Longevity: The Undervalued Brand Growth Strategy
This is my Coach purse.
It recently caught my eye in a photo taken 13 years ago when I noticed it hanging over my shoulder. I had purchased it years before that and have used it nearly every day since. Thankfully, I’m no fashion maven and care little about style trends, so using one purse for 15-plus years has not cramped my “image” (as much as it pains my girlfriends).
A little worn, with some loose threads and tarnished metal, it has held up well. Beyond well. It’s what I would call durable, which is somewhat remarkable for a product designed in an industry where disposable is dictated by style rather than deterioration.
It’s comforting, refreshing, even shocking to have some goods last so long. A 15-year-old purse is an anomaly. A few other products I own have also stood the test of time. They work reliably, perform their role, year after year. And through those years they’ve build memories, yes, even the vacuum.
My 19-year-old Toyota.
My 14-year-old Timberland hiking boots.
My 20-year-old Specialized road bike.
My 13-year-old Dyson. (Perhaps we should use this one more frequently …)
It was pretty darn hard to come up with a list of items that have lasted more than 10 years. Heck, I’ll even put my 3-year-old Peloton on the list of products I’m surprised haven’t broken yet. We are used to buying new. Most of us don’t even know how to fix things anymore. The cost of replacement is often far less than the time and monetary expense for repair.
We’ve all heard our parents or grandparents remark “things just aren’t made like they use to be.” And it’s true. My kids still play with my husband’s Fisher Price trucks from the 1980s and they show no signs of wear. Many of today’s brands don’t stand a chance in 40 years.
Short-Lived is Short-Sighted Business
Purposefully producing goods with a limited shelf life or at a lower quality is called many things: planned obsolescence, perceived obsolescence, value engineering, or simply the latest style or trend. Companies that utilize this business strategy believe in the rewards of cutting costs by removing value from the product and planning frequent updates or new launches despite minimal real innovation.
The rewards do seem appealing. This business model supposedly assures a steady stream of customers, guaranteeing more consistent revenue with lower costs and, therefore, higher margins.
But this approach is bad for the environment, bad for the customer, and, I argue, bad for your brand.
Great marketing needs to be built on top of a great product.
Continuing to erode the longevity and quality of one’s product may appear to yield short-term benefits, but it comes with long-term consequences.
Part of the problem is simply our expectations about product lifespan. A classification used in industry analysis and financial reporting is “consumer non-durables,” which includes products expected to be used or replaced within three years, such as clothing, beauty products, and food. This language reinforces short-term thinking in product development and marketing, encouraging a disposable, “single-use” mindset rather than repairability and longevity.
The Relationship Between Long-Lasting and Business Growth
When I purchased my Toyota, I originally planned to buy a used one. I shopped the used lots and realized cars five to 10 years old cost only a few thousand dollars less than a brand new one. Instead, I bought new, confident that it would last and trusting the value would remain if I wanted to sell in the future. Rather than going to an intermediary, Toyota received my full margin.
What if we thought about how to put more value into our products? Make them last longer? Create longer cycles between repeat purchases? What if we designed our products to be so durable that we worried about whether our customers would need to buy again? Would we lose money? Call me naïve, but I think we’d build a reputation for longevity. The reward of that reputation? A strong, enduring brand and the ability to price much higher in the market.
Tiffany & Co. and Patagonia are just a couple of iconic brands known for durable, stylish products that have experienced sustainable growth over the past few decades. Tiffany & Co., which has focused messaging on quality, premium craftsmanship and timeless style, has grown steadily since the 1990s before being acquired by LVMH in 2021. Patagonia, with an emphasis on repair, returns, and durable materials, quadrupled its sales in the past decade. A Time reporter covering Patagonia who had a hole in his Patagonia fleece was told by then-CEO, Rose Marcario, that he didn’t need a new one. “You can just patch it,” she said.
Why Longevity Builds Purpose-Driven Brands
Creating durable or longer-lasting products can be a meaningful differentiator in a competitive landscape saturated with lower-quality offerings. Focusing on longevity is a powerful strategy for purpose-driven companies to build a trusted, enduring brand. Doing so:
Elevates Brand Value:
Durable products fulfill or exceed customer expectations, reinforcing quality and reliability as core brand attributes. An extended product lifespan keeps customers engaged with the brand longer, fostering trust, loyalty, and a higher likelihood for repeat purchase. These brands often generate strong secondary market value, which further reinforces the brand reputation.
Commands Substantial Price Premiums:
Products known for longevity can significantly outprice competitors. Customers willingly pay more, viewing durable goods as investments rather than expenses. Brands like Rolex, Tumi, and All-Clad leverage their reputation for lasting quality to charge multiples of standard market rates, boosting profitability and perceived value.
Promotes Word-of-Mouth Referrals (and therefore lower marketing costs):
Durable products earn advocates who talk on your behalf. For example, the “Buy It For Life” movement (#BIFL) on Reddit, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook has become a thriving community of word-of-mouth marketing and endorsement for products that last.
Focuses Resources on True, Meaningful Innovation
When a brand identifies durability as a differentiator, innovation resources are spent on substantial improvements versus superficial product launches for the sake of news. With these brands, customers come to know that any product advertised as “new” truly means “better.” Marketing campaigns rooted in substantive improvements often generate more significant visibility, media and retailer interest than those with slight changes.
Reduces Environmental Impact
The most sustainable product is often the one already in use. When products last longer, they require less frequent replacement, resulting in fewer materials, less energy and water during manufacture, and less waste. Efforts to reuse and repair extend product lifecycles, further reducing the environmental impact. For brands seeking to attract sustainability-minded consumers, durable products are a natural fit and are easy to communicate environmental benefits.
6 Longevity Strategies from Long-Lasting Brands
So, how do you integrate durability into your business and marketing strategy? Here are some specific examples:
1) Osprey: Lifetime Guarantees Via a Generous Return Program
Osprey offers lifetime guarantees on almost all its products. If they can’t repair the product, they will replace it. Generous return and repair programs create loyal customers. For brands with a shorter shelf life, such as food and beverage, this can include a “guaranteed fresh” promise.
2) Miele: Testing for Durability and Innovating to Improve Longevity
Durability doesn’t just happen; it requires rigorous testing and innovation. German appliance brand Miele tests its appliances for the equivalent of 20 years of use. These stress and durability tests identify the parts that don’t hold up and then improve them for longer-lasting performance.
3) 80 Acres Farms: Redefine Category Lifespans
Longevity doesn’t just apply to durable products but consumables too. One of my clients is 80 Acres Farms, a vertical farm that sells lettuce, salad kits, and other vegetables. 80 Acres produce lasts 2+ weeks in the fridge, allowing the brand to make a differentiated “fresher longer” claim on-pack. This benefit delights customers who throw out spoiled lettuce less frequently and saves time with fewer store trips because lettuce can be purchased in one weekly visit.
4) Le Creuset: Generational Heirlooms as a Messaging Strategy
When products last, they can become family heirlooms. Cookware brand Le Creuset is explicit about this concept. Headlines on its website include “Heirlooms-in-the Making” and “Generations of flavor.” Durability is built into the brand’s equity.
5) Waterford: Timeless Fashion and Style
Irish glassware brand Waterford is known for its timeless elegance. Discontinued patterns are considered a desired vintage collectible versus being seen as out-of-date. Waterford’s Lismore pattern has been the No. 1 selling crystal stemware pattern for more than 60 years. Many home décor trends come and go, but this brand remains consistent while maintaining an enduring style.
6) Fairphone: Designing for Repair and Modularity
When products are designed to be repaired versus replaced, the entire approach to design changes. Parts can be separated and replaced without requiring an entirely new item. Smartphone brand Fairphone creates designs with modular components that can be easily replaced or upgraded.
We, along with consumers, have the mistaken belief that new equals better, or faster consumption equals more sales. These mindsets drive a myriad set of behaviors, product launches, and marketing focused on constant acquisition and replacement. Creating products that are long-lasting and/or timeless can replace this mindset with quality and value for your customers, resulting in increased revenue and profitability for businesses.
So I ask, what does long-lasting look like in your business?
