Coke. Advil. Listerine. Kleenex.
Each of these products has been around for a number of years, and has a high level of consumer recognition and trust. But how do the people who market these brands manage to keep them fresh and relevant?
Renewing marketing communications for an established product is not an easy task, and breathing new life into a tired brand can be even tougher.
But when you accept that you'll need to invest the same (if not more) energy, creativity, time and resources to achieve the interest you obtained when the product was launched, the task of making a mature product exciting becomes less daunting.
The effort will be well worth it if it helps keep your product firmly on the radar of your key audiences, whether they are consumers, professionals or both. An added plus is that re-evaluating your approach can help open doors to new audiences.
If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It
The first step is to determine if now is the right time to modify your approach. The challenge is to be realistic in your analysis of the marketplace and your product's positioning. It may not be in the product's best interest to strive for a new image: enhancing, rather than changing an ongoing campaign may be the best course of action when a product has enjoyed a solid reputation and consistent popularity.
Rather than totally revamping a successful program, consider creative ways to broaden your current positioning to refresh established customers and reach new ones.
The Times, They Are A Changin'
A key to knowing when it's time to refresh your approach is to look beyond your product and consider the needs and demands of its users.
Compare the environment into which your product was launched to the world today. An in-depth understanding of the changes in audience demographics, attitudes and interests can generate a whole new range of ideas.
People are fascinated with the new. Capitalize on this by attaching an established product to current trends, thus instilling it with "newness." Anything from sports, to the latest fashion trend, to cutting-edge music, to "hot" celebrities can be tapped into to modernize your product's image.
An Established Brand Keeps Pace
A few years after its approval for marketing as an over-the-counter drug in the mid-1980s, the makers of Advil began to focus on creating programs that positioned the brand in the fast-grow ing area of wellness and fitness. Advil and fitness have grown in tandem in popularity and importance over the past decade. With a loyal consumer base working to keep fit and great efficacy in relieving muscle aches and pains, Advil has enhanced its appeal by becoming an important fitness educator and motivator.
Advil continues to build on its association with fitness by supporting a variety of fitness programs, including sponsoring a 10K run for women and helping senior centers establish walking clubs. By developing educational programs that target a variety of audiences with a wide range of fitness needs, from high school students to corporate employees, the brand continuously identifies opportunities to communicate about the health benefits of fitness and Advil.
"You're Not Getting Older, You're Getting Better"
As Clairol said decades ago, maturity can be a positive thing. When re-evaluating your positioning, never underestimate the fact that consumer trust and confidence in a brand can work to your advantage. The heritage of an established product can in itself be newsworthy. Celebrate an important anniversary (10, 25, even 100 years) or landmark numbers of consumers who have benefited from it. These numbers demonstrate an accumulated trust and confidence that has been placed in your product over the years --a building up of equity.
Look for societal or cultural milestones that match your product's milestone. For example, consider a retrospective approach that looks at societal or cultural norms, then and now, in areas relevant to your product's audience. For example, on the anniversary of a contraceptive or feminine hygiene product you might compare past and present dating mores.
The Product May Not Be New, But Something About It Can Be
Consider:
Conducting a new clinical study with novel sub-populations
Sparking new excitement through interactive/new media initiatives
Implementing a cause-related marketing program
Providing added value through personal health guides or tools
Looking outside of healthcare for inspiration
Sure, a highly effective product can lose its luster over time, but with a bit of state-of-the-art polishing and perhaps a new, modern setting, it can outshine new baubles and sparkle as a cherished heirloom.