Brand, Identity and Reputation: Exploring, Creating New Realities ...

Reddy, 1998, p.40). As a result, brands are often seen to, ‗sheepishly return to the slogans and identities used
previously,‘ (Aaker, 2002, p. 281).
Repositioning – consumer based view
A number of gaps have been noticed which could lead to further study. Andrews and Kim (2007) question our
understanding of what drives brand repositioning in the minds of the consumer. A number of unanswered questions
remain; how does emotional positioning work? Does it leave brands vulnerable to damaging parodies?
Methodology
In this study, a single case study approach was adopted (Yin, 2003) and provided detailed research into the case of
Dove and their repositioning strategy. A total of 19 semi-structured depth interviews took place to elicit consumer
responses to repositioning of the brand, Dove. Interviews lasted between 30 and 90 minutes, with a number of
consumers being interviewed a second time to gauge further detail from their comments. Grand tour questions such as
―Can you explain your experiences with Dove as a brand?‖ pre-empted more topical questions such as, ―How do you
view the shift from emotional to functional positioning?‖ and, ―Does this cause any problems for you?‖ The interviews
were recorded using video camera and photo-elicitation techniques were employed where participants are shown
Dove‘s images, advertisements and a product time line. Each interview was transcribed and analysed following the
interview and initial themes and responses helped to inform the questioning of subsequent interviews (Strauss and
Corbin, 1998).
Findings and discussion
The consumers‘ responses of these repositioning strategies have been for the most part negative. There are four main
themes that emerged from the interviews. 1) Disconnecting with the core. Consumers had an initial strong association
of Dove being caring, pure, original, safe, honest and authentic as were associated during the ‗Real Beauty‘ campaign.
After being exposed to the doppelganger image, majority of the informants‘ response turn to negative ones with a strong
sense of anger, harm, manipulation and hypocrisy. Other responses such as ―I‘m shocked because it‘s a bit of a mask,
Dove seems to wear a mask…. it‘s not pure, it‘s not easy, it‘s not simple at all, not what I thought‖(Faith), ―Well, I
think it‘s quite deceptive and manipulative now‖ (Josh). Clearly, informants question previously held assumptions
about the brand and literally unmask the messages of being pure and simple and more importantly, re-assess their
relationship with the brand. A danger of repositioning is the unintended consequences, an unexpected fracture in
communication can separate the intended message, in this case, ‗Real Beauty,‘ from reaching consumers. The high
degree of passion around the campaign makes the brand vulnerable to the risk of those emotions swinging to the other
side of the pendulum. Fournier (1998) notes that love, passion, self connection, commitment, trust and intimacy form
positive relational meanings, but once unsettled result in long lasting negative meanings. 2) Double negative
associations. It is interesting to see the second reported consumer response is one of immediate negative associations.
There are consumers who do not ‗buy in‘ with the repositioning strategy. Some informants were able to discern
immediate concerns with the message used by Dove resulting in a strong negative viewpoint. Miriam was able to
distinguish that Dove and the ‗beauty‘ position do not fit as well as she once thought, and after thinking about it further
she was able to address the true motivations of the company. There is also evidence of confusion among consumers as a
result of shifting positions from functional to emotional positioning without obscuring the brand‘s identity. One
informant indicated that ‗I completely forgotten about the brand‘, which demonstrate the power of emotions but also the
effect of detaching brand meaning from what the advertising aimed to achieve. 3) Counterfactual thinking. This is
contrasting what is perceived to be with what might have been (Roese, 1997). When focusing on an ethical or moral
consideration, which is considered to be breached, future expectations can be altered and strong emotion triggered in
response to the negative event (Folger and Cropanzano, 2001). This also allows consumers to reassess original
relationship and the reality.4) Behavioural outcomes. As a result of counterfactual thinking and negative emotion,
informants are considering brand switching and diminished loyalty.
Conclusion
This exploratory case study has attempted to draw upon the realities and risks of emotional positioning by eliciting
consumers‘ responses. The complexity of the repositioning process due to indecisive repositioning provides a
fascinating ground for study, with the collection and analysis of consumer perceptions adding to the field by bridging
the gap between consumers and management. This will help to understand consumer reception towards brand changes
and helps to uncover the cognitive and affective processes that influence brand success.
References
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