In Silicon Valley, the land of constant change, it may seem strange to write about heritage brands and keeping them fresh, yet in a relative sort of way, even the valley has them. Take Cisco, for example.
In his article “How to Keep a Heritage Brand Competitive,” Mark Di Somma (@markdisomma) of Branding Strategy Insider answers a question from a senior marketer who’s concerned that many in her organization are reluctant to make any changes to a heritage brand for fear of losing “traditional” customers.
Mr. Di Somma’s initial response is that “The good news is that consumers take considerable comfort from brands with genuine history and authenticity.” These brands have what Jennifer Aaker (@aaker) describes as “sincerity characteristics.” The bad news, of course, is that a brand can get so caught up in its mystique that it gets mired down and can’t move forward.
So, says Mr. Di Somma, “The key to navigating your way forward is to take your cues from what’s got you to where you are. What is the core characteristic that consumers have come to trust you for?” Keep that, but find ways to make your take on it more timely. An example I love is the Cheerios commercial that featured the interracial family touting the nutrition and delicious taste of a cereal that’s been around forever. The ad was endearing—the little girl was wonderful—and it perfectly blended traditional values with a positive view of our evolving society.
Here are some other things to consider:
- What do customers want now? What is important to them? Should you change your communication channels to reach them? Should you update your product line? (I think the key issue here is relevance.) An interesting point: Heritage brands became heritage brands because they have successfully innovated.
- Have you stayed abreast of industry changes and what customers expect? Are these changes reflected in your packaging and communications?
- “… don’t be afraid to kill off something you still hold dear if it will liberate your brand to explore new territory and pave the way for new growth.”
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Cisco is a heritage brand. Not content, and rightly so, to be seen as a purveyor of upmarket networking equipment, the company is tweaking its identity, recrafting its messaging to focus on solutions that not only solve business problems but also improve human-to-human interactions. Yes, equipment is still part of the picture, but now routers, hubs, switches, LAN controllers, etc. are vehicles for progress, not progress itself.
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