5th Aug 2019

How Businesses Are Using Technology to Rebrand

The rapid advancements in technology have dramatically changed how businesses’ market and how buyers consume. Keeping up with these advancements can be difficult for all businesses, big or small. But when a business is capable of harnessing the power of these various technologies it can become an amazing tool that generates interest in a refreshing way. So, the next time you decide to refresh your brand, consider how you can use technology to rebrand.

Here are our favourite way’s businesses have used technology to rebrand:

Domino’s

Up until 2010, Domino’s Pizza sales and stock were stagnating, sitting at $8.76 per share. But now, Domino’s has become one of the largest pizza chains in the world with a single share valued at $276.36. Much of their success is due to their massive rebrand and their innovative use of technology to improve the customer experience.

This was largely due to a re-focusing of Domino’s priorities. Domino’s is not primarily a pizza company; they are a pizza delivery company. As such, Domino’s pizza enhanced its delivery system and customer experience. If you’ve ever ordered from Domino’s pizza through the app or the website, then you’d be familiar with how easy and intuitive the interface is. Plus, they have the pizza tracker, that lets you track your whole order from creation to delivery. Lastly, Domino’s allows you to order from various social media and messenger apps. Domino’s is a great example of effectively using technology that consumers are already using and meeting them there.

Uniqlo

Uniqlo, a company known for their minimalist clothing and lifestyle aesthetic proudly states that they “are not a fashion company, it’s a technology company”. And this is undeniably clear in their marketing. Their technology embedded clothing: “Heatteach”, “Blocktech”, “Ultra-Light”, “AIRism” and more, has been in the forefront of their messaging and this focus on tech is present in all their products as well. The language and images they use in their marketing are more akin to that of cellphone and laptop ads less so than other clothing ads.

By doing this, Uniqlo places their clothing as not only fashionably but cutting edge and usable in the real world at the same time.

Pepsi

Augmented and Virtual Reality is not the future, its available now. During 2014, Pepsi ran an ad during the World Cup where it allowed consumers to use their phones to play a football game with their favourite players by using augmented reality on their phones. It saw 60, 000 hours of engagement with around 3.5 million playing the game with the interactive cans.

Pepsi’s “Unbelievable” campaign turned the impossible, into reality with the use of augmented reality. At a bus shelter, Pepsi cast a mirror image of the street using a digital screen and used augmented reality to display fantastical events occurring on the street the audience is on. This included robot attacks, meteor showers and alien invasions. Enough to surely grab the attention of local commuters.

L’Oreal

BeautyTech, the new trending term taking over the beauty industry. Data, AI, VR, AR are opening new opportunities for cosmetic brands for personalization and customization. L’Oreal has acquired several small start-up tech companies to improve their technologies and show the world that the future of beauty is with them. In addition, they plan to invest in 5 more beauty tech startups to further boost their technological capabilities.

Virtual makeup is the future and L’Oreal is right at the forefront. Their “Virtual Try-On” technology lets users try-on different looks with augmented reality. They can change their hair colour, eye makeup, blush and lip colour all on the app for free. With this, customers get to experience and purchase their products with little remorse and the confidence that their product is the best suited for them.

Nespresso

Despite the trend of digital stores and vacating the traditional brick and mortar stores, Nespresso has seen a huge resurgence propelled by their physical stores. Nespresso has positioned themselves as masters at experiential marketing. Their Nespresso boutique stores rival that of Tesla’s and Apple’s. These boutiques let customers touch, taste and fully experience the luxury products.

By doing this, Nespresso positions themselves as lifestyles products, like Apple and Tesla products. They are not household appliances. Their coffees are different, their machines are different. And Nespresso showcases the nuances in their product so beautifully with their stores. How is this an example of using technology being used to propel a brand? Well, a good old-fashioned brick and mortar store is an old technology used innovatively and successfully. The old adage is that you don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle. But you can’t smell the aroma of fresh ground coffee online. Firstly, they are looking at their product first and analyzing what makes it different. Then they are choosing the technology that will help emphasize that.

 

Could your business benefit by using technology to rebrand? Get in touch with our branding team today to discuss your options!