Author: LaVon Lewis

Walk down the pet food aisle, and you’ll see cat food with flavors like salmon, chicken, or even shrimp medley. But here’s the thing: wild cats wouldn’t hunt for shrimp cocktails or roast chicken. As obligate carnivores, they’re built to eat prey like mice and birds. So why does cat food sound like a menu for humans? The answer lies in appealing to both cats and their owners.

Who Are Cat Food Flavors Really For?

Cats Don’t Care About Flavors
Cats lack the taste buds for sweetness and focus on texture and smell. They’re drawn to the scent of protein and fat, not “savory turkey in gravy.”

Humans Are the Buyers
Flavors like “salmon feast” reassure owners they’re providing high-quality food, even if cats don’t care about gourmet labels.

Emotional Connection
Owners project human preferences onto their pets, imagining them enjoying a luxurious diet when it’s really the aroma that excites the cat.

Why Not Just Mice?

Cats in the wild eat prey like mice, but domestic cat food must balance nutrition, safety, and convenience.

• Cultural Perception: No one wants to see “mouse stew” on a label, even if cats wouldn’t mind.
• Nutritional Standards: Packaged cat food is carefully formulated to meet dietary needs.
• Marketing Appeal: Fancy flavors help owners feel they’re giving their pets something special.

Lessons for Branding

Cat food shows how products can appeal to two audiences: the user (the cat) and the buyer (the owner).

• Understand Dual Audiences: Design for both the end user and the decision-maker.
• Appeal to Emotions: Build an emotional connection to drive purchasing decisions.
• Balance Practicality and Marketing: A product must work well and resonate emotionally.

The Final Scoop

Cat food flavors may sound feline-focused, but they’re really aimed at the humans buying them. While cats care about scent and texture, owners are charmed by “grilled salmon medley.” This clever balance satisfies both audiences and drives the success of the cat food industry.

Tesla didn’t just enter the automotive market—they revolutionized it. While the Toyota Prius pioneered hybrid technology and appealed to eco-conscious pragmatists, Tesla redefined what it meant to drive an environmentally friendly car by making it synonymous with aspiration, innovation, and luxury. Tesla isn’t just an EV company; it’s a lifestyle brand that merged cutting-edge tech, sleek design, and environmental stewardship into a status symbol.

Tesla’s direct-to-consumer sales model and network of over 45,000 Supercharger stations worldwide showcase how the company invested in infrastructure to ease consumer adoption. But Tesla’s true genius lies in creating an emotional connection. It’s not merely about saving the planet; it’s about feeling like you’re part of a revolutionary shift toward the future.

Consider the numbers: In 2023, Tesla captured 65% of all EV sales in the U.S., dominating a competitive and growing market. Meanwhile, the Prius, once a trailblazer in eco-friendly transportation, saw its U.S. sales plummet by 40% from 2012 to 2022. The stark contrast highlights a key branding lesson—functionality may meet immediate needs, but aspiration and identity create long-term loyalty.

What You Can Learn from This:

• Sell a Movement, Not Just a Product: Customers are drawn to brands that represent a cause or a bigger vision. Tesla taps into the allure of innovation and a sustainable future.
• Focus on Lifestyle Over Utility: While the Prius emphasized practicality, Tesla made its cars desirable by offering an elevated driving experience coupled with an emotional appeal.
• Exclusivity Drives Demand: Tesla’s ability to market its vehicles as both rare and revolutionary reinforces their appeal to status-conscious consumers.

By marrying utility with identity, your brand can transcend product features and inspire customers to buy into something greater.

When you sit down at a restaurant, one of the first questions you’re asked is, “Sparkling or still water?” While it may seem like a simple inquiry, it’s a masterstroke in branding psychology. This question isn’t just about hydration; it’s a calculated moment designed to influence perception and elevate the restaurant’s image.

Restaurants make millions of dollars asking this question, often without diners realizing its significance. Rarely does it occur to people that they can simply request free tap water. Instead, the subtle framing of this choice sets the tone for the dining experience, showcasing how even the most basic commodity—water—can become a powerful brand asset by relaxing the customer and for the restaurant it creates an immediate upsell.

The Branding Behind the Question

Here’s how the “sparkling or still” moment works its magic:

• Perceived Luxury
  Offering premium water options like imported sparkling or artisanal still water signals care and refinement. This subtle cue sets the expectation of a high-end experience. 
• Personalization
  Giving customers a choice immediately makes them feel valued. This seemingly small act of catering to preferences fosters a sense of exclusivity and satisfaction. 
• Health & Lifestyle Alignment
  Sparkling water aligns with wellness trends and sophisticated lifestyles, reinforcing the perception of health-conscious dining and positioning the restaurant as attuned to contemporary values. 
• Upselling Without Pressure
  Sparkling water often comes with a premium price, but because it’s framed as an enhancement rather than a hard sell, customers are happy to opt in, boosting revenue. 
• The Presentation Effect
  How water is presented matters as much as the choice itself. Whether it’s served in a sleek glass bottle or poured by a waiter with polished precision, the delivery amplifies the brand’s ethos.

What Business Owners Can Learn

This simple moment in a restaurant holds powerful lessons for any business aiming to turn ordinary products or services into premium, preferred options. Here’s how you can apply these principles:

• Every Detail Speaks
  Every interaction with your audience, no matter how minor, shapes their perception of your brand. Be intentional with even the smallest details. 
• Offer Empowering Choices
  Providing your audience with options creates a sense of empowerment and personalization. When people feel their preferences matter, they’re more likely to stay loyal. 
• Upsell Strategically
  Present premium or add-on options in a way that feels natural and beneficial, not pushy. Make the upgrade feel like a value enhancement. 
• Align with Aspirations
  Tap into your audience’s lifestyle, values, or trends. Whether it’s sustainability, wellness, or convenience, connect your offering to what they care about. 
• Presentation is Everything
  How you deliver your product or service matters. A well-designed presentation elevates the perception of quality and reinforces your brand. 

Water as a Branding Metaphor

At the end of the day, water is water—but how it’s presented can transform it into a preferred choice. Restaurants use “sparkling or still” to craft an experience, showcase sophistication, and boost revenue, demonstrating how small, intentional touches can turn a commodity into a symbol of quality.

Think about how you present your own offerings. Is your brand turning everyday moments into extraordinary experiences? With the right strategy, you can elevate your product or service into something your audience doesn’t just choose—they prefer.

As someone who’s spent over 20 years in the branding space, I can tell you that the latest update to Walmart’s logo isn’t just another redesign—it’s a brilliant marketing move that’s getting millions of dollars worth of media attention for free.

Let’s be clear: When you’re a behemoth like Walmart, with over 1.6 million employees and a brand valued at over $735 billion, you don’t need to make bold, sweeping changes to your logo. In fact, you’re better off making subtle tweaks that stay true to your legacy but speak to a new generation of consumers.

That’s exactly what Walmart did with its recent logo refresh, which has the internet buzzing—many questioning, “What changed?” In fact, a lot of people online are laughing about how “subtle” the changes are. “It looks the same,” some said. “Is this a joke?” others quipped. But here’s the thing: the subtlety is precisely the point.

Walmart’s “spark,” which first appeared in 2008, has now been redrawn with organic curves that feel more approachable and less rigid. The palette of true blue and spark yellow still dominate, but the blue is a bit brighter—arguably a more modern shade. And, the font is now thicker which feels simple, clean, and far more optimized for digital spaces.

On the surface, it might seem like nothing’s changed, but for Walmart, this is genius. Why? Because they’ve turned a minor brand revision that everyone makes and turned it into an entire PR moment. Everyone is talking about it. They’ve sparked a conversation across social media, design forums, and news outlets—all without alienating their core customers or taking any major risks. This is a textbook example of a “soft” rebrand that creates massive buzz and drives engagement without the burden of a complete overhaul.

What’s more, these changes are part of a larger, long-term strategy to evolve in the digital age. The old logo wasn’t as optimized for digital platforms, but this new one? It works perfectly on screens, and that’s crucial when nearly everything a brand does today is seen through a mobile device or laptop. These small tweaks are far more than aesthetic—they’re about positioning Walmart for the next 10 to 20 years. What seems small now if feeding a long term revolution.

For those criticizing the design as “underwhelming,” I’d argue that these very “subtle” differences are what make the update so impactful. In the branding world, it’s easy to go for flashy or radical. But a company of Walmart’s stature understands the power of consistency. They’ve carefully honed their visual identity to appeal to the sensibilities of today’s consumers without losing what made them iconic in the first place.

As someone who’s been in the branding industry for decades, I can appreciate the thought that went into this. Walmart didn’t need to reinvent the wheel—they needed to fine-tune the ride, and that’s exactly what they did.

So, next time you see someone criticizing the new Walmart logo, remember this: Subtlety in branding isn’t a weakness. It’s a strategy. And when executed right, it can make waves in ways you’d never expect.

What do you think of Walmart’s new logo? Subtle genius or missed opportunity?

Let’s discuss.

Book a free discovery call with me to discuss your brand at the following link: https://shorturl.at/jJvSh