ZzzQuil

I just love when a brand makes a move that makes so much sense.  Marketing is all about making good decisions based on the brand's equity and the brand's consumer base ... and I love observing good marketing.

Like the new sleep aid from NyQuil called ZzzQuil.

NyQuil has long been associated with getting a good night's sleep ... by relieving the cough/cold/flu symptoms that can keep you up.  The stuff knocks you out and the brand has been consistently selling that story for decades.  Because getting a good night's sleep can actually make you feel better the next day.

So why wouldn't the brand launch a sleep aid? Makes total sense.  The brand equity is there, as is the believability.  Sleeping is at the heart of the brand ... so there's really no reason why it has to be solely associated with not feeling well.

And by the way, I love the name ZzzQuil.  Very clever.

The lesson learned here:  take what's at the core of your brand and see if you can expand it into other categories.  It's interesting to note that NyQuil's equity is more about sleep than it is about symptom relief, and hence the extension into a sleep aid rather than another way to treat congestion or a cough.

So smart.  What's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
Author, The Experience Effect series
Marketing Professor, NYU