Rebranding Charmin: A case study in semiotics
Rachel Lawes Lawes Consulting Ltd
Neil Blackburne SCA Hygiene Products
ABSTRACT
Rebranding Charmin describes the challenge faced by SCA Hygiene Products when it purchased the European rights to Charmin toilet tissue from Procter & Gamble. The conditions of sale included changing the brand name and stripping it of its mascot, which should have resulted in an initial decline in sales, not least because of the strong loyalty of Charmin's core customers. Semiotics helped SCA transform Charmin into Cushelle and exchange the bear for a koala, using sleight of hand that rendered...