Learn to love the big bad wolf—why change is a brand's best friend
Don't let your old brand hold you back from making big, bold, howl-worthy moves
You might not know that I have a baby who is basically the same age as the pandemic. My son Chell was born two weeks before SF went into lockdown mode.
During this most tumultuous of years, I also:
Moved out of the rent-controlled apartment my husband and I had lived in for eight years
Shut down the DTC business I had founded, because the time was no longer right to launch the brand
Pivoted and started a new company
That’s a lot of change for anyone, in any one year.
Change can be the Big Bad Wolf of words. When it knocks on the door, it sets off immediate alarm bells in our brains.
“Oh no, brain! There’s someone new knocking on the door! It has shaggy hair, and I don’t recognize it!”
“That’s a bad sign, brain! Look at its teeth. This creature is most likely a threat!”
“I agree, brain! This change is highly threatening. Let us retreat to the bunker post-haste.”
But change doesn’t need to be this way.
If you open the door, you’ll often find that the Wolf may be Big—but it isn’t so Bad.
Last week, Authority Magazine interviewed me for their series on Brand Makeovers—a potential Big Bad Wolf for any founder, because a brand makeover is literally all about change.
In the article, we cover a lot of questions, like:
The difference between brand marketing and product marketing
Reasons why a company should rebrand—and reasons why it shouldn’t
Five strategies that you can use to upgrade and re-energize your brand
You can read the full article here in Thrive Global.
And this week, I’m giving you in-depth look at a brand makeover I discuss in the article—where a company successfully pivoted to change everything, including its core product range.
A Big Brand Makeover: Patchology
When I first started working with Patchology, they had built a business making serious (and seriously expensive) anti-aging treatments powered by innovative “patch” technology. They had also recently started making benefit-targeted sheet masks and under-eye patches.
To approach the rebrand, our team at Bartlett Brands dove deep into the market. We interviewed consultants from beauty heavyweights like Sephora and Ulta. We surveyed the competition and the trends. And we talked to potential customers.
When all of our research came together, it showed that that the demand for masks was poised to explode—and this meant majorly changing who Patchology’s customer was.
Because the older woman looking for super-powered wrinkle treatments was not the same person who wanted to throw on a fun sheet mask for her Self Care Sunday.
So, we said goodbye to these soothing spa-brand vibes for the 45+ set, and hello to a bright and fresh brand with a plucky personality that was custom made for early millennials based in in-depth consumer profiles.
And instead of patch technology, we repositioned them (and their existing name) to highlight quick-fix solutions (aka patches) and called it “Beauty at the Speed of You.”
Now, Patchology flies off the shelves in Ulta, Nordstom, Revolve, Free People, and its own site. And the founders (and their new customers) couldn’t be happier with the big change they made to the brand.
The big lesson from Patchology?
Don’t Let Your Old Brand Hold You Back from Making Big Moves
Doing something drastic is always going to feel scary. And some people are always going to caution you against it. But sometimes you need to be bold to do what’s right for your brand, even if it means changing a cherished core principle.
Change may look and sound like a Big Bad Wolf—but it’s worth a howl.