AVON, Get with the Times!
By Kassandra Lopez, Global Strategic Communications graduate student at the University of Florida
I have a clear vision in my head of a brand in serious need of redesign! The name alone gives me gruesome 1980’s flashbacks of chalky foundation and shoddy lipstick, AVON. Rebranding is intended to reestablish the image, and purpose of a company to suit the current era it operates in. “This is especially important if audience perception has taken a serious hit in the past, but can also be a good idea if a long-standing brand is just losing touch with modern values.” (Murray, Jane)
AVON has stayed stagnant, in a world where other beauty companies are ever-changing. With the market introducing new competitors every day, Avon has stayed very true to their mission, to empower women. But they’ve lost sight of how to do so without being boring. Their current social media presence is very safe, which is to say kind of dry and boring. They should move away from cliché imagery and instead focus on posts and design that reflect their values and uniqueness.” (Murray, Jane)
In such an over saturated market as make up, AVON has truly lost out on market share by not trying to be different. Their angle seems to be to stick to tradition when the whole style and movement of makeup is moving towards non-traditional. With their target audience being a bit older, women from 25 to 45. They need to speak to this demographic and their needs. I believe that they can change their identity, by skewing their marketing to emphasize the various uses and approach-ability of their product.
Perhaps their angle can be that they are uncomplicated. “Simple” is more appealing than boring. Women in this age range, are not typically going for the extravagant makeup styles shown on TikTok videos. By this time, they’ve outgrown that style and are looking for more natural and elegant looks. Advertisements can emphasize the clean-cut nature of their product by using clean lines, and the light pink tones that they are known for. This would be a salute to their prior identity, but far less boring.
References
Murray, Jane. “Four Famous Brands That Should Rebrand To Stay Relevant.” DesignCrowd, 12 Mar. 2016, blog.designcrowd.com/article/800/four-famous-brands-that-should-rebrand-to-stay-relevant
