How Brands Stand the Test of Time

Visiting a historical society near the Ohio headquarters of Procter & Gamble, I noticed this wooden crate that once held 100 "cakes" (bars) of Ivory soap. Since the Ivory brand is more than a century old, it's hard to know when this label art was in use. But Ivory still embraces the image and personality of its early days. If you click to the Ivory Tumblr page, you'll see the brand's intro:

This isn’t your grandmother’s soap. This is your great-great-grandmother’s soap! For 130 years, we’ve brought simple, effective cleaning products to families everywhere. If it’s good enough for your Nana, it’s good enough for you.

How does a brand stand the test of time? Year in and year out, Ivory stays true to its brand roots while updating the way it reaches out to customers. For instance, Ivory's Facebook page has more than 50k likes. P&G Canada's Ivory web page includes a detailed history of how the soap was developed, starting in 1878.

Distribution is critical, and Ivory is represented in hundreds of thousands of grocery outlets all over the planet. However, Ivory's market share has been moving lower as consumers shift their buying behavior to body washes and liquid soaps and also try specialized personal cleansing products.

Will P&G sell Ivory as it reduces its brand portfolio? Even if it does, Ivory should be able to maintain a core customer base who believe in the brand and its benefits.