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FAMILIARITY DOESN'T ALWAYS BREED CONTEMPT

Sometimes change isn't the way to be different. Sometimes being the only one that doesn't change can be just a unique.

This post idea came to me after I read a very good entry on Steph Adamo's blog titled "Tropicana Redesign", in which Steph points out that there was nothing wrong with the "old" Tropicana carton design and that the "new" look is in fact, rather awful.

The post has since been featured on Yahoo! and other places. From the reaction to this comment, I think most people agree that, at least in this case, Tropicana (or rather Pepsico) should have left it alone.

But this raises a point. Especially in these turbulent times, people are looking for something different. Marketing is no exception. Whether it's a new look or new approach, different gets noticed is conventional thinking. As a marketing consultant, I can agree and attest to this...to a point.

Sometimes tradition is also good. Take the upcoming 4th of July. Could anyone imagine it much different that it's been pretty much since the first Independence Day? How about Thanksgiving? Of course we don't want to change these things, the way we celebrate is traditional! Shame on me for even talking about it!

In these rapidly changing days and weeks when everything is moving so quickly, change can be positive, but so can stability.

Looking at the old Tropicana carton I see something that is very familiar. The new one isn't. Did they really need to change it? Well, someone at Pepsi thought so, but how about marketing tradition instead of change? Something along the lines of "everything is changing, but some things don't" or "we got it right first time, why change". You get the idea.

I call this concept "remarketing". Look at many small companies (and some large ones). You see things like "serving the community since 1982..." or longer. That implies a tradition, familiarity and a tried and true method. Why not advertise the fact?

Sometimes change isn't the way to be different. Sometimes being the only one that doesn't change can be just a unique.

I write about different marketing strategies and techniques, both traditional and non in my online newsletter Webby's Updates which you can read at www.JDELtd.com and subscribe to if you so choose. You can download this and other articles from by Small Business GENetics site, www.sbgenetics.com

Posted by Dave Segrove on 07/02/2009 02:36 PM

Comments (33)

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33 Comments on FAMILIARITY DOESN'T ALWAYS BREED CONTEMPT

JUL

Dave - Great post! In any movement there's going to be a pushback...and the rules don't always apply in every instance. Thanks for sharing this!

Good points. Too much change and the message can easily get muddled and ineffective.

Did you check out the size of the product? Half the time a big redesign covers a lesser amount of product for the same or a slightly higher price...method to their madness...while we're admiring the redesign, half of the juice "leaked" out! LOL

Hi Jason & David - thanks for the feedback!

Hi SarahGray - funny you should say that, there's been a dramatic increase in the "less for more" in foods of late, it seems to me. Sometimes it's the same size bag will an ounce less or (and I promise this was said to me) "because our customers find it more convenient". Sigh...

Thanks for the comment :)

Hi Jason...you've got some great ideas here. Change can be good and then maybe not......something to give more thought to. I like the idea of lenght of service to the commmunity......it does show continuity and commitement.

See you around town!!

Anna Banana

Hi Anna

Thanks for the comment...

er...Jason? :)

We might finally get some rain around here!

Dave

I really like your post. I think you're right on and here's why:

Right now everything is turbulent enough. I think advertising that some things are good enough left alone - we're still standing tall, find out why - is a great message.

Those of us who have tried and true rules of business we follow know this to be true. It literally IS why we are still standing. Why not advertise that and play upon the confidence factor?

Well said.

Your post was great--change for a reason maybe but not for the sake of change. I like your idea of stability and tradition, and that has to be converyed in a way that people also know your not stuck, way back when. I also really liked the visual, the standing out in a crowd.

Lesslie Giacobbi REALTOR, Seven Gables Real Estate

Hello Christianne & Lesslie - Thank you very much. Self "rediscovery" can sometimes be just as effective as "rebranding" yourself...and hopefully a little cheaper too :)

I appreciate the feedback!

Dave

Coke learned this lesson the hard way, by trying to change their formula.

When you are used to grabbing a carton of one of your favorites and they have changed the packaging...to me it's very frustrating.

I wonder how much business is lost when they chose to do this?

Ha, what Brian above says in his comment is so spot on!

Patricia Aulson/portsmouth

Too much change, too fast = confused consumer, who then says, "Why haven't I tried XX juice before?" and bingo, bye bye! Consumers do not like to be uncomfortable!

Remember NEW COKE?

New is not always better. We spend lots of money branding ourselves... and risk alienating people if we make radical changes

Most people don't like change. The uncertainty scares people. People like familarity.

I still love the line from "Wayne's World"... Garth says, "Change, we fear change." Obviously there were a lot of people that didn't fear it last November... but I think it holds true with most things... we don't want them to change...

Hi Dave ~ I'm someone who *really* likes my favorites to stay just as they are. I do my best when one of my favorites gets changed to stock up on large quantities of the earlier, better version. Very strange world we live in that change is always thought of as positive.

Liz

Dave, all I could think about with the different is better concept is the debate that Twitter perhaps is better than working your sphere. I have always said hogwash to that, because sphere has worked for many so much better.

Maybe that's why some agents haven't embraced new ways of reaching clients and doing business - because traditional ways are tried and true and very familiar with many. It puts an entirely different light on a recent post that got poor Lenn worked up (and maybe rightfully so). I know that I detest certain things that have been changed, because I did not see the need for it to be changed. I was more comfortable with it the way it was. We all have certain things that we become accustomed to and are resistant to when they have been changed. Well said.

I think there's room for some change and updating without necessarily upsetting all that's good and unique about traditions though it can be a fine line to walk.

JUL

It can take years for many to establish mind-share on a brand. Doing an overhaul needs to serve a specific purpose. Perhaps if there is a different demographic that you want to appeal to..

Who does it well?

Look at Toyota. They wanted to improve with the Twenty something urban demographic without harming the market share that they already scored well with. The PT cruiser and Cooper had an advantage there. Without risking the brand they had already established, they rolled out the Scion brand vehicle and packed it with a great ipod integrated stereo and dozens of other features that the demographic they want responded well to in testing. Then they set themselves up to make a fortune on add on parts for customization. They also brand with an excellent campaign that plays well to the young edgy crowd.

It's still a Toyota but it has a successful, youth based brand now.

Just like agents shouldn't overhaul an established brand or site to address REO, they need to spin off a site so not to confuse their base. Too many times people make moves with permanent implications over temporary situations.

It's one thing to keep up with the times, but quite another to make a radical change. I never thought I would be one to say tradition is good, but there's a lot of truth to that. It's great to keep up with the latest and greatest gadgets and technology, and I do, but there's no escaping plain old fashioned sitting down face to face, looking them in the eyes and flashing your toothy grin and having a good laugh about the good ole days.

Interesting post and great comments. I remember growing up as a child my father gave me a gem that I have caried with me since I was five. If you are not falling on your face luv...you are not trying hard enough. Thanks Dad :)

Very good post. You have to be careful. I once helped design and market a game (early 80's) It was a role playing game based on King Arthur (Hidden Kingdom was the name). We took the anti approach and toned down much of the art work with beautiful peaceful drawings (No Blood, No Gore, No half naked women in chain mail braziers) We quoted classic literature and the Bible with the pictures and other places. We were so different we felt flat on our face. The game has a minor classic status and I hear from people on it occasionally.

Hi Dave, Interesting observation. Your point : " Sometimes being the only one that doesn't change can be just a unique." reminds me of the posts declaring that all of the existing business models are doomed and unless we make dramatic change we will go the way of the dinosaur !

great points. thanks for sharing this with us! I love to read the informative comments as well. nice blog

Interesting thought. Sometimes it is just better not to over think something too much and just go with the flow of the first thought instead.

Interesting thought. Maybe it will be like new Coke and they'll bring back classic Tropicana.

JUL

Don't change the packaging! This is embarrasing to admit but I'll never find the product again...cause I probably don't remember it's proper name, but color and package design I do remember.

Good post, but they advertise overseas as an american tradition and that's a hook for them there. Obviously you market differently for each market, but it's a shame they keep changing it here and it's a tradition over there. Everything American is good somewhere else!

Okay - Note to self - do not post a featured blog and then go away for the weekend... :)

WOW- thank you everyone for the replies!

Brian / Karen / Patricia / Erica - Couldn't agree more - I guess Coke survived the lesson.

Dawn - that's very true. It probably hurts a smaller company more, but you raise a good point.

Russ - too true.

Lane - interesting observation, but I think most of us were ready for change, as opposed to the "change for the heck of it" which seems to have come from Tropicana (Coke etc). But, the same goes in consumerism as in politics - people vote :)

Liz - My gut tells me that the faster the world moves, the quicker things change, the more we try to hold on to those few things that don't. That's why I think holidays such as the 4th or Thanksgiving grow in meaning every year.

Gary - that's a tough one. My take on things such as Twitter are that if it works for you, then go for it. I don't object to new tools, what I object to are people telling me that I MUST use them. Thanks, as always for a great comment (I read your posts a lot).

Hi William - nice photo :) Well said. I really believe that "anti-change" is going to become more prevailent in the very near future.

Christine - well said. That line between "all" or "nothing" is very fine, but I do think it can be trodden...as you say, with care.

Scott - wow - brilliant comment and so very true. The Toyota approach (not changing while changing) was spot on and ultimately successful. You know, I think a lot of it was common sense on their part, acknowledging that a certain group of people like their products "as is", so they kept that line going while reaching out with the new and I think that's okay to do. You can be "traditional" but "flexible" at the same time, as Toyota proved very well.

Liz - I can't argue with that :)

Kristi - good nugget of advice...if a little painful :P

Gene - I think I know that game....I play WOW these days (shows what a geek I am). I think the approach you took appealed to a certain class of player, while the "slash and gore" appealed to another. Unfortunately, these two are hard to bring together...

Hi Bill - "The only constant is change". I agree with you and beg to differ with "popular thinking". Standing your ground and not changing....isn't that different :)

Ginger - thank you!

Deborah - well put.

Mike - now there's a thought: "Tropicana Classic" - quick - patent the idea!

Sandra - you know, I'd not thought of that. The visual appearance without the text probably is as appealing as knowing the product/brand. I wonder if companies like Pepsico ever do that kind of study.

Lyn - well said. I think it's a shame that American ingenuity and dynamism is sometimes confused for "ever changing". You're quite right.

Dave