Brand Rejuvenation Strategies Issues

Issues in Br and Rej uvenat ion St r at egi es
Issues in Brand Rej uvenation Strategies
Venkt esh Babu
Summary
This st udy looks at t he concept of Brand Rej uvenat ion, which is gaining moment um wit h t he
increase in t he number of brands f ailing quickl y af t er launch. The st udy det ails out t he various
aspect s of Brand Rej uvenat ion involved in t he FMCG sect ors.
The st udy gives a brief gist of t he various causes f or brand rej uvenat ion, t he met hods of
rej uvenat ion and also t he issues in brand rej uvenat ion. The st udy includes insight s f rom t he
people involved in branding f or various companies and many case st udies of brands t hat have
been revit alized, as well as t he process of rej uvenat ion f rom t he perspect ive of t he
manuf act urer.
Venkt esh Babu. M Page 1

Table of contents
Execut ive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Acknowledgement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Error! Bookmark not defined.
Table of cont ent s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Int roduct ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Obj ect ive of t he st udy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Signif icance of st udy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Scope of t he st udy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Research Met hodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Lit erat ure Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Branding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Transf ormat ion of Commodit y t o Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Brand Lif e Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Brand Revit alizat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Correlat ion bet ween Reposit ioning and Rej uvenat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Need f or Brand Rej uvenat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Met hods of Brand Rej uvenat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The Process of Rej uvenat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Issues in Brand Rej uvenat ion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Appendix 1 - Mapping a Brand’ s Lif e: The Power Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Appendix 2 - A Brand Rej uvenat ion Scorecard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Appendix 3 - Quest ionnaire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Art icles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
URLs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Error! Bookmark not defined.
Text Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Introduction
Brand represent s t he int ellect ual and emot ional associat ions t hat people make wit h a
company, product or person. While t he word brand is of t en used more generally and in a
qualit at ive way, t he essence of t he brand lies in each of our unique, subj ect ive int erpret at ions,
in our underst anding of t he brand—which is guided by cult ural cont ext , int eract ions we have
had wit h and about what we are evaluat ing, and our own personal concept ion of t he world.
The science of branding is about designing f or and inf luencing t he minds of people—in ot her
words, building t he brand.
Brands do have lif e cycle which may consist of a number of phases f rom incept ion t o launch,
growt h, mat uring, decline, revit alizat ion, and ret irement . Brand Rej uvenat ion is a process
wherein a brand which is on t he verge of ret irement , is brought back t o lif e t o regain market s.
Revit alizing a once-popular dormant brand can be a highly prof it able st rat egy under t he right
circumst ances.
The market place is f illed wit h anecdot al success st ories of how brands have been “ brought
back f rom deat h’ s doorst ep. ” Some of t he cases have been adopt ed in t he t hesis in order t o
underst and t he various needs f or, met hods of and issues involved in brand rej uvenat ion. The
online survey has helped considering t he imminent underst anding of t he people involved in
branding of product s and services in various sect ors.
The st udy t ries t o look in t o t he various dif f icult ies in brand rej uvenat ion and t ries t o bring out
a model f or brand rej uvenat ion t hat cat ers t o t he needs of brand managers at various
organizat ions.

Obj ective of the study
This st udy aims t o address t he issues involved in Brand Rej uvenat ion St rat egies.
Significance of study
Tired brands can somet imes f ade wit h sales and f ashions or simply when t hey haven’ t been
designed f or t he correct t arget audience in t he f irst place. The rej uvenat ion of brands can
of t en result in success f or a product , which has ent ered t he lat er st ages of it s lif e cycle. Brand
Rej uvenat ion has a more holist ic perspect ive t han reposit ioning. It creat es wider space in
t erms of market communicat ion t hat includes escalat ed advert ising and / or reposit ioning.
Scope of the study
The st udy will involve underst anding of :
1. Causes f or brand rej uvenat ion.

2. St udy of cases involving brand rej uvenat ion.
3. Issues in Brand Rej uvenat ions st rat egies.
4. Nat ional and int ernat ional perspect ive would be considered.
Research Methodology
The st udy would require a combinat ion of primary and secondary research.
Primary dat a would be collect ed via mail surveys f rom execut ives of companies t hat have t aken
up brand rej uvenat ion previously. The st udy will also involve int eract ions wit h brand managers
of various companies in Bangalore and Mysore.
Secondary dat a would be t aken t o underst and t he branding indust ry; t he t rends and issues in
brand rej uvenat ion. The inf ormat ion will be obt ained f rom j ournals, newspapers and websit es.

Literature Review
Branding
One of t he most import ant yet least underst ood asset s of a company is it s brand. In a world
besieged wit h compet it ion and rising consumer expect at ions, a good product or service has
become t he cost of ent ry. Great companies t ranscend t angible and f unct ional benef it s by
creat ing posit ive emot ional t ies t hat can easily out last any individual product or service. A
st rong brand builds relat ionships wit h cust omers, which guarant ees business f or t he f ut ure. The
most valuable propert y a company acquires over t ime is it s reput at ion, it s goodwill, and it s
brand name.
The word brand is derived f rom Old English According t o t he American Market ing
meaning, “ burning st ick” . The ancient Egypt ians Associat ion (AMA), a brand is a "name,
used livest ock branding as early as 2700 BC as a t erm, sign, symbol, or design, or a
t hef t det errent , as st olen animals could t hen be combinat ion of t hem, int ended t o
readily ident if iable. Around t he 10t h cent ury ident if y t he goods and services of one
merchant s marked simple linear designs t o prove seller or group of sellers and t o
ownership of goods t hat were missing due t o dif f erent iat e t hem f rom t hose of
shipwrecks, pirat es, or ot her mishaps. They were compet it ion. ” Thus, whenever a
also usef ul f or t he t racking of goods by people who market er creat es a new name, logo,
were illit erat e. or symbol f or a new product , he or
she has creat ed a brand.
The concept of branding in t he 21st cent ury grew out of t he packaged goods indust ry, and t he
branding philosophy has come t o include much more t han j ust creat ing a way t o recognize a
product or an organizat ion. Branding in t he new millennium is used t o creat e an emot ional
at t achment t o product s and organizat ions. As a result t he st akes involved in launching,
maint aining, and evolving a brand are much higher t oday in t he global economy, t han t hey
were in t he past .

A brand is a powerf ul st rat egic weapon. It dist inguishes a company f rom it s compet it ors. It
def ines t o t he st akeholders, which is t he company, what t he company believes in and what
t hey may expect f rom t he company. A great brand is a st ory t hat is never complet ely t old –
each new product , promot ion or advert isement is j ust anot her passage, one more chapt er, and
one more revealing insight int o a complex yet f amiliar plot .
Transformation of Commodity to Brand
Brand is a cont inuum t hat st art s wit h t he most generic f orm (t he commodit y) and ends wit h
t hat most unique and specif ic of t hings: a brand.
Brand management underlines t he f act t hat brands are not born as brands, but t hey are born as
commodit ies. For example, more t han a cent ury ago, John Pembert on set out t o creat e a
t onic, not a global brand named Coca-Cola. And in 1962, when Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight
each chipped in dollars 550 t o set up Nike, t heir goal was t o make running shoes f or at hlet es,
not creat e a global leisure brand empire.
The concept of branding has always been prominent in market ing circles. Recent ly, it has
at t ract ed much broader management at t ent ion f or a number of good reasons. For many
indust ries, branding of f ers t he best opport unit y f or creat ing growt h. Branding is applicable t o
all cat egories and indust ries and even applies t o commodit ies. That 's because any product or
service can be dif f erent iat ed. And since any di f f erent iat ed product or service can be given a
proper name t o signal it s part icular qualit ies, branding is possible in every case imaginable
The branding of product s in what was t hought t o be commodit y cat egories is so common t hat
we no longer even not ice it . Bananas, oranges, f l our, aspirin, int egrat ed circuit s, paper, carpet

f ibers, wat er, and salt are all "commodit y" cat egories possessing exceedingly prof it able brand
names.
Brand Life Cycle
There is a debat e in branding circles as t o whet her or not a brand can have a "lif e cycle" of it s
own, or whet her it s peaks and t roughs and j ust a sympt om of managing t he brand element s
which are, it s logo, personalit y, posit ioning et c.
In a product ’ s lif ecycle, t he peaks and t roughs can come in a quicker t imef rame, making t he
cycle more obvious. A brand can have a rise, and t hen f all out of f avor, t o be superceded by a
new and improved brand. The f act t hat branding process t akes many years af f ect s t he universal
accept ance of t he exist ence of a brand lif ecycle. Wit hout caref ul management , brands can
f ollow t he general pat t ern of a product lif ecycle: moving t hrough int roduct ion, growt h,
mat urit y, and decline st ages in a relat ively rapid f ashion.
Well-managed brands, however, can prosper almost indef init ely. Numerous st udies have shown
t hat many brands t hat were leading t he market years ago are st ill in t hat posit ion. To a large
ext ent it has been proved dif f icult f or a challenging brand t o overt ake t hem. This means t hat
t hey have t he abilit y t o ext end t he lif e cycle or, possibly, t he ef f ect ive market ing of t hese
brands has meant t hat t he lif e cycle, in it s purest f orm, does not exist . The brand must remain
relevant in an ever-changing market ing environment . It must cont inue t o provide consumer
value.
Opt imizing opport unit y f or t he brand is somet hing t hat should never go out of f ocus t hroughout
t he lif ecycle of t he brand. Even as considerable t ime and invest ment are made in creat ing and

developing a brand in t he lead up t o launch, import ant considerat ion needs t o be given t o
maint aining and managing t he opport unit y f or t hat brand f ollowing t he launch.
One of t he issues f acing brands t oday and in t he f ut ure is t he apparent short ening of t he
“ product lif e cycle. ” While many brands cont inue t o lead t heir market s af t er many years,
ot hers have short lif e cycles and are f requent ly designed wit h t his in mind. Brands eit her live
or die. Cert ain branded product s may "die" f rom obsolescence or changing consumer t ast es, but
brands can be rej uvenat ed wit h new product s and services. Wit h well-conceived st rat egies, a
brand can be kept relevant t o consumers and last almost indef init ely. St ories of Barbie, Colgat e
and Kodak j ust if y t he possibilit y.
According t o a model (Appendix 1) used by a consult ant company Landor, a brand’ s posit ion in
t he lif e cycle can be known by plot t ing t he brand’ s st rengt h, which is measured wit h
paramet ers of d if f er ent iat ion and r el evance and st at ure, is measured wit h paramet ers of
est eem and knowl edge. These f our paramet ers are consist ent ly linked wit h a brand's abilit y t o
deliver revenue and prof it f or it s owner — no mat t er t he cat egory, no mat t er t he count ry, no
mat t er t he age of t he brand.
Underst anding t he posit ion of a brand in it s lif e cycle plays a crit ical role in t he brand
manager’ s decisions. A brand can undergo rej uvenat ion only if it has t he pot ent ial t o come
back st rongly int o t he market . It should have a high st rengt h, meaning t hat t he awareness and
t he knowledge about t he brand should be high even t he brand may not have a high score in
st rengt h.

Brand Revitalization
While product s of t en have a lif ecycle, we have seen t hat brands can be et ernal. When brands
get sick, t hey can be revit alized. Brands can maint ain dif f erent iat ion, est eem and awareness
and t hus be able t o sust ain f or a long t ime. Brand managers may breat he new lif e int o t he
brand when it seems t o be losing it s ident it y. This can be achieved by f ocusing on renovat ing
of f erings.
Ghost Brands are brands t hat are shadows of t heir f ormer “ If you f eel t hat your
selves. They walk t he f ine line bet ween lif e and deat h, cur r ent ident it y is a mil l st one
and are of t en demot ed t o t he bot t om shelf , which is t he ar ound your neck, why not
simpl y wipe t he sl at e cl ean
deat h row in many st ores. The companies, which own
t hese brands, have f our opt ions: and cr eat e a new one? ”
1) Revit alize t hem, 2) Milk t hem, 3) Sell t hem, or 4) Kill
t hem.
Brand Rej uvenation or Revitalization is a maj or overhaul of a brand, st art ing wit h it s
posit ioning and proceeding t hrough creat ive regenerat ion of t he brand ident it y.
Brands like McDonald's pursue an ideal whereby t hey simply peel of f t heir old skin and relaunch
t hemselves as a new brand. McDonald's new look and new menu of f ering are met hods of
rej uvenat ing t he brand. Brands like Adidas, Bank of Baroda, Top Ramen, Kellogg’ s, Dainik
Jagaran, Lif ebouy, Liril, Tat a Salt , Thumbs Up, Yamaha and TV Today have all worked hard at
t rying t o rej uvenat e t heir image in t he consumers’ minds.
Considering t he f act t hat product lif e cycle and brand lif e cycle are relat ed, we can underst and
t he requirement of brand rej uvenat ion by t he f ollowing f igure. Here we see t hat t he

rej uvenat ion st rat egies are named as inj ect ions of new lif e. These help t he company increase
t he sales and t hus improve t he brand image of t he product .
To prolong t he lif e cycle of a brand or product an organizat ion needs t o use skillf ul market ing
t echniques t o inj ect new lif e int o t he product .
Product s wit h f ewer sales and which are on t he brink of exit wit h damaged brand equit y can be
t ermed as t he “ Ugly Ducklings” . These include old brands supposedly on t heir last legs; brands
wit h a loyal but shrinking consumer f ollowing; unglamorous cash cows; brands t hat have built
t he company; modest volume brands which have had t he prof it ; beast s t hat never quit e broke
out of t he pack; brands t hat are put at t he lower bot t om of t he report s.
Rej uvenat ion would be undert aken if t he cust omer t arget is dif f erent and t he posit ioning
remain t he same as bef ore. This can be underst ood by t he f ollowing f igure.

Same Target Customers Different
Market
Same
Sustaining Penetration
positioning directed
positioning
Positioning
Rejuvenation
Platform
Market
development Radical
Different directed positioning
positioning
The Rej uvenat ion program begins wit h t he creat ion of a Brand Re-Development Team, j ust as a
new product s t eam, drawing on t alent s f rom many organizat ional areas consist ing of energet ic
loose-cannon manager f rom creat ive or market ing services. Compet it or analysis is done and
f inally t he t eam is successf ul in bringing out a revit alized brand.
Reinvent ion of t he company is t he real benef it of t he Brand Re-Development process. Ent ire
market ing depart ment s, ent ire corporat e st ruct ures reinvent t hemselves t hrough t he Brand
Rej uvenat ion approach. The market ing plan has been abandoned in f avor of Brand Equit y
Planning. Monolit hic corporat e st ruct ures can be broken down int o smaller ent repreneurial
unit s, and one import ant by-product is t he discovery t hat Ugly Duckling brands can be
reenergized int o prof it able, even excit ing, Swans.
The basic principle of Brand Rej uvenat ion can be derived f rom t he st at ement : "Buildings age
and become dilapidat ed. Machines wear out . People die. But what live on are t he brands. " Sir
Hect or Laing, Chief Execut ive Of f icer, Unit ed Biscuit s plc.

Revit alizing a once-popular dormant brand can be a highly prof it able st rat egy under t he right
circumst ances. Over t ime, brands build up awareness and name recognit ion among consumers.
People connect emot ionally wit h a brand t hat reminds t hem of a specif ic t ime, place or
experience, and old brands of t en have a reput at ion of reliabilit y t hat new brands cannot
mat ch. Bringing back a dormant brand t hat consumers already recognize and are loyal t o can
save a lot of money. These savings are in t he development , market ing and advert ising
expendit ures t hat are required t o launch a new brand. Making use of pre-exist ing awareness
can also increase a product ’ s success rat e by helping t o cut t hrough t he clut t er of product s in
t he media.

Correlation between Repositioning and Rej uvenation
A company must posit ion it s brand in t he minds of consumers. A brand manager must f ind
somet hing new and dif f erent about t hat brand, get int o t he minds of consumers, and st ake out
a bit of t errit ory. A company would like t o gain a t iny amount of brain space so t hat he t hinks
of t he brand while consuming a product in t hat cat egory.
Over t ime, brand managers will have t o reposi t ion a brand. Reposit ioning a brand requires
changing eit her t he t arget market or t he value proposit ion of t he brand. To change t he value,
we can t ry t o change t he core of f ering it self —t hat is, t he product s or t he t echnology t hat
underlines t hem, or t he brand’ s reput at ion f or qualit y. Or t ry changing t he experience around
t he brand.
Somet imes, people use t he t erms brand reposit ioning and rej uvenat ion synonymously, but
t here is a dif f erence bet ween t he t wo t erms.
Brand rej uvenat ion is when t he brand at t ribut es and overall st rat egy is st ill sound, i. e. , given
t he compet it ive set , cust omers, indust ry dynamics t hat t he brand values st ill are valid,
market able and meaningf ul (ROI)—but t here is a need t o re-launch t he brand messaging
st rat egy.
If only some excit ement and reminders about t he presence of t he brand is required, while t he
basic posit ioning is st ill relevant and sound, t hen "rej uvenat ion" is t he right word. Updat ing t he
packaging, perhaps a change in t he logo, advert ising, et c. could be t he solut ions.
On t he ot her hand, if we have a new and dif f erent t arget audience, or benef it s t hat were never
part of t he original package, t hen t he brand has t o be re-posit ioned. The brand image has t o be

changed. Brand reposit ioning is when we need t o reset t he brand in t erms of values and
at t ribut es—and t hen launch a brand messaging st rat egy.
Brand Rej uvenat ion has a more holist ic perspect ive t han reposit ioning. It creat es wider space
in t erms of market communicat ion t hat includes escalat ed advert ising and/ or reposit ioning.
The relat ion bet ween rej uvenat ion and reposit ioning can be underst ood wit h t he example of
Unit ed Airlines. Their brand posit ioning once way "solid, indust ry leader, serious, you pay more
but you receive higher qualit y, t arget ed at prof essional t ravelers".
If Unit ed want ed t o revit alize t hat brand st rat egy, t hey would likely launch communicat ions
such as int erviews, PR, advert ising, promot ions t hat would emphasize t hat brand.
On t he ot her hand, if Unit ed f elt t hat t he next high growt h cust omer demographic is vacat ion
t ravel and t hey want t o serve t hat demographic wit h appropriat e brand value, t hen t hey would
need t o "shif t " t heir brand ident it y t hough not t oo drast ic so as t o isolat e t he old cust omers and
conf use new t arget s, but t o t he ext ent t hat t hey t ake some of t he current valid brand at t ribut es
and charact erist ics and augment t hem wit h "f lexible, key part nerships" or what ever t o
reposit ion it wit h values t hat are appropriat e f or t he new t arget market .

Need for Brand Rej uvenation
Brands can be underst ood in f our basic st ages, wit hout using t he lif e cycle pat t ern. Brands t hat
have made money, brands t hat are making money, brands t hat will make money and brands
t hat will be making money. Brand Rej uvenat ion can be a f ormula applicable t o brands t hat are
in t he f irst t wo st ages. They need t o be brought t o level t hree or f our. In simple t erms, Brand
Rej uvenat ion is t he ef f ort t o bring a brand which could not make money int o t he money making
bracket , wit h a new posit ioning or communicat ion st rat egy.
As Ogilvy & Mat her's Normart Berry once remarked:
The brands most likely t o respond t o revit alizat ion ef f ort s are t hose t hat have clear and
relevant values t hat have been lef t dormant f or a long t ime, have not been well expressed in
t he market ing and communicat ions recent ly, have been violat ed by product problems, cost
reduct ions, and so on. If it is f ound t hat t he brand really does not have any st rong values,
chances are t hat t he product or business st rengt h in t he past was a f unct ion simply of
perf ormance and spending charact erist ics and t hat , in f act , according t o our: def init ion, it
never really became a t r ue br and. Bringing t hese brands back t o lif e is more like st art ing f rom
scrat ch. It really isn't revit alizat ion.
At t he level at which t he buck st ops and budget s are decided rej uvenat ion plays a crit ical role
f or a brand t o come back t o lif e. Some companies believe reput at ion mat t ers more t han
anyt hing else and t his is t rue as t he st akeholders of t he company already have an impression of
t he company. Every day, t hese impressions dict at e how people behave t owards t he company.
The quest ion is how much of at t ent ion needs t o be given t o t his. This det ermines whet her a
company chooses t o act ively manage t hese percept ions or leave t hem t o chance. The sum of
most of t hese impressions can be called your as a brand. It t ells t he world what it can expect
f rom t he company.

Brand Rej uvenation may be required due to the following reasons
A new compet it or may have t aken over t he cat egory and t he company is st ruggling t o
generat e revenues f rom t he current product . A new variant has t o be launched in order t o
regain market share.
The whole product or service cat egory may be declining, and a brand could be one of
many brands t hat could use rej uvenat ion. It makes sense t o build t he brand while ot hers are
lying low because t his is t he t ime when t he ambience is clut t er f ree and your message get s
across t o t he prospect much more clearly
Rej uvenat ion may be needed in order t o communicat e cat egory leadership, as well as
develop an energized new visual ident it y syst em and unif y t he brand's expressions across all
audiences.
Rej uvenat ion may j ust be a need increase market share as t he brand image may be
becoming less relevant t o people. Cust omer mindshare def init ely t ranslat es int o market share.
It may be t ime t o re-posit ion t he product or rej uvenat ion may be a spike in promot ion act ivit y.
The brand develops a st rong associat ion wit h t he of f ering and t he brand associat ion
net work get s st rengt hened wit h more nodes.
Perhaps, t he brand has lost it s unique point of dif f erent iat ion and t hus looking t o
revit alize t he product or brand wit h a new image.
The t arget market f or t he brand has aged, and t he brand hasn’ t managed t o renew it s
posit ioning in t he minds of t he next generat ion of consumers as was t he case wit h.
Brand may no longer meet t he consumers’ needs or desires, where in t he consumer has
shif t ed t o a dif f erent plat f orm. Consumers’ needs have shif t ed f rom price t o value.
The lack of cust omer underst anding of t he product , t he lack of cust omer engagement
and t he lack of cust omer experience, which would require developing a concept t hat would
achieve high impact and recognit ion.

Rej uvenat ion may be t o modernize t he brand ident it y and making it more accessible.
Lacklust er market success prompt s t he need t o revit alize t he posit ioning or package design.
Exist ing package design may not have communicat ed a sense of nat ural well being
which may have prompt ed t he company t o complet ely revamp t he package design syst em,
including t he brand logo.
Apart f rom t he above reasons, neglect ing t he brand because of overconf idence t hat t he
brand is est ablished and can sust ain on it s own, poor consumer relat ionship management and
lack of appropriat e response t o increase in compet it ion levels can bring in imperat ive f or Brand
Rej uvenat ion.

Methods of Brand Rej uvenation
While going f or a reposit ioning, it is import ant t o accurat ely and complet ely charact erize t he
breadt h and dept h of brand awareness; t he st rengt h, f avorabilit y, and uniqueness of brand
associat ion and brand responses held in consumer memory; and t he nat ure of consumer-brand
relat ionships. The brand equit y in t he minds of t he cust omer has t o be analyzed. Else a special
brand audit may be necessary. Of part icular import ance is t he ext ent t o which key brand
associat ions are st ill adequat ely f unct ioning as point s of dif f erence or point s of parit y t o
properly posit ion t he brand.
Decisions must t hen be made as t o whet her t o ret ain t he same posit ioning or t o creat e a new
one and, if so, which posit ioning t o adopt . The posit ioning considerat ions can provide usef ul
insight s as t o t he desirabilit y and deliverabilit y of dif f erent possible posit ions based on
company, consumer, and compet it ive considerat ions. Somet imes t he posit ioning is st ill
appropriat e, but t he market ing program is t he source of t he problem because it is f ailing t o
deliver on it . In t hese inst ances, "back t o basi cs" st rat egy may make sense. In ot her cases,
however, t he old posit ioning is j ust no longer viable and a "reinvent ion" st rat egy is necessary.
Revit alizat ion st rat egies obviously involve a cont inuum, wit h pure "back t o basics" at one end
and pure "reinvent ion" at t he ot her end. Many revit alizat ions combine element s of bot h
st rat egies.
Wit h an underst anding of t he current and desired brand knowledge st ruct ures in hand, t he
cust omer-based brand equit y f ramework again provides guidance as t o how . j t o best ref resh
old sources of brand equit y or creat e new sources of brand equit y t o , y achieve t he int ended
posit ioning. According t o t he model, t wo such approaches are possible

1. Expand t he dept h or breadt h of brand awareness, or bot h, by improving consumer recall and
recognit ion of t he brand during purchase or consumpt ion set t ing
2. Improve t he st rengt h, f avorabilit y, and uniqueness of brand associat ions making up t he
brand image. This approach may involve programs direct ed at exist ing or new brand
associat ions.
By enhancing brand salience and brand meaning in t hese ways, more f avorable responses and
great er brand resonance can result . St rat egically, lost sources of brand equit y can be
ref urbished and new sources of brand equit y can be est ablished in t he same t hree main ways
t hat sources of brand equit y are creat ed t o st art wit h: by changing brand element s, changing
t he support ing market ing program, or leveraging new secondary associat ions. The remainder of
t his sect ion considers several alt ernat ive st rat egies f or af f ect ing t he awareness and image of an
exist ing brand t o ref resh old sources or creat e new sources of brand equit y.
Making Old Brands New Many once-st rong brands wit her away int o obscurit y because t heir
brand managers lose sight of t he cust omer, and choose t o at t ack t he compet it ion inst ead.
Brand managers need t o f ocus on t he t hree ways cust omers int eract wit h a brand. Specif ically,
managers need t o underst and how cust omers perceive, choose, and use t he brand. This is
because, when most people buy product s, t hey buy 1 or 2 at a t ime. They anchor on a low
number (like 1 or 2), t hen buy more if t he product 's on sale. When promot ions suggest high
numbers people shif t t heir ref erence point t o t he higher number, and buy more.
Prof it pressures on mat ure brands lead some companies t o f ocus on t he compet it ion at t he
expense of t he cust omer. In t he f ace of t hese pressures, companies can eit her f ight t he
compet it ion or shore up t he loyalt y of exist ing cust omers. Increasing cust omer loyalt y has bot h
short and long t erm benef it s, but companies must underst and t he int eract ion point s bet ween
cust omer and brand, which t alks about how cust omers perceive a brand.
In mat ure brands t his point is very essent ial. The product might have f allen out of f avor, or t he
household might already have t he product in invent ory and it must be used up bef ore it will be

bought again. In t hese cases choice can inf luence percept ions and t hen usage or usage can
inf luence percept ions and t hen choice.
In 2002 Lif ebuoy was relaunched, marking a new t urning point in it s hist ory. The new mix
included a new f ormulat ion and a reposit ioning of t he brand t o make it more relevant t o bot h
new and exist ing consumers.
Managing How Existing Users Perceive A Brand
Ref resh Favorable Percept ions: t his is t he backbone of t he nost algia campaigns t hat have
resurrect ed Onida and Hero Honda CD100. By calling up past memories and posit ive
percept ions of a product , t he consumer will be more open t o any new messages t he market er
is sending. Mirc Elect ronics Lt d, decided t o re-launch it s well-known “ Onida Devil” campaign
t o help t he brand regain it s lost charm. For long, t he “ Onida Devil” has been t he f ace of
Onida, along wit h t he cat ch line Neighbor s Envy Owner s Pr ide.
Associat e t he Brand wit h Relevant Goals: over t ime, consumer want s and needs change.
Somet imes an old mat ure brand must reposit ion it self as a viable t ool t o achieve t hese new
goals. Tat a Salt conduct ed st udies t hat showed most people t radit ionally f ocus on det ailing
t he f unct ional propert ies of various brands, and t hen redesigned t heir ad campaign t o f ocus
on t he broader and more f undament al emot ional aspect s associat ed wit h t he salt t echnology.
Tat a Salt has brought about a dist inct ive rat ional dif f erent iat ion, salt ier salt , which reit erat es
t he brand’ s commit ment t o millions of Indians. Kellogg’ s is now sold as a convenience f ood
rat her t han "f amily breakf ast " specialt y, due t o changing eat ing habit s.

Associat e t he Brand wit h New Usage: By expanding t he perceived usage sit uat ions f or a
mat ure product , product sales can rise, or at least be prot ect ed. Cint hol sales increased when
it was market ed as t oilet soap wit h deodorizer f or t he body. This reposit ioning was vit al f or
Cint hol since t he compet it ion was increasing and t he market share was shrinking every year
Expanding Brand Awareness
Wit h a f ading brand, of t en it is not t he dept h of brand awareness t hat is a problem- consumers
can st ill recognize or recall t he brand under cert ain circumst ances. Rat her, t he br eadt h of
brand awareness is t he st umbling block-consumers only t end t o t hink of t he brand in very
narrow ways. Theref ore, one powerf ul means of building brand equit y is t o increase t he
breadt h of brand awareness, making sure t hat consumers do not overlook t he brand and t hat
t hey will t hink of purchasing or consuming it in t hose sit uat ions in which t he brand can sat isf y
consumers' needs and want s
New Uses that Revitalize Old Brands: Mat ure brand manuf act urers are increasingly
researching and developing ways t o market new uses f or t heir product s. In order t o increase
t he f requency of usage, addit ional applicat ions of t he product , eit her wit hin t he sit uat ional
cat egory or across cat egory, provides an ample opport unit y f or increased sales.

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda is a perhaps t he most recognized example of t he diversif ied
innovat ive applicat ions of t he product . Baking soda, primarily used f or cooking uses, is
now f ound in many household ref rigerat ors as a deodorizer or in bat hrooms f or dent al
hygiene.
Merrill Lynch, which t oday is one of t he world’ s leading f inancial management and
advisory companies, in an ef f ort t o address it s rat her unexcit ing corporat e brand image
and show people t hat it is really a part of t he modern hi-t ech world, Merrill Lynch has re-
engineered it s icon (t he bull) and embarked on a maj or advert ising campaign t hat
coincides wit h it s ent ry int o online t rading. The company has int roduced low-cost online
invest ing f or cust omers, and has had t o break away f rom it s t radit ional brokerage image.
Whilst t he bull remains as a symbol of t he power and durabilit y of t he Merrill Lynch brand,
t he new hi-t ech bull signif ies readiness t o f ight in t he e-commerce market place.
Improving Brand Image
Alt hough changes in brand awareness are probably t he easiest means of creat ing new sources
of brand equit y, more f undament al changes are of t en necessary. A new market ing program
may be necessary t o improve t he st rengt h, f avorabilit y, and uniqueness f brand associat ions
making up t he brand image. As part of t his reposit ioning t o t he exist ing posit ioning any posit ive
associat ions t hat have f aded may need t o be bolst ered, any negat ive associat ions t hat have
been creat ed may have I be neut ralized, and addit ional posit ive associat ions may have t o be
creat ed.
Repositioning the Brand: In some cases, reposit ioning t he brand requires est ablishing more
compelling point s of dif f erence. This may simply require reminding consumers of t he virt ues of

a brand t hat t hey have begun t o t ake f or grant ed. Kellogg's Corn Flakes ran a successf ul ad
campaign wit h t he slogan "Try Them Again f or t he First Time. "
For example, in t he early eight ies, Harley-Davidson reposit ioned it s brand t o be “ t he f ull-
sized, classically st yled mot orcycle f or people who see t hemselves as individuals. ” To do so, it
t arget ed a new market and changed virt ually, every component of t he value proposit ion.
In case of Mount ain Dew, t he company chose t o f ocus on t he personalit y. Mount ain Dew, t he
ult ra sweet , odd-colored lemon line drink market ed by Pepsi, t hrough out it s hist ory had
t arget ed yout hf ul drinkers. But , over t ime, t he company st eadily shif t ed it s posit ioning f rom
hick t o hip, wit h great success.
Changing Brand Elements
Of t en one or more brand element s must be changed t o eit her convey new inf ormat ion or t o
signal t hat t he brand had t aken on new meanings because t he product or some ot her aspect of
t he market ing program has changed. The brand name is t he most dif f icult t o change.
Packaging, logo and ot her charact ers may be changed.
Bank of Baroda has t ot ally changed t he way it operat es. It has changed t he logo t o a modern
signage and has st art ed airing commercials in t he media wit h a brand ambassador. Baj aj
Aut o also did a similar rej uvenat ion by changing it s management along wit h t he core area of
product and t he logo. Yamaha t oday has seen similar changes.
Entering New Markets
Posit ioning decisions require a specif icat ion of t he t arget market and t he nat ure of compet it ion
t o set t he compet it ive f rame of ref erence. The t arget market or market s f or a brand t ypically
do not const it ut e all possible segment s t hat make up t he ent ire market . In some cases, t he f irm

may have ot her brands t hat t arget t hese remaining market segment s. In ot her cases, however,
t hese market segment s represent pot ent ial growt h t arget s f or t he brand. Ef f ect ively t arget ing
t hese ot her segment s, however, t ypically requires some changes or variat ions in t he market ing
program, especially in advert ising and ot her communicat ions, and t he decision as t o whet her t o
t arget t hese segment s ult imat ely depends on a cost -benef it analysis.
Proct er & Gamble execut ed one classic example of t his approach wit h it s Ivory soap, which
was revived by promot ing it as a pure and simple product f or adult s inst ead of j ust f or
babies. Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo achieved success by virt ue of a similar st rat egy in
which t he company promot ed t he gent leness and everyday applicabilit y of it s shampoo t o an
adult audience. Af t er a cent ury of f ight ing t oot h and nail wit h archrival Arrow, Van Heusen
f inally was able t o t ake over t he t op spot in t he dress shirt market in 1991. By devot ing half
of it s $8 million budget t o advert ise direct ly t o women in women's magazines, Van Heusen
was able t o inf luence key decision makers: Women buy an est imat ed 60 percent t o 70
percent of men's shirt s.

The Process of Rej uvenation
In virt ually every product cat egory, t here are examples of once prominent and admired brands
t hat have f allen on hard t imes or, in some cases, even complet ely disappeared. Nevert heless, a
number of t hese brands have managed t o make impressive comebacks in recent years as
market ers have breat hed new lif e int o t heir cust omer chart er. Brands such as Reader's Digest ,
Liril, Colgat e, Lakme, Brit annia and Onida have all seen t heir brand f ort unes successf ully
t urned around t o varying degrees in recent years.
As t hese examples illust rat e, brands somet imes have had t o ret urn t o t heir root s t o recapt ure
lost sources of equit y. In ot her cases, t he meaning of t he brand has had t o f undament ally
change t o regain lost ground and recapt ure market leadership. Reversing a f ading brand's
f ort unes t hus requires eit her lost sources of brand equit y t o be recapt ured or new sources of
brand equit y t o be ident if ied and est ablished. Regardless of which approach is t aken, brands on
t he comeback t rail have t o make more "revolut ionary" changes t han t he "evolut ionary" changes
t o reinf orce brand meaning.
Looking at a f ew examples of brand rej uvenat ion models, we can underst and t hat t he process
of rej uvenat ion t akes more t han a f ew st eps t o be complet ed. It is a t ime consuming proj ect
t hat may call f or a separat e budget .
An overview of t he process can be explained in t hree simple st eps. The f irst t hing t hat is t o be
done f or a brand being rej uvenat ed is “ Brand Discovery” , which is t o f ind out why it is t here
and what it want s t o achieve. Next , t he brand will experience cert ain process, t he
revit alizat ion in various aspect s. This is ref erred t o as “ Brand Pract ices” . Last , Brand
Maint enance, t he hallmark of a great process, t he brand will be ref reshed, rej uvenat ed and

balanced and, armed wit h new knowledge and t echniques t hat should st ay wit h it af t er t he
process.
The process of brand rej uvenat ion can be underst ood by t aking a couple of examples of t he
models being used by Brand Consult ing f irms.
Shombit Sengupta, CEO, Shining St rat egic Design Company and also known as Redesign Guru ,
has undert aken many brand rej uvenat ions. He f ollows a six-st age process, modif ied according
t o t he kind of work f or each corporat ion.
The f irst st ep is a very drast ic audit of t he company and t he dif f erent levels of management , t o
underst and, what t he company st ands f or, and what t heir core compet ence is. From here, t hey
look at t heir market place, t he dist ribut ion, everyt hing, how it works across t he count ry.
Then, t hey make an in house Perceived and Pot ent ial (P&P) values research, which is very
import ant . Cust omers’ percept ual mapping in relat ion t o t he compet it ion t hroughout t he
count ry has t o be brought .
Next , t hey work out some ideas t hey have about t he st rat egic orient at ion, what t he company
st ands f or. Get t ing f eedback f rom t he consumer helps in and gaining an insight int o t he
classical values.
From t he classical values, t hey f ocus on some pot ent ial t hought s, which are usually very
hypot het ical. They t ry t o underst and what t he percept ion of t he global corporat ion is. Lat er,
when t rying t o go f or t he pot ent ial value, t hey put out some ideas in order t o make t he values
clearer.
Then t hey f ine-t une, and go on t o anot her st age, t he nat ional P&P research wit h t he help of
research agencies.

The sixt h st age is t he f inished art work and t he st rat egic orient at ion: how it should be
communicat ed. All advert ising, all communicat ion st rat egy, what ever it is in t he share market ,
everyt hing should include t he core benef it of t he product . At t his st age, t hey int eract wit h t he
market ing t eam of t he client f or t he t raini ng programme, t elling t hem how t o implement ,
which is very import ant .
Anot her model used by Raj iv K. Badlani
at Norquest Consult ing, Ahmedabad is
given below. He t alks about bringing in
a synergy bet ween t he vision, mission
st at ement s of t he company along wit h
t he int ent s, st rat egies, f act s and
analysis. The management plays a
crit ical role in t he success of t he brand
rej uvenat ion process. As depict ed in
t he pict ure, t he management has an
inf luence t o all of t he f act ors.
As a result of Brand Rej uvenat ion, t he
st akeholders of t he company now see
t he company, as it would like t o be
seen, may be as it was seen bef ore it
lost it s brand equit y. The ensuing
goodwill allows goals t o be achieved
wit h less resist ance, ef f ort and
expendit ure.


Issues in Brand Rej uvenation
A brand manager has t o consider a f ew issues while undert aking a brand rej uvenat ion.
Following are a f ew issues in brand rej uvenat ion.
Revit alizing can end up wit h t he brand losing it s ident it y f or t he sake of int roducing
new f eat ures or cramming more benef it s.
Managers at t empt t o reposit ion individual brands independent of t he port f olio. Cert ain
brands do well when t hey are under t he clust er of brands f rom a company. When t hey are
posit ioned separat ely, t hey may lose t heir ident it y and t hus t he cust omers.
Convent ional t hinking in t he market ing f unct ion does not lead t o successf ul Brand
Rej uvenat ion. This calls f or some basic recruit ment in at all levels of t he company. Brand
rej uvenat ion should be accept ed at all levels and depart ment s of t he company namely, t he
market ing, f inance, human resources and t he operat ions.
The Brand Aest het ics, wit h regard t o brands, which are being given a new lease of lif e
at t he same plat f orm, can be af f ect ed. Some basic f eat ures and benef it s may be f ound missing
if t he cust omers look f or older opt ions. The brand may be reposit ioned weaker t han it s old
posit ioning.
Percept ion about t he product has t o be changed in t he minds of t he cust omers. This
could act as a challenge f or t he management . Cust omers may not be ready t o accept t he new
product when t he promot ional act ivit ies do not exhibit t he changed brand.
Market may not respond when t he demand f or t he product is not on t he rise. Usually,
brands are revit alized when t he demand f or t he product cat egory is on a high.
The f inancial aspect in brand rej uvenat ion plays a maj or role. The Invest ment decisions
are very crit ical. Brand Rej uvenat ion is somet imes compared t o a calculat ed gambling, as t he
ret urns cannot be predict ed. The ret urn on invest ment s is not guarant eed, as it depends on
various f act ors. Budget ing f or brand rej uvenat ion has t o be done at t he year-end of t he
previous f inancial year.

The Channel plays a maj or role f or t he success of a brand revit alizat ion act ivit y. The
response f rom t he dist ribut ion channel has t o be posit ive. They need t o carry t he brand wit h a
dif f erence. Educat ion of t he channel becomes crit ical.
An over reliance on quick-f ix advert ising inst ead of addressing more f undament al
product perf ormance problems can be an issue while developing a new communicat ion
st rat egy. Rej uvenat ed brands do not perf orm well af t er rej uvenat ion because t hey look only at
t he advert ising aspect s while neglect ing t he ot hers.
The pace of t echnological change, which is short ening product lif e spans, can act as an
issue during rej uvenat ion. From product innovat ion t o parit y t o obsolescence is a much f ast er
rout e, making ef f ect ive brand rebuilding at t he product level more dif f icult .
Ever-increasing channels of communicat ions, t he Int ernet and new global market s,
provide an opport unit y and a t hreat t o t he brand builders. They creat e new opport unit ies t o
creat e t ruly global brands, but t hey need a lot of cont emplat ion, as t hey are not st able.
A growing sophist icat ion in t he way companies view brand equit y and manage t heir
brand development , which is leading t o new, bet t er models of brand archit ect ure.

Analysis
An online survey was creat ed in order t o get t he insight s of t he people involved in branding. A
quest ionnaire (Appendix 3) was used t o gain t he responses about a f ew paramet ers of brand
rej uvenat ion.
The maj or quest ions included t he need or t he cause f or brand rej uvenat ion, t he amount of
t ime ant icipat ed t o carry out a brand rej uvenat ion process.
The respondent s were given t en maj or causes f or brand rej uvenat ion t o choose t he most
f easible cause. According t o t he respondent s, loss of market share is t he most recurring cause
f or brand rej uvenat ion. Respondent s also say lack of product dif f erent iat ion and declining
product cat egory prompt s f or brand rej uvenat ion. Three out of t he f ive respondent s have
signif ied t hat brand rej uvenat ion is usually a promot ional act ivit y and it is not f or bringing in
invent ion t o t he product . Overall t he responses suggest t hat t he causes f or rej uvenat ion are
not always common.
When quest ioned about t he t ime f rame required f or a brand rej uvenat ion process t o be carried
out , t he respondent s f eel t hat t he t ime can be est imat ed. The reasons or t he met hods f or
est imat ion vary among t he respondent s. Three of t he f ive respondent s f eel t hat market
sit uat ion can be a maj or f act or in det ermining t he t ime required f or t he act ivit y. Previous
success of t he brand and t he int ensit y of compet it ion can be f act ors t o some ext ent .
The responses f or t he quest ion regarding t he f ear of a brand losing it s old ident it y, respondent s
f eel t hat using new f eat ures t o promot e can be a met hod of doing t his. They also f elt t hat
losing t he old ident it y would be bet t er f or t he brand in order t o achieve successf ul brand
rej uvenat ion. Ret aining cert ain at t ribut es of t he old product can f acilit at e brand posit ioning
and gain market s. The market er has t o caref ully posit ion t he brand such t hat it allows t he
brand t o have a normal and organic growt h. Meaning, if brand ext ensions/ non-compliment ary

f eat ures are t o be int roduced, t hen t he brand's posit ioning should allow t his t o appear as
nat ural f or t he consumer. If it does not , t hen t he consumer will get conf used and of t en t he
brand suf f ers as a result .
Convent ional t hinking is said t o af f ect t he rej uvenat ion process. It is f elt t hat convent ional
t hinking would ret ard t he process or lead t o a repet it ion of t he old st uf f . Usually, unort hodox,
out -of -ordinary measures t ypically get t he necessary at t ent ion and window-of -opport unit y f rom
consumers. This act s as a great runway in which t o re-launch t he brand. The met hods of
overcoming t his can be recruit ing, out sourcing t he act ivit y of brand rej uvenat ion. A respondent
also f elt t hat convent ional t hinking would not af f ect t he rej uvenat ion process as t he t eam may
require some conservat ive t hinking and t radit ional knowledge t o be applied f or brand
rej uvenat ion. What help will be out -of -t he box execut ion ideas.
Brand aest het ics may or may not be ret ained while a brand is being rej uvenat ed. This quest ion
derived mixed response f rom t he respondent s wit h t wo of t hem saying t hat t he aest het ics have
t o be ret ained and t he ot her t wo saying t hat t here should be a change in t he brand aest het ics.
A quest ion regarding t he met hod of shif t ing consumer percept ion generat ed a response st at ing
t hat t he brand essence shall be changed in order change t he percept ion. Reposit ioning t he
brand was anot her opt ion t he respondent s f eel would change t he percept ion of t he consumers.
Scheduling of t he brand rej uvenat ion program, according t o t he respondent s depends on t he
market sit uat ion. This is because of t he f act t hat relauching a brand should be at a st age when
t he market has a demand f or t he product cat egory. The decision, according t o t he
respondent s, has t o also depend on t he brand’ s healt h and t he compet it ion.

According t o t he respondent s, a budget f or t he rej uvenat ion process has t o be prepared at t he
beginning. One of t he respondent s f eels t hat a separat e budget need not be prepared f or t he
purpose of brand rej uvenat ion.
Respondent s f eel t hat a set pat t ern or model cannot be f ollowed f or rej uvenat ion. They f eel
t hat dif f erent brands have t o be revit alized in dif f erent ways as t heir posit ion could be at
dif f erent levels. Cert ain models do not f it t o t he Indian cont ext and some brands cannot be
rej uvenat ed in a simple st raight f orward pat t ern. The general ingredient s according t o t hem
would be building awareness, involving channel part ners by allowing bet t er margins.

Recommendation
Factors influencing Brand Rej uvenation
(Brand Audit)
Product
Corporate
Vision, Attributes
Mission
Brand Rejuvenation
Stake
Strategies Holders
(Brand Purpose)
The model suggest s t he various f act ors t hat inf luence t he process of brand rej uvenat ion. The
very creat ion of a brand is inf luenced by t he purpose or t he goal of a brand. The maj or
decisions about a brand would dependent on why t he brand was creat ed; t he basic idea of a
brand or a product would be generat ed af t er t he need is assessed. A brand audit may be
necessary f or cert ain brands in order t o get t he ent ire hist ory and percept ion of a brand. This
may give us t he cause of under t aking brand rej uvenat ion. In order t o make successf ul brand
rej uvenat ion, we have t o bringing in a synergy bet ween t he vision, mission st at ement s of t he
company along wit h t he int ent s, st rat egies, f act s and analysis. The management plays a crit ical
role in t he success of t he brand rej uvenat ion process.

As a result of Brand Rej uvenat ion, t he st akeholders of t he company now see t he company, as it
would like t o be seen, may be as it was seen bef ore it lost it s brand equit y. The ensuing
goodwill allows goals t o be achieved wit h less resist ance, ef f ort and expendit ure.
Relations between need and the method of brand rej uvenation
Need Method
Perception
Product
New Usage
Customer
Brand Image
Competition
Repositioning
Brand Elements
Strategies like
promotion,
positioning New Market
The above model t ries t o relat e t he various f act ors t hat bring about t he necessit y of brand
rej uvenat ion and t he various met hods available f or brand rej uvenat ion.
If t he cause f or brand rej uvenat ion is t he product it self , i. e. , t he product has lost it s appeal or
usage, and t he market is not accept ing t he brand. The product at t ribut es have t o be changed
and t he company may bring out newer uses of t he product so t hat t he product is relaunched in

t he market . The posit ioning may have t o be changed on t he whole. This can be done brand
requires est ablishing more compelling point s of dif f erence. This may simply require reminding
consumers of t he virt ues of a brand t hat t hey have begun t o t ake f or grant ed.
When t he cause f or brand rej uvenat ion is t he cust omers, it prompt s t he company t o change t he
percept ion in t he minds of t he consumers. Bringing out new uses will also af f ect t he consumers
and t hus change t he brand image.
If t he reason f or rej uvenat ing a brand is t he compet it ion, which has af f ect ed t he sales and t he
image of t he brand, t he company may have t o undert ake t he process in more t han a couple of
ways. It could be done t hrough ent ering int o newer market s or changing t he brand element s
and t he percept ion in t he minds of t he consumers so t hat t he market share is picked up.
If t he brand rej uvenat ion is prompt ed as a result of t he f ailure of t he st rat egies of t he brand,
t he company may have t o get int o st rat egies t hat may be f ocused t owards t he changing of
brand image, percept ion in t he minds of t he consumers and compet it ors or ent ering int o newer
market s and also making a bet t er posit ioning st rat egy.

Conclusion
Brands must make t he product relevant and meaningf ul f or t he t arget cust omers. It must
enhance t he product over and above t he basic generic level. A product t hat comes of f t he
assembly line t ends t o be merely a physical obj ect . Branding pushes t he product int o a
perpet ual realm by int egrat ing what it is. Branding gives t he cust omers reasons t o buy and use
t he product s. Brand rej uvenat ion gives a second lif e f or a brand.
More t han 80% of t he brands t hat are launched die of f , a mere 8% of t hese brands, which are
ret iring, t ry t o rej uvenat e t he brand. Today Br and Rej uvenat ion is in very high demand as
companies realize t hat building a brand would t ake t en t imes more money t han rej uvenat ing an
exist ing brand. New product development t ries t o creat e brand equit y f rom a blank sheet of
paper. But it can f requent ly be more rewarding t o st art wit h a sheet already writ t en on, wit h a
hidden message we can decode f or a relat ively small invest ment .
Many companies have ident if ied t he necessit y of Brand Rej uvenat ion and ent repreneurs have
brought in “ Brand Spas” t o rej uvenat e, indulge and ref resh t he brands. While underst anding
t he import ance of brand rej uvenat ion, I would like t o ment ion t he t it le an art icle where t here
is a quest ion posed t o t he public, “ Does God need a rebrand?” t hus brand rej uvenat ion has
reached a st age where even god may use it if he f aces a dif f icult y of losing his charm.
Most dead brands died not wit h a bang but a whimper. This paper has examined t he
revit alizat ion of est ablished brands; a t opic t hat has been overlooked f or t oo many years.
Brand managers have numerous opt ions f or revit alizing t he sales of an est ablished brand in a
mat ure cat egory. The st rat egies suggest ed here present opport unit ies f or many managers t o
salvage and leverage t he equit y t hat has been built over t he lif et ime of t he brand. Brands die
because of neglect and consumer indif f erence. While bad brands may f ade away, I say, “ A good
brand t hough, should never go. ”

Appendices
Appendix 1 - Mapping a Brand’ s Life: The Power Grid
Brand Asset Valuat or, a brand consult ant company uses a t wo-dimensional plot t o measure
Brand St rengt h and Brand St at ure.
High Leadership
Niche / 1 2
Unrealised
(Differentiation and Relevance)
Potential
BRAND STRENGTH
Declining
4 3
New
Eroding
Unfocused
Low
Low High
BRAND STATURE
(Esteem & Knowledge)
The st rengt h is measured on t he vert ical “ y-axis” wit h paramet ers of Dif f er ent iat ion and
Rel evance and st at ure is measured on t he horizont al “ x-axis” wit h paramet ers of Est eem and
Knowl edge. The Power Grid provides a model f or mapping and diagnosing t he lif e of a brand.
New brands begin in t he lower lef t quadrant – wit h low st rengt h, low st at ure. As t he brand
develops, it rises t o t he upper lef t quadrant – where st rengt h is signif icant ly higher t han
st at ure. It is here where niche brands and brands wit h unrealized pot ent ial reside. This is high
margin t errit ory. In order t o maximize shareholder value, brands should be st rat egically
leveraged t o move t o t he upper right quadrant , where powerf ul leadership brands reside. When
brands get int o t rouble, t he f irst t hing t o erode is Dif f er ent iat ion, causing leadership brands t o
decline. This loss in Dif f er ent iat ion reduces t he abilit y t o ext end t he brand across new
consumer and market segment s. As a result , t here is a huge loss in int angible value.
A brand in Quadrant 2 would be an ideal candidat e f or Brand Rej uvenat ion. Brands in quadrant
3 would be quit e challenging f or a company t rying t o revit alize it . Brand Rej uvenat ion can put
a brand back int o quadrant s 1 or 4, depending on t he exist ing market pot ent ial f or t he product
line.

Appendix 2 - A Brand Rej uvenation Scorecard

Suppose we syst emat ically and quant it at ively analyzed t he winners and losers in t he Brand
Revit alizat ion Arena. What would such a Brand Revit alizat ion Scorecard t ell us?
To develop a Brand Revit alizat ion Scorecard, a research t eam at t he Food and Brand
Lab at t he Universit y of Illinois select ed 42 recent ly revit alized brands. They were brands such
as Alt oids, Ovalt ine, and Aqua Velva, which had been around f or an average of 53 years, and
whose sales had recent ly increased by at least 500% due t o revit alizat ion ef f ort s. Af t er
select ing t hese brands, 42 addit ional cat egory-mat ched brands were select ed which had not
been successf ul in revit alizing t hemselves.
350 consumers f rom t he Food and Brand Lab Revit alizat ion Panel t hen evaluat ed all 84
brands. They were rat ed on charact erist ics such as t heir packaging, advert ising, price,
dist inct iveness, and qualit y. Two-st age discriminat e analyses were t hen used t o relat e t hese
charact erist ics t o t he t ime series sales dat a t hat had been collect ed f or each product .
Af t er t he st at ist ical analysis, t here were f ive charact erist ics t hat syst emat ically and
consist ent ly had dif f erent iat ed revit alized brands and ot hers. Below is t he Brand Revit alizat ion
Scorecard:
1. Moderat e t o Premium-priced. Part of t he equi t y and value of t hese 42 revit alized brands is
t hat none had ever been heavily discount ed or seen as a “ budget brand. ” Revit alizing an
overpriced product bodes bet t er f or success t han t rying t o revit alize an under-priced one.
2. Under-advert ised and Under-promot ed. Compared wit h ot her brands in t heir cat egories, 93%
t hese revit alized brands were seen as “ quiet ” brands. Consider Ovalt ine, once t he
revit alizat ion ef f ort kicked in, even in expensively produced “ awareness generat ing” radio ads
lead t o dramat ic sales increases. The lat ent loyalt y was t here; all t hat was needed was t o
remind people t he product was st ill around.
3. Wide dist ribut ion – While quiet and all-but -f orgot t en, many of t hese revit alized brands were
always able t o maint ain some shelf presence. They may have dropped t o t he bot t om row, or
t hey may have been periodically replaced wit h a line ext ension, but t hey didn’ t have t o f ight
st ores f or reint roduct ion.
4. Long-held herit age – The average brand had been around f or 53 years. In 87% of t hese cases,
t here were vivid memories associat ed wit h t he brand among at least a small core of t he
market . This core of t en played an import ant part of helping t he brand in it s f irst st ages of
revit alizat ion.

5. A Dist inct Point -of -Dif f erent iat ion – The import ance of dif f erent iat ing a product is not news
t o any market er, but doing it is a t alent . Revit alized product s had unique point s of
dif f erent iat ion t hat set t hem apart f rom t he compet it ion in 88% of t he cases. Somet imes t hese
point s of dif f erent iat ion had lit t le t o do wit h t he t angible f unct ionalit y of t he product , but
were relat ed t o advert ising, a spokesperson, packaging, a well-known t heme song, or t o st yle.
This Revit alizat ion Scorecard has f ive crit eria. Ever revit alized brand met at least t hree of
t hese crit eria, and 32 of 42 had all f ive. Many f act ors go t o a decision t o revit alize a brand. Let
hist ory help. If a brand doesn’ t score at least 3 on t he scorecard, it might be bet t er t o move
on.

Appendix 3 - Questionnaire
Please rank t he responses in quest ion 1. Ranking should be according t o t he chances of
each opt ion arising. (1 rank is t he highest while 5 ranks lowest ) Ranking is not relat ive.
1. Why does t he need f or Brand Rej uvenat ion arise?
a. Loss of market share due t o compet it ion 1 2 3 4 5
b. The whole product cat egory is declining 1 2 3 4 5

c. Obt ain cat egory leadership 1 2 3 4 5
d. Build or increase market share 1 2 3 4 5
e. Product at t ribut es were lacking 1 2 3 4 5
f. Pep up brand image
1 2 3 4 5
g. Spike in promot ion act ivit y
1 2 3 4 5
h. Lack of product underst anding by consumers
1 2 3 4 5
i. Modernize and increase visibilit y
1 2 3 4 5
j. Product dif f erent iat ion is absent
1 2 3 4 5
2. What is t he t ime required? How do you est imat e?

a. Can be est imat ed
b. Cannot be est imat ed
If it can be est imat ed, it depends on:
i. Previous success of t he brand
ii. Compet it ion int ensit y
iii. Market sit uat ion – demand f or cat egory
3. How do you t ackle t he issue of a brand losing it s ident it y as it has int roduced new
f eat ures or crammed more benef it s?
a. Do not change much of t he f eat ures
b. Promot e using t he new f eat ures
c. Wash away t he past image
d. Ret ain cert ain at t ribut es
4. Brand Rej uvenat ion may f ail as a result of convent ional t hinking. How do you t ackle
t his?
a. No convent ional t hinking does not af f ect
b. Recruit ment
c. Cannot do anyt hing

d. Out source t he act ivit y
5. How do we ret ain t he Brand Aest het ics and also rej uvenat e t he brand?
a. Change t he brand aest het ics
b. Try ret aining t he brand aest het ics
6. How do we shif t t he consumer percept ion about t he product ?

a. Redef ine brand essence
b. Ret ain brand essence
c. Reposit ion t he brand
7. Scheduling a brand rej uvenat ion program depends on

a. Market sit uat ion
b. St at us of t he Brand
c. Compet it ion
8. How is t he budget prepared f or brand rej uvenat ion?

a. Does not require a separat e budget
b. Prepared at t he beginning of t he year
9. Do you f ollow a set pat t ern or model f or brand rej uvenat ion
a. Yes
b. No
i. If yes please st at e t he procedure
_______________________________________

Bibliography
Articles
Wansink, Brian and Cynt hia Huf f man (2001), “ A Framework f or Revit alizing Mat ure Brands, ”
Journal of Brand and Product Management , 10: 4, 228-242.
Wansink Brian, Ray Michael L. and Bat ra Raj eev, “ Increasing Cognit ive Response Sensit ivit y”
Joumal of Advert ising , Volume 23, 2, June 1994, 65-75.
Wansink, Brian and Scot t Seed (2001) “ Making Brand Loyalt y Programs Succeed, ” Journal of
Brand Management , 8: 3 (February), 211-222.
Wansink, Brian and Jennif er M. Gilmore (1999), “ New Uses t hat Revit alize Old Brands, ” Journal
of Advert ising Research, ” 39: 2 April/ May 90-98.
St ephanie, Thompson (2004), “ Perry Ellis banks on brand resurrect ions, ” Advert ising Age;
3/ 15/ 2004, Vol. 75 Issue 11, p14-14, 1/ 2p, 3c
Wansink Brian, American Demographics December 1997, 53-58.
Dr. McEnally Mart ha & Prof . L de Chernat ony. “ The Evolving Nat ure of Branding: Consumer and
Managerial Considerat ions” .
Prof . Karlapudy Prakash - & Prof . Singh Ranj it “ The Brand Revit alizat ion”
Forbes, Thayne (2005) “ Brands on t he balance sheet : t he st rat egic implicat ions of IFRS f or IP” -
Int angible Business Lt d.
Horwit z, Et han and Weinberger, Karen (2005) “ How t o revive a dead brand” - Managing
Int ellect ual Propert y, May 2005
Aaker, David A. and Gary Shansby (1982), "Posit ioning Your Product , " Business Horizons, 25
(May-June), 56-62
Brody R Eric, “ PLUGGING IN TO YOUR BRAND'S VITALITY & WELL-BEING”

The Advert iser, Oct ober 2001.
Young & Rubicam (1994), Brand Asset Valuat or, London: Young & Rubicam
Dr. M. McEnally & Prof . L. de Chernat ony, “ The Evolving Nat ure of Branding: Consumer and
Managerial Considerat ions”
PageSt aveley, Nicholas (1987), Advert ising, market ing and brands. Admap, 23 (Jan), 31-35
“ Redesign guru Shombit Sengupt a” Business int erview – Redif f art icle on 6t h November, 1997.
Dr. Deshpande. R. “ Posit ioning and Re-posit ioning”
Robins, Rebecca “ Building Better Brands: Brand lifecycle management, myth or reality?”

Text Books
Kapf erer, Jean-Noel (1997), St rat egic Brand Management : Creat ing and Sust aining Brand Equit y
Long Term, Kogan Page, London.
Aaker, David (1996), "Building st rong brands", New York, The Free Press.
Hill, Sam – Lederer Chris (2001), The Inf init e Asset – Managing Brands t o build new Value,
Harvard Business School Press, Bost on.
Keller, Kevin Lane, (2005), St rat egic Brand Management : Building, Measuring, and Managing
Brand Equit y, Second Edit ion, Pearson Educat ion Press, Delhi.
The above r esear ch was conduct ed i n or der t o compl et e my PGDBA cour se at SDM-IMD, Mysore,
India. Al l t he r ecommendat ions and concl usion wer e accor ding t o my under st anding of t he
mar ket . You can cont act me at +919844456213 or by email : venkt eshbabu@gmail . com

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Issues in Br and Rej uvenat ion St r at egi es

Issues in Brand Rej uvenation Strategies

Venkt esh Babu

aspect s of Brand Rej uvenat ion involved in t he FMCG sect ors.

manuf act urer.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 1

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 2

words, building t he brand.

branding of product s and services in various sect ors.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 3

Obj ective of the study

Scope of the study

The st udy will involve underst anding of :

1. Causes f or brand rej uvenat ion.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 4

were illit erat e. or symbol f or a new product , he or

she has creat ed a brand.

at t achment t o product s and organizat ions. As a result t he st akes involved in launching,

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 5

one more revealing insight int o a complex yet f amiliar plot .

Transformation of Commodity to Brand

t hat most unique and specif ic of t hings: a brand.

not creat e a global leisure brand empire.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 6

Brand Life Cycle

which are, it s logo, personalit y, posit ioning et c.

mat urit y, and decline st ages in a relat ively rapid f ashion.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 7

and Kodak j ust if y t he possibilit y.

mat t er t he age of t he brand.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 8

t rying t o rej uvenat e t heir image in t he consumers’ minds.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 9

t he sales and t hus improve t he brand image of t he product .

t echniques t o inj ect new lif e int o t he product .

out of t he pack; brands t hat are put at t he lower bot t om of t he report s.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 10

Same Target Customers Different

f inally t he t eam is successf ul in bringing out a revit alized brand.

reenergized int o prof it able, even excit ing, Swans.

Hect or Laing, Chief Execut ive Of f icer, Unit ed Biscuit s plc.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 11

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 12

Correlation between Repositioning and Rej uvenation

of t he brand while consuming a product in t hat cat egory.

underlines t hem, or t he brand’ s reput at ion f or qualit y. Or t ry changing t he experience around

t here is a dif f erence bet ween t he t wo t erms.

packaging, perhaps a change in t he logo, advert ising, et c. could be t he solut ions.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 13

at t ribut es—and t hen launch a brand messaging st rat egy.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 14

Need for Brand Rej uvenation

bracket , wit h a new posit ioning or communicat ion st rat egy.

As Ogilvy & Mat her's Normart Berry once remarked:

scrat ch. It really isn't revit alizat ion.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 15

Brand Rej uvenation may be required due to the following reasons

regain market share.

across t o t he prospect much more clearly

net work get s st rengt hened wit h more nodes.

revit alize t he product or brand wit h a new image.

achieve high impact and recognit ion.

Venkt esh Babu. M Page 16