Companies can invest millions of dollars in their brands and brand icons, and most companies are reluctant to change their icon without good reason. Over the years, the image of Betty Crocker has received makeovers to keep up with the times, as has Aunt Jemima, and even the giraffe who represents Toys 'R Us has undergone changes. Recently, the Georgia-Pacific company, which markets the Brawny paper towel brand, decided to modify its brand icon, the Brawny man. The company made several discoveries along the way, including the importance of a brand icon to brand image as well as the preference of women for an idealized Brawny man versus an actual one. This research considers the importance of the brand image in general, and the process that Georgia-Pacific used to change their brand icon in particular.
The brand concept itself is a relatively new marketing idea that gained popularity during the twentieth century. Brands not only differentiate product characteristics, but also can become closely and inextricably associated with particular products. In some cases, such as with Xerox (photocopiers) and Kleenex (facial tissue), the brand name becomes so closely identified with the product as to become the generic name for the product within the culture. Brand image can convey information about the nature of the product, its quality, and even whether or not consumers should purchase the product. Companies invest millions to build up brand image, and sometimes associate a particular image or icon with a brand. Thus, the Pillsbury doughboy is associated with the Pillsbury brand of frozen baked goods, Betty Crocker with baking products requiring more preparation, the Snuggle bear with laundry products, and Aunt Jemima, the Quaker Oat guy and the Cream of Wheat chef with food products (Voight, 2003).
Sometimes, the brand icon is a real person, such as Orville Reddenbacher, who
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