Simple solutions

We find ‘just the thing’ for every brand. Naturally such solutions don’t just materialise out of thin air, but no matter how difficult finding them may be, it is amazing how simple the solutions often are to the most complex problems.

• The Cliff Richard strategy:
  Revitalise the essence
  During the 1980s, Cliff Richard – the king of the sweet song – was down on his luck. The Cliff brand was out of touch in an era when punk and hardrock set the tone and masculine brands like Boss, Marlboro, Lubbers and Thatcher enjoyed incredible street cred.
  Cliff wasn’t about to ‘re-position’ his brand with a new repertoire, leather suit or expensive consultants. All he did was record his sweetest song with the roughest group in town: The Young Ones.
  Cliff sought out the enemy and remained himself down to the bone to prove that he was completely in synch with the times. He revitalised his soul, and the song Livin’ Doll with The Young Ones became an international hit.

• The Swiebertje strategy:
  The dual marketing of Joop Doderer
  Joop Doderer, a Dutch actor, successfully played Swiebertje, an infantile tramp, for 20 years in the television series of the same name. He did that so brilliantly and for so long that no-one could imagine him in any other role. Things even went so far that when he played the role of Dr. Doolittle on stage, the audience started to clap their hands and sing the series' tune, ‘Here comes Swiebertje…’
  Seeing that he was trapped inside his own brand, Joop Doderer surprised everyone by seeking out foreign pastures. Joop opened a second channel and split his identity. He remained Swiebertje, but in the new context he was a brilliant actor in films such as The Human Factor and The Moorish King of Granada.