Taking a Bite of Rebranding
By ANA staff
Let’s face it. Not all brand strategies can withstand the test of time. Trends come and go, and consumers change their behaviors. Knowing when it’s time to re-evaluate and rejuvenate your brand is key to surviving in today’s ever-changing landscape. These five food companies recognized opportunities to embrace modern social and digital channels to transform their brands to appeal to younger generations and boost sales.
Taco Bell Learns to “Live Más”
Taco Bell wanted to increase its business and redefine its brand personality. The company got rid of its old tagline (“Think outside the bun”) and embraced a new message for millennial consumers: Live Más. In addition, Taco Bell changed its product development strategies to address customer feedback in real time and established a strong social media team to keep up with consumer trends.
Green Giant Modernizes an Icon
The Jolly Green Giant has been a beloved icon for older generations for the past 90 years, but young millennial parents were unfamiliar with the brand mascot. Green Giant gave its larger-than-life cultural icon the celebrity treatment with playful vintage videos, theater teaser trailers, and a starring role on the Jimmy Kimmel show. The company’s efforts received widespread media attention, and Green Giant products began flying off the shelves.
Denny’s Delivers “the Most Socially Connected Diner Booth”
Denny’s was struggling to get millennial customers to return to its stores. The 60-year-old company decided to age down its brand and create a space where guests could connect with the diner from anywhere. Denny’s launched digital campaigns around special menus and other promotional efforts, created a web series called “Always Open” for the Funny or Die Platform, and anthropomorphized ingredients of its signature dishes in fun videos.
Jack Link’s Reconsiders its Product Angle
Jack Link’s has always been a leader in the meat snack products, but over time the company suffered from plateauing sales and challenging competition. It also realized that most of its consumers viewed jerky as an indulgent road-trip snack. Jack Link’s used this insight to advertise its jerky’s nutritional benefits for the health-conscious millennial. With a little help from its brand mascot, Sasquatch, the company created 80s-inspired workout videos with the hottest football and basketball stars.
Organic Valley Takes a Cue from Shoppers’ Food Baskets
With the milk industry steadily declining, Organic Valley knew it needed to make changes to its product line to meet the tastes and trends of millennial consumers. It introduced its own protein recovery shake with a viral tongue-in-cheek “Save the Bros” campaign. The company also drummed up excitement for its core dairy products with an Organic Valley coffee shop selling cups of Half & Half with coffee on the side free of charge.
Source
"Taco Bell Wins Beyond Millennials with Social Media, Mobile, Brand Partnerships, and Product Innovation." Juliet Corsinita, Vice President of Media and Brand Partnerships at Taco Bell; Cheryl Gresham, Media Director at Taco Bell. ANA Masters of Media Conference, 3/3/16; "Revitalizing an Icon: The Giant Awakens." Steve Finnie, Marketing Director at Green Giant, B&G Foods; Jayme Maultasch, EVP and Group Account Director at Deutsch New York. ANA Promotion Marketing Committee Meeting, 2/15/17; "Denny's Uses Social Marketing Innovations to Amplify Engagement." Erik Jensen, Senior Director of Brand Engagement at Denny's; and Chris Plating, Vice President and Brand Strategy Director at Erwin Penland. ANA Marketing Innovation Members-Only Conference, 4/21/16; "Jack Link's Protein Snacks: Inside the 'Workin' Out with Sasquatch' Integrated Campaign." Tim Goldsmid, VP of Marketing at Jack Link's Protein Snacks; Alissa Anderson, Account Director at Carmichael Lynch. 2017 ANA Marketing to Millennials Conference, 3/16/17; "Organic Valley: Connecting Authentically with Millennials." Lewis Goldstein, VP of Brand Marketing at Organic Valley. 2017 ANA Marketing to Millennials Conference, 3/16/17.