Brand Repositioning
Brand repositioning is the strategic change of location in the market. Remember, the market is actually in the mind and so is your brand. Changing your brands position in the market/mind requires all of the other elements in your BrandPlan to support your new position.
When is it time to reposition?
It’s time to reposition if you have started building a brand without a plan and find your place in the market to be crowded and competitive. Over 90% of businesses have no strategic position in the marketplace. It’s more like they aren’t even in the market and are all in a giant crowd outside the market competing on price with each other. The top 1% of businesses have a strategic position in the market and own place in the market/mind where they can easily be seen, standout, and have separated themselves from the competitive crowd.
Strategically positioning your brand in the market is essential when entering the market. This is why branding starts with strategy not design. Businesses that enter the market and position themselves strategically should not need to reposition if the other brand elements support their position. We see brands that have been around for many years that lack the fundamental brand elements get pushed around the marketplace because they did not form a solid foundation to begin with and got lazy. If this is the case, the brand name is kept and everything else such as design, target audience, positioning, message, personality, role, essence etc is required to change how the brand is perceived in the mind. (For example – Old Spice)
Old Spice
Old Spice was becoming very old in the mens deodorant market. 70 years old to be precise. The new young brand “Axe” had disrupted the men’s body wash market with sleek styling, energetic advertising and a fresh smell that appealed to young men. Meanwhile, the perception of Old Spice was just old.
Young male consumers barely noticed Old Spice before NFL player Isaiah Mustafa, the “Old Spice Guy” appeared in commercials when the brand repositioned itself in the consumers mind.
Old Spice changed its brand positioning.
As mentioned before your brands position must be held in place by all of your other brand elements for it to be successful.
Let’s look at how Old Spice’s Brand Repositioning created at what most people call a Rebrand.
Refreshing Old Spice Brand Visuals
From grandpas aftershave to the body wash and deodorant for millennial males.
Tone of Voice: Masculine & Humorous
Look at your brand, now look at me.
Old To Youthful Packaging
Brand Personality: Entertainer
The brand makes fun of manliness stereotypes expressing it’s playfulness, brave sense of humorous and wittiness.
Bold Results
Thanks to a repositioning Old Spice quickly solidified its position as category leader.
Old Spice’s business has grown by double digits every year since repositioning.
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