Image Makeover of Brands

Today, while going through the News Section of www.afaqs.com the news which caught my eye was about the identity makeover of Amrutanjan.Though I have read so many articles about brands getting a face-lift or a complete makeover ,as a customer i am compelled to think that  why brands change their identity after such a long period considering the fact that they have such a strong association with customers for more than a decade ??

I completely agree that changing the identity makes a huge difference . In the past few years , we have witnessed the image makeover of many big and known brands .The companies want to keep a pace with the ever-changing market in which the knowledge base of the customer is also evolving with innovations and technology and so are their expectations towards everything they are associated with or want to get associated with.As such today ,whatever you want to convey to the TG and the image you want to build around has to be woven around the essence of technology so as to prove that your brand is not lagging behind in the rat race.

 Further, what comes to my mind is that the brands which are present in the market for quite a long time ,has a user base which comprises of the old lot of users as well as the newly acquired ones. The older ones are quite used to see the look and feel for a long time and perceive the brand in a certain way.It may happen that they may welcome the change and may not feel happy to see the modern look. Some major names which have undergone a makeover are:

Hindustan Lever Ltd. (Now Unilever)

Dabur

Bajaj Auto

Videocon

Airtel

Star TV

ZEE TV and many more.

Changing the identity may make people think that there is a possible change in the ownership or the values associated with the brand.So the brands with a strong emotional attachment may get a jolt as the customers have a sense of attachment to certain features and characteristics of the brand. Over a period of time , some brands become a part and parcel of your life and people starts associating those with their daily habits. And so the brand becomes an indispensable part of the personality of the customer .

So ,in my opinion , the makeover should follow the route of evolution not revolution.

Chandana Mungre Kashid

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Testimonial Advertising

We all must have seen ,heard or read statements in ads like 'Maine XYZ product use kiya aur ab meri skin nikhar gayi hai' or the same blah blah with some different words. These 'testimonials' from the consumers or an influential person amongst the target group or a celebrity are said to do wonders not only to your sales target but also the way people perceive your offerings and your brand.

As a matter of fact , I handle a client who firmly believes in exploiting Testimonial Advertising to the fullest and so leaves no chance to highlight them in most of the communication collaterals. It actually sounds quite boring to incorporate so many testimonials every now and then and it actually has compelled me to think that is testimonial advertising always effective??

If you try to put yourself into the consumer's shoes, you always want a proof which is convincing enough to make you believe that all the claims in the company's communication is true .Its true that people actually look forward to others who have already tried and tested the product, but today's intelligent and well informed consumer is aware of all the ways advertisers are using celebrities and public figures in endorsing their products . How interviews and statements are cooked up.They know that many a times the claims are nothing but a marketing ploy to get you to buy the product .It has become a common practice to woo consumers by misleading lines and so many a times its an 'automatic turn off' for the customer. So instead of blindly going ahead with the trial of the product , he actually does some research on his own (thanks to Google) and only when they are pretty convinced and comfortable with the product they are enticed to try it.

Also, many a times the potential customers start creating an image about the brand/company on the basis of the consumer base associated with the company. The existing customer base as such becomes the face of the product/ company. For example while promoting a healthcare provider all testimonials come from customers who fall in the middle class or SEC B or say SEC C , many potential customers may turn away perceiving it as a mediocre name to be associated with .

So the testimonials have to be used very carefully and judiciously so that they can actually help you in attracting new clients and build a trust around the brand name.