When it comes to your (very) basic t-shirt, most of us are chiefly concerned with price. Since standard white tees are factory-produced at a rate that might rival the speed of a blinking eye, style is the low man on the totem pole in a consumer’s decision to buy. Since the only difference we can see between these two brands of plain white t-shirts is their respective labels, this week’s Good Label vs. Bad Label should prove exceptionally interesting.
1. Does the label announce what’s inside the package?
Both labels clearly announce that there are “5 t-shirts” inside the package. Fruit of the Loom doesn’t see a need for bells and whistles or flowery claims and promises – just good, old-fashioned, need-to-know facts. This is a value pack of t-shirts, they’re for men and you should buy them. Hanes is also pretty basic, but tried just a bit harder with its “Lay Flat Collar” seal and bullet-pointed list that emphasizes features that make their shirts more comfortable (not to mention its trademarked “ComfortSoft” blend of materials, whatever that means). Regardless of the two brands’ respective marketing tactics, both effectively communicate to consumers exactly what their product is.
2. Does the label attract attention?
Upon first glance, Hanes grabs the eye with its bold red and bright green colors. Although you’re probably expecting a “but” right about now, we maintain that Hanes’ label easily trumps Fruit of the Loom’s. Sure, Fruit of the Loom chose blue, a ‘masculine’ color, and employed a minimalist approach to appeal to most men’s preference for just the aforementioned need-to-know facts. But we’re not here to speculate on whether or not “most men” would prefer a simplistic label – the bottom line is that Hanes has the more attractive, attention-grabbing label design.
3. Does the label instill confidence?
Both brands are established, household-name companies with favorable reputations. That fact aside (along with our appreciation for Fruit of the Looms’ lovable “Fruit Guys”), we pretty much covered this category just a moment ago. Hanes marketers clearly did their homework and know that when a man is buying basic tees, his primary concern is comfort. If these two packs of t-shirts were hanging right next to one another at the same price, the only way to choose between them would be the label. We’re sure both brands offer comfy t-shirts, but only Hanes is talking about all the effort they’ve put into making theirs the most comfortable. No tag? Lay flat collar? “ComfortSoft”? We don’t know exactly what that is, but it sounds pretty good to us.
In the battle of the basic T, Hanes wins for its smart approach to label design. When two products are essentially identical, a good marketer knows that the label is their only shot at stating their case and beating the competition. Although Fruit of the Loom’s label doesn’t feature anything that would persuade a shopper not to buy their product, they were overtaken by a competitor’s clear realization and use of basic marketing principles. And that’s enough to declare Hanes the hands-down victor.
I invite you to participate in the “Good Label, Bad Label” forum. We’ve all seen a bad label or twelve, so please feel free to send us some awesomely bad examples and your submission could be included in our series!
Blue Ribbon Tag & Label offers a wide range of services and products, including food labels, pharmaceutical labels, cosmetic labels, veterinary labels and expanded text labels. If you need a professionally designed label, call us at 1-800-433-4974. We’ll get the job done.
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