There's a "new buzz phrase" in the brand business: "Brand Reinvention," according to Rachelle Unreich of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. These days, brands are not "scared of changing things up in the name of reinvention" -- it is what they "have to do in order to evolve." For Virgin Australia CMO Innes Kingsmill, the evolution of the Australian Football League Grand Final party "makes perfect sense." She is aware that "brands can't stand still." Kingsmill: "We need to make sure we're constantly innovating." Virgin is not "the only established brand shaking thing up." When the Victoria Racing Club unveiled its latest campaign at the Myer Spring Racing Lunch this month, "it was met with gasps of surprise." Instead of watching "pretty fillies" on the screen, the video opened up with skateboarder Adam riding through a train station, telling his friends, "Yeah, I'm in." He is "followed by the bearded (and grey) dandy Marek nodding his head, and a mix of young and old chiming their affirmative RSVPs to the Melbourne Cup Carnival." VRC Exec GM Caroline Ralphsmith said, "I think we have this wonderful luxury in racing of great traditions, but if that's all we are, we become a little bit stale." Bruce Keebaugh's The Big Group is producing the Virgin Australia AFL Grand Final Party, and he said that "we know that parties aren't just parties -- they're really marketing activations." Keebaugh: "We have to understand what their brand is in our approach." These days, when a brand reinvents itself, "social media plays a big part in getting the new message across." He said, "The sharing feed is terribly important" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 9/27).
