Subscriber Exclusive 
As Iceland shows, aspiration should be open to all
All brands want to be aspirational. Only premium brands usually achieve it, but Iceland is one of the few that make it accessible to low-income consumers.
If there is one word you are guaranteed to hear in a mass-market brand workshop, it is ‘aspirational’. Never mind that the sector might be everyday shower gels, basic cooking oils or entry-level tablet computers, the marketing team will assure you that theirs is an aspirational brand.
The word is so expected as to almost go unchallenged. You’re tempted to nod it through, as though it’s a natural fit in a quotidian brand. But there’s nothing like unthinking acquiescence to prompt the more sceptical to actually stop and think.
