The new from old: a strategy to overcome consumer inertia

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I share an original framework to help construct inertia-busting strategies.

This 2X2 framework has two axes.

The Old-New Axis: Even if we are not as obsessive-compulsive about our cup of tea as Leonard’s mom is, we are creatures of habit. That’s why, unless given an offer we can’t refuse, we tend to stay with the brands we buy.

That’s how most old brands fall into an automatic buying loop, which they mistakenly read as loyalty. They need to induce active choice for their brand over passive acceptance.

New brands have an equally tough task. They must shake consumers out of their lazy inertia to try something new.

The Build-Borrow Axis: Our energy-efficient brain latches onto anything familiar, like leeches drawn to blood.

But it also gets excited when it spots something new. Old and new brands can leverage this by smartly blending the new and the old.

Today, we look at strategy No.3 - The New from Old Reimagined - how new behaviours can be bolted onto old ones.

The New from Old: Yorkshire tea, Coke+Popcorn

Yorkshire tea reinvented the choice of tea by connecting it to ‘British Propriety’: Changing our tea habit is probably the toughest challenge for a new brand.

Yorkshire tea was the third brand behind Tetley and PG Tips in the UK. A product superiority claim would not have worked because we cannot rationally describe how one cup of tea is superior to another.

So Yorkshire decided to appeal to the oldest part of the consumer, their lizard brain. Yorkshire’s already had a very ‘British’ product promise, “we do things proper” (they made their tea ‘the proper way’ by sourcing only the best tea leaves from Kenya).

They extended this product promise to an emotional promise that appealed to the population’s sense of local pride.

With typical British humor, their advertising featured Yorkshire’s celebrities performing jobs around the factory and office. This emotional message did not just invite a chuckle, it also broke the habit loop and made Yorkshire the No.2 brand.

Coca-Cola and popcorn: We can’t imagine watching a movie without popcorn. And we can’t imagine popcorn without a chilled glass of Coke to wash it down with. Coca-Cola has mastered the art of connecting Coke with existing habits. Think of this next time you order a combo meal -- Coke with Biryani, Coke with Burger, Coke with Fried Chicken.

And that’s how connecting the new to the old breaks inertia and embeds new brand habits deeper.

Thanks for reading and I will discuss the final strategy next week!

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