How to Cope With Aging Brands

There are brands (or even entire categories of brands) that were once important for certain consumer segments, but over time became irrelevant and began a steep decline in value.

In the past, it’s been common for a brand that “ages badly” to be associated with certain factors that are related to its origin. Many brands, such as American car manufacturers like Ford and General Motors, were leaders in their industries because they sold consumers on “buying American”; however, with the passing of time, their “patriotic” attributes lost their relevance. 

Brands are now finding a need to evolve in order to ensure that the attributes that differentiate them from their competitors are relevant to consumers and how they make decisions. They need to modernize the different touchpoints they have with their consumers, create new commercial brands while eliminating others, and launch new product lines.

When telecommunication companies jumped from the public sector to becoming multi-service providers, they first expanded to mobile phone services, and then created new brands. These brands were not completely independent from original landline operators, but incorporated different attributes that were relevant to this new line of business. In this context, the beneficial aspects of the brand’s original identity, which communicated balance, trust, and tranquility, were complemented by the personality of the new mobile phone brands. This means that traditional phone brands could compete with the new, young, and aggressive brands.

But the problems that aging brands face are not limited to the fact that geographical boundaries are losing relevance. It took Burger King a long time and a lot of effort to understand that their brand was becoming irrelevant to men between 18 and 35 years of age. The brand had to evolve from a “better quality burger” to a rebellious and politically incorrect positioning that practically told consumers: “Yes, we know it’s fast food, we know it’s red meat, but this is what you like. You like our burgers big and greasy, and no one needs to tell you what’s good and what’s bad for you.” By complementing this idea with shameless publicity and innovative promotional campaigns, Burger King repositioned itself and saw thirteen consecutive quarters of continued sales growth.

But not all cases are as dramatic. Sometimes brands only need an innovative tactical solution directed towards rejuvenating and becoming relevant again. For example, the alcohol industry realized that consumers loved drinking out of Martini glasses, so they launched the New York Cosmopolitan, bringing Vodka and Triple Sec back to the nightlife scene. And what if you add a bit of Baileys to your coffee? Well now we have a whole new form of consumption for this liquor that fills the brand with energy.

To make these decisions, all these businesses had to understand what made consumers buy their brands, what parts of their aging brands were still relevant (if any), and how they were different from their competitors.

Brands that “age badly” are a reality in many industries. Once a business understands the need for change (which can be difficult due to the strong connection to a brand’s legacy), the most important decision that needs to be made is deciding whether part of the “traditional” perception of the brand can evolve or if it will be necessary to launch a completely new brand. By making the correct decisions regarding these points, the majority of brands can live a long and healthy life.