An interesting one from the "Brand Coach" -

This just hit my email box the other day from Ted Matthews of Instinct Brand Equity, the self-styled "Brand Coach" - http://www.instinctbrandequity.com/newsletter/current/newsletter_74_Mar.html

Matthews' point is that when Tropicana changed their packaging style on their top selling orange juice, they threw out the brand's core identity and their sales plunged. Fair enough, and a pretty firm grasp on the obvious.

Matthews/Instinct goes on, however, to say that the company failed by not "taking into account the millions of customers who are comforted — especially in panicked times — by consistency."

There is no reason to believe that consumers, in "panicked" times are comforted by consistency. Not in the least. In fact, what Tropicana was trying to do was recognize that in troubled times, such as these when consumers are feeling adrift, anxious, and afraid (not panicked at all), theyv tend to fall back a couple of notches on the hierarchy of needs, and subconsciously try to connect with images. icons and themes they associate with 'better times' - which is why an understandfing of brand history is so important in recessions.

Many companies are bringing back packaging, themes and images from earlier successful campaigns that take advantage of this. Connecting back to old friends associated with earlier, simpler, better times can be very effective.

Where Tropicana failed is that they attempted to change their packaging without recognizing this and they not only disconnected consumers from the core brand attributes, they failed to reconnect with the images that reflected what would, in fact, comfort consumers today.

Nothing wrong with changing the packaging in recessions to reconnect with the values consumers have during those times. Tropicana's failure was one of not doing adequate or correct research to find out what in it's brand history would gives consumers comfort in relation to their brand, and whether or not that would be stronger than the brand's current associations.