Wonderbra can control its fate

Having read your article on Wonderbra advertising I feel obliged to make a few salient comments.

I must point out that an agency’s client does have the right to reject any creative it feels is inappropriate. It is obviously disappointing to read that the agency, TBWA, with whom we were working believes the contrary and also that it thinks the success of a product or brand is dependant solely on the advertising.

I would make the agency aware that advertising is only part of the marketing mix. Success depends on a combination of packaging, point of sale, pricing, positioning, distribution, advertising, PR and, oh yes, the product!

I would also emphasise that the evolution of a brand is in the control of the client, not any support agency which, by its very nature, is only there to add to the mix. When someone believes that you should develop the brand in a certain direction, because they have devised a particularly suitable creative for that direction, maybe you have problems.

Advertising and PR can be both strategic or tactical, and the quantity and timing are critical to their success. Nobody can, or should, maintain hype for 100 per cent of the time. You cannot have a Cup Final every week, otherwise it will no longer be a major event. Regardless of the input of the agency, the final decisions have to be in the hands of the client.

With regard to the comments of self-styled fashion consultants like Victoria Young (is she famous?) you have to take them with a pinch of salt. Wonderbra has been a best-selling brand in the UK for over 30 years, so how can it be called a short-term fashion fad?

The important thing for Playtex is that the Wonderbra is strong and there are developments in the pipeline to widen the brand appeal. New creative will be available to evolve the brand image, and it will be appropriate for the new direction.

Wonderbra is not asleep, but even a famous bra sometimes needs to take a short breather.

John Dixey

Managing director

Playtex

Woking

Surrey