Same product, different category

Giving a product or service delivered by a person or company a classier sounding name can make all the difference in the world. Thus, we have gardeners turning themselves into landscape artists, dressmakers becoming fashion stylists, and watch repair men being reborn as restorers of antique or vintage timepieces.

For bigger players, we have seen some old hotels tweaking their names in order to become resorts and spas. All they did was to add a section offering massages with steam and/or sauna bath services, and voila! They have become “world-class spas.” Perhaps some room carpets were changed and the exterior given a fresh coat of paint, but the old hotel remains otherwise the same as it was prior to the name change.

The new designation gives the impression that they are head and shoulders over the rest of the pack, which they may or may not be in truth. Placing one’s self a notch higher than others in the same industry is not so much a public relations ploy as it is a reinforcement of a desired public identity. But having a new identity should only be the start. In the case of online stores, the expertise should be developed to justify the new image.

Online stores which are in the doldrums because of too many competitors in the same line of business may try out this tactic.  To many, this is known as rebranding. Creating an identity different from what you have now to target a specific market or simply to expand your reach. It can start with a few simple steps.

First, define what your current target market is and what they are looking for in a brand. They, do a self-assessment of your brand if this is the only market you want to reach. If so, are they getting what they need from your brand? If not, what else is out there for you to explore? Knowing exactly what you can and cannot deliver and how your market will respond to it is a good first step. Rebranding may also entail changing your logo, expanding your product line/service line. The scope and limitations of how far you want to push your new image to your public will be entirely up to you.

With the conversion, the brand will fall under different categories, and with luck they will have better exposure with the various search engines.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites