There are certain stages in the life of every brand or product, which are very similar to the stages of human life. A brand is born, then goes through the stage of becoming established in the market – the youth of the brand. After formation, the product gains a certain popularity and is in the stage of maturity, followed by oblivion and aging of the brand. The next logical stage should be death, but in the life cycle of brands, unlike people, it is possible to pass through several generations of consumers and, accordingly, several product life cycles.
This opportunity is called rebranding or brand rejuvenation. Often rebranding is expressed in the form of a brand redesign.
Signals or factors of brand aging
Consumers sometimes have the impression that strong, popular brands never age. In fact, they are subject to an anti-aging strategy that consists of timely and relevant brand rejuvenation.
There are factors that signal that a brand is aging and that it is time to be proactive in order to maintain the positive dynamics of its development. These factors can be divided into several groups:
1) aging audiences;
2) the emergence of new players in the market;
3) market modernization;
4) fashion;
5) changing needs.
1. What is audience aging? Every product has a target audience for which it is produced, the consumer activity of this audience tends to decrease with age. Younger generations of consumers are replacing them, they are more in tune with new products, their consumer activity is in the growth phase. The share of sales of the aging audience is decreasing, which leads to a drop in sales of the product if it is not nourished by young customers.
2. The consumer market can be compared to a birthday cake. Every year new products and brands enter the market trying to win a piece of this pie. New products usually look very attractive and the consumer reacts eagerly to them. In turn, old brands start to seem outdated and uninteresting.
3. another factor of brand aging is market modernization. New technologies, formats push products to evolve. Consumer preferences are built on new knowledge and current technical trends, which requires a constant reaction of any product to the progress and evolution of customer demand.
4. Fashion is an important demand factor, it forms an important part of the brand image. To be in demand, the product must be on the crest of fashion trends, correspond to the status of its target audience and be a part of the consumer’s life. Only by combining all these points, the product will be successful.
5. Everything around us is in constant motion. The world around us is changing and the needs of the customer are changing with it. The first task of any product is to satisfy the need of the target audience. As soon as a brand ceases to meet this factor, the buyer switches his attention to another brand, which, in his opinion, can satisfy the new needs to a greater extent.
Some marketers and brand managers believe that signaling the need for brand rejuvenation is also:
- Decrease in sales
- Reduced brand appeal
- Chain reaction of failures
- Loss of brand status
- The threat of total destruction.
Due to the irrelevance of the image, the market strength index of the brand falls. The company begins to lose touch with the market, which is in constant motion, and the brand loses its consumer value.
In order to control all these factors, it is necessary to conduct regular brand audits. It involves analyzing the communications with the consumer, brand offerings and brand objectives to see if they are in line with the current demands of the target audience. It is important to remember that brand image includes many factors such as: quality of design, advertising, promotional activities, raw materials used to produce the product, and many other things.
Based on the results of audits, it is possible to determine the current position of the brand on the market and make the right decisions about its future fate. It can be sold, closed or rejuvenated. When rejuvenating a brand, the impact is on the consumer’s points of contact with the product, on which the brand image is built.
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
| DO: | AFTER: |
 |  |
Fundamental brand touch points with the consumer
Brand communication with the consumer takes place through so-called points of contact. There can be a lot of such points, but some of them stand out as fundamental. It is through them that it is possible to influence the brand image formed in the eyes of the target audience, they are the face of the brand. These include:
1) Brand positioning – determines the image and value of a product, as well as the values it carries. As a brand gets older, it may move to the area of “stale” brands and thus cause a decrease in demand in favor of more “advanced”, dynamic brands that demonstrate development. Taking into account the dynamics of changes in consumer tastes and habits, it is necessary to adjust positioning. It is good when a brand meets expectations, but it is even better and more promising when it is slightly ahead of consumer demands, opening new offers for them.
2) Brand name, its name. Hearing the name of a certain brand, a certain associative series arises in the consumer’s memory, built on the basis of previous experience associated with this name. It is important to remember that: “as you name the boat, so it will sail”, but one name cannot determine the success of a brand. A name also tends to become outdated, but still retain the same values and relevance. It can also evolve and undergo a certain transformation, along with positioning.
3) Values – a system of social and other values that, based on market positioning, a certain brand promotes. Such values should be relevant and popular, then the consumer will want to buy this particular product. In no case should they go against the values that are promoted in the society to which the target audience belongs. Such values can be the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, the absence of genetically modified ingredients in the product, the brand’s participation in social initiatives, etc.
4) Packaging design and graphic expression of the brand, or in simple words – packaging. It is a kind of beacon for the consumer, by which he finds what he is looking for. It is one of the most important components of the brand, so work on packaging should be ongoing. It is a kind of dialog with the buyer by means of fonts, images, texts, saying that the brand is developing and is ready to meet the expectations of the consumer. Accordingly, the packaging should be relevant and meet the expectations of the target audience (if it is a premium product, the packaging should not look cheap). But even if the packaging is outdated and requires major changes, you should not forget how the consumer perceives it and what they value.
Brand rejuvenation program
Bringing a new product to market is a difficult task, but rejuvenating or rebranding an existing one is much more challenging. There are no brands in the world that have eternal youth, except those that are constantly and consistently rejuvenated.
To preserve the brand, the company must be sensitive to changing consumer values, constantly monitor weak signals that indicate the beginning of aging and purposefully manage the market position of the brand.
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
| DO: | AFTER: |
 |  |
The process of brand rejuvenation
At the aging stage, when the brand image becomes irrelevant and demand indicators fall, a brand rejuvenation program can be applied. Such a program allows to increase the demand for the brand and increase the competitiveness of the company, as well as to make the most of all market opportunities. The program includes the development of strengthening the market position of the brand through communications with the consumer, as well as clarification of positioning.
The brand’s rejuvenation program consists of several phases:
- Audit of brand positioning in the market. On its basis it determines the direction of necessary changes and their depth.
- Based on the audit, the brand positioning is developed, the main parameters and characteristics at all levels of the brand structure are defined.
- A communication strategy is developed. The creative component of the strategy and communication channels for brand promotion are determined.
The objective of a rebranding program is to find growth points and brand anchors to further develop a plan to attract new demand and strengthen the brand through relevant market positioning and communications. In doing so, several objectives are addressed:
- The relevance of the brand image is enhanced.
- Thanks to the communication strategy, on image renewal, the demand is growing.
- A clear marketing action plan and investment direction is formed.
At the end of the work done, the client receives a BRANDBOOK and COMMUNICATIONBOOK ready for use.
BRANDBOOK (brand book) includes presentation and technical BRANDBOOK. The presentation part is a tool for positioning the company on the market. It serves to present the philosophy and positioning of the company to customers and the media. Technical, serves to clearly and coherently position the brand in the market. It is compiled for internal use of the company and contains all the information about brand positioning on the market.
COMMUNICATIONBOOK (communications book) includes a description of the brand communications program for a given period, with goals, objectives, a clear description of the creative strategy and a plan of advertising activities.
The result is a clear program to strengthen and promote the brand. The company receives a clear and understandable brand rejuvenation plan. Thanks to the developed methods and technologies that allow to identify the signs of brand aging at the earliest stages, it is possible to respond to them promptly and adequately.
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
| DO: | Afterward: |
 |  |
To reduce the risk of erroneous decisions , KOLORO uses a comprehensive approach with mandatory consideration of the brand’s achievements in the market and its strengths.
