Zenith was a leading television brand known for quality, but its core customers were aging and it was seen as outdated. To attract younger customers, Zenith revamped its branding strategy by developing a new product line targeting younger demographics, updating the "Z" logo to appear more modern, and launching an advertising campaign using lifestyle imagery to promote an image of youth for the brand. The rebranding strategy was well-received by customers and dealers.

1. I. Alex Hrynewycz
1
The objective: to reinvigorate an
American corporate icon in order
to attract a younger level of
customers.
For years Zenith stood for quality and
engineering excellence. Their core
customers were extremely loyal making
Zenith one of the most popular brands
in North America. It is said that 1 in 4
households has a Zenith product in their
home. The brand consistently ranked
number 1 or 2 in television sales
nationally. The average age of a Zenith
customer was a 49 year old male.
However, the industry average in 1997
was approximately 42 years old. And
despite strong market share, Zenith was
quickly being perceived as stodgy and
dated.
Drastic measures were needed to
ensure that the brand stayed at the top
both in perception and sales. In order to
reinvent the brand, internal perceptions
needed to be changed. Every division
and business unit needed to get on
board with these changes. Old thinking
could no longer be the norm. The brand
required an infusion of energy so that
the product offering could stand out
against competition. A new product line
was developed in order to target a
younger demographic, while making
certain that the core customer would
not be disenfranchised. More exciting
designs and features were added to the
line, and a new branding strategy
followed suit.
The Zenith mark was revised to reflect a
more youthful spirit. The “Z” stood on
its own and was on all products and
packaging. Only the most exciting
product design was promoted in order
to present a new Zenith. A public
relations and national print campaign
was the start of the media assault. The
use of lifestyle imagery in the
advertising and collateral material was a
key to putting a face on the new brand.
Dealer and customer acceptance of the
branding change was very well received.
And even though the company and the
brand have gone through drastic
changes in the last few years, the
branding strategy continues today
under new leadership.

2. I. Alex Hrynewycz
2
The objective: to launch a new
brand of high performance
television and home entertainment
systems designed to compete
against the best in the world.
In 1996, Zenith launched the Inteq
brand with the goal of being Zenith’s
premium brand. The line was intended
to be the main launching pad for HDTV.
But, before this could be realized, we
needed to separate Inteq from its
parent brand.
The approach of inventing the brand
began with the basic premise of why
people ‘turn-on’ their TV in the first
place. Research confirmed that upscale
consumers were not looking for an
evening of discussing technical
specifications about their entertainment
purchase, but rather for exceptional
quality in their entertainment
experience.
A new brand system was introduced
that delivered an immersive sensory
experience via an extreme, saturated
and larger-than-life image for the brand.
Identity included a “warped” product
icon that literally stretched perceptions
of normal television, and the word
television was replaced with the name
“Entertainment Machines” to further
emphasize this positioning. The brand
needed to capture mind-share, create
excitement, jump start sales, entice the
press and most of all engage
consumers. It did that at every level.

3. I. Alex Hrynewycz
3
The objective: to promote an
Internet service to a new B to B
and B to C audience using classic
marketing tools and strategies.
Cars.com is an internet Website formed
to supplement the classified automotive
advertising offerings of 130 national and
regional newspapers. The goal of this
site is to provide the public with an
educational resource before purchasing
a new vehicle, while providing auto
dealers qualified sales leads.
The brand identity was already
established when launched with the
service. However, a brand standard
solution was needed as a road map that
would help guide its promotion. New
collateral material and sales training
tools were developed for field use.
A new trade show booth was
constructed for the brand’s debut to the
trade. On and off line promotional tools
and new banner ads were employed
both for cars.com as well as for tagged
affiliate campaigns.

4. I. Alex Hrynewycz
4
The objective: to establish a “house
of brands” strategy for all Digital
Innovations products.
Established in 1995, Chicago based
Digital Innovations, LLC. invents
products that provide practical solutions
to solve significant everyday problems
in the consumer electronics
marketplace. The company rolled out its
first product called the SkipDoctor in
1999. The same product is also sold as
the GameDoctor, DVDDoctor and
DataDoctor. This channel marketing
strategy allowed the company to better
attract a wider customer base while
gaining X placement at retail and
increasing brand exposure. The product
was available in nearly 3000 storefronts
domestically in early 2000. Yet despite
its success and award winning design
and performance, the brand and
packaging design caused many
merchandising managers to dismiss the
product or delay carrying the SKUs. The
entire product line needed a facelift.
The company first tackled
developing a new corporate identity. A
tricolor oval surrounded the corporate
name giving the identity a tighter look
with a font that evoked the future. The
vertical brands were more prominently
positioned on the packaging and a new
packaging structure was used to better
display the product on store shelves.
The result was an immediate jump in
sales and placement. Within a year and
a half of these changes, the Doctor
Series increased its sales and
placement, and today is sold in nearly
29,000 retail locations in the U.S. and
around the world