As consumers adjust to a post-pandemic world, marketers are taking the opportunity to spiff up, dust off, refresh their brands and reemerge with new focus and attitude.
In the prior installment of the Marketing Master Series, we looked at brands that leveraged past campaigns to connect with today’s complex viewers in an environment with new rules and attitudes. In this installment, two more brand refresh approaches are highlighted. The first look occurs when brands abandon the familiar and find ways to extend the brand’s relevancy through innovation in product, use cases, and/or communication styles. Then, the other strategy involves older brands branching out to reach and resonate with new audiences segments with targeted messaging and/or product extensions.
II. Innovation as Brand Strategy
Some mature brands have deliberately attempted to distance themselves from past positioning to highlight new innovations and improvements, or to modernize the perception of viewers with new messaging.
Jif – “Gladiator School” :15
In 2021, Jif launched a packaging innovation that made its traditional peanut butter squeezable. In this humorous spoof of a gladiator fight, the brand took a risk by making the characters and visuals the center of the faux violent creative.
In doing so, the brand was able to appeal to younger audiences, while the entertainment value avoided any alienation of older buyers. 56% of viewers indicated a propensity to purchase the brand as a result of the ad, outperforming norms by +6 points.
Jif also abandoned the age-old tagline “Choosy Moms Choose Jif” to a much edgier “That Jif’ing’ Good.” Viewer comments across ages reflect appreciation for the over the top humor, and the effort to be different.
“This was a funny ad and definitely a big departure from the “choosy moms choose Jif” ads from the past. I like it. Might be a little over the top for a peanut butter ad, though.”
Male 21-35
“I think it’s funny and it looks like possibly new packaging. I’m curious how well it functions because peanut butter is very thick. Would try.”
Female 21-35
“Very funny, it catches your attention. Comedy is a great tool for advertising. Loved it – all for a jar of peanut butter”
Female 36-49
“Funny and quick, but I remember it better than the rest and now want some peanut butter”
Male 36-49
Dawn Powerwash – “For More Than Just Dishes” :30
Dawn recently launched creative for new Dawn Powerwash – a more concentrated innovation of the traditional dish soap. The spot highlights a vlogger who finds creative and novel cleaning uses for the product beyond dishes. Women in particular loved this ad.
Scores are indexed to one year household advertising norms.
The impact of the balanced innovation in both the product (rated the Single Best Thing about the spot) and the current, Tik-Tok style storytelling resulted in impressive purchase intent (fully 68% of viewers said they were more likely to purchase after seeing the ad).
Not only did consideration crush norms by +12 points, but 38% were much more likely to purchase – a testament to the Prodtastic demonstration delivered by the brand, shown by the trust voiced in viewer comments on the ad.
“I have been a customer for many years. I can relate to the ad and felt like it was targeted at me. I was surprised to know that Dawn is able to remove stains from many items. I like that it focused on showing customers how stains are removed. Very informative and different.”
Female 21-35
“I like the influencer creative approach and how it showed her creative way of building the sets, kind of like a behind-the-scenes before the actual commercial which kept me more invested in it instead of chewing me away by just trying to sell me a product”
Male 21-35
“You took a product I was already very familiar with, and in less than a minute, taught me to use it in ways I’d never considered. I get hit by so much advertising that I tune most of it out, but I actually took something away from this. Great job!”
Male 36-49
“I thought this was a really good ad. I love how it was demonstrated and how the “influencer” set up was incorporated, it was natural and clever.”
Female 36-49
III. Older Products, New Consumers
Another tactic that has been increasingly applied is the use of origin stories/Nostalgia coupled with modern applications to educate and establish Relevance with a new generation who might be unfamiliar, or not yet considering a long-established brand.
Polaroid – “Real Chemistry” 1:00
When launching a new camera version, Polaroid took the opportunity to school (and fascinate) consumers on the technology required to produce an instant photo. With visuals that engagingly portrayed the intersection of art and science, this :60 spot drew in even the youngest of viewers (typically unwilling to sit through long-form creative), many likely previously unaware of the brand.
Scores are indexed to one year technology norms.
Viewers connected to the idea of going back to a tangible photograph, which led to an impressive positive purchase intent of 64%. This number is especially impressive for a brand that not too long ago, was deemed outdated and on its way out. Moreover, the Polaroid name was reintroduced, with 85% recalling the brand on an unaided basis.
“I think this ad easily captures everything about the brand and is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It made me want to go out and buy another Polaroid camera even though I already own one. It made me realize there is still beauty in printed photos, and a moment can live forever in that photograph, and sometimes it’s better to have a picture to hold than a picture to stare at on a screen.”
Female 21-35
“When I watched the ad, it made me feel drawn towards the product, especially when it showed the quality of the photos being taken. The quality of the product made me feel as if I wanted to buy the product so that I could capture great moments with the Polaroid in the future.”
Male 16-20
“The visuals and use of color in the ad were the biggest attention-getter in the ad. Also, you think of Polaroid as an antiquity in the photo business, but this ad helped to usher them back into the main discussion.”
Male 21-35
Lego: “Adults Welcome: Bryce” :30
In an interesting twist, Lego recently launched a campaign to attract a different audience than usual – adults. Exposing the ‘dirty little secret’ of how the big kid in all of us can benefit from using Legos, and launching during the pandemic when anxiety hit an all-time high, the brand capitalized on an emerging trend.
While surprising and confusing to some (WTF), by the end of this humorous :30 spot, the brand reminded viewers of the trials of everyday adult life. More importantly, the ad positioned Lego as a Nostalgic, yet new zen solution.
The ad was well received for all adult age groups (particularly males), and viewer comments confirm that the positive message around adult play was communicated effectively.
Scores are indexed to one year toy norms.
“Great ad featuring a product that is relevant to many households. Love the inclusion for adults as many adults love to build lego sets. Definitely made me want to buy more advanced lego sets for the adults in our household to enjoy.”
Female 21-35
“Loved it. First I was a huge legos kid and now as an adult it brought back memories. I think it’s so great that they show you the possibilities you can build. Also very funny in the beginning, typical stressed adult lol”
Male 21-35
“I love Lego already, but this advertisement was extremely inspired. It was funny. It reaches out to stressed out adults with the message that Lego can be used for mindfulness and relaxation.”
Female 36-49
“It was funny because we all have days that just aren’t going right and then there is that little simplicity of a small joy to ease the stress of the day away.”
Male 36-49
“I saw an interesting story and I was curious as to where it was going. I’m glad I watched it because it led to adult Legos. I like that!”
Male 50+
Next up in our series, we will examine brands leaning on purpose as a means of redefining themselves for newer generations.
About the Author
Peter Daboll has more than 25 years of experience in the science of measuring advertising effectiveness and is a recognized expert in understanding what makes advertising successful. He has spent his career developing and implementing analytical models and testing systems to measure consumer response to advertising. In his current role, Peter Daboll serves as Chief of Strategy and Insights for iSpot.tv after his company, Ace Metrix, was acquired in late 2020. As CEO of Ace Metrix, Mr. Daboll has led the company in developing innovative metrics and methods for helping advertisers make better, more impactful video creative.