''Touching lives, Improving People'' Has P&G missed the mark?

Global mega manufacturer Proctor and Gamble (P&G) has decided to puff its chest out in an effort to boost brand awareness of its product range by putting its name in the spotlight. The accompanying tagline “Touching lives, improving people” has been selected as part of the Australian debut.

In technical terms P&G are moving from a 'branded strategy' to an 'endorsed' model.

The theory behind this is 'strength in numbers'. The upside is being able to quickly share their sum total of brand equity across their entire range of products. Customers can see how the products are linked, giving lesser brands a quick fix of credibility.

The cautionary aspect is that you instantly create a house of cards, where one slip (problems and negative PR from a single product or service) can create a consumer backlash affecting all products, resulting in profit loss.

My only criticism of the strategy shift is the tagline ''Touching lives, Improving people'.

It's a tad clinical, especially as it's written in plural form. From the boardroom looking out it makes perfect sense as collectively that is what they aspire to do as a manufacturer.

But if you're moving from a branded strategy whereby the parent company has been largely invisible to shoppers, the biggest hurdle to cross as a multinational is creating a relevant connection with people. Apple have managed to sustain this for a number of years.

It will be interesting to see if it adds long term value.

© Hamish Chadwick 2011. All Rights Reserved.
hamish@imagesubstation.com