When it comes to branding, marketing, and positioning, we all are fans of “best practices” – companies that have done it right. But there’s a lot to be said for not screwing things up. In other words, the “worst practices” – things marketers have done that have led to brand disasters and debacles.
And the screwups are not hard to recall given the sheer magnitude of the damage they inflicted. And so when we think about the most catastrophic marketing disaster of all time, look no further than the New Coke fiasco in 1985. Even if you weren’t alive back then, chances are you learned about it in school at some point. As epic fails go, it’s in a class by itself.
The reality is that up to that time, Coke tasted just fine to the billions around the globe that loved it. But when they had some down sales months, they felt compelled to veer away from their core formula to 
create “New Coke,” a disastrous product that lasted less than three months.
Oddly enough, they rescued the Coca-Cola brand (and their reputations) by rebranding the original as “Classic Coke,” a band-aid cans and bottles wore the next several years. (BTW that was the “evidence” I needed to reinforce the choice to call my format Classic Rock.)
That lesson from Coke nearly three decades ago has made many marketers queasy about messing with the “original formulas” of their brands. Many espouse the “Hippocratic Oath” of marketing and branding:
“Do no harm.”
But what does a storied brand do to when it’s time to jumpstart sales a bit? Or to guide their product through societal changes that demand “freshening?” Or even undergo a bit of a makeover? You want to do something without violating the core essence of the brand.
Radio stations often suffer from this dilemma. Some have been around 30, 40, 50 or more years, serving their communities and successfully producing results for their parent companies. But the downside is consistency to the point of boredom, or worse – drifting away from people’s attention spans.
The greatest brands fight complacency. And the smartest find a way to apply a new coat of paint, without changing the brand’s integrity. Take McDonald’s for example. Sitting on top of this blog post is their most famous product of all time, the Big Mac.
So, you can imagine my interest in this new story in Inc. by Bill Murphy, Jr.
Murphy tells the serendipitous story of how the Big Mac came to be, the greatest success story in fast food history. And he even channels the “two all beef paddies, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame bun” meme (that probably just became an ear worm for the day – sorry).
Not only is that jingle beyond famous, but the phrase “special sauce” has become synonymous for a brand’s unique selling proposition or superpower. Not bad for a hamburger.
So, the McDonald’s team is treading carefully. The changes to the Big Mac are being called “small but tasty improvements” – in other words, tweaks.
They include “perfectly melted cheese” now on “softer pillowy buns that are freshly toasted to a golden brown.” You get the idea. It’s subtle, even in the mild improvements to the “juicier, caramelized” onions. But the “special sauce” is apparently unchanged. After all, how can you improve on that? Instead the new Big Mac will actually have even more of it.
To be super-safe, the initial rollout is taking place in safe environs other than here in America – Canada, Australia, and Belgium. McDonald’s spin doctors are already saying the early returns are overwhelmingly positive; the not-so-new-really Big Mac has opened to “rave reviews.”
So the lesson – don’t change the formula, make small improvements, open Off-Broadway, and spin the results in your favor.
Another favorite treat from my youth is also facing the same pressure to update the product – without violating its essence:
Bazooka Gum
Like the Big Mac (and Classic Rock), the product is steeped in nostalgia, all the more reason why its marketers cannot lean too far into the “new zone.”
As veteran gum chewers know, this pink substance comes wrapped up in a little comic strip featuring our hero, Bazooka Joe, along with a fortune that could determine how your next week plays out or even your company’s first quarter earnings.
Marketing Dive explains how this 75 year-old product has retained its popularity, while acknowledging that kids have changed. Writer Megan Poinski quotes Bazooka VP of marketing, Rebecca Silberfarg about the gum’s product trajectory:
“What people knew about it…in their childhood…many years ago that was, is still true to the core of the brand. We are a brand that brings, what we call in our company, edible entertainment.”
So, once again, evolution not revolution.
To keep up with Generation Alpha, Bazooka has introduced “graffiti-style graphics” to the wrappers, as well as adding puzzles in place of the comics. (Not sure Bazooka Joe P1s are thrilled about that one.)
And of course, they’re on social media, racking up more than 28,000 “likes” on Facebook with posts like this one:
It turns out the brand has already “walked back” some of the less popular changes they’ve made. Silberfarb reminds all marketers of the core truth:
“It’s kind of keeping true to our consumer and what the product is, but really bringing it along for the ride as times change.”
And of course, that also means not messing with Bazooka’s brand essence. They call it “adult nostalgia.” But licensing and marketing – T-shirts, caps, and other tchotchkes are all part of Bazooka’s plan.
The Facebook post above is a collaboration with four artists who have created illustrations “inspired by the gum,” soon to be auctioned off for Make-A-Wish. You can check out the promotion here.
Having a mascot like Bazooka Joe also provides the brand with flexibility and relatability, too. (And let’s not forget Ronald McDonald.) In that way, the product connects with its original AARP-
aged membership with a little something to keep their grandchildren in the game. It’s multi-generational marketing at its best, and a plus that many radio stations have employed.
For Classic Rock radio and stations that have been around for a loooong time, it’s a reminder that resting on those AM and FM laurels will only get you so far. You have to address the challenging balance of pleasing long-time fans, while bringing new “cume” to the party.
It also suggests that simply fixating on making goal quarter after quarter can erode a brand’s strength. Each of these nostalgia-laced consumer brands are working hard behind the scenes to stay fresh, relevant, and top-of-mind.
What have you done for your brand lately? Even if it’s been around forever, what’s new with the station? What enhancements and improvements have you brought to it this year? How can you make it better, without messing with the formula that got you there?
It’s the process of walking that line – not going so far as New Coke to violate a product’s core essence, but to make concerted efforts to keep up with and change with the times. It’s a process that requires thought, creativity and courage.
We often think about innovation as the birthing of brand new products, services, and concepts. But sometimes, the most innovative work we can do is keeping our existing brands fresh and vibrant. That’s a job in and of itself.
And whatever you do, don’t screw with the “special sauce.”
P.S. While doing research for this post, I ran across a Business Insider story from 2012. It turns out the Topps’ marketing department back then cancelled the Bazooka Joe comic in an effort to modernize the brand. At some point, Joe was obviously resurrected and has been a great brand symbol since. – FJ
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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I’ve often wondered if a current based station that has been at it for 40 years could take an HD2 channel (with an adjacent translator) and find success with programming the era where they had huge success. Star 98.3 is still the place where you find today’s best gypsy dance music. Then there is Star 98 Classic that plays all the GDM hits from the 80s. Voice tracked with some of the geezer talent that were on the air at that time. Yes, I said geezer, I’m in that demo. Add in the service elements that the classic demo grew up with, weather, PSAs, Could it take a bite out of the competing station that’s trying to play the 80s to today by having a more hyper focused format?
I think that’s what SiriusXM has done/tried to do with the old “60s on 6” channel, Cousin Brucie, etc. Not sure if they considered it a success.
It’s not a perfect analogue, but a few years ago, Prisa in Spain took its existing Classic Hits format (M80) and relaunched it as Los40 Classic–specifically playing up ties with the main Los40 (heritage CHR/Hot AC). Since then, it looks like the ratings have increased significantly–although increased coverage (i.e., on more signals) is likely also a factor. However, since Prisa also owns “generalist” (largely News/Talk) Cadena SER, there are probably not much in the way of service elements. (A very similar M80 still exists in Portugal.)
https://los40.com/seccion/los40classic
I’ve been traveling a bit lately and hearing some really old, tired, “big voice” imaging that simply sounds out of place in today’s world. If relatability is the aim, a lot of it misses the mark. Maybe programmers should think about few space lasers and add more human-sounding elements, especially as AI threatens the human world.
Sometimes that “new coat of paint” can be a new production package/approach.
Love that “Secret Sauce!” It’s how all the ingredients sound together.
Evolve — or accept the inevitable irrelevance headed your way.
Chris, of that there is no doubt.