Symantec has moved on to the next leg of its rebranding effort to show that it is more than just an antivirus company, with new ads and a slogan for its Norton products aimed at small businesses.
The computer-security company is taking a page out of the old Star Trek TV series, telling existing and potential Norton users to "Boldly Go" and use whatever device they want to run their lives or small business. The message: As long as Norton is on it, they shouldn't worry.
The global effort, launched Monday, comes on the heels of its "Do It All" push in April. In that campaign, Symantec was aiming for enterprise-level IT managers, emphasizing that its products and services handle more than just data security.
In May, Symantec released an updated small business version of its popular Norton antivirus and cybersecurity products to account for an increasingly mobile user base.
Digital ads will appear on YouTube, as well as the websites of About, Parents, Family Fun, CBS News, CNN, Inc. and Forbes. There are also print ads planned for The Wall Street Journal and Forbes, and a new landing page: http://us.norton.com/boldlygo
"The 'Do It All' effort was about the broad solutions Symantec provides; we needed an umbrella strategy too for consumers and small-business owners that was about how they live their lives," said Alix Hart, Symantec's VP of Marketing. "Whether you are shopping online, downloading apps, viewing links, that's what Norton is all about. There's lots of media conversation around antivirus; we've been beyond that for years now and it's a real moment for us to come out to say that antivirus isn't enough."
Ms. Hart admitted the decidedly hopeful ads avoided the more serious nature of security breaches and viruses.
"We did the scare tactics in the past and it didn't really work out," said Ms. Hart. "These days people want to do and work how they want, it's now about how do you help them be more aware and feel confident. There is more of a push towards driving relevancy for Norton, if we're not going to take a lead our competitors will."
While long-time partner
"The last time this brand [Norton] had its shoulders back and its chest out it was a much different world. It's no longer a PC world, it's a mobile world and while Norton the product had evolved, the brand had not and we got hired to catch the brand up," said Mr. Martin. "The thinking here was that people are going forth and doing lots of things without much thought and this is a brand that wants to embrace the good things. Norton is now saying 'go boldly, not blindly.'"
Mr. Martin also noted that the global effort is predimonantly digital and print, but broadcast "is part of the plan at some point in the future."
