White White Farm: Eight O'Clock Coffee's Brand Image Re-design Gives Us More to Think About Than Just Visual Appeal

A discussion on LinkedIn's CPG Branding and Marketing Forum caught my attention. Eight O'Clock Coffee recently launched a sweepstakes promotion asking consumers to vote for their choice of new packaging. In response to the promotion, a LinkedIn member had posted a question a couple of weeks ago asking what people thought of the new Eight O'Clock Coffee packaging options. Specifically, the member asked "what do people think of the new options when compared to the current version?" and "what do people think about companies that engage consumers in the branding process?"Although the promotion is now over, I realized that no one had addressed an even more fundamental question of when and why a brand should re-brand. One cannot reasonably evaluate a new brand identity without understanding the need for changing it in the first place. A re-branding effort should not be conducted just for the sake of refreshing the image and identity of the brand - there must be a stronger rationale or strategic basis for the decision. That may seem obvious, but in many instances, brands reset their images just because they can - a new brand manager wants to imprint his/her mark on the business and, what better way to pump life into a brand with a slow innovation pipeline than to conduct a re-branding on a brand that has maintained the same look for many years.However, I believe that any owner or, for that matter, critic of a new brand identity must first understand the strategic need for a re-branding and what problems, if any, exist with the existing brand identity. Re-branding is a costly proposition, so updating a brand identity should not be taken lightly or done to merely enhance an existing identity. I once worked on a re-branding assessment for a company that, by acquisition, had, over time, acquired multiple entities which continued to be in use, resulting in some level of confusion among the company's customers, making the need for a streamlined brand very apparent. In the case of Eight O' Clock Coffee, I see the brand's interest in re-branding to be illustrative of a larger need: the need to grow the brand's franchise and identity beyond its core consumers.Therefore, I have a slightly different take on Eight O' Clock's sweepstakes than some of the people who responded to the post's questions on strictly aesthetic bases. Eight O' Clock is a brand with a lot of history and equity as a bagged, whole bean, premium value brand - at about $6 per pound it is positioned above the Folgers of the world but below many of the newer and higher priced bagged brands such as New England, Dunkin and Starbucks. In the 1920's and 1930's, Eight O'Clock Coffee had over a quarter of the U.S. market share and many of those fiercely loyal consumers were the ones who kept the brand going for so long. As such, it has become one of those nostalgia brands with a need to maintain its historic equities and loyal consumer base while appealing to potential new customers.It has developed a loyal, but older-aged demographic with a sticky price sensitivity, keeping the brand strong, but possibly at the expense of future growth if it fails to refresh its consumer base as its core consumers (forgive my morbidity) quite literally, die. My sense, though, is that in the current new economy, as Americans shift their coffee dollars to home brewing instead of away-from-home purchases (see: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE52K1RY20090321 ), the Eight O' Clock brand offers new relevancy and appeal to consumers that are looking to recreate the experience of coffee shop coffee in their own home.This relevancy is bringing new attention to the brand, with Consumer Reports in February rating Eight O' Clock as the "Best Cup O' Brew" for its taste profile and value at less than half the price of premium priced brands such as Peet's (see: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2178988/posts ). I have no doubt that the sweepstakes presented Eight O' Clock with a unique opportunity to engage and draw potential new consumers into the franchise by freshening up its image and providing a forum to do so through a medium that younger users tend to favor. According to Eight O'Clock Coffee's image makeover website, "we understand during these uncertain and changing times that Americans are looking for consistency. We respect that and have decided to postpone changing our for the time being." While Eight O' Clock's core consumer (i.e., older) loyalists may have ultimately had the last say in maintaining the same brand image as a measure of reassurance, in the long run, Eight O' Clock can only benefit from its efforts to engage and attract consumers in new and innovative ways. [EXTRACT] A discussion of Branding and Marketing Forum CPG LinkedIn caught my attention. Eight o'clock Coffee recently launched a promotional contest asking consumers to vote for the election of its new container. In response to the promotion, a member of LinkedIn has posted a question a couple of weeks wondering what people thought of the new packaging options eight o'clock coffee. Specifically, the member asked "what people think of new options compared to the current version?" and "what people think of businesses that engage consumers in the process of branding?" Although the promotion is over, I realized that no one had addressed a more fundamental question of when and why a brand should re-brand. One can not reasonably evaluate a new brand identity, without understanding the need for change in the first place. A re-branding effort should not be carried out only by the fact refresh the image and brand identity - there must be a strong reason or strategic basis for the decision. That may seem obvious, but in many cases, restore its image marks just because they can - a new brand manager printing needs of his / her mark in the business, and what better way to pump life into a brand a slow process of innovation in carrying out a rebranding a brand that has kept the same aspect of years.However many, I think any owner or otherwise, the critique of a new brand identity must first understand the strategic need of a rebranding and what problems, if any, with the existing brand identity. Brand change is an expensive proposition, so that updating a brand identity should not be taken lightly or do to do better than an existing identity. I once worked on an evaluation of re-branding for a company that, through acquisitions, had, over time, acquired several entities that are in use, resulting in some level of confusion among customers of the company, so the need for a simplified mark evident. In the case of Eight O Clock Coffee ', I see the interest of the brand in the brand change to be illustrative of a greater need: the need to grow the franchise and brand identity beyond its core Consumers. Therefor, I have a little different on Eight O Clock "lottery that some of the people who responded to questions from the entrance, on a strictly aesthetic. Eight o'clock is a brand steeped in history and equity as a grain in bags, all premium brand value - about $ 6 per pound is above the world of Folgers, but below many of the new and more expensive brands in stock such as New England, Dunkin and Starbucks. In the years 1920 and 1930, eight o'clock coffee was more than a quarter of the U.S. market share and many loyal customers are what keep the brand for so long. As such, it has become one of those brands nostalgia with the need to maintain their historical actions and loyal customer base while appealing to customers. It new potential has developed a loyal demographic group, but the older age-with a sensitivity of sticky prices, maintaining the strong brand, but possibly at the expense of growth in the future unless you update your customer base as consumers of their kernel (forgive my morbidity), literally, die. I have the feeling, however, is that in the new economy, Americans change their coffee dollars of home brewing instead of buying out (see: http://www.reuters.com/article/ newsOne/idUSTRE52K1RY20090321), Eight O 'Clock brand offers new relevance and appeal to consumers looking to recreate the cafe coffee experience at home. This relevance is to draw attention to the brand new, with reports of consumers in the "clock" Best Cup o 'Brew February eight rating "for its flavor profile and value to less than half the price of the price premium brands as Peet (see: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2178988/posts). I have no doubt that the tender submitted eight in the evening with a unique opportunity to engage and attract new potential customers in the franchise to refresh its image and provide a forum to do so through a medium that younger users tend to favor . According to the website of the eight coffee image makeover, "we understand that in these times of uncertainty and change that Americans are looking for consistency. We respect and we have decided to postpone change, for the moment. "The Eight O Clock 'basic consumption (ie, or more) may be loyal to the end had the last word in the maintenance of the same brand image as a measure of confidence in the long run, eight of the only later can benefit from their efforts to attract and engage consumers in new and innovative ways.