*99792*
Mikheev I. V.,
Senior Analyst at «Ashmanov and partners» company
Rebranding as an effective marketing
tool
The
market economy demands ability to work in a new fashion not only from
production workers, business executives, businessmen, but also from students
and teachers, scientists and experts, economists and engineers, ordinary
employees and heads who in literal sense are put before necessity to pass
relevant curriculum.
Therefore
presence of the knowledge associated with working out of marketing strategy and
strategy of development of brands now have the special importance. It is
associated by that the problem of increase in quantity of marks and decrease in
essential differences between them well-known to consumers of the goods and
services in the countries of the developed market economy becomes now more and
more actual. Some number of categories of the goods (such as sausages, beer,
oil and etc.) or services (for example, insurance, tourist business, commercial
medical services and etc.) so expand that domestic buyers cease to find
distinctions between the offered goods or services. It forces manufacturers to
improve quality of the goods (services), to increase advertizing expenses, to
stimulate sales of the goods (services), to think out original names and to
improve container and packing. When the majority of competitors do the same, it
is necessary to search for new effective ways of not price competition, here
again the major means is creation and development of a strong brand.
«Brand» — all set
of forms, ideas, images, associations etc. about a concrete product which has
developed at consumers and which speaks to them: «Yes, it just that I should
buy». It is possible to tell that the brand is a prestigious, well-known mark.
Effective
branding realization — business completely not simple. Its productivity depends
not only on professional knowledge and enterprise culture of the advertiser and
advertizing agency with which it cooperates, but also from their ability to
work with intellectual property, trademarks, design, texts.
The rebranding
should be understood as process of entering of external changes in registration
of a trade mark and positioning, however, in a number of branches at a
rebranding the product offered to consumers is touched and reformed in itself.
One of such products is the periodical press.
It is possible
to name a rebranding only the fact of total revision almost all attributes of
brands. In many other cases we deal with branding in itself.
It is necessary
to notice that in the marketing literature questions of a rebranding are
consecrated poorly and rebranding procedures aren't presented even in the
general view as well as questions of research of expediency of its realization.
«The top of 10
inscriptions on fences» – similar headings was famous magazine «Hooligan» some
years ago. But that was an entertainment for teenagers and edition of
«Hooligan» for the publishing house «Gameland» became a headache - monthly
incomes of magazine were lowest. In the autumn of 2005 «Hooligan» had a new
publisher who has led the edition towards format magazine «alternative
fashion». Except definitive disposal of «Hooligan» of marginal image before it
there was a problem of repositioning of magazine under more solvent audience.
The first number with the updated logo and the maintenance left in February,
2006. For strengthening of the «fashionable» status «Hooligan» has sponsored
«Russian Fashion Week» and has founded the award «Hooligan Awards».
As a result,
magazine advertising revenues went up. Updated «Hooligan» attracted hitherto
not available the most powerful advertisers.
In the end of
two-thousand years the magazine «Uslugi I tseni» has started to lose positions
intensively. Audience loss has led to outflow of advertisers, to reduction of
incomes, decrease in the general circulation of the edition. Losses of market
positions have demanded search of the marketing measures capable to improve
these positions. Among such measures possibilities of a rebranding were
estimated. By the analysis results of edition’s position the basic
possibilities and directions of a rebranding have been formulated, the part
from which has been accepted. The stop of falling of audience and advertising
incomes became result of the edition rebranding.
The publisher
of one of the oldest Russian political magazines «Profil», has been compelled
to recognize in 2009 that in 2007-09 the edition has undergone at first to
stagnation, and further to outflow of audience and as consequence lack of
advertisers. Under the influence of crisis the weak trademark began to lose
positions more intensively than other players of a segment and «Profil» has put
the owners before a choice: death of trademark or a rejuvenation. Last place in
a segment and a tendency to a decline obviously didn't suit «Publishing House
Rodionova». The publishing house has brought set of changes in a content (the
maintenance of materials and their format), and also has subjected to renewal
the face of magazine – its cover. Following the results of a rebranding for
first three months the magazine shifted from 5 to 3 place in the segment having
put competitive pressure on incomes of advertizing magazines «The Russian
reporter» and «Kommersant Vlast». Losing during first 3 quarters 2009 of 1,8 %
from a share of the segment, as a result by December the magazine not only
hasn't lost anything, but also has increased a market share by 1,5 % that
became amazing jerk especially in the conditions of a proceeding economic
crisis.
In our opinion
(with reference to the press market) it is possible to limit all process of a
rebrending to nine stages.
1. Assessing
the problem.
At this stage,
marketing experts identify problems faced by the publication in its life cycle.
The essential problems may include: chronic circulation publication sales drop,
reducing the audience publications and (or) his income. The result can be a
stage on the need to find options for rebranding and repositioning of the
publication.
2. The
situation analysis in the market.
At this stage,
the scale research which purpose is the understanding of a current condition of
the basic indicators of the market and also the tendencies already developing
or predicted is conducted. Structure of stages:
2.1 Definition
of the list of players of the market;
2.2 Carrying out
of preliminary segmentation;
2.3 Estimation
of volume of segments and the market;
2.4 Estimation
of the advertizing market and its structure;
2.5 Audience analysis.
3. Assessment
of actual and potential competition field.
This stage is
one of the most labor-consuming. It is necessary to conduct a content analysis
of all publications of the market for an accurate understanding of what a
different thematic focus each of the players that in the future accurately
determine the competitive environment.
4. Research of
necessity and possibilities of updating of a brand.
At the given
stage marketing experts estimates real necessity of carrying out of a
rebranding, and also search for possibilities, estimating each variant strictly
proceeding from enterprise resources.
5. Preparation
of the list of concrete variants of conceptual changes.
The given stage
is necessary for a concrete definition of possibilities of a rebranding.
Experts in the field of marketing prepare the concrete list of variants with
the description of how it is necessary to change the edition.
6. Market
segmentation according to new possibilities.
After
preparation of the list of variants of conceptual changes of the edition there
is a possibility to segment the market and to present, as though it looked
after acceptance of each of variants. As a whole, research and the analysis
spent with 1 on 6 stages, form the marketing report which can be given company
management for acceptance of concrete decisions on development ways.
7.
Decision-making.
The given point
is administrative and concerns only company-publisher managements, or other
responsible persons. All offered variants are considered for acceptance of one
of them or full refusal of any actions.
8. Rebranding
realization
This stage is
technical. In case of acceptance by company management of one of rebranding
variants its actual introduction begins.
9. An efficiency estimation
Is the final
stage of all process on which marketing results of all work are brought. The
data of zero (preliminary) gaging is compared to results after the essential
calendar period (half a year, year).
For
understanding what factor was reflected in results of a rebranding expediently
to carry out the labor-consuming factorial analysis which demands high
qualification of the marketing expert. As a whole, the factorial analysis is
extremely useful, but isn't obligatory. Frequently experts are limited to an
expert estimation or the analysis of the most powerful factors.
For various
reasons some tens editions have been subject last years to a rebranding that
has generated the present tendency in the periodicals market. However, it is
necessary to notice that results of the given actions had and have absolutely
various consequences.