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And now, all the way from Del Monte Foods, a type of fruit that “likes to take it all off..,” ready-to-enjoy, and available in seven tempting varieties, introducing … FRUIT NATURALS!

(crickets.)

Unfortunately for Del Monte, the excitement surrounding their new Fruit Naturals Brand has been squelched by the redundancy that begs consumers to consider if they have ever eaten fruit that is unnatural. While the simplicity and straightforward nature of the brand is appreciated by busy consumers, this brand name seems to have fallen a little bit short in the department of innovation and received a gold star for redundancy. The intent of the name, I believe, is to highlight the convenient, ready-to-eat quality of the product. The fruit cup allows you to bypass the peeling and slicing and simply enjoy the natural fruit right away. It is my hope that all fruit consumed, whether canned, jarred, dried, or fresh is and will remain natural … despite new product extensions boasting au natural fruit.

Contributed by Carrie Friedrich

Do you remember your first car? I’m sure you remember when you first got it—how liberating it felt to hold the keys to your very own car. My first car arrived as a Christmas present from my generous grandparents. It was the perfect car. Shiny, clean, fast, fun.

It was a 1996 Saturn, and man, it was cool. My friends drove around in brand new 2002 VW’s, Jeeps, and Hondas. But 1996 was a great year for car manufacturers, and my car was better. The windows had to be rolled up manually, this is how major league baseball players used to build arm strength, before steroids. The stereo system sported a state of the art cassette deck. But best of all—it had a rubber bumper. Okay, maybe it was plastic, but if functioned like rubber. I could back into anything from a tree to a public library and just bounce right off. Perfect for new drivers.

Saturn built a brand around experiences like mine. Launched in the late 1980’s by General Motors, Saturn quickly became positioned as a family friendly brand. Their smaller, affordable, comfortable and safe models suited customers of all ages. New car buyers chose Saturn vehicles not only for the car, but for the Saturn experience. The Saturn sales staff quickly became your new family friend, concerned not only about your financial limitations but about your safety, your life, your children, your family. Saturn also cares about the bigger picture. Community involvement is a Saturn standard, they participate not only in sponsoring national causes but also make an effort to contribute to each local community that hosts a dealership.

As General Motors recently filed for bankruptcy protection, executives announced that they have a plan in motion for the company to quickly rebound and maybe even one day turn a profit again. Hummer was sold. Pontiac may dissolve. The future of the Saturn brand has yet to be set in stone. If it is sold, how would it be integrated into a new brand, and would the new ownership change Saturn’s core values, personality and voice? A possible sale to Penske Automotive Group is in the works, some say the pending sale could change the face of the way cars are manufactured and sold in the US. There are rumors of Penske shopping for a foreign manufacturer.

General Motors is proceeding with caution, as they should. The disappearance or tarnish of the Saturn brand would truly be a shame, and not just to Saturn owners. Saturn is an icon for the American family, and a model to branders everywhere for how to build a brand that embodies its core values in every internal and external communication outlet available.

Now, only time will tell what will happen to the Saturn brand. In the mean time, I hope whoever ended up with my old ’96 Saturn is taking care of my favorite car. And anytime they want to trade, I would be glad to have it back.

Contributed by Laine Beyerl

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Flipping through the pages of Martha Stewart’s Living, a print advertisement caught my eye. Endangered Species. What comes to mind? Forest Frogs, Western Gray Whales, Grevy’s Zebras, Tazmanian Devils, and Purple Marsh Crabs. But this creative little title has proven me wrong … a chocolate brand. I don’t know about you, but I generally like to know what I’m getting myself into when it comes to my chocolate, and this threw me for quite the loop. Endangered Species Chocolate brand has admirably introduced a great intention of cause-related marketed; incorporating people’s love for chocolate while simultaneously saving endangered wildlife. Sadly, by naming the product after the cause it may lose some of its potential customers by misleading them. Speaking as a true chocolate connoisseur, I can tell you that as I pan down the aisle of my local grocery store to find the perfect fix for my sweet tooth, the arbitrarily named Endangered Species Chocolate would most likely be disregarded. On the other hand, the chocolate brand could gain popularity simply by being out of the ordinary, catching the wandering eyes of consumers and drawing curious attention. Unfortunately, many shoppers do not have the time to peruse the aisles and investigate arbitrarily named products to discover their true contents: chocolate.

Endangered Species Chocolate promises that “10% of net profits [are] donated to help support species, habitat and humanity.” This effort of “Gourmet chocolate that gives back” is the perfect way to justify the chocoholic tendencies of consumers by donating portions of the sales to saving endangered wildlife. I think the product would fare much better on the shelves if the arbitrarily named product was restructured to portray its actual contents of chocolate.

The clever tagline reads “Savor chocolate. Save our planet.” Ok, you don’t have to ask me twice.

Have any name change suggestions for Endangered Species Chocolate that would entice you to indulge in a sweet treat for the love of Forest Frogs?

Contributed by Carrie Friedrich

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Out with the old, in with the new.

In order to keep up with our fast-paced marketplace, companies, products, and services are constantly exploring fresh ideas and new identities. Many of these rebranding efforts result from a number of needs including, but not limited to: ridding a company of negative connotations, entering a product into a new market segment, merging companies, or simple updating. Many notable entities have succeeded in rebranding efforts focused on the company itself (utilizing new logos, mottos, taglines, names, etc.), and have retained unwavering brand loyalty. And now, to turn the spotlight on one such company …

Coca-Cola. This exemplary brand has undergone a makeover to add a fresh new twist to their bottles and cans. Coke cans and Sprite cans are now donning new looks with clean and fresh features. Not to say the old cans were in desperate need of a change, but it is nice to keep consumers on their toes in order to truly appreciate the value of the brands they patronize.
On the Coke Classic can, the excess clutter of bubbles, stripe of yellow, and plentiful swirls have been eliminated to allow full attention to be focused on the red and white logo of Coca-Cola. In my opinion, this rebranding effort was a brilliant move for such an iconic company. Coca-Cola has established itself as a powerful brand and has earned its claim in the soft drink industry. This rebranding effort acknowledges the bold, confident, and trusted name of Coca-Cola that so many people worldwide know and love.

Sprite, a Coca-Cola product, has also received a can makeover. The new cans appear to be somewhat edgy and revolutionized. The colors are vibrant, edges are jagged, and logo is somewhat futuristic. The same basic color schemes and font have been incorporated into this updated new look. This rebranding effort reveals careful positioning and planning on behalf of Coca-Cola. With all the new soft drink variations entering the industry, something had to be done in order to keep Sprite on the leader board. The new look connects with the target market using a fresh, inventive, and confident approach.

These two examples of rebranding show the important impacts of staying one step ahead of the industry. With more creativity than ever before, companies are constantly competing for top-of-mind awareness amongst consumers. Researching, experimenting, updating, reinventing, and connecting; these terms are becoming the common vernacular of today’s companies.

As the saying goes, the only constant in the universe is change.
Don’t get left behind.

Contributed by Carrie Friedrich