I was beginning to worry a bit about the future of Yankee Candle. During the most recent semi-anny (that’s YC slang for the semi-annual sales event), I noticed that they weren’t restocking the shelves at my local store. I had also been to Wal-Mart recently, looking for a jar of Campfire Cocktail, and I remembered seeing it there at one point. To my surprise, a lot of their inventory had sold down and they didn’t seem intent on replacing it. What was going on? Was the entire brand going under? My goodness – what would I do with my life if it did? To my relief, Yankee Candle wasn’t going under. It was just undergoing a brand refresh, which you can read about here.
What they’ve promised is essentially:
- Longer-burning candles
- “Premium plant wax blend”
- More consistent burn (less soot and tunneling)
- “Modernized product design”
Here are my thoughts on each point:
- They burned long enough as is.
- The previous wax threw just fine – I picked up a jar of Lucky Sweater from that new summer sports line, and I’m pretty sure, at least based on how the other wax in the store looked the other day, that it’s this new wax, and that shit burns SO quick. I used to hold onto a jar for multiple seasons – I still have a Golden Autumn in my closet that I bought two years ago. I only burn it in September and October, but still! Lucky Sweater might not last me a single season! I’m not sold on this new wax!
- Yes, tunneling and soot sucks – but did we need a full-on brand refresh for that?
- Again, nothing wrong with the design as it was.
I like the old style labels myself. Not the keyhole design that they’ve rolled out in recent years, but like these bad boys:
Maybe it’s like the Jordan-LeBron debate, where you typically vote for the person from “your generation.” If you grew up with Jordan, you’re more inclined to believe he’s better. If you grew up with LeBron, you’re more inclined to believe he’s better. I became a Yankee Candle fan when these labels were on shelves. Therefore, they’re the best ever. I didn’t hate the keyhole design, but this new gimmick has removed a lot of the soul from the label. They look like generic ads in Better Homes & Gardens or something….anything but the vintage style that those labels instilled within me. They were like relics from a bygone era, and I dug it. Even the keyhole labels felt like an expression of creativity. These new labels? Nah. That ain’t it.
Then, they brought in Brittany Snow to be the figurehead of this brand refresh?!?! They couldn’t call me after all the work I’ve done in promoting their brand? I mean, sure, Brittany Snow is more famous than I am, but come on. I don’t think she loves it like I love it. That’s right – I’ll point that finger.
They’re attempting to speak to a younger generation, I believe. And, I get that…all of us old folks are going to die off one day, and who’s going to be left to buy candles? They want a more modern product, and maybe I’m just a “resistant to change” kind of guy. But, it feels like the difference between pulling a nice first edition leather bound book off of a shelf compared to a mass market paperback. I have no choice but to stick it out, but it is a little disheartening to see the branding I loved go by the wayside. We may only hope that we can grow new memories out of it. I will damn sure try.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, second on Football & Other F Words, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
Elsewhere on the SoBros Network: Check out Stacking The Inbox for premium coverage of the Tennessee Titans and NFL Draft. Subscribe to Nashville Movie Dispatch for all of our movie content. We get weird on Phone It In, the history podcast that explores legendary tales, important historical figures, and events.
