How to fix a broken brand

From grounded planes to faulty phone networks and bad tasting beverages, in a feature that first appeared in Encore, Matt Smith looks at how to fix a broken brand. 

It takes a bold marketer to admit their brand is broken and yet the advertising landscape is littered with examples where they have done just that.

In 2011 Mother Energy Drink released a commercial created by creative agency McCann that owned up to a major flaw with its product. “At Mother Energy Drinks we don’t do things by half measures. And when we heard people didn’t like the taste of old Mother we said ‘You’re right’ and created a completely new Mother,” an actor decked out in commando gear announces in the opening shot of the spot. “We then set about hunting down those responsible for old Mother.”

It’s not a new solution to face up to criticism, make a change, and then try to put a spin on the story. Advertisers have been using the tactic since as far back as the 1960s when a US campaign for Avis car rentals admitted it was number two in its market. The acknowledgement of perceived failure helped the brand to gain ground up against the number one player, Hertz.