Tell me again about unalterable brand DNA.
There was a time the Speedo logo that you see at the bottom of these swim trunks couldn’t fit on a “Speedo.” For decades a Speedo was the briefest of swim briefs. The very concept of Speedo stood for skimpy, tight, dare I say, “daring.” Its brand essence, its DNA could be rolled up in the palm of your hand.
Well, so much for slavishly adhering to strict DNA. Speedo has changed the fabric of its brand. Or is it that they’ve added to it significantly?
Militantly strict discipline around brand definition has long been one of the foundational principles of brand marketing.
At Speedo USA’s web site, of the 30 best sellers in swim wear only 1, count ‘em 1, item fits snugly to the classic definition of the swim brief that put this brand on the map. Only three products could be called “briefs.”
Today Speedo is the top selling swimsuit marketer in the world. Did they do it by standing still? By resting on their Olympic gold medal-winning laurels, as tight (so to speak) as they were? No, they did it by having the insight, wisdom and, yes, probably swimming pools full of courage to paddle away from what too many companies would call their undeniable essence, their untouchable DNA.
Was skimpy, revealing the only way to define Speed’s DNA? And if so, did they depart from it entirely? I’m pretty sure the answers are not strictly, “yes.” But they did exercise some heavy gauge open mindedness to re-thinking what way too many corporations believe is entirely “unrethinkable.”
This company certainly causes me to rethink the brand DNA issue.
In business, as in most other areas of life, rules like “staying true to your DNA” can provide great discipline and guidance for many individuals and organizations. But we can’t be blind followers of such canons. If it was only as simple as reading a single Malcolm Gladwell book or HBS case history and having all the answers… Well, it isn’t that easy. Never will be.
The world changes. We better be willing to change.
Speedo is a company that has made a lot of smart business moves since their beginnings in 1914. From their wartime production of mosquito nets to their present industry leading development of materials that simulate shark skin for maximum aqua flow. But one look at these Alan Iverson basketball short style swim trunks tells us that this company is most definitely not clinging (ahem) to their immutable DNA.
