Dominique Touchaud and Vidya Murthy, both Associate
Brand Directors from Procter & Gamble, gave a fascinating talk at ADFEST
2018 in which they asked: Is it possible to ‘disrupt’
a brand without destroying its core beliefs?
Reporter Kyle Towb caught up with Touchaud
and Murthy earlier this year to discuss the dangers of “disruption”.
Is it possible to transform a band without destroying its legacy?
Dominique: ‘Disruption’ has
been a buzzword in the industry lately. What we're advocating is that you can
revolutionize a brand – but there is a core that must remain constant. Disruption does
not happen through complete chaos. It can be a very organized process. Oftentimes in
the industry, building a brand is very focused on the short-term, but we
strongly believe that if you build a brand for the long-term it will be
good for a brand over time. We see a lot of brands coming, being very popular for a few years,
and then disappearing. The P&G model is that we believe that our brands serve a longer
purpose and are here to stay.
What’s the greatest challenge when transforming historic brands?
Vidya: I think it's about discovering the DNA of the
brand versus the flesh and bones. Oftentimes we get caught up in what consumers want and modify the
DNA, along with the skin and bones. In turn, you throw away what is essentially core to your brand.
Are there times when falling back on an older brand’s original strategy could be successful?
Dominique: We ask all our
marketers when they start working on a brand to become brand historians. Nobody creates a
brand to just sell stuff. Very often, there is a personal reason behind why they like the
brand. This is more important than the app or product they're going to
create tomorrow.
At what point do you feel that transforming a brand, with such a legacy, becomes necessary?
Vidya: Often, it's business results that compel you
to do it. At the end of the day, we're here with the mission of improving
people’s lives but we're also selling a brand, a product, or a service. Many times the
changes are kick-started by stagnant or poor results. The smart ones
can recognize it's coming, see the lead indicators, and begin planning for the
changes they want to see.
Are there any particular brands you would like to see transform?
Dominique: I think it would be very arrogant to say a brand should transform. Without being in the core of the machine, it's hard to determine whether or not the business is ready for transformation.
Vidya: But we should take our responsibility as
guardians of the brand very seriously. The question we should always ask ourselves is: ‘Is the work
that we're doing truly improving consumers’ lives? How is it generally making a
difference?’ Our products should help consumers in some way, or the brand
should represent an ideology, which encourages or achieves that goal.
- Story by Kyle Towb. Dominique Touchaud and Vidya Murthy’s talk was called ‘Breaking Bad: How to transform a brand without destroying its legacy’.
