Master Lock tries a new combination

Master Lock has been something of a victim of its own success. Now it is trying something new.

Since Prohibition, it has had its category locked down (sorry). But as its VP of Brand Development puts it, “Well-known brands have a trap: they’re too well-known [and] sometimes taken for granted.”

For years, Master Lock has been known as the brand that is “tough under fire.”  Back in the 1970s it ran one of the original great Super Bowl ads, which depicted its locks still holding strong even after getting blasted by a .30 rifle.

Unlike most Super Bowl ads, this wasn’t a one-off spot; it launched a campaign that spanned two decades and helped boost annual sales from $35 million in 1973 to $200 million in 1994.

Now, the brand is going for something less product-focused and more aspirational. Its new campaign is called “Master It,” which focuses on people’s need to demonstrate mastery in various aspects of their lives.

The Adweek article linked above includes the brand’s new anthem spot.  The campaign also will include :15 ads that feature little vignettes about how the brand makes users feel responsible. The Adweek story includes one of those for SentrySafe, a handgun lockbox secured by Master Lock technology.

Although the need to refresh the brand’s image seems real, I am not sure this campaign is clearly connecting the product experience and the desired emotional experience. (Then again, to be fair, I can’t find examples of the work beyond the anthems and the SentrySafe spot.)

In the anthem spots, there are lots of images of happy people doing nice things with their families, but it is not obvious to me how the brand or the product is driving the storyline.  In the SentrySafe ad, the role of the brand is much clearer, although it may lack some of the aspirational emotions of the anthem.

What do you think?