Pesky Flakes: The Next Generation

A friend relates that Oil of Olay changed its packaging and the messaging on it, losing her forever as a customer – because she simply didn't know which product was hers anymore. Oil of Olay had chosen to ignore the number one rule of Branding: be consistent.

Consistency is crucial because a Brand is what people think of you. Make inappropriate changes and people won't know what to think anymore – or as in the Oil of Olay example, even be able to find you. The mindshare you owned goes up for sale – ready to be snatched away by your more consistent competitors.

Unfortunately, there is relentless pressure to change: from the Brand's Old Friends (executives bored of their own consistent messaging) and New Friends (the freshly-minted execs who crave to put their personal stamp on everything). Both Friend types conspire with new-obsessed creatives.

But sometimes Brands have to make changes, right? So how is it done properly? Just follow this mantra: Evolution, not Revolution.

Head and Shoulders is a Brand that's making change the right way. They've shown extraordinary discipline for decades, with a Brand position that's about fixing that embarrassing dandruff, period. But now they're doing TV spots not about killing dandruff, but about beautiful hair – which on its face would be laughable.

But wait: the bedrock of their position has always been a healthy scalp. Hence the new positioning statement: A truly great hair day starts at the scalp. It's an elegant evolution that makes full use of their hefty equity in the dandruff space and makes believable their new product line of nine shampoos, each with a matching conditioner.

To match the evolved Brand position, Head and Shoulders has nicely nudged its identity. The previous rectangular bottle has gently morphed into a sexy, rounded look that says "beautiful hair" without making the bottle impossible to find.

What does the Brand Coach coach?

Right now, Old Friends and New Friends are plotting against your Brand. Don't let their revolutionary whims let down hundreds, thousands or even millions of your customers.

See the new Head and Shoulders ads on the U.S. website.

Look for the excerpt of Brand: It Ain't the Logo* in the February 25th edition of Marketing magazine.