Running head: DISCOVERY LIFE AND THE REBRANDING CASE

Discovery Life and The Rebranding Case

(Dalena) Ton Nu Lan Anh
201403003
Elena Sezionova
201303010
Siyuan Meng
201403001
ByungHee Choi
201200114
SolBridge International School of Business
Marketing Communications
MKT415
June 5, 2015
Dr. Mahmood A. Awan

DISCOVERY LIFE AND THE REBRANDING CASE

Abstract
The purpose of this project is to analyze the impact of advertising and promotional
activities on the rebranding of Discovery Fit and Health to Discovery Life. The research
initially seeks to clarify the underlining reasons for the transition followed by the renaming
analysis based on Kelly Kellers three brand-naming elements including simplicity and ease
of pronunciation and spelling; familiarity and meaningfulness; and differentiation,
distinction, and uniqueness. The following stage involves the analysis of promotion
opportunities through the provision of target market and segmentation, competitors insight,
and opportunities analysis. Advertising program and trade promotion tactics are then
generated. Finally, recommendations for a new image management program are proposed.

DISCOVERY LIFE AND THE REBRANDING CASE

Discovery Life and The Rebranding Case

Rebranding is not just about buzzing brand words; its about repurposing your lives,
finding your true voice and building an authentic brand that impact lives Bernard Kelvin
Clive. It is a must to keep current customers informed about changes and, at the same time,
acquire new audiences (Gray, 2014). Hence, a comprehensive marketing approach is needed
to communicate the transformation to existing and prospective customers. This paper aims at
exploring Discovery Lifes implementation of marketing communication tools in its brand
revamping process, blending with recommendations for the practice through explaining (1)
the transition from Discovery Fit & Health, (2) promotion opportunities analysis, (3)
advertising program, (4) trade promotion tactics, and (5) a new images maintaining program.
Discovery Communications
Discovery communications is the U.S. cable and satellite television networks,
dedicating to satisfy curiosity and entertain viewers through its global television brands. The
company possesses a wide range of brand portfolios reaching approximately 834 million
accumulative subscribers in the U.S. media industry (Discovery Communications, 2015).
Discovery Communications brands in America encompass 13 brands including Discovery
Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network,
Science Channel, Discovery Family Channel, American Heroes Channel, Velocity,
Destination America, Discovery en Espaol, Discovery Familia, and Discovery life
(Discovery Communications, 2015). Each brand targets different segments to ensure that the
firm caters to every single need and want of the audiences. Discovery communications
occupies an entrenched position in the media industry, attaining first rankings for several of
its U.S. networks and receiving positive feedback from viewers (Stewart, 2015).
Discovery Life is a result of the transformation from Discovery Fit & Health to fulfill
the desire of meeting a broader range of audiences (Lefferts, 2014). The new network

DISCOVERY LIFE AND THE REBRANDING CASE

released on January 15, 2015 concentrates on life events including pregnancies, emotional
moments of transitions, relationships and unexpected turning points while retaining some of
Fit & Healths programs (Lefferts, 2014). The details of the transition will be presented in
the following section.
The Transition from Discovery Fit and Health
Discovery Fit and Health is the channel featuring topics about healthy, medical, and
factual stories (Lieberman, 2014). The channel reached 47 million households, which was
low in comparison with other Discoverys 10 U.S. networks (excluding the two Mexican
channels) (Lieberman, 2014). Also, the name itself depicts a narrow scope, which in turn
creates a perception of unentertaining topics related to workout, health issues, diets, and so on
(Levin, 2014). That leads to the decision to rebrand Discovery Fit & Health to Discovery
Life. The new channel showcases an unfiltered experience into real relationships from
patient and doctor to husband and wife or parent and child, and at the same time emphasizes
their various tones of emotions (Bibel, 2014). The changes are hoped to broaden the
companys viewers and bring in a new perception in the mind of the audiences. Besides,
according to Henry Schleiff group president of Discovery Life and other brands including
Investigation Discovery, Destination America, and American Heroes Channel, broadening to
Discovery Life Channel will give the brand an opportunity to make bigger, bolder
programming choices while always, central to its brand mission, revealing life at its most
critical turning points. (Levin, 2014; Bibel, 2014).
In addition, analyzing the rename of Discovery Fit and Health can rely on three
elements including simplicity and ease of pronunciation and spelling, familiarity and
meaningfulness, and finally differentiation, distinction, and uniqueness (Keller, 1998).
Simplicity and Ease of Pronunciation and Spelling

DISCOVERY LIFE AND THE REBRANDING CASE

Simplicity is the core principle for branding, as it is important to stand out from the
crowd and communicate clearly to the customers (Meyer, 2012; Mylonadis, 2015). Life is a
simple word that associates well with customers on the daily basis, making it more accessible
to the audiences (Steinberg, 2014). In comparison with Fit and Health, even though both
demonstrate the ease of pronunciation and spelling, life is shorter, which facilitates
memorization one of the important elements to create a brand (Keller, 1998). This
simplicity of the brand is also a compelling platform to deliver Discovery Lifes core purpose
of everyday lives storytelling Jane Latman, general manager of the network (Steinberg,
2014).
Familiarity and Meaningfulness
Brand equity is a composite score based on familiarity, quality, and purchase
consideration (Discovery Communications, 2009). Some of Discovery Communications
brands were known to be among the top 100 well-known brands with high equity ranking;
Discovery Health (which is now Discovery Life) was granted number 21 for equity ranking
among TV brands (Discovery Communications, 2009). That phenomenal result will soon
repeat to Discovery Life as the name is easy for customers to perceive the underlining
meaning of the brand, which is the focus on life events including pregnancies, emotional
moments of transition, relationships and unexpected turning points (Steinberg, 2014).
Differentiation, Distinction, and Uniqueness
According to Nielsens Advertising and Audiences Report, the average U.S. TV home
received 189 TV channels in 2013 but only 17 channels were actually tuned in (Nielsen,
2014). That highlights the responsibility of content creators and advertisers to deliver quality
channels to customers because the best way to reach consumers in a world with myriad
options is to be the best options. (Nielsen, 2014). Possessing familiarity factor eases
Discovery Life to deliver the unique and distinctive ideas to audiences as the brand fills the

DISCOVERY LIFE AND THE REBRANDING CASE

void in the TV landscape for revealing and powerful storytelling that explores moments of
conflict, passions, family relationships, adversity, tragedy, and healing of life itself, said
Latman (Steinberg, 2014).
Promotion Opportunities Analysis
Target market and segmentation
Discovery Life operates in the U.S. networks market, targeting women with ages
ranging from 25 to 54 years old (Discovery Communications, 2014). In contrast, Discovery
Fit and Health, the former channel, divided the channels target audience into 61 percent
female and 39 percent male with ages ranging from 18 to 55 years old in which the main
viewers were from 18 to 34 years of age (Discovery Fit & Health, 2014). The rebranding of
Discovery Fit and Health to Discovery Life assists the channel in placing emphasis on one
target market- women, generating benefits of giving exclusive and full scale experience for
female customers (Belch and Belch, 2012; Steinberg, 2014). Recall from the previous
section, the purpose of the transition is to acquire new audiences that share the same interests
towards the concept of storytelling on unexpected life events psychographic segmentation
(Steinberg, 2014).
Competitors Analysis
With the brand overhaul, Discovery Life will be competing against some existing
channels tailoring female viewers. Lifetime Real Women channel, which belongs to the main
Lifetime network, is also geared towards women customers (Lifetime, 2009). The channel
features life experiences, contemporary womens life, and famous womens personal stories
(Lifetime, 2009). Another sister channel of Lifetime network is Lifetime Moms channel,
covering different lifestyle topics including daily problems, health, love & sex, beauty &
style, parenting, and other major topics in womens life, will also be Discovery Lifes
opponent (Lifetime, 2009). Third competitor is ION Life channel, which is operated under

DISCOVERY LIFE AND THE REBRANDING CASE

ION Media network (ION Media Networks, 2015). The channel is dedicated to several
topics including personal relationships, healthy and active lifestyle, stories of inspiration, and
home design (ION Media Networks, 2015). However, ION Life targets both female and male
audiences, giving Discovery Life a competitive edge over a full access to fulfilling the needs
and wants of female audiences. Discovery Communications designates Science Channel and
Investigation Discovery to male audiences; that is also an advantage of Discovery
Communications in giving each segment a complete experience from its channels (Discovery
Communications, 2015).
Besides, Discovery Life channel is also facing with international player within the
U.S. market The Better Health Channel from Australia. The routes to access this Australian
network are through Internet and mobile apps. The development of social media and mobile
apps together with the U.S. high usage of mobile apps makes the competition more
complicated and hard to control (Craft, 2015; Pophal, 2015). The scope of this channel is on
topics related to health, conditions of illness and treatment, relationship and family (Better
Health Channel, 2015).
The competition battleground seems to favor Discovery Life owing to the twist of its
programs objectives. Even though all four channels showcase topics related to life events,
Discovery Life wants to connect with the audiences through presenting real and unexpected
stories in extraordinary situations (Steinberg, 2014). That in turn becomes a value
proposition of Discovery Life, setting it apart from these competitors.
Opportunities Analysis
According to a research from ComScore. Inc, mobile devices occupied 55 percent of
Internet usage in the U.S. in January 2014 (OToole, 2014). It was the first time the number
of smartphone and tablet apps usage exceeded PCs to access the Internet Apps made up 47
percent of Internet traffic and 8 percent of traffic came from mobile browsers (OToole,

DISCOVERY LIFE AND THE REBRANDING CASE

2014). In light of social media usage by age group, the percentage of online U.S. adults using
social media has been increased steadily (PewResearchCenter, 2014). For adults ages 1829, 89 percent of them used social networking and for adults ages 30-49, 82 percent of them
do. (PewResearchCenter, 2014). The age group falls into Discovery Lifes target market.
These two opportunities highlight the application of advertising and promotion for Discovery
Life will be based upon social media and mobile apps.
Advertising Program
Communication objectives
The communication objectives of Discovery Life in its revamping process are to
inform the changing image of the channel to existing as well as prospective audiences and to
drive new demand for the channel, which is an ultimate objective of this rebranding case. It
is expected for the brand to reach 85 million households by 2017 (its current subscribers are
47 million).
Appeals and Executional framework
Appeals. In order to achieve its communication objectives, Discovery Life applied
teaser advertising to stimulate curiosity and drive customers in seeking information regarding
the campaign. Teaser advertising is an effective tool of communications because it not only
attracts target customers but also generates interests and educates customers about the
product and positioning (Aaker, Batra, & Myers, 1992; Trehan & Maan, 2012). Discovery
Life also incorporated news appeal to announce the rebranding decision.
Executions. To present the above appeals, Discovery Life utilized the combination of
imagery, information, and music & narrator(s). In concert with image execution, it relies
mostly on the effective use of photography, tonality, and design to communicate the desired
message to the audiences (Belch & Belch, 2012). Observing Discovery Life advertisement
reveals the brand has incorporated imagery to demonstrate the brand programs categories

DISCOVERY LIFE AND THE REBRANDING CASE

Discovery life promo (Levin, 2014). In light of information, music, and narrators, music and
narrators are used as a means to support the transmission of information to the audiences in
the case of teaser advertising. Nevertheless, in the case of news appeal, information is
presented through writing format (news or news press).
Integrated Marketing Communications
A dynamic application of marketing communication tools is essential for the success
of most businesses in approaching and coaxing existing and prospective customers (Belch &
Belch, 2012). Discovery Life applied a comprehensive set of new press (publicity), company
website (online display), social media (video upload & sharing), and mobile app to achieve
its communication objectives (iab members, 2015). In the opportunity analysis section, the
finding presents the importance of social media and mobile apps to American customers;
hence these two communication tools will be the bases for recommendations to Discovery
Lifes trade promotion tactics.
(The analysis of this section is based solely on writers observation on teaser advertising and
online news from Discovery Life; therefore, references are not presented at a rich level)
Trade Promotion Tactics
Promotional Pull Strategy
Promotional pull strategy is a method in which a company directly involves in
motivating customers to seek for information regarding the products or services (Belch &
Belch, 2012). The continuous development of technology has changed how marketing works
(Ellett, 2014). Oracle Open World coined the term Marketing 5.0, the era of marketing in
which marketing cloud technology and rich customer data are enabling brands to meet the
expectations of todays demanding consumers and business customers: Treat me like you
know me and deliver highly relevant personalized experiences at every touch point. (Ellett,
2014).

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Mobile devices and social media are the two most vibrant technology sectors,
contributing to shape marketing communications (Craft, 2015). In light of mobile devices,
mobile apps are the perfect channel for user engagement (Pophal, 2015). According to
Nielsen, the U.S. Android and iPhone users eighteen years old and older spend up to 30 hours
and 15 minutes a month on apps (Pophal, 2015). It signifies an opportunity for Discovery
Life to develop an interactive platform, which is executed by opening up discussions,
receiving customers inquiries with regards to the shows, and instantaneously responding to
them. Mobile app is an effective way to keep traffic on Discovery Life channel by providing
schedule of the programs and 24/7 interactive communications. With respect to social media,
the integration of viral marketing and consumer-generated content is a good tactic to
implement (TriangleDirectMedia, 2015). Discovery Life can hold contest in which
customers develop ideas to form new shows through making a 30 second commercial and
sharing the video on social network- Facebook; prize will be granted to the most outstanding
video. That is called viral video, which has set a new standard in conducting marketing
campaign as it magnifies customers awareness and brings an entirely new group of potential
customers to the firm (TriangleDirectMedia, 2015).
Promotional Push Strategy
Promotional push strategy, on the other hand, is the method of indirectly interacting
with customers through pushing products or services through the channels of distribution like
resellers or trade (Belch & Belch, 2012). In the case of Discovery Life, the approach is
illustrated through the trade allowances with Time Warner Cable and National Cable
Television Cooperative (NCTC) (The Deadline Team, 2015). In 2013, Discovery
communications achieved long-term contract with Time Warner Cable- the second largest
cable producer in the U.S.- to enable the audiences a full access to Discoverys U.S. networks
(DiscoveryCommunications, 2013). In 2015, trade allowance with NCTC presents a

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multiyear deal to not only offer viewers a full experience to Discoverys 13 U.S. networks but
also demonstrate strong partnership with an independent distributor (The Deadline Team,
2015). These partnerships encourage cable producers to launch sales promotion strategy to
drive in demands for the channel. One recommended sales promotion strategy is the
synchronizing package of TV, Internet, laptop, and phone that consumers can view channels
and shows through the above devices without separate payments when settling contracts with
the above exclusive cable producers.
(Information provided in this section is group recommendations for the companys practice;
therefore, references are not presented at a rich level)
Maintaining a New Image
A strong brand identity helps the company to stay on top of the customers
consideration set (Hunt, 2014). Hence, it is a must to continuously maintain a brand image to
demonstrate consistency and be able to differentiate from the clutter (Holmes, 2014). One of
the ways that Discovery Life can execute is to deliver consistent products aligning with the
companys mission to the audiences. Recall from the promotional pull strategy section,
Discovery Life can utilize social media as a channel to hold contests for customers to
contribute their ideas in developing the channels contents. This approach can be applied
twice a year since Discovery Life is still in the developing stage, accumulating ideas is
essential especially from the audiences point of view. Besides, the integration of TV channel
and mobile apps is essential. After the end of each show or program, the link to access
mobile apps is provided, customers will then log into their Discovery Life app to receive and
join weekly discussions related to the shows. The idea is to generate topics for the purpose of
cultivating discussions from the customers as well as resolving customers inquiries about the
presented topics.

DISCOVERY LIFE AND THE REBRANDING CASE

12

(Information provided in this section is group recommendations for the companys practice;
therefore, references are not presented at a rich level)
Conclusion
When I get all focused on songwriting, I get into all the marketing and promotion
that we do to make it happen. Then the right song comes along and blows it all out of the
water. The right song will do it for you every time. Ronnie Dunn. Designing an
appropriate advertising program and promotional tactics are essential for most businesses.
It helps the firm achieve communication objectives and stand out from the clutter of other
brands (Belch and Belch, 2012). Understanding this fundamental principle, this project is
developed upon the analysis of Discovery Lifes advertising program and recommends trade
promotional tactics together with a new image maintaining program based on social media
and mobile apps in hopes of providing readers insight into a rebranding case and helping
Discovery Life achieve its purpose from the transformation of Discovery Fit and Health.

DISCOVERY LIFE AND THE REBRANDING CASE

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