Brewer NAB Revives Brand Trio With Digital, Outdoor, In-Store Push

AdAge, October 12, 2009, By Rupal Parekh and Jeremy Mullman

Three takeaways on revivals

Marketers thinking about staging a brand comeback might want check their history books before choosing a strategy. Here, Scott Davis, senior partner at brand consultancy Prophet, shares three leading ways brands have reinvented themselves over the years.

Strike a balance between nostalgia and relevance. Tap into the equity and heritage that defined the brand in the past, but show that you recognize current needs, too. That way you can seize an opportunity to re-engage customers of old while capturing new ones. The relaunch of the Ford Mustang a few years ago was a great example of this. The brand never went away but had lost relevancy, so the redesigned 2005 model echoed back to the muscle cars of the late 1960s. They also gave a nod toward the current generation's caring about the environment by using organic materials to make their car seats.

Find a new target. Reinvent products and find new targets whose needs aren't being met. You have the advantage of not starting from scratch from an equity perspective but also the opportunity to build a new brand that still has a hint of awareness. Herbal Essences shampoo, for example, not long ago went from being a brand for every woman to Gen Y-oriented through new packaging and language.

Reinvent through a new benefit or innovation. Maidenform a few years ago reinvented itself by focusing on comfortable fit. On the heels of bankruptcy, it launched a line of newly designed bras dubbed One Fabulous Fit that quickly assumed the No. 1 position in the category. AT&T's use of Apple's iPhone to reconnect with customers is another good example.

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