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In 2015 the Koo brand celebrated its 75 birthday. And, like some 75-year-olds, it opted for a makeover – in this case, a brand relaunch.
Brand manager Natalie Roberts tells the story of how a number of Western Cape farming families came together and formed a co-operative, or “ko-operasie”, which may be where the Koo name came from. “Realising they were selling a seasonal product (fruit), they looked at how they could sell it all year round while also uplifting the community.”
Their thinking was innovative and entrepreneurial and this still characterises the brand, she adds. “As a branding team we examined the foundations of the brand to reposition it for growth.”
The world is in the midst of a massive economic downturn. “We recognised this and that these are tough times for consumers. Therefore, it was very important that the product itself remained the same with the same consistent quality and taste consumers have come to expect of it.”
As part of the brand campaign Koo launched its “Koo Community Cook-Off” television commercial (TVC), which Millward Brown ranked as the number two TVC in the second quarter last year.
“We are always wary of disrupting such a well-known brand,” says Rita Doherty, chief strategic officer at FCB Joburg, Koo’s agency for over a decade. However, she says it was felt that the brand had been trading on its equity for a while and needed to be reinvigorated.
She adds: “At the same time Koo fielded a new and young brand team and they were – and still are – on fire.”
The result is a TV commercial that is told with humour and playfulness. “We liked the idea of Koo being a secret weapon, while the product could come across as fresh and natural. The story is not told in the conventional manner but in Mission Impossible style. The result is a heartfelt TVC with some humour that South Africans love,” she says.
Besides working on the story of the brand, they also evolved the pay-off line. “Everyone remembers the line ‘The best you can do’. We liked the sound, but not the meaning, so we decided to evolve the line, but not lose the equity around the ‘best’. The result is the pay-off line ‘Only the best will do’.”
The big take-out: It is dangerous to disrupt a well-known brand but it can be done, and often it is necessary.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Refreshing a well-known brand
In 2015 the Koo brand celebrated its 75 birthday. And, like some 75-year-olds, it opted for a makeover – in this case, a brand relaunch.
Brand manager Natalie Roberts tells the story of how a number of Western Cape farming families came together and formed a co-operative, or “ko-operasie”, which may be where the Koo name came from. “Realising they were selling a seasonal product (fruit), they looked at how they could sell it all year round while also uplifting the community.”
Their thinking was innovative and entrepreneurial and this still characterises the brand, she adds. “As a branding team we examined the foundations of the brand to reposition it for growth.”
The world is in the midst of a massive economic downturn. “We recognised this and that these are tough times for consumers. Therefore, it was very important that the product itself remained the same with the same consistent quality and taste consumers have come to expect of it.”
As part of the brand campaign Koo launched its “Koo Community Cook-Off” television commercial (TVC), which Millward Brown ranked as the number two TVC in the second quarter last year.
“We are always wary of disrupting such a well-known brand,” says Rita Doherty, chief strategic officer at FCB Joburg, Koo’s agency for over a decade. However, she says it was felt that the brand had been trading on its equity for a while and needed to be reinvigorated.
She adds: “At the same time Koo fielded a new and young brand team and they were – and still are – on fire.”
The result is a TV commercial that is told with humour and playfulness. “We liked the idea of Koo being a secret weapon, while the product could come across as fresh and natural. The story is not told in the conventional manner but in Mission Impossible style. The result is a heartfelt TVC with some humour that South Africans love,” she says.
Besides working on the story of the brand, they also evolved the pay-off line. “Everyone remembers the line ‘The best you can do’. We liked the sound, but not the meaning, so we decided to evolve the line, but not lose the equity around the ‘best’. The result is the pay-off line ‘Only the best will do’.”
The big take-out: It is dangerous to disrupt a well-known brand but it can be done, and often it is necessary.
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Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.