From utility to fashion accessory - How Zippo’s legacy has kept up with the times

Zippo Manufacturing Company, the world-renowned maker of the iconic windproof lighter and growing assortment of lifestyle and outdoor products, has unveiled a new global brand platform, “Live with Confidence,” to support the brand’s evolution. For 90 years, Zippo has been making reliable, rugged essentials that have a built-better-than-necessary quality. The brand’s new positioning represents its longstanding commitment to fine craftsmanship and durability, giving individuals confidence in Zippo products so that they can have the freedom to do what they want, how they want.

Following its market re-entry last year, iconic windproof lighter brand Zippo went live with its first landmark brand campaign in India earlier this year. The digital film made by Ogilvy India is a statement about pursuing opportunity in life and showing resilience, and how one should not let anybody, or anything, dampen their inner fire.

In conversation with Adgully, Lucas Johnson, Associate Vice President, Zippo Global Marketing, Zippo Manufacturing Company, speaks about the iconic brand’s legacy, cracking down on counterfeits, strengthening the distribution network, the move to being a personal fashion accessory, and more.

How has Zippo’s journey been since its inception?

Zippo was founded in 1932 by George G Blaisdell after he watched a friend struggle to use a lighter on a windy day. While it worked well in the wind, the cumbersome lighter required the use of two hands. It sparked an idea in Blaisdell’s mind and the windproof lighter was born. For the past nine decades, the signature lighter has been manufactured in Bradford, Pennsylvania and is backed by the company’s famous guarantee – “It works or we fix it free”. Except for improvements to the flint wheel and a huge number of designs and finishes, the product retains its classic form and functionality.

The company has expanded beyond its signature lighter and continues to grow, including lighter accessories, hand warmers, lifestyle accessories, eyewear, and products for outdoor enthusiasts. Zippo is available in over 160 countries and the company is currently focusing on growth in the Indian market.

Today’s modern, tech-savvy consumers are open to exploring premium brands and are confident in the choices they make. With respect to the Indian market, the average income is on the rise, which is a great factor for the Zippo brand. Our products are available in many designs and price ranges, and we cater to an audience looking for a more premium product. Given its price point, and the broad range of designs, it is easy to see how Zippo lighters have come to mean so much more to consumers than just a lighter. Many people attach sentimental value to their Zippo lighters, personalise and collect them or even use it as a good luck charm, in addition to appreciating the functionality of a pocket-sized, dependable source of flame. There are common use cases for a pocket lighter from starting grills and lighting candles to a variety of other flame and lighting needs. Looking at that, we genuinely feel the brand has exciting potential in the Indian market.

What are some of the highlights and challenges that you have faced over the past few years?

There are so many opportunities in the Indian market and we are working strategically to build our brand presence here. The experience so far has been great, and we continue to build momentum.

In 2020, the brand created a subsidiary company, Zippo Lighters India Pvt Ltd. A key part of our strategy is having Zippo employees with vast in-market experience in India to support the brand’s expansion. The future strategy involves further building out the in-market staff and working more closely with key retail partners in both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar channels.

Last year, we appointed Ogilvy as Zippo’s Agency of Record in India for full-funnel marketing efforts to support the brand’s India expansion plans. One of the first tasks for this team was to conduct comprehensive research into the brand’s awareness levels and health in India. Utilising the in-market team’s experience and research capabilities, our research into the Indian consumers and business landscape revealed not only that India is a price sensitive market, but also that Indian consumers have unique and strong views on confidence and their relationships with premium brands. We see many similarities to other markets and countries where we have successfully built and increased our brand presence, and we are looking to replicate that success with Indian consumers.

Another of our challenges in the Indian market, on top of the competition, are counterfeits and look-alike products. We have had remarkable success in working with local authorities to disrupt counterfeit product sales in Mumbai, and we will continue to aggressively pursue shutting down the counterfeit supply chain. Because our consumers place so much trust and importance on getting genuine Zippo product, one of our first goals on the marketing side of the business is to really educate consumers on identifying authentic product, while we simultaneously work with key distribution partners and retailers to help identify and combat some of those issues.

What is the inspiration and message behind the brand campaign – ‘Spark a new beginning’?

Through the brand campaign ‘Spark a new beginning,’ we wanted to showcase the power within each of us, through the metaphor of burning away insecurities. Our philosophy at Zippo has always been that the consumer sees us as an extension of their personality, taste, and style. Zippo has moved beyond the realm of being just a utility product to being a personal fashion accessory that can be passed down from one generation to another. The film beautifully captures our unique lighter design capabilities and the trademark ‘click’ sound the lighter makes when opened.

The campaign depicts the journey of people who have been criticised for who they are, what they are, and how they have risen above it all. It celebrates their fiery courage and determination in the face of adversity. The thought-provoking and emotionally engaging film showcases instances from a new mother who the world thinks cannot handle a corporate job, to a young girl whose weight is a problem for everyone except herself. In this context, Zippo’s premium windproof lighter becomes the tool that allows them to vanquish preconceived notions and stereotypes, with characters who resolve to act on their dreams, aspirations and emerge as their authentic selves.

Where did you roll-out the brand campaign in India, who were your TG and what was its impact?

We went live on June 27^th with a digital film made by Ogilvy India, which is a strong statement about pursuing opportunity in life and showing resilience, and how one should not let anybody, or anything, dampen their inner fire. The film was conceived with the Indian consumer’s aspirations and sentiments in mind. We have rolled out the film on multiple channels, including Google, YouTube, and Facebook. We have the campaign running on various portals such as Zippo.in, Amazon.in and TataCliq Luxury. The objective was to reach as many consumers and potential consumers as possible who connect with the ideology of breaking away from stereotypes and leading their lives with confidence.

On the impact metrics front, the master film has clocked in over 5 million views to-date. We have reached around 33.2 million users across Google, Facebook, YouTube and Amazon.in since the launch date and we are incredibly happy with the response we have received so far.

Zippo is moving beyond the central use case of a lighter, that is, smoking. How will you diversify your variants and their use cases in India?

Our main objective has been to communicate the various use cases of a Zippo lighter to consumers beyond smoking. As consumer habits have changed, their needs have also evolved, and we view the lighter as a lifestyle product that caters to multiple needs. These iconic lighters are an ideal gift for your partners, husbands, parents, friends, as they can be used to light a birthday cake, a diya, a candle, a luxurious cigar, used for camping outdoors and trekking. Our windproof lighter has become a sought after collectible and personal accessory around the world. Previous research has found that many Zippo lighter owners have multiple lighters for various occasions: to pair with either elegant or casual attire, as souvenirs of places travelled, passion for themes or even because they love the history of the brand.

We are committed to the Indian market, and we will be looking to expand to other segments in the coming years. Our focus at the moment is on the lighter segment here. We would definitely love to replicate the success and legacy we have had in the US with regards to eyewear, handwarmers and other outdoor accessories.

Our current plan is to focus on building the distribution network and then assessing the demand for different types of categories.