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May 18, 2008

Fill it to the rim . . . with caffeinated Brim?

Here is a great article in the New York Times about branding, reviving dead brands (think Volkswagen Beetle), and consumer memory. Here they're talking about Brim Coffee:


This brings us to Earle’s ideas about the potential upside of faulty consumer memory. Maybe, for instance, you’re among those who remember Brim. But do you also remember that it was a decaf-only brand? That’s actually why you could “fill it to the rim.” River West’s research found that many who recall the Brim brand have forgotten the decaf detail.

. . .

Earle says that this imperfection of memory can be used to enhance whatever new Brim he comes up with. This is “a benefit of dormancy,” he says. The brand equity has value on its own, but it can be grafted onto something newer and, perhaps, more innovative. “Consumers remember the kind of high-level essence of the brand,” he says. “They tend to forget the product specifics.” This, he figures, creates an opening: it gives the reintroduced version “permission” to forget that decaf-only limitation as well and morph into a full line of coffee varieties. “ ‘Fill it to the rim with Brim’ stands for full-flavored coffee,” Earle says, with a chuckle. “Fill it to the rim — it’s great stuff!”

I remember the "Fill it to the Rim with Brim" campaign, but I'd forgotten the decaf angle. Interesting! It's a fascinating article.

Posted by CrankyProfessor at May 18, 2008 7:53 AM

Comments

This is why people tell me I have a strange and impressive memory -- strange for *what* I remember, impressive for how *much* I remember -- because I not only remember the decaf angle, I remember the set-up dialogue and action. Here's one:

Woman at brunch party or something like that, places hand over cup of coffee after hostess has filled it half way.

Hostess: Only half a cup?
Guest (shaking head sadly): My doctor says caffeine makes me nervous [note: or edgy or jumpy -- there were different variations for different genders and ages].
Hostess: Oh, but this is Brim -- it's decaffeinated!
Guest: Then fill it to the rim...
Hostess: ...with Brim!

Or something like that.

God, imagine if my brain did a massive date-dump of 70s and 80s pop culture and gave me room for, I dunno, my *work*!

.....Impressive! Scary! The brain dump valve will win someone a Nobel someday. --MCT

Posted by: Dr. Virago at May 19, 2008 6:03 PM

For those future Nobel prize winners: that was supposed to say "data-dump." Though I could dump some dates, too -- e.g., all the Beatles' birthdays, ex-boyfriends' birthdays, etc.


.....OK, that's even creepier. Numbers. I have a friend I call whenver I need to know my former addresses or telephone numbers in grad school, because she remembers them all. Not has them written down - remembers them. --MCT

Posted by: Dr. Virago at May 21, 2008 11:19 AM

I remember fill it to the rim with brim, but confess I have absolutely never ever ever drunk the darn stuff and cannot imagine reinventing it and/or reinventing memory around it. Go figure. I have limits to what I think it worth reviving., The Beetle is one thing -- in some ways it defined a generation regardless of whether we owned or drove the original --

Posted by: bibliochef at May 27, 2008 12:21 PM