Brand Makeovers Reach for Lighter Days
Seems like a lot of major brands are looking for the silver lining in what has been a particularly tough economy. Advertising, creative strategy, public relations programs, even forays into social media marketing, are all turning to positive positioning, warm and fuzzy imagery, and even down-home wholesome “depression era” messages. Subjects like family, your health, and embraceable concepts such as home and hearth are all part of the current zeitgeist.
It’s our natural reaction to troubled times — returning to our roots and the things most important to us. And marketers know that too.
A few recent examples drew my attention (and praise).
One recent brand campaign for Pepsi was covered by our own Jennifer Williams in her blog entry earlier this week. In this campaign, Pepsi focuses on refreshing our perspective in the new year — looking for the proverbial silver lining. It urges you to hit the refresh button and move on with a new attitude. Nice work.
Tropicana is another brand owned by PepsiCo, and the folks at its new agency Arnell Group are planning a major makeover of this heritage brand. Focused on the double meaning of the word “squeeze”, the campaign pairs “fresh” squeezed orange juice with the squeeze of a hug. Now who doesn’t need a hug these days? Another focus on family and wellness with a unique twist. For more on this campaign, click here for a recent New York Times article.
Another brand in play (literally) right now is Gatorade. (What’s with all these Pepsi-owned beverage makeovers???) This one is using a campaign strategy based on the question “What’s G?” and uses famous sports figures like Mohammed Ali and Derek Jeter all narrated by Lil Wayne, but teases by never mentioning the name of the product. Evidently Gatorade’s brand managers are trying to reach beyond their core athlete and sports audiences to the more major market. The jury’s still out on this one though — at least in our neck of the woods. We’re not loving the strategy, and having a hard time seeing how this approach — however great the creative is — is actually going to sell the product. In these times, or any times for that matter. Read more about the story in the Wall Street Journal here and watch the TV spot here:
We’re seeing a new direction with some of our own clients too. For Tiffany’s, the marketing has begun to focus on family and traditions more than flashy indulgence. For Brookfield Homes, our creative is more directed at nesting and the important things in life. For Seaport Village, its about spending quality time with your family. The list goes on and on.
It will be interesting to see what happens as we head out of this hideous malaise and return to more shared optimism. Do all these brands need to reinvent themselves once again?
On another note (and reference to my previous blog about making a marketing manager squirm), I give Gatorade, Pepsi and Arnell a thumbs up for doing something different — something that was probably difficult to swallow at first because it was unconventional. Most brands doing a re-launch or makeover would have the typical “We’ve Had A Makeover” message. The Gatorade makeover is not the same tired message of “the same great product with a fresh new look.” Gatorade, or G, has broken that mold and is doing something that will get attention…whether it is someone asking what G is or someone that relates to one or several of the personalities in their messages. Had Gatorade just pressed the copy and paste keys like so many brands have in the past and continued with the “We’ve Had A Makeover” message, would anyone have even noticed?
hm, my jury’s still out on this one.
there’s no denying that it is a super interesting move, and the new logo itself is pretty compelling from a package design perspective. but what is with all these household-name brands going in for cosmetic touch-ups recently? mid-life crises?
i stumbled upon this video which does a job of shedding more light on the similarity to obama’s campaign, interesting angle: cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2009/01/12/cho.obama.brand.cnn
either way, i love times like these when everyday consumers are exposed to the works behind the advertising that bombards them every day.
thoughts?
Interesting times indeed. There’s a really interesting book on brands and their connection to our pre-wired behaviors called “buyology”that I’ve blogged about earlier. It’s a great read and very relevant to this conversation.
Could these brands be trying to adjust their personalities to match traits we consumers are unconsciously seeking?