6 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHANGING CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS AND REPOSITIONING BRANDS
You need to go deep on research
To truly make a change with customers’ perceptions of your brand, you need to go deep on research with them. That means face to face engagement (being in the room) - something that many marketers are doing less and less of today as they opt to look for signals in data sources via customers’ interaction.
Brand authenticity
Brand authenticity shines through in all the examples as being essential in everything you do as a brand and organisation. Without this you won’t change perceptions. So, what are the core elements of brand authenticity and how do you evaluate them?
The young generation want their own brand
The younger generation want their own brand, not their parents’ brand, so be prepared to challenge some sacred cows when it comes to your organisation’s key brands. This might mean you need to evolve your brand positioning into areas that you might not be comfortable with initially; it may mean creating a subbrand like Steinlarger did with Tokyo Dry for their main brand to be relevant for the next generation of consumers.
Co-creation is essential in all aspects
The magic ingredient for repositioning brands is co-creation with many stakeholders. This involves the new breed of consumers you are trying to engage, creative thinkers, packaging designers, retailers and internal stakeholders including the CFO and CEO. The outcome of these co-creation journeys has a significant impact on consumers and brand. So significant that many organisations are now using cocreation for all brand work.
Giving back through engagement with local communities inspires
Give back through engaging the local community, but give them the freedom to own the giving back projects and be the face of them.
Customers don’t want to hear from you
Customers don't want to hear from the company, brand or designated spokesperson. Customers want to hear stories from other customers like them; it’s more authentic and it’s easier for people to identify with. So, get your customers to tell stories about other customers to help create empathy and connection.