Brand Repositioning and Types of Brand Repositioning Brand Repositioning is changing the positioning of a brand.

A particular positioning statement may not work with a brand. For instance, Dettol toilet soap was positioned as a beauty soap initially. This was not in line with its core values. Dettol, the parent brand (anti-septic liquid) was known for its ability to heal cuts and gashes. The extension's 'beauty' positioning was not in tune with the parents germ-kill positioning. The soap, therefore, had to be repositioned as a germ-kill soap (bath for grimy occasions'') and it fared extremely well after repositioning. Here, the soap had to be repositioned for image mismatch. There are several other reasons for repositioning. Often falling or stagnant sales is responsible for repositioning exercises. After examining the repositioning of several brands from the Indian market, the following 9 types of repositioning have been identified. These are: 1. Increasing relevance to the consumer

2. Increasing occasions for use

3. Making the brand serious

4. Falling sales

5. Bringing in new customers 6. Making the brand contemporary 7. Differentiate from other brands 8. Changed market conditions.

It is not always that these nine categories are mutually exclusive. Often one reason leads to the other and a brand is repositioned sometimes for a multiplicity of reasons.

Succesfull examples Lipton Yellow Label Tea: Lipton Yellow Label Tea was initially positioned as delicious, sophisticated and premium tea for the global citizen. The advertisements also echoed this theme. For instance, all the props and participants in the advertisements were foreign. It is possible that this approach did not find favour with the customers. The repositioning specifically addressed the Indian consumer through an Indian idiom. Maharaja - the positioning:

Dishwasher in its initial Stages was possibly seen as an exotic product. Thus, Maharaja positioned it as a product aimed at the upper crust. Thus, the positioning statement was your guests get Swiss cheese, Italian Pizza ...... you get stained glassware.'' But Indians are reluctant to use dishwashers because of deeply embedded cultural reasons. Thus, the message had to be changed to appeal to the Indian housewife. Thus the positioning was changed to Bye, Bye Kanta Bai'' indicating that the dishwasher signaled the end of the servant maid's tyranny. The brand, therefore, was repositioned from a sophisticated, aristocratic product to one that is functional and relevant to the Indian housewife. Visa Card - the Positioning: Visa Card had to change its positioning to make itself relevant to customers under changed circumstances. Initially it asked the customer to pay the way the world does'' (1981). This is to give its card an aura of global reach. But as more and more cards were launched on the same theme, to put itself in a different league, it positioned itself as the world's most preferred card'' (1993). To highlight the services it provided, it shifted to the platform of Visa Power (1995). This focus on explaining the range of services available with the card continues till date (Visa Power, go get it).

References : http://www.marketingritson.com/documents/mckinseyonrepositioning.pdf http://www.blackcoffee.com/ http://www.forbes.com

Unsuccessful Examples Oldsmobile GM: In the late 1980s Oldsmobile wanted to revitalize it image to revitalize its brand to a younger aundience GM launched with the tagline Not your fathers Oldsmobile highlighting the cars improved styling and new features> they were unsuccessful at this and thus had to shut down the Oldsmobile division.

Gatorade:

How much choice is too much? The Gatorade Conundrum In Gatorades latest effort to reach narrowly defined audience segments with targeted product offerings, the G Series Fit may have taken it one step too far. G Series Fit joins the original G Series and G Series Pro in the suite of products offered by the sports drinks powerhouse. For those of you who arent familiar with G Series, its essentially Gatorades repositioning initiative that took place in early 2010, expanding its core product line into three parts Prime, Perform, and Recover, intended to be consumed before, during and after activity (see chart below). So whats the difference? Pretty much nothing at all. Especially when you consider that the products popularity is largely due to the fitness image thats associated with it. Marketers realize how important its become in todays society to convey this image of health and fitness consciousness, for both athletes and non-athletes alike. And by creating and promoting an entire product line focused on the serious athletes that make up a just a small percentage of the audience, Gatorade missed an opportunity to reach a broader segment who ultimately possess the larger buying power.

Meeting audience needs is a foundation of effective marketing. And in many cases, the casuallifestyle drinkers that make up the majority of Gatorades customer base dont need three products when one will do. Overwhelmed by too many choices, consumers are just as likely to pass your brand by as they are to read and evaluate every benefit for your various products. This continued product proliferation will inevitably lead consumers to choice paralysis and confusion. he repositioning of the gatorade brand as a lifestyle beverage from a sports drink for high school athletes is a good recent example of brand ...

the Burberry Problem Of course, sometimes it may be extremely difficult for a company to control brand Positioning; the Burberry brand was significantly damaged when football hooligans in the U.K. started to wear Burberry. The Burberry Position as an exclusive and upmarket unisex brand was repositioned as a brand for young and rough males (Chavs). Burberry has since needed to invest significantly in attempting to reposition the brand to its former Position.

Two Ways to Destroy a Valuable Brand. Brandweek, Nov 15, 1999, by Scott Davis After starting to recover from a repositioning debacle of a few years ago, Volvo once again is threatening to destroy its brand's unique and valued "safety" positioning, one no competitor could touch. Meanwhile, United Airlines has officially scrapped its "Rising" campaign after two years of committing the ultimate sin: not following through on a brand promise. Two instructive examples of how to destroy your brand. For years, the Volvo brand stood for "the best balance in safety, durability and intelligent styling in family cars." It owned safety much as Nordstrom owns service, Southwest Airlines owns fun, and FedEx owns guaranteed delivery. A few years ago, Volvo walked away from family safety in order to compete on performance. From owning safety, it went to vying against Lexus, BMW Mercedes and Saab on performance, and finishing last. Not surprisingly, sales plummeted. Two years ago, though, reason was restored, and Volvo implemented a repositioning that combines the two positionings (the ads read: "protect your body, ignite your soul) and sales happily began to come back. But here's the truly amazing part: the brand's new owner, Ford, has decided not just to walk away from the safety positioning but to satirize it.

As part of a campaign that broke in September, Volvo aired a commercial that shows a young man and woman in the front seat imagining a screaming baby in the back seat. The woman turns to the man and states, "Maybe we should start with a dog first," as they race off in their highpowered, stylish Volvo. Clearly this ad was created in an attempt to win over younger customers without a family, in effect mocking its family-safety positioning. I view this as another assault on the brand, one in which long-term success may be traded for potential short-term gains. Look for Volvo sales to start declining again over the next 12 months. Recent interviews with Volvo management revealed that Volvo did not believe that the repositioning would hurt its family-safety positioning and that families with kids would appreciate the humor. I would not bet on it.

Quotes Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. Albert Einstein

If you are not a brand, you are a commodity." Philip Kotler