While on the bus yesterday, I came across an advertisement for a surprising new product from a well-known brand. Halls, the cough-drop powerhouse, is attempting to break into a whole new market, something that will require a massive perception overhaul. Essentially it must re-brand itself to the masses.
As with brands such as Kleenex and Play dough, the company name ‘Halls’, has become synonymous with the goods it produces, namely sore-throat relief. While that has been one indicator of huge success in their current market segment, it will only prove detrimental to any efforts to take the company in a new direction. Most of their customer base, and in fact consumers in general, are confident in their product knowledge with regards to Halls. Because the company has done such a thorough job of branding itself, once shoppers see the Halls logo, they often don’t read further, rendering the rest of the packaging moot.
The product featured in the ad I saw is an “everyday refreshment…that’s deliciously mouth-watering” (from the website); in other words, a candy; a candy that has the same packaging, the same look, and probably the same taste as other Halls goods. This is where I foresee a problem. Customers looking for candy will let their eyes skip right over the Halls waiting by the checkout to the chocolate bars beneath them. And customers looking for help fighting off a cold might assume the new candy is simply another take on the product they want.
I’m questioning whether it was a good marketing decision to release such a visually similar product in a new segment under the same name. Maybe with a massive, well-researched and well-implemented advertising campaign they will be able to successfully launch what seems to be a good product. As of yet, their marketing efforts seem inadequate to stave off the product confusion that I’m sure is already happening.
I would love to hear someone else’s opinion on this. 🙂