Brand Mix

There's an expression "lipstick on a pig" (or sometimes gorilla) that refers to dressing something up but it's still the something it was before. We sometimes use it in branding to reinforce the need to change behavior and action at the same time as changing brand identity to make a meaningful difference.

Well poodles are sort of the opposite phenomenon - a breed of dog strongly associated with a particular look and, because of that look, a certain assumed kind of (prissy) behavior. People "know" poodles so are confounded when they see one that neither looks or acts like they expect. "Are you sure?", we've been asked more than once in disbelieving tones by someone asking what kind of dog we have as he charges after a ball or starts play fighting with an alsatian.

Not that poodles care but it would very difficult for them to change their reputation. They have the worst combination of factors: high knowledge, low interest and low number of encounters with ongoing reinforcement of their reputation feeder (their cut).