Frédéric Dalsace, associate professor in the HEC Marketing Department, is gaining significant recognition for his latest theory. Featured on the Harvard Business Review's prestigious "Breakthrough Ideas" list for 2007, his "Harry Potter" strategic marketing concept argues that some brands could achieve greater long-term success by maturing alongside their customers.

A more dynamic approach
Traditionally, companies market their products to a specific age group that remains constant over time. As Professor Dalsace explains, "New customers have to be recruited each year to replace those who leave. Paradoxically, the fact that these ads are aimed at the younger end of the target age bracket serves to push away loyal, but older, customers. While companies understand that it is more expensive to recruit new customers than it is to retain existing customers, they don't necessarily understand the potential that lies beyond their original target demographic."

An evolving customer base
It was the Harry Potter books that inspired Professor Dalsace to develop his dynamic approach to brand aging. Professor Dalsace is convinced that the books' success is due in part to the fact that – unlike traditional heroes – the sorcerer's apprentice has aged alongside his readers. Harry Potter marketing applies this concept to brand management, the idea being that products should mature with their customers, adapting to changes in their needs, expectations and behaviors.

"Club Med, for example, has refocused on its original customer base and now offers luxury holidays for older people with greater spending power. In the cosmetics sector, a brand could target women born between 1955 and 1965 rather than women aged 35 to 45. The active ingredients and messaging would change over time, but the brand itself would remain constant. This type of marketing is not suitable for all industries, but it makes sense for sectors such as healthcare, clothing and media," notes Professor Dalsace.

"By design, Harry Potter marketing creates brands that have a limited lifespan. Although it puts an end to the myth of the "eternal brand", this approach does not limit the profitability of these brands or prevent them from rising from the ashes and appealing to a new generation. In the automotive industry, the Mini, the VW Beetle and the Fiat 500 are interesting examples of these Phoenix-like brands."

Harry Potter marketing shows companies that aging can be advantageous. Given the difficulties of attracting an entirely new demographic to an existing product, it is hardly surprising that an approach based on customer retention through regular adjustments in a brand's contents and messaging is attracting such positive attention.


This article is based on an interview which appears in research@hec.