An open-lidded letter to Tupperware

Tupper…where’d you go?

Hearing you went bankrupt made me sad. But then I read a headline that made me smile. It said, “Tupperware files for bankruptcy after being unable to find a single f*cking lid for the 10 million plastic containers in their warehouse.” And it got me thinking: We’ve all got stories about you.

It may be in your mismatched tops and bottoms, never to be reunited. Or the famous yellow cake carrier that swung proudly on Mum’s arm. Or who could forget the mint green spew bowl that every ’90s family had?

The point is, Tupperware, you’re not dead. You may have one (or several) proverbial lids in the grave. But wherever there are stories, there is hope.

It’s time to get those lids off – and get back to what made you so special to all of us in the first place.

Unpacking your brand’s lost character

Back when your brand had character, you were the original party starters. A waste-not-warrior brand that loved bringing people together. 

Way before Airbnb had hosts, you had hostesses and guests. Every party had its own Tupperware dealer – imagine, teams of dealers! – instead of the crusty, generic-termed “consultants” as you called them much later.

What happened to that sense of community spirit?

Lifting the lid on community

Yours was a movement that encouraged real behavioural change through shared connection and empowerment. 

From a branding and business POV, yours is one of the earliest examples of women supporting women and being totally female-led. You offered not just a chance to connect, but to build a network and an income. You set the scene as one of the original multi-level marketing businesses when that meant something good and true.

As one of your old ads says, working for Tupperware “can fill your hours with fun and fellowship – as well as with profit”.

Your smarts sealed the deal

A quick glimpse at your long copy ads from the ’70s and ’80s is like a treasure trove in waiting. 

Witty. Confident. Politely cheeky. A voice not unlike Mary Poppins, your words used to sing with positivity, practicality and ease. Delivered with undeniable strength and conviction, too. A host with the most.

“All food needs Tupperware. Lettuce takes it to heart. Cake is sweet on it. Onions think it runs rings around anything else.” 

You tossed humour about lightly and cleverly, with lines like “Tupperware talks turkey,” and “No need to give your family the bird day after day after day.” Or the ultimate roast: “Party poopers need not apply.”

You delved passionately into the details with ‘terrific specifics’ about why you were the best. These were no ordinary containers, but “work-saving, time-saving ideas”. And there was never just one fresh idea, but a whole “kitchenful of them”.

When people had questions about your products or parties, you happily opened up. An outpouring of carefully pointed information and the utmost care of the user experience meant that your brand transformed customers into communities full of ambassadors.

“Why is Tupperware sold only in the home? The most important reason: Tupperware should be demonstrated.” 

When you’re the first of your kind, it’s easy to lose your way 

Kodak. Blockbuster. You lost your way. We know it happens. But Tupperware, it doesn’t have to be this way.

Imagine a store today filled with walls of your colourful goodies and opportunities to touch, try and play – not dissimilar to a Lego store experience – and it’s hard to understand why you didn’t stay true to your community roots. Of course, you needed to evolve. But a beautiful new rebrand focused purely on your products perhaps wasn’t the answer. 

Some experts will argue that your brand’s become too iconic – that your name’s become a blanket term we all now apply like “Bandaid” or “Texta”. But that view also limits your brand to your products.

Having worked in branding for almost 20 years, I know how long it takes to build this kind of cred. (Spoiler alert: it’s years – not days, as TikTok would have us believe.) I look at this less as danger, and more as an enviable position from which to embolden community. You’re the catch-all name most people use for an entire category – and still the only OG. You can’t deny that power.

Community-minded brands are still winning

If you look at Australia’s most trusted brands for this year, Bunnings sits proudly in the number one spot. Its focus isn’t on brand – it’s about its people and building a community.

Even Myer, whose retail sales have slumped, is sitting pretty as our country’s No. 7 most trusted brand. How!? While the business model may have lost its way due to over-complexity over the years, from a brand perspective, it’s in an enviable position for improvement.

True character never gets old

Look anywhere right now and you’ll see heritage making a comeback. Especially for a younger gen that prioritises conscious consumption and things being made to last, we’re obsessed with making the old new again.

Brands like Stanley, Country Road, Birkenstock, Champion and Fila have all made remarkable comebacks in over-saturated markets by drawing on their storied histories. 

Now or never, Tupperware, it’s your turn.

How do you change a narrative?

You get back to the heart of why you exist and who you’re doing it for  – your people, your community. And you stay true to that character.

Being customer-led isn’t enough these days. It’s about being community-minded and not losing sight of what people really want from you – internally, externally, and wherever you interact. It’s finding those stories that connect authentically with the ones in our bottomless drawers and memories.

Whenever you’re ready to lift that lid again, let’s talk turkey.

The post An open-lidded letter to Tupperware appeared first on Inside Retail Australia.