Scent-sational shift: Exploring a repositioning for Equivalenza
Equivalenza (EQZ), a Spanish pioneer in affordable “dupe” perfumes, finds itself at a crossroads.
After a fast, disruptive start, its growth has plateaued following regulatory constraints, rising competition, and brand positioning confusion. A new CEO must decide whether to double down on the company’s emotional branding efforts or pivot back to its rational, value-driven roots—all while defining the customer target.
That choice of target and positioning will directly influence a range of marketing mix decisions ahead: the product focus, pricing architecture, channel strategy, and communication. With the board expecting a fourfold increase in EBITDA within five years, the urgency of realigning the strategy and its execution has never been greater.
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Description
Equivalenza (EQZ), a Spanish pioneer in affordable “dupe” perfumes, finds itself at a crossroads.
After a fast, disruptive start, its growth has plateaued following regulatory constraints, rising competition, and brand positioning confusion. A new CEO must decide whether to double down on the company’s emotional branding efforts or pivot back to its rational, value-driven roots—all while defining the customer target.
That choice of target and positioning will directly influence a range of marketing mix decisions ahead: the product focus, pricing architecture, channel strategy, and communication. With the board expecting a fourfold increase in EBITDA within five years, the urgency of realigning the strategy and its execution has never been greater.
Learning Objective
This case is well-suited to MBA and executive education courses in marketing strategy, brand management, or go-to-market planning. The case encourages critical thinking on how marketing fundamentals (such as targeting, positioning, and the 4Ps) must evolve in response to shifting external conditions and internal strategic choices.
Students will learn to:
- Diagnose brand decline and customer drift in a legacy challenger brand
- Explore brand positioning trade-offs between rational and emotional strategies
- Analyze customer targeting decisions (current base vs. Gen Z)
- Connect targeting, positioning, and branding decisions with execution realities in the marketing mix, especially in franchise-based systems
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"Scent-sational shift: Exploring a repositioning for Equivalenza"
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