Repositioning of Hobnobs - Essay Example

The initial position of Hobnobs, classified as every day biscuits, was to take advantage of their wholesomeness and home-baked taste. To this end, the marketing approach by McVitie’s was to target a market of people over 35 years of age, in equal measures of both male and female. This group was believed to have the capacity to meet the expense of the choice of branded and luxury biscuits. Consumers perceived Hobnobs as an interesting and lively brand that had a distinct image. Based on this information, McVitie saw the need to capitalize on the brand’s strength, hence the reason for the repositioning. Although McVitie’s had a flourishing and loyal customer base in the over-35 group, research indicated that there were more considerable opportunities in marketing Hobnobs to a younger and wider audience (McVitie’s, 1). The market research found that Hobnobs commanded the highest segment of consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 years, and most of them were male. It also revealed that Hobnobs did not rely on McVitie’s brand endorsement to sell, rather, with its high awareness, it could sell as a standalone product. With this information, McVitie’s focused on repositioning the brand’s marketing to the new age group without abandoning the original market.

The new repositioning strategy for Hobnobs was to target young adults with a range of sociable, fun, and humorous brand advertisements relevant and appropriate to their lifestyle (McVitie’s, 1). The marketing had to reflect the enjoyment of life while on the move. However, targeting this group posed a marketing challenge because their lives were not static. The group is made up of young professionals, students, young couples, or single persons. The research also found that this group is synonymous with radio, satellite television, and cinema (McVitie’s, 1). They are also likely to be found at student unions and sporting events. This solved the problem of how and where to place the advertisements. Therefore, the correct delivery of content and using the right media were critical in effectively reaching the target group (Kotler & Keller, 30). The repositioning strategy also included radio support, on-pack incentives and promotions, and a new design for the pack. They also expanded their distribution outlets through grocers and supermarkets. The target group responded exceptionally well to the promotional activities.

My opinion on the move by McVitie’s to reposition Hobnobs is that it served its purpose and worked well. Hobnob’s sales among young adults went up, and the original, older generation of the market was still retained. McVitie’s made the right decision to take advantage of the market strength of Hobnobs and conduct research to establish who their strongest consumers were. That is one of the core purposes repositioning serves; to improve the performance of an existing brand (Trout & Rivkin, 19). McVitie repositioned Hobnobs symbolically to enhance its self-image, belongingness, ego identification, and social meaningfulness. These four aspects managed to appeal to the target group while still holding on to the earlier market and propelling sales.

In conclusion, there is more to repositioning a brand than the marketing challenges involved. It entails making difficult and risky decisions on market shifts and how the competition will react (Kotler & Keller, 38). McVitie repositioned Hobnobs with the full awareness that the competition may flourish in the market of persons of 35 years and above that they were shifting from. However, they captured the new market and kept the old one as well. That, in my opinion, was a successful move.