Visa used the “new need state” the pandemic provided, the cashless society. It used its brand equity to revamp it successfully. It launched an app and did a brand extension to capitalise on the new users and ride the cashless wave.

 

Maybelline foundation of fairness campaign was not hitting the In diverse Indian skin tones causing a shift in their market position. Instead of focusing on the brand itself Maybelline looked at the product and was able to cement its position as a trendsetting brand and grow their awareness and brand equity

 

Visa, on the other hand, launched a fresh campaign that utilised the "new need state" during the pandemic. The pandemic caused a cashless society. It released an app and broadened its brand to capitalise on the new consumers and network working with everyone.. As it was not just about a plastic card but a payment network
 
 

With an increase in cashless transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic, VISA launched a rebranding campaign reminding consumers that it was more than just a source of credit. Rather, VISA is a purpose-driven brand that helps economies thrive by providing a global connection between people, businesses, and products through their digital money network. This brand builder campaign tapped into VISA’s existing 60-year-old brand strengths and applied “fresh consistency” to build brand equity.

Visa took advantage of the ‘new need state’ that COVID-19 provided. As the world moved towards a cashless society Visa took the opportunity to build on the ‘trust’ people have in their existing 60 year old brand and showcase how ‘individuals, businesses and economies’ can thrive through their network. 

Visa saw an opportunity to capitalise on the increasing cashless and online nature of shopping and making financial transactions which have been hastened by the COVID19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, by building on their existing brand and educating consumers about the other options Visa offers beyond credit cards.

Once data insights had been collated and evaluated, Maybelline identified a key opportunity to develop a range of 18 foundations specifically designed for the demographic of the Indian population.

Maybelline also reinvented the brand equity by developing revised strategies focusing on “the foundation of fairness” creating awareness campaigns on key social media platforms with a specific target market in mind. 

Developing a range of foundations to suit the needs of the demographics and communication programs have helped Maybelline capture increased market share of the Indian beauty market.

Visa have embraced experiences learned from the Covid-19 lockdowns where consumers were forced to use online shopping and have encapsulated learnings from consumer behaviour to re-invent their brand strategy.

Through partnership with influencers, emotive language in their campaigns and some innovation to promote trial, they were able to reinvent their brand for Gen Z, with the perception of being innovative.

Visa identified a new need-state post pandemic, ensuring that they were seen as being a powerful brand in a post-cash world.  They leveraged their brand equity through the brand trust that they have developed over many years and introduced some new elements around what Visa means (not just a card).

Over the course of their “Foundations of Fairness” campaign, Maybelline was able to shift their brand equity from 96 to 107, along with significant improvements in brand awareness, trust and product trials in their target category of millennial consumers.

 

The key to their success was rethinking their strategy to place the consumer at the centre and building brand equity around this through product innovation and a well thought out promotional strategy.

 

Product innovation was driven heavily by their new consumer focus and took the form of a youth ethnography study into the market, identifying a gap in the Foundation product category. This was paired with social listening, which found the reason behind this was current products were not meeting the consumer need for product that suited them and recognised their desire to be celebrated for their diversity and individuality.

 

Once they had a solid foundation (pun-intended) for how they wanted to build equity, Maybelline launched an integrated promotional campaign to build a strong relationship with consumers based on creating a strong brand meaning. The campaign leveraged a number of the insights mentioned in the WAR reading including:

 

 

Visas rebrand was based on the need to respond to changing consumer payment behaviours. 

 

This approach largely reflects the WARC insight of new need states emerging from the pandemic driving brand growth. As a result of the pandemic transactions have become increasingly cashless and often remote (largely a result of social distancing and the growth in online purchasing). Visa saw the opportunity to meet the rational need to conduct transactions in a post-COVID world as well as the emotional need to feel confident in their payment system. Visa’s new branding aims to positioning the organisation at the top of mind when people are seeking a safe and trusted payment provider that can fulfill their business needs anywhere in the world.

 

Visas new approach to brand equity also works to mitigate the growing risk of brand dilution in the digital world. Rather than simply highlighting their ability to conduct business efficiently, Visa focuses on what this means to the consumer creating a realistic sense of purpose. The promotion features a diverse set of people, products and partnerships coming together from all over the world, demonstrating the essential role Visa plays in connecting these elements and how the organisation fosters relationships, not just transactions.

Improved brand equity was achieved by product research, research to understand the consumer’s needs (a diverse range of foundation colours) and her consumption, building brand association with youth icon Alia Bhutt (adding meaning and leveraging trust) and a creative campaign that had a balance of freshness and consistency for appeal (young women owning their destiny).  

Maybelline also maintained salience with creative campaigns across numerous digital touchpoints, and instore and in print media.  

Maybelline showed it didn’t take consumers for granted by providing useful information (make-up tutorials) and samples (free) so consumers could consider the products thus developing awareness and interest.