Mr Energizer loses its aggression in revamp

Since 1995 when the assignment was handled by George Patterson Bates, Mr Energizer had come across in advertising as an aggressive, never-say-die batteryman. Mr Energizer's competitive streak compels him to beat the opposition under any circumstance.

The new regional campaign, developed by DDB, features a wedding, which almost goes awry after the photographer's batteries fail at a crucial moment. However, it is Mr Energizer, sporting funnier and more likeable character traits, who flies in and saves the day.

DDB Hong Kong chief operating officer Mark Crouch said: "Rather than be this hard-hitting, aggressive, no-nonsense character, we felt we needed to make him a little softer in order to give him a fresher, updated look."

DDB regional business director Connie Cheung said a makeover was necessary because the previous format was becoming "too predictable".

"What we have done is to evolve Mr Energizer so that he shows more human qualities. So he is helpful, for example, which is reflected in his saving the day at the wedding.

"He is less of a competitor and more of an ever-present helping hand, (who) comes to the rescue when batteries are failing at a vital moment," she said.

Cheung, however, stressed that Energizer's core brand value - that it is long-lasting and dependable - remains the same.

Nevertheless, it is the first major change to Energizer's marketing communications strategy since the Omnicom agency won the regional account in 2000 following a pitch that saw the ouster of incumbent George Patterson Bates.

Energizer's main competitor in North America is Duracell.

However, Crouch said the brand's rivals in Asia-Pacific included a range of generic, cheap copies.

Mr Energizer's latest campaign was developed by DDB's Hong Kong operation, one of a number of regional and global ads handled by the office. Last year, the agency was picked to produce worldwide spots for Gatorade.

More recently, it worked on a Peninsula Hotel Group ad. And coming up are regional campaigns for Pepsico brand Twister and Hong Kong airline Dragonair.

In many cases, Crouch said that the Hong Kong office picked up the assignments after a call for ideas by DDB's global network of offices for existing clients.

DDB Greater China chief creative officer, CC Tang, said that the ongoing workload outside Hong Kong "is recognition of the talent pool that existed in the city as well as an increasing willingness of global brands to look outside their head office countries for the best creative ideas".