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RELEASE DATE: 9/11/2008

SOURCE: http://gmj.gallup.com
CONTACT: The Gallup Management Journal
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How to Rejuvenate Your Brand

Changing a brand promise involves a lot more than altering your
advertising
by William J. McEwen
Author of Married to the Brand (Gallup Press, 2005) and coauthor of the
Harvard Business Review article "Inside the Mind of the Chinese Consumer"
From time to time, many companies must confront a tough reality: The world has
changed, and consumers are seeking an experience that's markedly different
from what the company has been offering. Your company may be the first name
in buggy whips, but now you're dealing with a marketplace that no longer needs
them. You may be famed for making spacious gas-guzzling SUVs, but car buyers
are turning to hybrids and compact gas sippers. You may be selling daily
newspapers to readers who increasingly look to Web sites for their news.
Or your company may be a casualdining chain trying to succeed in a
crowded and intensely
competitive category where many
brands make similar promises.
Familiar names are facing
enormous challenges that threaten
their very existence. The parent
company of Bennigan's has filed
for bankruptcy protection, sales at
other chains are down, and The
Cheesecake Factory reported a significant drop in same-store sales.
Can a downward sales spiral be reversed? What's a company to do?
Confronted with an audience that no longer appears to treasure what the
company is offering, many marketers look first to their advertising. They know
they need to change the way consumers think and feel about their brand and
what they have to offer, so they look to their consumer communications for the
solution. To address disappointing sales, Applebee's changed its advertising,
launching a new TV campaign that featured a talking apple. In like manner,
Chili's also changed its ads. And yet, in spite of the new high-profile ad

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campaigns that first aired last fall, sales at both chains have reportedly continued
their slump.
Maybe advertising isn't the answer, whether you're selling casual dining, SUVs,
or daily papers. Maybe it's not just about the promise; maybe it's also about the
delivery.
Changing more than the ads
Having apparently learned a lesson from its casual-dining competitors, Ruby
Tuesday has taken a more dramatic step, announcing that it's blowing up its old
format and creating "a brand-new Ruby Tuesday." The company has changed the
dcor in its 900+ stores, replacing its previous interiors -- crammed with Tiffany
lamps, movie posters, and hanging bicycles -- with a clean, uncluttered modern
look. And beyond changing the physical appearance of its stores, Ruby Tuesday
has also revised its menu and its promise, moving from what was a "bar and grill"
theme to a new focus on what it has termed "simple, fresh, American dining."
Ruby Tuesday, unlike Chili's or Applebee's, is undertaking a considerably more
ambitious and challenging task -- one that requires a pervasive company
commitment. Ruby Tuesday isn't just changing its advertising promise; it's
redefining the customer experience. Ruby Tuesday's repositioning is one that's
supported not just by new advertising (promotion) but also by a discernibly
different place and product.
Of course, there's another important "P" that must be taken into consideration,
and that's the people who will be called upon to deliver the new Ruby Tuesday
brand experience. While it's relatively easy to change staff uniforms in much the
same manner as the company can change its interior fixtures, it's quite another
thing to alter the manner in which the employees actually live the brand.
So that's another challenge that faces any company seeking to embrace what it
believes will be the path to revitalized performance. That challenge centers on the
all-important "brand ambassadors" who will be the ones delivering the menu
items and, more importantly, helping to define and enhance the customer's
brand experience. (See "Who Are Your Promise Keepers?" in the "See Also" area
on this page.)
In recognition of this added challenge, Ruby Tuesday needs to get the company's
brand ambassadors in alignment, living the new brand promise every bit as much
as the company's redesigned dcor and the new menu. Ruby Tuesday will be
relying on its employees to deliver something noticeably different from the old
"bar and grill" experience -- one that will further fulfill and reinforce the
company's new brand promise. (See "The Power of the Fifth P" in the "See Also"
area on this page.)
Start from the beginning
There's yet another consideration for Ruby Tuesday -- or for any company aiming
to occupy a new and redefined position in the hearts and minds of consumers.
It's important to note that Ruby Tuesday isn't starting down this new path with a
totally blank slate. Ruby Tuesday isn't a new brand, and like many a familiar
brand, it already has an established image. The existing Ruby Tuesday brand

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image cannot simply be ignored, and the company must consider the extent to
which the intended new image ("simple, fresh") represents a reasonably strong fit
with the image that already exists.
As marketers look to their
ultimate destination, they must
always look first to their starting
point. If the end appears to be a
sharp disconnect from the start,
that's a huge barrier that can't be
overcome in one fiscal quarter (or
two or three).
As we've discussed in previous GMJ articles, any brand promise must overcome
three important hurdles. The foundational hurdle is one of credibility. Before the
brand can hope to connect with a prospect or reconnect with a lapsed customer,
its promise must be deemed credible. Credibility takes into account what the
consumer already thinks of your brand, and that determines in large part the
consumer's receptivity to a new, redefined promise.
VW was unable to successfully launch the luxury Phaeton in the United States -not because the product wasn't terrific and the promise had no appeal. Rather, it
was because VW's well-established brand image and the perception of the VW
dealer experience didn't credibly translate into the world of luxury. VW's image
didn't support the promise of its upscale Phaeton offering. (See "Stretching the
Brand Until it Breaks?" in the "See Also" area on this page.)
Change takes time
As Ruby Tuesday embarks on the creation of an entirely new brand promise,
there's one more item for customers and investors to consider. The company may
spend a good deal of money memorably communicating its new promise to the
intended audience. It may support that promise with a redesigned and
reinvigorated brand experience that includes how the brand looks, how it smells
and tastes, and even how it feels.
Ruby Tuesday may align an entire laundry list of marketing "Ps" that includes
people, product, place, price, and promotion, as well as process and policy. But
there's one final "P," and without it, there will be no success. It's a "P" that may
be in short supply among marketers who are asked to support the wisdom of
their decisions based on next Monday morning's sales report. That "P" is
patience.
A brand's marketplace position isn't just a reflection of a company's intentions.
What really matters are consumers and how they view the brand. Getting
consumers to accept and embrace a redefined brand promise isn't something that
can be achieved overnight. Images are slow to change and, in truth, fight against
change. That's part of their value: They're enduring. So companies that seek to
redefine what they mean to consumers must confront the fact that change won't
happen nearly as quickly as the company might hope.
Brands can't change their image, their meaning, and their essential DNA on a
whim, nor can they expect turnaround business results as an immediate

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consequence. Short-lived brand redefinitions will not result in an enduringly
established position nor in sustainable business results. Consumers need to know
what the brand truly stands for, not just for the coming few weeks, but for the
years to come.
Ruby Tuesday, unlike a good many of its competitors, has recognized the fact that
a redefined brand positioning cannot be undertaken lightly, nor pursued halfheartedly. And, like many a journey, the destination isn't reached in a single step.
But that's where it must begin.
William J. McEwen, Ph.D., is Global Practice Leader for Gallup's Brand
Management practice. He is the author of Married to the Brand (Gallup Press,
2005) and coauthor of the Harvard Business Review article "Inside the Mind of
the Chinese Consumer."
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