A Brit of all right?

Last weekend, the FT’s lifestyle magazine How to Spend It ran a feature on British brands: a brit of all right, what makes them special and what makes them sell both at home and abroad. The words ‘quirky’ and ‘witty’ were liberally employed to explain the meteoric rise of previously stagnant British brands such as Burberry, Mulberry and Barbour. In markets such as China, Russia and Brazil where they have experienced the fastest growth, British brands have clearly capitalised on a romantic view of a tweedy, rural Britain. Giving consumers a taste of the ‘country life’ with a modern twist seems to be at the heart of the popularity of British brands, but is there more to their appeal than a sense of nostalgia?

In 2010, FreshMinds conducted a research project into perceptions of ‘Britishness’ for a luxury brand. We explored the ways in which a British identity makes a brand more attractive to consumers and how brands can leverage ‘Britishness’ to attract consumers in a competitive global economy. The result? We found that beneath the usual clichés associated with ‘Britishness’ (tweed, aristocracy, country sports) there is a fundamental trust in the craftsmanship behind British brands.

From Rolls-Royce to Dyson vacuum cleaners, consumers tend to associate British brands with superior quality and technical innovation – but usually only if they manufacture their goods in the UK. While this gives a brand authenticity, it is clear that British brands will not be able to maintain UK production indefinitely. The challenge for brands in 2012 will be to reconcile a British identity with economic reality.

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