Marketing, Branding, Image Building – What Do They Mean To Entrepreneurs?

I'm not a huge fan of "branding" or doing marketing to "build a brand" for an entrepreneur.

Those who have millions of dollars to throw at building a look, offering television commercials, and hope that when you stand in front of the refrigerated case you will remember what you are to purchase can build a brand, but not you.

We all remember "New Coke" and the near disaster that Coke worked its way through several years ago when it changed its formula to make it sweeter and taste more like Pepsi. Hey, if I want Pepsi, I'll ask for Pepsi. Millions of dollars were lost as they admitted their mistake (hey, it's not failure, it's feedback… and believe me the market gave them plenty of feedback!).

And now there are the marketing and branding changes from which PepsiCo (the owners of Pepsi and Tropicana) have done an about-face for the top-of-the-line orange juice, Tropicana.

Tropicana Sales Nose Dive: Marketing Changes Are To Blame

As reported on AdAge.com, "Tropicana's rebranding debacle did more than create a customer-relations fiasco. It hit the brand in the wallet.

"After its package redesign, sales of the Tropicana Pure Premium line plummeted 20% between Jan. 1 and Feb. 22, costing the brand tens of millions of dollars. On Feb. 23, the company announced

it would bow to consumer demand and scrap the new packaging, designed by Peter Arnell. It had been on the market less than two months.

"Now that the numbers are out, it's clear why PepsiCo's Tropicana moved as fast as it did. According to Information Resources Inc., unit sales dropped 20%, while dollar sales decreased 19%, or roughly $33 million, to $137 million between Jan. 1 and Feb. 22.

"Moreover, several of Tropicana's competitors appear to have benefited from the misstep, notably Minute Maid, Florida's Natural and Tree Ripe. Varieties within each of those brands posted double-digit unit sales increases during the period. Private-label products also saw an increase during the period, in keeping with broader trends in the food and beverage space. "

Marketing Lessons For Entrepreneurs

Here are some points for Entrepreneurs to remember:

• 1. A Confused Mind Always Says NO. If a consumer is confused, doesn't recognize what is being offered, can't find what he/she is used to looking for, s/he will say NO and move on. When Tropicana looked like something else but the consumer recognized MinuteMaid (for example), the shift was easy even if the product wasn't perceived as being as good.
• 2. Don't Mess With Your Proven Sales Success. I drink Tropicana every day. It wasn't until I drank the third glass that the watery consistency and "odd flavor" hit me and I asked my wife (who does most of the shopping for us) about this new smaller packaging (narrower, fewer ounces, different look) style of OJ. It took both of us carefully reading the packaging to "discover" that the 50% Lower Sugar style of Tropicana replaced the sugar with an artificial sweetener. WHAT!? The brand that prided itself (and told all of us) that it was never made from concentrate (not that I know why that is a bad thing to do) now replaced the natural orange sugars with a bad-for-you artificial sweetener!? (I make NO medical claims here about this sweetener, but general consensus is that no artificial sweetener is good for us.)
• 3. Learn From Others – The Wheel Has Already Been Invented, You Don't Need To Reinvent It! Does the term "New Coke" not send shock waves still? Changing the packaging and logo is one thing (and it clearly hurt sales): but messing with the formula, changing the "never from concentrate" image of the top of the line product, changing the taste and natural health benefits… I thought we all learned those lessons from New Coke and other products that messed with success.
• 4. Test Your Changes On Small Groups First. It seems that this new direction was rolled out without sufficient (some say NO) testing. My wife pointed out that in HER store, anyway, this new product wasn't even displayed with the regular Tropicana – was that to mask the different size packaging? to keep the "artificially sweetened" product away from the "real product"? OR was the store confused by the look and didn't know to put all the same product together? Hard to tell.
• 5. Never Cut Corners Or Change What People REALLY Buy From You. Entrepreneurs must never do a quick and easy product when people expect top of the line from them. We must never take the easy route when people expect the best from us. We must remain true to ourselves and our clients and customers or they will leave us and never return.

Put Yourself In Your Clients/Customer Shoes First

It's times like now that I work hard to put myself in the shoes of the consumer and forget my Wharton training or any of the other advertising and marketing work I have done over the years.

How would I recognize the new product – just by a name or does the whole "look" hit my emotional buying habits? Will I be confused and say "NO" or will I still purchase?

I have to admit that the only way I can stand to drink this new version is by mixing it with the "real stuff," which I have done. (My upbringing just wouldn't let me throw it away, so I have to hide the bad taste of the new drink by the delicious flavor of the "good stuff.")

Are people so taken with themselves, so cocky, so self-righteous that they feel that they can improve the world on a whim?

At least in my family we can go back to the regular Tropicana (I prefer mine without pulp) no matter what the branding is: but for those who hated this new version and didn't realize that it was simply a marketing mistake, are those customers lost forever?

Keep that in mind for YOUR products!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad, succeeding in this economy

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