re-branding

Many organisations try to re-brand their products in an attempt to reach new markets or to steer away from a bad image.
The latest re-branding that has gotten marketing bloggers buzzing is the new look Pepsi. Pepsi has opted for a more simplified logo and minimilistic packaging.

The brand’s blue and red globe trademark will become a series of “smiles,” with the central white band arcing at different angles depending on the product. Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max will use all lower-case fonts for name brands. source.

What initially confused me about this rebranding is the choice to change the logos for each of the products in the product line. Why would such an iconic brand decide to reinvent themselves?

It seems this dramatic move may be a result of the lagging drinks sales in the US and the surging US dollar. Pepsi announced that it will cut 3300 jobs and close six plants to deal with the stress of the economic crisis.

Pepsi's renewed focus on carbonated soft drinks, despite previously trying to move into different markets, is a response to the consistent declines in sales volume in the US.

Only time will tell whether this rebranding will be successful but critics have been quick to judge naming the new look Pepsi as 'a whale with a really bad nosebleed' and 'a bad accident in Illustrator'

what does your brand smell like?

Brand awareness, brand recall and brand recognition...
All examples of what an advertising campaigns hopes to achieve. Most advertising campaigns are not shout outs to consumers saying 'buy my product! buy my product!' they are generally shout outs saying 'remember me! remember me!’ When you go to the supermarket to buy, for example, batteries, you are most likely to buy based on brand and price. Consumers generally have an idea of what brands they would purchase before they buy which means that they associate certain brands with certain products.

A communications company in Japan has launched a new advertising campaign featuring billboards...that smell.
An internet connection allows sounds and images to be displayed on the billboards along with smells that are relevant to the advertisement currently displayed.

Research shows that apart from sounds and images, smells are a great way of increasing brand awareness and recall.

This sort of advertising might work in Japan but it would have to be a pretty subtle, realistic smell to work in many other countries!

The most exciting part of this new type of advertising is the technological advances and innovation which is always fun to hear about. Only time will tell if the smelly signs will stick!