No Name's quirky Twitter account a hit with consumers
Loblaw Companies Limited has been generating some positive buzz on Twitter over its new idiosyncratic Twitter feed for its No Name brand.
The @NoNameBrands account was only launched in June and has posted just 18 original tweets in total, almost all simple product shots, with instantly recognizable black-and-yellow visuals, accompanied by short, quirky comments about the product.
The tweets are technically ads for the products, but the intent seems to be simply to put a smile on the face of followers—to create positive brand associations with anyone who comes across the tweets.
For No Name quick-tie garbage bags, @NoNameBrands added: “Can be tied slowly.” For old-fashioned pancakes, the tweet reads: “Also for modern pancakes.”
can be tied slowly pic.twitter.com/Ot26cCbFFR
— no name (@NoNameBrands) July 4, 2019
The real connection with consumers, however, is most evident in the roughly 100 playful replies to people who have tweeted at or about No Name. Several people have requested @NoNameBrands create a mobile phone background which @NoNameBrands has provided.
Using any social media for marketing can be tricky as the various platforms are so popular for customers looking to complain about the brand or for the malevolent behaviour of trolls simply looking to attract attention by any means.
Some brands use it for customer service while a braver few have adopted a persona engaging in more substantive conversations and making observations about the world beyond the brand itself.
croutons have no experience pic.twitter.com/YO8lo45VkQ
— no name (@NoNameBrands) August 9, 2019
Loblaw has seemingly landed on a unique Twitter persona that people appreciate and are willing to engage with. At the end of July, Twitter’s head of global brand strategy noted the strength of the @NoNameBrands feed, calling it “textbook-brilliant use of Twitter for brands” and suggesting other brands should take note.
Loblaw wouldn’t say how the tweets are helping the brand, but the account has grown from zero followers to nearly 26,000 in a little more than two months.
According to Dave Wotherspoon, senior director, creative, content and social media, with Loblaw Companies, even the paid posts showing up in the feeds of non-followers are generating a positive response.
“People are commenting that ‘Okay, wait a minute, this is a promoted post, but I'm okay with it,’ which is awesome.”
Wotherspoon, who has worked at Loblaw for more than 20 years, says he loves the No Name brand for its charming simplicity and powerfully recognizable branding and has long wanted No Name to speak more directly with consumers.
The No Name Twitter was meant to be a voice that fits the brand itself: simple but helpful. Like a bag of peas that says just “Peas.”
“How else would