The Brand Man Speaks

Crest Pro-Health Mouth Wash brand under fire for causing discoloration of teeth

Crest, the leading overall mouth hygiene brand for many decades and the brand consumers aligned most with dentists, is facing a surprising battle over side-effects from using its relatively new Pro-Health product line.

In the highly competitive business of oral hygiene brands like Crest found they couldn't rest on the laurels of its brand history as other brands upped the ante in the category. In the mouthwash or "oral rinse" segment, Listerine pulled away from the pack including the Scope brand with the introduction of its revolutionary teeth whitening product.

Crest introduced a complete line of more expensive and efficacious products under the "Pro Health" sub-brand attempting to solidify its perceived tie to dentist's recommendations. Most notable was the mouthwash entry with its "alcohol-free" benefit which appealed to broad audiences especially mom's worried about kids "drinking" alcohol based alternative mouthwash brands.

Recently, consumer concerns about the "Pro-Health" brand surfaced all over the internet accusing Proctor & Gamble of not being forthcoming with the product's side effects. Notably, teeth discoloration (they apparently turn brownish) and taste altering issues (users lost taste sensation after using the product). The discoloration of teeth is the most damaging issue primarily because Americans have become obsessed with teeth whitening to the point where some folks older than 65 whose teeth should show normal wear and tear and discoloration now sport teeth whiter than young children's new teeth and on-par with Hollywood celebrities. (Is it just me who thinks some smiles now are just "too white" akin to overdone plastic surgery?)

Abercrombie name on proposed children's hospital denounced by advocacy group

Abercrombie and Fitch the teen and young adult apparel company known for risque advertising promoting alluring sexually charged images is coming under fire for arranging for its brand name to become the official name of a children's emergency room at the Nationwide Insurance Columbus, Ohio hospital.

CNN   reports the story online today.

A children's advocacy group, the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood, has sent a petition to the hospital supported by many of its doctors to reject the re-naming effort given Abercrombie's brand orientation towards young people.

"Given this company's appalling history of targeting children with sexualized marketing and clothing, no public health institution should be advertising Abercrombie & Fitch," the letter from the advocacy group states.

The group is not asking the hospital to return the multi-million dollar gift, just not to use the Abercrombie name in a very public way.

The group's request is not an unreasonable one given the brand's very deliberate provocative marketing stance. This is also not the first time A&F has come under fire for its brand image which has helped it become one of the most desirable apparel brands among the under 25 set. The brand also not surprisingly has a strong appeal among middle aged men as well trying to look young and virile.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

A new twist on "gift cards": Prepaid medical and health related fees-by Eli

One of the first interesting holiday "gift" items that has crossed my desk is the creation of gift cards that are only good for medical, insurance and other health related fees and purchases. Give the gift of health this year you might hear being promoted with this idea--instead of that lousy unhealthy fruit cake.

Pittsburgh health insurer Highmark Inc. is selling healthcare Visa gift cards in amounts from $25 to $5000 if you are having difficulty figuring out what to buy the person who has everything or even nothing. These cards can only be used at providers or merchants that Visa identifies as "health related". This can include serious medical services as well as designer prescription sunglasses and gym memberships.

You can only buy these "gift" cards online or through a toll-free number for Highmark. The feeling is that with strong consumer interest in gift cards the past several holiday shopping seasons this concept was a new and practical one.

Highmark says it will sell "several hundred thousand" cards mostly in denominations between $75 and $100. The cards will initially be available in Pennsylvania and go nationwide next year.

A true niche product from Visa, "everywhere you want to be".

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

Golds Gym Venice will be reborn and the brand retained-by Eli

This post has been updated 10/08/08 in response to many inquiries from blog readers. See end.

Golds Gym in Venice, CA the Mecca of Bodybuilding and home to some of the most serious fitness training in the country recently appeared to have been defaced and brand essence destroyed...its core reason for being...with the painting over of all the wall murals chronicling the gym's history and removal of all the photos of bodybuilding greats including Arnold. They were erasing everything that Joe Gold built.

In its place, they were painting the entire four warehouse space an awful yellowish color and beginning to promote "fun family fitness"...and throw out the keys to the Gold's Gym brand.

Good News!

Maybe because of pressure from members and pro athletes alike the folks at Golds Gym's corporate headquarters in Texas have acknowledged they are sprucing up the place but will paint new murals, replace the photos and even build a small shrine to Joe Gold, now deceased, honoring his vision. Somebody got the message that this was a very strong brand with huge equity and should not be destroyed...especially not the landmark location in Venice that helps drive the brand identity of the entire 600 unit chain.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

UPDATE: As a result of many inquiries to this post and updated information about Golds Gym's corporate activity, the following new information is being provided.

1) Arnold's photos and likeness were taken down and NOT replaced at Golds Venice because the Governator wanted royalty fees to keep his pictures up. He apparently attempted unsuccessfully to negotiate with the relatively new owners of Golds who have been trying to leverage the Golds Venice brand halo to all of their other locations...also unsuccessfully.

2) The main mural that graced the middle room was also NOT replaced despite assurances it would be. The family of the mural painter also wanted royalty fees from Golds' new owners and when they were refused they got a court order to have the mural removed. An incredible bit of 60's bodybuilding history was destroyed forever. The Golds Venice "brand" will never be the same.

Bottom line; when I wrote this follow-up blog post I had been given assurances by Golds' management that they would restore the Venice facility and its image. They did nothing of the kind. They even alienated the top fitness equipment manufacturers by insisting that the workout equipment the Venice operation was historically given "free" because of its "mecca" brand status be extended to all of their locations US-wide. Of course that failed and the manufacturers all stopped giving the Venice location free equipment. The result is lots of broken out-of-date equipment throughout the gym and no new equipment at all. Golds' owners did more harm than good to their most celebrated location out of greed...surprised? You shouldn't be.

Even the Elvis Presley brand has its weaknesses-by Eli

Elvis Presley (the brand and) the "King" of rock n roll has made more money in death than in life, something that has become a truism for many celebrities after they pass on.

The Elvis brand and nearly everything about him has become a powerful draw for those who worship the King to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. People line of up for hours to get into see Graceland his museum mansion in Memphis, TN. Impersonating Elvis is part of the American culture and always a big feature in Las Vegas.

So, is it surprising when the fund-raising arm of the Regional Medical Center in Memphis developed a vanity license plate using Elvis with his guitar (for free-no charge from Elvis' estate) that virtually no one has signed up to buy one?

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal's Health Blog  to which I contributed, yes and no.

Yes, surprising because mostly everything "Elvis" sells.

No, not surprising because we tend to worship and buy those things a bit out of our reach, not those things in our backyards.

Elvis and his home draws millions of people from all over the globe, many of whom sleep for hours on the front lawn of Graceland to be the first into the mansion on a given day. They spend a fortune on memorabilia and sundries. They are mostly NOT locals.

Visiting Memphis to see the "King" is like a trip to Mecca for many, but locals in Memphis treat Elvis with a yawn. Thus, fewer than the needed 1,000 license plates to launch the program have been sold and the Elvis memorial plate fund-raising project for the local hospital isn't going to become a reality.

If the hospital could sell those plates to NON residents of Tennessee they probably would make a bundle.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

Boots miracle anti-aging serum IS IN THE US-by Eli

Received an update on the super "hot" anti-aging brand Boots no. 7 Protect and Perfect serum. It is available under a different name here in the US...Restore and Renew...at CVS and Target. Here's an excerpt from the company's email to The Brand Man Speaks:

"Just to say that No 7, and this product, is available in the US, and has been for a little while. A number of Boots brands are stocked in Target and CVS, and on their website, and Protect & Perfect is on there, under the name Restore and Renew."
                                    - Helen Tarver, Brand Development, Boots UK.

Thanks Boots for your response.

One concern expressed to Ms. Tarver: US consumers will likely want to source and buy the "original" brand, Protect and Perfect and might be wary of buying the Restore and Renew brand given it does have some (minor) ingredient differences due to FDA rules. The name difference is also due to some US Government related issues....Ms. Tarver assures The Brand Man that the product in the US is as good as the UK version.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

Fake Colgate Toothpaste brands with poison found in several US states-By Eli

A report was released yesterday by Colgate-Palmolive, one of the world's largest producers of toothpaste products, that fake versions of their brands with a previously identified poisonous ingredient have surfaced in the US.

The ingredient diethylene glycol (an anti-freeze component) has been sourced to China in previous investigations. Colgate has insisted that it does not produce any toothpaste in China nor do they use any ingredients from that country.

The suspect brands indicate they are made in South Africa and have misspellings on the label. The fake products have been found in undisclosed discount stores in New York, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

It is a scary time when major consumer product companies are not in control of their brands within the US. Despite insistence at the first announcement of the toothpaste poison issue that all Colgate brands were safe and unaffected, Colgate has learned the hard way that such pronouncements may not be true or defensible.

The investigation continues and I will report more details as they become available.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

Are these Boots made for walking?-by Eli

Boots no. 7 a previously under performing line of anti-aging products has become "the" most desired hope-in-a-bottle for the fountain of youth product of the moment.

The product line, specifically its "Protect & Perfect" serum brand has become the hottest item to buy in London. So much so that one has to get a ticket to get in line to buy one bottle of the now deemed "miracle" fluid.

How did this brand go from nothing to something so fast, and will it hit the shores of the US soon?

A BBC report on the product which highlighted a noted university and dermatologist asserting that the product actually worked to reduce aging sent product sales in to overdrive...up 2,000%....in just days after the news hit.

The brand sells for $30 a bottle and is virtually out of stock daily at the company's own store in trendy Sloane Square.

Some dermatologists play down the miracle report...which is to be expected...but will the fever hit the US shores and if so soon?

The answer is yes, but no date has been set. For now Americans searching for the next "it" brand will have to visit London to get "it".

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

Another legendary brand destroyed: Golds Gym Venice-the mecca of bodybuilding-"whitewashed" away-by Eli

Today, another great American brand has been destroyed. Golds Gym.

The chain's legendary landmark facility in Venice, California that has for several decades attracted the best athletes in the world and those aspiring to be of that caliber has been "transformed".

The Golds Gym brand was known as the "Mecca of Bodybuilding" and this Brand Essence...the ultimate place to train...(serious fitness mind you, not family fun for obese middle America)..has been defaced and disgraced.

Corporate folks (who obviously know little or maybe nothing about marketing and branding specifically) decided that the Venice location needed to get a makeover and in doing so erased decades of murals and posters across three large warehouse sized rooms that captured the spirit and stories of bodybuilding and serious fitness history..including the likes of Arnold himself...in mere minutes today.

Although most fitness facilities are indistinguishable these days except for luxury appointments, few have been able to successfully mix serious fitness and hard core bodybuilding with self-improvement health training for average "joe's" as Golds Venice. The "vibe" of the facility brought top athletes and average guys like me from all over the globe to train with and/or watch and learn from some of the most talented and experienced personal trainers in the United States...maybe the world.

Great brands do not get built overnight. They take years of dedication, consistency, trust and relevant differentiation. And, we are a country of mostly mediocre brands, not great ones.

With the "changes" at Golds Venice the  brand's "halo" effect from that prime location that helped build the company into one of the country's most successful fitness chains is gone. Joe Gold who created Golds Gym ...and who died recently...is likely rolling over in his grave..disgusted with what the (likely overweight out of shape) corporate types in Irving, Texas did with his institution. Great brands survive and prosper when they evolve with the times and are nurtured, not when they are radically changed in 20 minutes. (Despite the fact that Joe Gold sold  the business including the Venice facility in the 70s, various owners of the chain post Joe Gold had smartly maintained the Venice location's mystique until now understanding the value of Joe's legacy).

The Golds Gym brand is dead. Welcome Golds Family Health Club...yuck....

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

WalMart to expand health clinics in stores-by Eli

In a strong brand enhancement move, WalMart has announced that it will expand its in-store medical clinics program from its current 76 locations in 12 states to over 2000 in the next five years.

WalMart is ideally suited for this kind of program. It attracts a lower income customer base, many of whom have little or no medical insurance and at times avoid pursuit of proper health care for cost reasons. Having these clinics within the stores this target group frequently shops is a very smart idea and strengthens the WalMart brand image with this audience.

Good move, WalMart.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli