OUGD505: Study task 1.

The final area of Yankee candle that I wanted to look into was the design.

I found that when trying to find earlier design for yankee candle (labels, logos bags etc) that there was no different design to the ones which they currently use. 

Yankee candle constantly use labels that are 'honest' and true to the flavour of the candle, using photographs to represent this as best as possible. This fits with the Yankee candle brand of being authentic and a direct reflection of the flavour stated. 

This adds to the sense of tradition which Yankee candle breathes, which could be why Yankee candle has such a larger following of an older demographic. However It can be seen that Yankee candle do often change up their designs, to implement a new modern take on their tradition. 

This can be seen in:

A couple of limited edition summer collections. Yankee experimented with two different types of design for each summer series. The first capatalises on a range of semi realistic illustrations in a variety of pastel colours. The second range again uses illustration, which I assume is more appealing to the younger audience, however this uses only white outline/stroke against bright colours of the candle. This style appears more feminine and organic due to the hand drawn style, and therefore, I think it appeals to younger women. 

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The following two products are special edition halloween pieces. They use the same jar shape as other traditional Yankee candles however, the colour of the jar is changed to reflect the season. Again simple illustrations are used, this time encompassing the whole outside perimeter of the jar. The style of illustration is very child driven and quite youthful. Therefore seeming to be an edition of candles that may interest the younger members of the family. 

This piece is a great playful concept by Yankee candle, in which they have taken some of their signature christmas fragrances (Christmas memories) and placed this into a book type box, asif the readers of the 'book' are experiencing christmas memories from the scents of the candles, as they would if they were to read about them. In the collection buyers are given 12 different sampler/votive candles allowing them to distinguish which ones they like before buying the larger versions. 

Below is a small christmas themed piece for a small jar christmas cookie candle. The piece adds a little something special to products for the christmas season and strays away from the classic photo rendered style that is the usual yankee candle, Thus aiming more for the younger generation. 

The two following christmas products, sweet shop and christmas house are from the most recent 2013 christmas collection. Sweet shop shows great conceptual design as the fragrances inside are all food and spice mainly sweet consisting of flavours such as Honey and spice, Red velvet, christmas cookie etc. Whilst the aesthetic design of the box ressembles a ginger bread house. The second piece is also conceptually sound encompassing more naturalistic/ house scents such as season of peace and apple and pine needle, whilst the outside design resembles that of a house at christmas, all the while using the sam traditional style of Yankee candle, photographs and realistic textures. 

Below is a small version titled 'sugar' and 'spice' From a different christmas collection which follows the same theme. 

Below is a really great idea Yankee candle have come up with in which they created a yankee candle advent calendar. Owners of the advent calendar open one door per day, and receive one flavour of yankee candle tea lights each day. This was a great idea of Yankee candle lovers, or those who want to try out yankee candle but are unsure of what scents they wish to purchase. The calendar does however take on the classic yankee candle design, encompassing more realistic renders and photography. This style is commonly used in Yankee candle christmas products as a representation of tradition. 

OUGD505: Study Task 1.

Next I went on to look at the main customers/ target audience of yankee candle. The yankee candle customers are much like a small, or rather large community. I found this by visiting both the Facebook page and a Yankee candle distributor. 

When I visited an independently ran Yankee candle store on two occasions (purchasing a large jar candle and some car/ small space scents) when approaching the till point I am instantly drawn into conversation by the sales assistant, who has upmost knowledge on the scents which I am purchasing, and then asks me, which scents am I already burning. (Luckily I've visited yankee and purchased a couple of candles before and so I was able to rattle a couple of names off of the top of my head). This makes me feel as though, especially in small UK distributors that Yankee customers are very loyal, and therefore do not just visit the store once, but frequently return to update their collections and therefore create some kind of rapor with the sales assistants.

I also went to look at the official Yankee candle facebook page where I found that the most frequent people to post on the page were women. Many who liked to share images of their collections, and give opinions on their favourite candles/scents. 

It has ressured me by viewing the Facebook page that the main followers and purchasers of yankee candle are female. I also found the the larger number of these females seem to be within the 30-50 year old age group. This seems sensible as although Yankee candle are known for their great quality, it is also well know that these candles carry a moderate price tag, and are able to be bought more frequently by those who have steady jobs etc, and ability to spend £50 on a few candles. 

However I was also able to see below that Yankee candle do not dismiss other audiences and also try to target some fragrances towards men. However the advertisement is seemingly aimed at women with the use of nouns 'Dad' and 'Boyfriend'.

Yankee did try to further create a solution to this by employing a range of fragrances in which they thought would appeal to men. 

Although these scents may appeal more to men, and touch their humour, It is generally the woman in the house hold who determines such things like scents as she does flowers. And therefore she may disagree to these types of scents. I do however feel like many of the scents sold at yankee candle appeal to both men and women particularly the food and spice scents. 

I also found that by looking at instagram (A social networking platform used by a younger audience) that young adults (18-29) also have a growing love for Yankee candle, with a tag count of around 211,000 (dated 29th jan 2014) 

I did feel that smaller interest from a younger emerging audience could be due to the traditional appeal that the Yankee candle brand breathes. 

I also found that there are two stores in the U.S that offers a variety of Yankee candle events aimed particularly at children and families, however anyone can take part. These particular stores are called 'The Yankee candle village' situated in both South Deerfield MA, and Williamsburg VA.

'Yankee Candle® Village
South Deerfield, MA.

Here at our Village store is where you'll find 400,000 candles in over 200 different famous Yankee scents. It's a unique, entertaining world of New England charm, fairy tale fantasies, and hands-on, interactive candlemaking that's fun for every age.'

'Yankee Candle® Village
Williamsburg, VA.

Here in the heart of Virginia's historic triangle, you'll find a store unlike any other. With over 400,000 candles in more than 200 different famous Yankee scents, you'll discover an entertaining, interactive family adventure at every turn.'

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'Check out what's NEW:

• Wax Works
• Dip-Your-Own candles
• Dip-Your-Own wax hands
• Make Your Own jar candle
• Popcornopolis™
• Custom Puzzle-making machine
• Laser Gift Engraving'

Source

Dip your own candles:

Customers are invited to pick any candle from a large selection and dip this into a number of different colour wax in order to create their own custom candle.

Dip your own wax hands:

Customers are invited to make moulds of their own hands in any gesture they wish, plunging them into a combination of white wax, cold water and coloured wax in order to create a personalised souvenir.

Make your own jar candle:

Customers can visit the jar candle station, in which they can go to a number of different pumps, all filled with a different wax to create a custom designed candle.

OUGD505: Study task 1.

Products sold at Yankee candle:

Yankee candle sell a range of candles in different sizes, however, they also sell lots of other products such as wick free fragrances, candle accessories and car fragrances. Yankee candle currently have 33 different products (not including the massive range of fragrances) on sale, without including any extra special edition seasonal products (advent calenders/christmas specials etc). The current product range is as follows:

Jar Candles:
- small
- medium
- large 

Tumbler candles:
- small
- large

Pillar candles:
- small
- large

Tea light candles.

Wax melts.

Samplers/votive candles. 

Candle holders:
- Jar
- Cylinder
- Votive
-Tea light

Candle trays. 

Wax melt warmers. 

Fragrance warmers. 

Jar candle shades. 

Illuma-lid jar candle toppers. 

Fragrance spheres holders.

Scent plugs. 

Reed diffusers.

Wax melts. 

Concentrated room spray. 

Scented potpourri. 

Room Aroma for roomba.

Car and small spaces:
- Smart scent vent clip.
- Car jar ultimate. (gel)
- Car jar. (card air freshener)
- Almost anywhere jar.
- Car vent stick.
- Travel tins.

Gift cards. 

Limited edition sets / products for special seasons.


Most popular candle scents sold at Yankee candle online US:

Pink Sands large jar.

Chocolate truffle Large jar. 

Lavender large jar.

Pink Carnation large jar.

Black Cherry large jar.

True rose large jar.

Red velvet large jar.

Turquoise sky gift basket.

Pink Sands gift basket.

Raspberry large crackling vase candle.

                                                         Deep sea crackling vase candle.

Wedding day sampler/votive candle.

On the main web interface (yankeecandle.com) there are currently 145 scents to choose from:

OUGD505: Study task 1.

Task

You will create a body of research that explores the relationship between content, context and product in relation to an individually chosen subject or theme. In this exercise, you will begin to research a range of information and responses that clearly and effectively communicate and utilises your concepts in relation to: A brief history of... A collection of... An introduction to... Things you need to know about... An exhibition of...

For my research topic I wanted to research into something that I already had some knowledge about, and found interesting as a subject by itself, without the need to be interested in it to collect research. 
The subject that I have chosen to look into for this topic is a brand, identity, a store and a number of products, all which fall under the umbrella 'Yankee Candle.' For a few years now I have been interested in and become an avid collector of anything yankee candle, their scents taking pride of place in both my home and car. 

The most appropriate subtitle for this research project is 'A brief history of' however some of the research I will undertake could also fall under the titles of 'An introduction to' and 'A collection of'. 

Yankee candle claims that it is the largest U.S manufacturer of scented candles. The company is headquartered in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. Source

The history and growth of Yankee candle...

- Yankee Candle Company was started in South Hadley, Massachusetts when Michael Kittredge, originally from Holyoke, Massachusetts created his first scented candle Christmas 1969 from melted crayons as a gift for his mother.

- Neighbours began expressing interest in buying his creations, and Kittredge began producing them in larger quantities.

- The company itself was founded with help from Donald MacIver and Susan Obremski, who were high school friends with Kittredge.

- In 1975, Obremski managed the first Yankee Candle Shop located where the Village Commons, South Hadley now stands.

- The company slowly expanded and moved to South Deerfield in 1983.

- in 1993, Kittredge started handing the company over to a friend and employee. In 1998, he sold the company to New York-based private equity company Forstmann Little for $500 million.

-  Forstmann took the company public in 1999, and in 2001, hired Craig Rydin as a CEO. Rydin launched a major advertising campaign and the line was picked up by mass retailers Linens-N-Things and Bed, Bath and Beyond, pushing sales to their highest levels yet.

- During the summer of 2006, Yankee Candle purchased Illuminations, a Petaluma, California -based, multi-channel retailer of high quality candles and home accessories. Although the two companies were similar, the names were separated, with Illuminations being aimed at a different demographic. The Illuminations brand and web store were phased out in early 2009.

On February 6, 2007, the company was acquired by the private equity group of Madison Dearborn Partners LLC for approximately $1.6 billion.

- In October 2012 Yankee Candle Europe launched their Consumer Direct website, offering their full range of products direct to consumers following the successes of their U.S colleagues.

- In 2013, Jarden acquired Yankee Candle.

Source

Why Is Yankee candle so successful?

'Their success can be explained in four phrases: Authentic. True-to-life. Bold. Long-lasting. Each Yankee product is made with real essential oils and fragrance extracts, a practice abandoned by many candle makers today. Their scents have easily become the standard by which all other fragrances are judged. They also offer long lasting scents. Their large 22oz jar candle burns for 110 to 150 hours.' 

Yankee now offers over 150 fragrances and the world's largest and most compelling selection of scents. They regularly introduce new Yankee Candle products and fragrances which keep the line fresh and cutting edge. They are constantly looking for ways to enhance the lives of their customers. At times, the Yankee Candle company will also bring back some of it's old favourites for those who fell in love with a retired scent.

They strive to offer scents that cover the spectrum of life's best smells, including specific fruits and flowers, fresh, clean, outdoor types, and festive fragrances that enhance the holiday season.

In this quote from Yankee they sum up their mission. "With every fragrance we introduce, our reputation is on the line. It is not enough for a Yankee® fragrance to be as good as our competitors' scents. It must be better, because it's what you expect of us... and what we expect of ourselves. Each fragrance has to possess the realism, accuracy and pleasantness of the true flower, food, fruit, place, or experience that inspired it."

Source

Yankee candle fragrance families:

- Floral.

- Food and spice. 

- Festive. 

- Fruit. 

- Fresh.

Source

Each of the fragrance families are identified through a simple logo, with the name/ image of the family edited for each one. 

About yankee candle... Directly from the official website.

Moments in time...personal recollections of an instant brought to life. They're at the heart of every season. And nobody helps people relive those moments like Yankee Candle.

As the world's most renowned brand of scented candles, we've developed a uniquely personal relationship with our consumers because we pour our hearts into every candle we make. We share their passion for fragrance in perfectly capturing the spirit of each season and the memories that go with it, from spring flowers to Christmas traditions. It's a commitment that they can count us to make their day a little brighter and more enjoyable with their favourite fragrances...every time.

It's also a commitment to craftsmanship and quality we've observed from the company's early days of making candles by hand in an old mill. Today, our master candlemakers still observe those same rigid standards as they produce more than one million jar candles per week in an advanced manufacturing plant in western Massachusetts, USA.

American-made with the finest ingredients from around the world, like natural fragrance extracts, our candles are carefully crafted and thoroughly tested to be the best because you expect nothing less...and neither do we.

From here, our candles go to a huge, state-of-the-art distribution facility, where a highly trained staff using sophisticated technology assembles and ships orders to our distribution center in the United Kingdom as well as stores and dealers across the United States and around the world.

Never satisfied, we're continually developing new fragrances that reflect the best experiences of life, from a kitchen treat to a tropical holiday. Plus, we're launching innovative ways to enjoy those fragrances in both candles and flameless fragrancing products for every need.

It's all about creating a warm, inviting home for every season, wherever you are. And it begins with Yankee Candle® fragrances that bring the season to life with favourite memories. Stop and smell yours today...because at the heart of every season there's a memory with a scent all its own. Source