In a sad development, the new owners of the brand All Out - M/s SC Johnson has killed the most powerful brand element of All Out- The Frog. The new campaign of All Out does not feature the famous All Out Frog which was instrumental in popularizing the brand across various segments.
From the birth of the brand, the frog has been the unique identifier and differentiators for All Out. The character was very much instrumental in conveying the effectiveness of the brand.
People began to instantly understand the frog's symbolic meaning. But the Frog has now moved into history. The current campaign not only excludes the frog but the entire positioning of the brand has been changed. Instead of the frog, the brand is now following the typical laser effect that all other brands shows in their respective ads. The brand now has the tagline “All round protection for the family” and has moved away from being the "Yamraj for Mosquitoes ".
The removal of All Out frog is a definite retrograde step for the brand. The learned minds of the company forgot to appreciate the effort and the money that has been spent on creating such a powerful brand element. The frog was also a powerful differentiators for the brand. All these have been removed in one stroke. I don't understand the rationale or logic behind killing such a powerful differentiators. If that brand element was replaced by another powerful element, it would have been fine. But rather, the new campaign is nothing but a copycat of other similar brand's advertisements. So in a way the company has found an ingenious way to kill a powerful brand.
Yes Sir, I agree with you.. All Out had that strong brand positioning with the frog in its advertising.. It was unique and very popular.. There are other brands similar to All Out but when we have to remember such mosquito repellent solutions then we remember that frog wiping out all the mosquitoes.. The brand was doing good. Now with its new positioning and change in the ad element the brand might loose its effectiveness or audience might not like it which might create a impact to the brand. Well, the company might have took the decision after much of discussion and market study.. If its succeeds then good strategy but if fails then misery...
ReplyDeletevery sad indeed...i still remember when i saw the allout frog ad for the first time, i instantly asked my mom to buy one..that time i had also thought that the allout would actually jump and catch mosquitoes, which was very interesting to me as a kid and it also got me liking the product..
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree with the views in this blog. sorry sir. but companies have now started to realize that they cannot convince people by showing some mascot eat out mosquitoes (it used to be in nineties when people would believe those kinda ads). People are too educated these days that companies cannot make them fool so easily. Moreover in india these days particularly in middle class, the nuclear family is gaining popularity and they are concerned towards their children than they used to be in joint family. Now companies can survive only when they target these middle class nuclear family as they hold major chunk of indian population. Consider the recent growth in mutual fund investments, future protection plans for children, and many other indian ads. they all share common thing i.e. their target audience (again nuclear family).
ReplyDeleteI agree that All Out had created a powerful brand character but along with time, it had to die and I believe the company did really by leaving the character and instead started to hit the intellects of people. but i know they'll come out with ads that would show the mascot once again may be after some years creating nostalgia in people. infact old companies have started doing so. All Out are on a good move i believe.
Sudeep ji, please don't use word like 'sorry' when you comment on any issue... my blog is a forum for current market analysis and everyone can put up her/his view... and you know - in branding, there is nothing right and nothing wrong as long as it works...
ReplyDeleteI am happy that we have started analyzing brands... so should keep it on...
Please continue...
I am really encouraged by your comments... will be posting more issues in coming days...
Have a great day...
-SRS