Marketing Communications

POSITIONING 143

z Changing beliefs with regard to own-brand benefi ts. Japanese car brands such as Honda and

Toyota changed their image of cheap, small and poor-quality cars to an excellent price/

quality appreciation.

z Companies may also attempt to change beliefs with regard to the benefi ts of competing

brands. Th e Body Shop created a less environmentally-friendly and animal-friendly image

about the cosmetic products of competitors.

z Th e importance of attributes may be changed. Volvo succeeded in increasing the importance

of safety as a car attribute.

z New attributes can be added to the ‘perceptual map’ of consumers. Procter & Gamble intro-

duced the Vizirette to measure out the amount of detergents used in washing machines by

explaining to the public that it would improve washing results.

Since the 1950s, Cadbury Snack was positioned as one of the leading confectionery brands. However, over the

years Cadbury saw a decline in its consumer loyalty. Research revealed that consumers perceived the Snack brand

as being for an ‘older/established customer segment’. Cadbury wanted the Snack appeal to a younger target market

(ages 25–35). Therefore, Cadbury refreshed Snack by updating the look of its packaging, displays and marketing

communications to give it a more cheerful and lively appearance, and by incorporating a communications campaign

that depicted the product being enjoyed in a work environment. The repositioning proved to be successful, as the

company increased its customer loyalty rating by 5%. It is important to set out realistic goals and steps for what

a company is trying to achieve with its new positioning strategy. If Cadbury Snack had launched an athletic food

bar instead of repositioning its original product’s brand, its existing and potential customers might have become

confused about the link to the other Cadbury products, which are seen as a sweet treat. This could have had a serious

impact not only on Cadbury Snack but also on other Cadbury products.^70

BUSINESS INSIGHT

The Cadbury Snack brand repositioned

Th e latter four repositioning strategies are based on the components of the Fishbein

model, discussed earlier. Defending a brand position or image will oft en be one of the major

objectives of a communications campaign. Marketing communications objectives are further

explored in the next chapter.

In 2011, Playtex ran a £1 million campaign in the UK to reposition Playtex as the underwear brand for women over

50. The ‘Feeling better than ever’ campaign was run both on the Web and in print advertising and it included British
    celebrities. The campaign was targeted at women using messages about being ‘young at heart’ and ‘coping with a
    changing body shape’. Playtex was founded in 1932 and its roots are in latex. Playtex became a dominant brand of
    girdles. For decades, it was one of the most popular brands of bras. Playtex was ‘Cross your heart’ and ‘It lifts and
    separates’. It extended its brand into areas such as baby goods and tampons. In today’s world of Victoria’s Secret
    and Agent Provocateur, it is hard to remember that Playtex pushed the limits. But it was Playtex that, as the first

BUSINESS INSIGHT

Lingerie brand Playtex rebrand targets over 50s

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