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December 19, 2005
Changing Your Brand with the Times: Ask Jeeves Takes a Page From The Donald and Tells Butler, “You're Fired!"
The genteel and chubby butler that has been the face, image and brand of search engine giant Ask Jeeves, has been ousted.
Why? Company research indicated that users associated the butler with earlier versions of the Ask Jeeves search engine technology, which was strictly designed to field inquiries in the form of direct questions. As the company moves to upgrade its search engine and become more competitive with Google and Yahoo!, turns out there's little room for reflection on the past.
“This research shows that continued use of the character as the prominent symbol of the brand may inhibit people from recognizing that our search engine has changed,” the company said in a statement. Again, proof that an understanding of your customers - and their perceptions - is critical to positioning and brand. And just as importantly, a shining example of the organizational "will" required to act on that information.
Thank you to Christine Hollinden, Owner and Principal of Hollinden Marketing for co-authoring this entry. You can contact Christine at christine@hollinden.com
Posted by MCorp. at 19.12.2005 20:22 | Permalink