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Seven Deadly Sins of Branding
August 30, 2007
By David Brier
In the $36 billion dollar beer market, the brand strength of an American beer is sometimes its most powerful "reason-to-buy." The Wall Street Journal recently had this to say about the Stroh Brewery, the nation's fourth largest brewer, now being sold off: "The sale of Stroh, a 149-year-old Detroit brewer that was once a strong contender in the beer market, is the result of poor brand management in a flat market, distributors said…If [Stroh] didn't take advantage of its strong regional brands…"
The above story doesn't just happen overnight. For every "right" a brand can do, it can also make multiple "wrongs"—actions that simply don't contribute anything worthwhile to a brand's presence, personality, strength and, ultimately, its sales.
So how do you know when you've made a wrong before its too late? To better manage the fate of your brand, here's a compiled things-not-to-do checklist that should help make any branding efforts succeed with greater ease.
Sin #1: The superior product fixation
In our global marketplace, the apparent differentiations between products have reached an all-time pinnacle of grey. Business is no longer black and white but functions on the mentality that he who gets to the market first—and stays present—can outsell a vastly superior, similar product. A brand can no longer rest on its laurels for long thanks to the increase in online media and its swift spread of information via the Web. The solution is then create a brand and ensure that its image connects your product's identity—not just its superior attributes—to your audience. Successful examples of this strategy are Nike's "Just Do It" and Apple's "Think Different" campaigns.
Sin #2: The "no-one-can-touch-us" syndrome
This pitfall rears its ugly head whenever a company reaches a level of complacency.
IBM's famous striped logo was introduced over three decades ago and has since reached an enviable level of brand equity. But technology and trends didn't—and don't—remain the same. Only now is IBM using design and branding to reclaim their heritage. Their new e-business campaign is simple and phenomenally effective, positioning e-commerce with IBM.
Why now? Because IBM found its mindshare amongst net users was low. One could say IBM had had "e-nough." The son of IBM's founder, Thomas Watson Jr., stated over 35 years ago, while chief of IBM, "In the IBM company, we do not think that good design can make a product good...But we are convinced that good design can materially help make a good product reach its full potential."
Isn't it time we all listened?
Sin #3: The brand called "Fear"
If you're overly concerned about what your associates think versus being overly concerned about your brand, getting anywhere near branding would be a bad career move for everyone involved. The opposite side of this coin—and the "right" side—is having a firm belief in one's product with a willingness to deliver what's promised. You don't need to be an ogre but you must believe in your actions. That doesn't include being overly concerned with internal political popularity contests. The majority of the best brands came into existence driven by one person's vision and persistent belief in that brand's potential.
Sin #4: Ignoring the design and image your brand conveys
Go into any store and look around. Chances are you'll find a gazillion products. Products ignoring design and image are everywhere, which is why only a handful of products have become great brands.
So what part does image play in the real world of branding? Everything.
Fact: Minute Maid found that other orange juice companies were "borrowing" their signature black carton. What once was a point of distinction had now become "generic." Added to the expanding choices given to consumers-bottled waters, flavored waters, iced teas and bottled coffee beverages, retaining market share had become a major issue for Minute Maid. The answer? Revamp the Minute Maid packaging line. Volume sales increased more than 24 percent, with convenience store sales exceeding 34 percent. When you're dealing with 28 million servings per day, even a one percent increase—280,000 more servings per day—is considerable.
Sin #5: Brand schizophrenia and anarchy
The confusion between building a brand, being consistent, keeping a brand alive and reinventing a brand can become so mish-mashed that disaster is inevitable. Random change is not the same as a well-planned brand evolution. Stagnant messaging is not the same as brand consistency. Do your efforts contribute to your brand's image and equity? Or do they dilute your brand's position? A good rule of thumb is one laid down by Sir John Egan, chief executive for the world's leading international airport group: "Defining the experience that customers want becomes a criterion by which you can judge the design work you commission."
Sin #6: The human connection ratio
Every strong brand has in some way become a product that represents what that customer is seeking: ease, convenience, power, stamina, pride, beauty, etc. But in each case, it's the human factor that can easily be missed. A brand's frailty is in direct ratio to the extent of its failure to connect with its consumer. Simply flaunting one's wares is about as popular—and effective—as cramming in a term paper in overnight. At every product's end use is a person who is buying the product for a reason. Find the reason, keep it on personal terms and you'll be well on your way to avoiding this pitfall.
Sin #7: Forgetting where brands live
If you were to ask brand managers where their brands live, they might answer "On the shelf," "With our product," "In our annual report," or "In the people that work here." Wrong. That's how a brand gets built, but not where it lives. Brands do not live anywhere but in the minds of the consumers and prospects. And it's branding's job to help a product or service "get its foot in the door" of the consumer's mind. It's branding that will get your product to the point of having an army of believers who stand by the brand—and what it means—in their mind.
David Breir is the President and Creative Director for DBD International, Ltd.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
This article is brought to you by Sales & Marketing Management, the leading authority for executives in the sales and marketing field.
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