is a virtue

Initiated by Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1909, ‘No Noise’ represented a campaign where customers could retire from the stress of the shopping environment, and this strategy of behavioural communication is being renewed in modern stores.

With Silence Rooms that ban mobile phones and shoes to make shopping a quieter, more individual experience and Food For Thought campaigns dominating the food halls, Selfridges is promoting the power of silence and a confidence in product quality over branding.

What does all this have to do with online marketing?

The true inbound marketing and content strategy is all about the quality of the content, rather than flashiness or gimmicks. Sometimes you will write an article or produce a video that isn’t obviously branded, and may even — shock, horror! — make mention of one of your competitors. It might be relevant to do so if you’re concentrating on educating and helping your prospects, rather than simply pushing a sale down their throat.

But no-one’s asking you to turn business away. On the contrary, by focusing on producing interesting, valuable and intelligent content, you will build customer loyalty and attract new business. We know it works — it’s what we do for all our clients, and for ourselves.