Chapter 11

Rebrand and Reposition Products and Services

Rebranding and repositioning helps companies achieve a number of important goals that directly affect their revenues and profitability. Some of these include enhancing or renewing image, staying relevant to key stakeholders, and expanding the customer base.

Listening enables marketers and advertisers to rebrand or reposition based on the ways people perceive their products and services, the language they use, their emotions, and the conversational contexts that shape those perceptions and feelings. By doing so, they are better able to match and mirror customers’ mind-sets, be more easily and clearly understood by customers, and be able to avoid the pitfall of forcing their branding or positionings onto customers. We are in an era of person-centered branding and positioning.

The cases reviewed later in this chapter will show that companies taking direction from the “people's positioning and branding” frequently benefit, and those that do not can produce the opposite scenario, wherein they're able to learn from their failures.

Although this chapter is concerned with the “re” prefix attached to “branding” and “positioning,” the winning plays and tactics we present apply equally when developing original go-to-market branding and positioning strategies.

Winning Plays for Rebranding and Repositioning Products and Services

Businesses use social media listening techniques and analysis to study the language, meanings, and contexts people use when talking about companies, product categories, individual products, or concepts. We identified four winning plays to develop compelling, people-led rebranding and repositioning from our case study analysis:

• Listen to relevant voices. Companies that limit whom they listen to risk positioning or branding in too narrow a space, and thereby jeopardize their ability to develop a positioning or branding relevant to all their customers. Publishing giant Meredith's repositioning of the magazine Ladies’ Home Journal managed to strike this balance by adjusting the interests of older core customers and younger prospects. Social media listening enabled the company to research and learn which features were valuable to both groups, and which of the new features would be accepted and highly attractive to the younger group (see “Attract New Customers While Keeping Core Customers,” later in the chapter). Had Meredith only listened to one group, the magazine's repositioning might have alienated the other and been less successful. Refer to Chapter 1 for a research-oriented discussion of the principle of selecting the right voices.
• Listen across a range of contexts. Always consider context—the frame within which people converse or experience—when evaluating positioning or branding concepts. The meanings people have for branding or positioning ideas will be different as contexts change. A broadband vendor, for example, learned that people have four different meanings for the term, depending on where they are talking about it (see Chapter 16). Don't make assumptions. Contexts we as marketers and advertisers think are most important going in, like health, may not be to customers, who have other more important interests, such as relationships and food, as the example of CPG Co. teaches (discussed later in this chapter). Although it might not seem obvious to do so, companies with highly specialized products or services also should listen across contexts, as by doing so they might uncover a related usage or meaning that will serve their branding and positioning.
• Reflect “people-centered” rebranding and repositioning. Leverage a penetrating consumer insight that melds with people’s core beliefs or mental models. Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty centered on two of these attitudes: that 98 percent of women did not consider themselves to be beautiful, and 80 percent agreed that the media bombarded them with unattainable images of beauty. Dove successfully repositioned the brand as a means to help women resolve these issues, eventually creating an engaging social movement in which listening and social media strategy played vital roles in moving the cause forward. People-centeredness contributes to forging emotional bonds that enhance marketing effectiveness (see “Frame Products in the Context of Important Issues”).
• Do not impose a rebranding or repositioning, listen first. Jumping into this process by gathering facts first before listening to learn the people's positioning and branding can lead to bad decisions. The Tropicana and CPG Co. cases provide examples of this, but had markedly different outcomes. Both started with a predetermined strategy rooted in third-party research and recommendations from top-notch consultants, but the CPG company listened to test the third-party ideas, whereas Tropicana did not. Tropicana's rebranding failed partly because its strategy was set to focus on product purity and health benefits. Had Tropicana listened for the people's positioning, it would have learned which of the new positioning ideas might have taken, and which of the old positioning should be retained. In contrast, CPG Co. rejected their consultant's recommended positioning strategy after doing listening research. It found that customers held richer and more varied concepts about the positioning idea and then revised it accordingly. Allow listening data to challenge others’ suggestions, remain open-minded, and be bold.

Our case study research uncovered three tactics that lead to successful rebranding and repositioning:

• Express positioning in “people's words.”
• Frame products in light of issues that are important to people.
• Attract new customers while solidifying the core customer base.

Express Positioning in ”People's Words”

Word meanings vary, depending on the people speaking them and the situations in which they are spoken. This is especially true for words and concepts with broad meanings, such as “green” or “wellness,” that have become widely used. Think for a moment about the various ways that people use these two terms. Community builder Communispace researched “wellness” and told us that it encompasses five contexts; while physical health is important, so are the emotional, mental, financial, and spiritual realms (Communispace 2010). This one word has five different meanings.

When positioning products, services, or companies, marketers and advertisers look to differentiate their offerings, and/or themselves, from their competition in meaningful ways. However, firms frequently use their own language, instead of their consumers', which results in positioning that does not resonate with people. We interviewed a CPG insights chief who studied the use of the word “sustainability” by listening to company sources and social media. Research uncovered that although the term figured prominently in the corporate setting, it did not come up often in people's conversations. Instead, they gravitated towards different terms entirely like “values” and “ethics” to describe corporate behavior. Context matters.

The importance of understanding words and their contexts is shown in two cases: one by a major CPG marketer, which did, the other by Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice, which did not.

Listen in Many Contexts

CPG Co. retained a leading branding agency to create and execute its new positioning. The agency's recommendation built on the company's established heritage; both organizations believed this would help align the firm's many brands under the umbrella positioning of “good for you.”

Prior to making an all-out commitment, CPG Co.'s global insights leader suggested exploring the “good for you” concept to find out just how people thought about it in different contexts, such as religion, food, personal lives, even entertainment. This executive knew that exploring multiple areas would both lead to analytic richness and avoid the silo trap.

The firm's listening research focused on answering several central questions, which it tackled by using advanced text analytics and services from its partner, J.D. Power and Associates Web Intelligence (2010). In particular, the firm explored the use of a key term related to the positioning by studying blog posts and message boards over a six-month period. For proprietary reasons, we cannot reveal the exact term so we use instead “awesomeness.” The research primarily concentrated on:

• Context: In which contexts do consumers currently use the key term “awesomeness”?
• Meaning: What does the “awesomeness” concept currently mean to consumers?
• Segments: How do different generational segments use and define this key concept term?
• Brands: Do other companies use the same positioning concept?

CPG Co. came to learn that people used “awesomeness” in several different contexts, including the following three examples—food, relationships, and health:

• Relationship context: People used “awesomeness” most often in relation to religion, the human spirit, bonds among people, kindness and caring, and even to convey sexual appeal and tension.
• Food context: People frequently framed “awesomeness” hedonistically, to refer positively to indulgent or traditionally “bad for you” foods, and to express enjoyment and satisfaction.
• Health context: Much to the firm's surprise, the concept was used least in the healthy, wholesome, “good for you” sense that was originally believed to be the main interpretation of “awesomeness.”

Listening research opened the researchers’ minds and uncovered uses not previously considered, and that went against the grain. Not only were these unexpected and surprising, they exposed weaknesses in the original concept that, if executed, might have misfired.

Research also found generational differences in “awesomeness,” and that no other company appeared to have a viable positioning based on the term. Text analytics inferred generational differences from language patterns used by boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y that, while not exact, provide guidance. Generational contrasts were important to understand; since nearly all households purchase CPG Co.'s iconic brands, it needed to know if segmented positioning messages were necessary.

After evaluating and considering the findings, CPG Co. decided to deep-six the initial agency recommendation and develop an enhanced, more nuanced positioning instead, one that fit the various ways people think about and use “awesomeness,” and delivered messaging that resonated with customers. As we went to press, in late 2010, CPG Co. was testing a variety of concepts and communications in a number of markets. Even as we await the outcome, we can already say this is a very good example of how social media listening insights provide alternative viewpoints to the accepted wisdom, which, when carefully considered and boldly acted upon, help companies change direction the right way—closer to their customers.

Do Not Restrict Context to One Area

CPG Co. was able to align its positioning squarely against its customers by listening to the right social media voices across contexts. As we pointed out, if it had failed to do so, its positioning might have been way off the mark. Tropicana's experience demonstrates how listening to only one context can lead to decisions that backfire in the marketplace.

Number-one-selling Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice sought to revamp its marketing as part of a broader initiative that parent company PepsiCo set out for its big-beverage brands, including Gatorade and Pepsi-Cola. Tropicana's effort involved launching a new ad campaign entitled “Squeeze,” in early 2009, and replacing its iconic orange-and-straw image with a glass of juice. Six weeks later, a firestorm of protest erupted online and off, prompting Tropicana to pull the new packaging and return the old (see Figure 11.1). What happened?

Figure 11.1 Rebranded Tropicana (right) led customers to protest the new design, online and offline, which resulted in a quick about-face. The old carton returned six weeks later.

Answering this question, Tropicana's president admitted, “We underestimated the deep emotional bond our most loyal customers had with the original packaging. That wasn't something that came out of the research,” which used focus groups and design tests (quoted in Elliott 2009).

One reason Tropicana failed to recognize that passion was that its focus was on imposing a revamped marketing strategy, not determining whether customers even wanted it. Listen to how Peter Arnell, renowned brand expert and architect of Tropicana's multifaceted marketing and advertising campaign, described the company's strategy and rebranding in a press release (2009):

It's time to remind consumers that Tropicana Pure Premium is pure, natural, and squeezed from fresh oranges. In order to reinforce this message, we focused on the health benefits of the juice but showed it in a more emotional way than ever before in this category. We want to remind consumers how it should feel to drink this juice every morning.

Is that what consumers want to be reminded of?

Tropicana and its agency appear to have fallen into the trap that CPG Co. avoided: namely, making assumptions about the context customers consider most important in relation to their product. Recall that CPG Co. learned that the recommended healthy positioning initially turned out to be the least-used context, whereas others, like “relationships,” were much more frequent. Being single-minded about the health benefits most likely narrowed and skewed its analysis. Had Tropicana listened more broadly, and engaged customers and loyalists early on, it might well have developed a richer, more nuanced understanding of the contexts that are the most important. This probably would have let the company discern which aspects of the redesign plan resonated and which did not, while gaining valuable guidance on making the brand and its packaging even more relevant.

Ironically, Tropicana's advertising suggested that the company might have been able to do this, after all. One spot showed the relationship between a father and son, suggesting that the company had a bead on the emotional connections in which its juice played a part. However, the new carton did not accommodate that because of the decision to emphasize health.

While unfavorable and critical postlaunch comments helped Tropicana eventually set the brand straight, it came at the cost of some embarrassment—along with the need to spend hard-earned dollars twice on such things as package design, manufacture, and switching/remaking commercials. All of these activities affect reputation, expense, and bottom lines. For Tropicana and other companies experiencing a rebrand failure (recall New Coke, for example) it seems that switching to the old symbolism or formula quiets the storm. However, it also raises the questions: Are the companies, at best, only recapturing their old markets? Or by utilizing social media listening and engaging customers, could they discover new contexts through which to connect and grow their brands?

Frame Products in the Context of Issues Important to People

Launched in 2004, Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty may be one of the best-known social media listening success stories. It builds on the lessons from the cases we've already reviewed, while also focusing on using a personal and social issue for positioning.

The Dove campaign is rooted in very astute research insights, initially developed through a multinational study that probed the relationship women have with beauty. The study explored their definitions of beauty, levels of satisfaction with beauty, the impact of beauty on self-esteem, as well as mass media and pop culture views on beauty. Two key insights emerged: that only 2 percent of the women considered themselves beautiful; and that 80 percent felt that the media set standards for beauty that “real women” could not achieve. These results helped to establish the campaign's mission: to make more women everywhere feel beautiful, every day, by widening today's stereotypical view of beauty, and inspiring women to take better care of themselves.

Well-known for imagery of women in all their forms, the campaign is tightly issue-focused, dedicated to stimulating discussion and debate and driving women to the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty Web site and Facebook group. Social media features enable them to comment and engage with women like themselves, with Dove's experts, and with brand advocates, while furnishing Dove with a listening post (see Figure 11.2).

Figure 11.2 Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty stimulated discussion about beauty, and directed women to the brand's Web site. Social media features allow them to post, comment, and engage with other women—and the brand.

What may be a lesser-known fact about the campaign is that it unfolded in stages, driven by new social media listening research. Since the first study in 2004, “The Real Truth about Beauty: A Global Report,” subsequent research tackled different aspects, to capture a more complete picture (Dove 2004). “Beyond Stereotypes: Rebuilding the Foundation of Beauty Beliefs” (Dove 2006) explored self-esteem in 10 countries; it found that overwhelming majorities of girls and women wanted to change something about themselves, and that two-thirds actually avoided some social situations because of how they felt about themselves. “Beauty Comes of Age” (Dove 2006) looked into beauty and aging among women 50-plus in nine countries, revealing that nearly all believed that society looked less favorably on their appearance—especially their bodies—as they grew older. “Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem” (Dove 2008) explored self-esteem in girls aged 8 to 17 and discovered that 70 percent felt they “don't measure up” in areas like their looks, schoolwork, or relationships with friends and family.

Today, Dove's evolving campaign focuses on addressing girls’ self-esteem. Building off of the latest research, Dove founded the Dove Self-Esteem Fund and added a girls-only self-esteem zone, complete with social media tools, to the site. The forum offers content and experiences revolving around understanding, improving, and promoting positive self-esteem.

The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is a microsite on Dove.com. While Dove.com has a tab for products, the campaign influences the entire site, with self-esteem-related content featured prominently throughout. True to its mission, Dove puts women with “real beauty” in advice and commercial roles.

From a business standpoint, the campaign and its social media listening-led initiatives not only resonate with and engage women (nearly 3 million have been involved with the Dove Self-Esteem Fund), but translate into brand performance, as well. Data available from 2004 revealed a very attractive impact: Global sales exceeded $1 billion, far surpassing company expectations. Annual 2009 sales, reported on Unilever's corporate Web site, showed Dove was the top cleansing brand worldwide, with sales over €2.5 billion in 80 countries (Unilever 2009).

Dove's campaign provides a potent illustration of a brand igniting and listening to social media conversations that are capable of changing social perceptions. The brand touched and improved the lives of many women and girls in fundamental and dramatic ways. Had Dove simply treated the campaign as a marketing exercise, chances are that it would not have been so successful. By framing the self-esteem issue through research, Dove recognized and respected the uniqueness of all participants: It enabled girls and women to express and share their own ideas, comments, and suggestions to address self-esteem issues. Through listening, Dove took actions that moved the campaign along in ways guided by listening insights. And, as the results show, the company benefitted by indirectly shaping preference and stimulating sales.

Attract New Customers While Keeping Core Customers

Companies with established product franchises eventually face the issue of bringing in new blood to overcome drops or flat lines in their customer base. Media and marketing powerhouse Meredith's renewal of celebrated magazine Ladies’ Home Journal (LHJ) drew heavily upon social media listening to ensure that its repositioning reflected previous and new customer interests.

While ad sales and readership for this classic publication were breaking down, other horses in Meredith's stable—like Better Homes and Gardens and Parents—were running well. Despite a loyal readership, company research showed that satisfaction drivers among younger readers (for example, relevant content) were declining. Facing an aging-out problem, the company realized that long-term growth would come from bringing younger women into the franchise and, eventually, evolving with them in order to keep them.

Britta C. Ware, Meredith's research head, explained to us that the team had to walk a tightrope between satisfying the magazine's faithful core customers and energizing the editorial content to attract future subscribers. And, of course, as an advertiser-supported publication, they also had to signal the new direction without alienating current advertisers while simultaneously increasing their interest in a revamped LHJ. The economic recession was in full swing, and the researchers had from September to December 2008 to finish their work. The new issue had to be on the racks in February 2009. Pressure, anyone?

We discussed in our earlier review of Meredith's MixingBowl.com launch (see Chapter 6) that the company's Research Services group listens to its private community, Real Women Talking, for guidance. Naturally, the researchers wanted to leverage the community for the relaunch; however, they first had to persuade a new editor that Real Women Talking was up to the task. Even when some staff members or departments regularly employ a resource, that resource can often be unfamiliar or unknown to those in other functions. For that reason, getting buy-in from internal customers requires conversation, tact, and proof that it works. In this case, Research Services had to demonstrate that women in the community matched the LHJ's core and intended audiences, and that reams of research conducted to date would be consulted. Fortunately, the mission was accomplished, and the community was brought into play.

As they had done with MixingBowl.com, the editorial team developed a vision for the redesign. They then crystallized this as a minimagazine for community discussion and feedback, in the form of a questionnaire and follow-up live chat facilitated by Real Women Talking operator Communispace. Survey responses indicated that both prospective and current readers felt generally positive toward the new design. The chat aimed to get current readers’ views by asking them to expand on points needed to finalize editorial direction and design. Asking eliciting questions like: “How do you feel about the tone of magazine?” “Should there be a bigger focus on parenting?” prompted free-flowing conversation and comments.

The last question proved to be pivotal, and perhaps even internally challenging. The magazine's newly appointed editor had recently moved from running the very successful Parents magazine at Meredith. Would she and the redesign team be open to the answers they got for a question, even if the answer was no? As it happened, the women's comments were not really supportive of this topic; they questioned the need for yet another source of parenting advice, especially those who had kids in their teens. However, one woman's request to see more “family” articles changed the conversation. Other women rallied around the thought, expanded it, and gave examples of stories they would like to see, especially those of how other families meet challenges and overcome hardships. Meredith listened and acted on the conversations.

Research head Ware adds that just one round of feedback allowed them “to test the new design and trust they were headed in the right direction—as guided by Real Women Talking (see Figure 11.3). The new magazine should engage younger women and stay sufficiently consistent with the brand to hold onto loyal readers.”

Figure 11.3 Ladies’ Home Journal revitalized its publication by listening to guidance from Meredith's private online community, Real Women Talking. It struck the important balance of attracting new younger readers, while keeping loyal readers satisfied.

As they had with MixingBowl.com, the ad sales teams were able to convey readers’ enthusiasm for the new design and draw upon compelling quotes to help make their case. Ware relates that initial results “suggest the redesign was indeed successful; advertisers have described the new look as ‘more modern,’ ‘more relevant,’ and ‘fresher.’ February 2009 reports for the inaugural issue indicated that revenue was up 25 percent over last year.” More specifically, business is growing in key categories like beauty, and magazine leadership feels that growth will take off even more intensely when the economy rebounds (Ware and Austin 2008).

The two Meredith cases—one for launching a new product, the other for repositioning a classic brand—demonstrate the value that companies can gain by employing a continuous, consistent, disciplined approach to leveraging listening resources and engaging with their communities.

Before leaving this case, it's important to note that many companies experience “politics” over listening, as Meredith did. Social media listening is still new; it requires people to leave their comfort zones and base decisions on unfamiliar methods, data, and findings. My experiences leading listening workshops and strategy sessions at some of the world's best marketing, advertising, and research companies remind me how difficult that is, and how important it is to couple listening with a change management initiative.

Summary

Businesses that successfully rebrand or reposition their company, products, and services do so by listening to the right voices, listening across conversational contexts to understand the range of meanings or preferences people have, reflect a “people's positioning and branding,” and avoid imposing a company-centric branding or positioning onto customers. Because data from social media listening is still new and unfamiliar at most companies, organizations may sense risk and be reluctant to make decisions based on listening findings, especially when they challenge conventional wisdom or past experience. For that reason, listeners need to build trust yet be persuasive.