Is it possible that branding can outlast its brand? Do you remember the canned coffee called Brim? No? I bet you remember their slogan: “Fill it to the rim, with Brim.” Rob Walker’s “Can a Dead Brand Live Again?" in Sunday’s New York Times examines a few goners and what can happen when a brand becomes so much a part of consciousness, or “consumer memory” that it spurs the re-manufacture of a deceased product. It seems that not only can you grow a product with good branding, you can also use people’s memories of old brands to build a new product.
After hearing the Brim motto, did you remember that Brim was a decaf-only coffee? Probably not, and that’s how a brand can be resurrected, tweeked, and on the shelf again. “Brand equity” goes beyond just good ideas, it plays with and off of people’s memories. It doesn’t matter if you remembered Brim as decaf, you remembered Brim, and that’s a million dollar idea waiting to happen. That’s what the folks at River West Brands think anyway. They’ve redeveloped more dead brands like Salon Selectives, Nuprin and Eagle Nuts, and aren’t doing too shabby. It worked for Volkswagon recently, too, with a little car called the Beetle.
At Firebelly, we’ve been doing our homework and creating some memorable brand statements ouselves. This week, we unveil Pillar Group’s new brand statement, “Risk Managed. Rest Assured”. Last month we launched the IIFF’s “Reel World. Real Cinema.” Maybe they won’t inspire future generations, but we’re proud of them.
-Ben
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