Wedding planning platform The Knot is rolling out a new brand look, direction and advertising strategy based on a study it conducted that took younger consumers as a main focus.
Before updating its identity and marketing strategy, The Knot conducted extensive research to better understand common pain points as well as the needs of modern-day couples and the vendor community. It found couples are relying more on vendors, redefining wedding rituals and placing greater emphasis on in-person connection with friends and family after the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to spend time apart. As they look ahead to the future, 81% of Gen Z respondents to the research study said they are open to the possibility of getting married, with half saying they definitely see it happening. Regardless of their relationship status, 72% of Gen Zers look forward to their wedding day and more than 75% have already taken at least one action related to weddings, from envisioning what their own might look like, at 51%, to saving ideas/inspiration, at 32%, to looking up the cost, at 32%.
In 2022, 2.6 million weddings took place, an elevated level of occasion driven upwards by pent-up demand as couples waited for pandemic-related gathering restrictions to wane. This year, The Knot expects there will be about 2.1 million weddings, marketing a return to pre-pandemic levels. Although the number of weddings in 2023 will resemble 2019, something of an evolution in consumer behavior has occurred. In the first quarter of 2023, The Knot saw a 40% increase in couple searches on The Knot vendor marketplace and an over 70% rise in vendor leads when compared to the same time period in 2019.
The Knot is updating the brand to increase its relevance with the next generation of couples while driving growth for the small businesses that participate in the vendor marketplace, the company pointed out. The Knot noted that its vendor marketplace facilitates connections between more than a million couples and over 200,000 wedding professionals per year. The platform includes vendor listings spanning 25 categories including DJ, venue, florist, officiant and planner.
By broadening its audience, The Knot will have a greater opportunity to support couples all through wedding planning using its digital vendor marketplace, wedding website, invitation and registry functions, it maintained. The Knot brand relaunch includes a refreshed, more dynamic logo and energized colors grounded in black, white and cream highlighted with pops of contrast color including pink to add excitement and signal relevance to the modern consumer, it asserted. The company also will include celebratory illustrations that incorporate a new signature confetti element to establish a celebratory character.
The Knot’s largest marketing campaign keys on driving awareness of the vendor marketplace. The company produced a new ad entitled Free Celebration from Expectation to reflect the diversity of all couples, celebrate different wedding styles and shoplight the range of professionals who help make weddings possible. The campaign credits 16 vendors from the vendor marketplace and features three, Amy Shack Egan of Modern Rebel, Justin McCallum of Justin McCallum Photography, and DJ GBaby, Level Up Entertainment.
For the first time, The Knot will invest in national video advertising to spread the creative initiative. A national media buy has launched encompassing TV and connected TV, YouTube and online video, audio and social media.
“For more than 25 years, The Knot has been a leading expert in the wedding space, but we know the industry looks different now,” said Jenny Lewis, the company’s chief marketing officer, in announcing the brand moves. “As an industry leader, it is our responsibility to both respond to and help shape what this next chapter of weddings looks like. We’ve found that couples want to work with brands that embrace the highs and lows of wedding planning and empower them to create celebrations that feel like an authentic expression of who they are as a couple. Wedding vendors play a critical role in bringing that vision to life and they are the backbone of every great wedding. This campaign seeks to shine the spotlight on vendors, the often unsung heroes of the industry, in a new and fresh way.”
Lewis added, “We want consumers to be aware of all the products and services we offer to support them, but we’re betting big on The Knot vendor marketplace in particular. We’re focusing on the value of vendors in our new film creative and investing in marketing like never before to help couples and fuel growth for small wedding businesses.”
