Brand Failures

86 Brand failures
that it has neglected its scientific origins. For instance, in his book Big Brands,
Big Trouble, Jack Trout makes the following observation:
First and foremost, Crest should always be on the serious, therapeutic
side of the toothpaste market. That’s where they are in the minds of
their prospects. No mouthwash, no whitening, only serious tooth care
technology. The natural evolution of Crest would be to move from
‘cavity prevention’ to becoming the ‘pioneer in tooth care’. Unfortunately,
they never quite saw this as a way to go. They continued to tinker
with different forms of Crest.
The fact that Procter & Gamble hasn’t always been focusing on tooth decay
has meant that it has inevitably suffered from something even worse: brand
decay. Unless the company can once again take control of the scientific high
ground and provide consumers with a single, consistent message (assisted
with a tightly-focused range), Colgate will have won the battle by more than
the skin of its teeth.
Lessons from Crest
Don’t confuse the customer. Procter & Gamble now realize that simplicity
is the key to reassuring shoppers. ‘It’s mind-boggling how difficult we’ve
made it for them over the years,’ admitted Procter & Gamble’s president
Durk I Jager to Business Week magazine.
Don’t offer too many products. Just 7.6 per cent of all personal care and
household products account for 84.5 per cent of sales, according to
research by the consulting firm Kurt Salmon Associates. The same research
discovered that almost a quarter of the products in a typical supermarket
sell fewer than one unit a month.
Remove product duplicates. Another study, published by William Bishop
Consulting, found that when duplicative items were removed, 80 per cent
of consumers saw no difference.
Be transparent. Brands should aim for ‘transparency’. In other words, they
should make the choice on offer completely clear.
Remember your heritage. ‘Never lose your corporate memory,’ advises Jack
Trout in Big Brands, Big Trouble. Crest suffered from brand amnesia by
failing to replicate the success of its ‘Triumph Over Tartar’ campaign of
the 1950s.