Chapter 20
In This Chapter
Establishing the right brand in the right way
Doing what it takes to maintain your brand
Some brands get off to great starts. Some are wobbly from the get-go. Others start well and then lose their way through lack of focus, discipline, and follow-through on brand strategies, brand promises, and reliably consistent brand experiences.
This chapter describes ten branding mistakes to steer clear of, each accompanied by tips to keep your brand moving continuously in the right direction, constantly gaining esteem and equity as a result.
The mistake: When business is down, when customer interest ebbs, or when competition surges, the idea of branding masquerades as some miracle cure for transforming perceptions and jump-starting success. In the heat of the moment, otherwise cool-headed professionals begin to believe that a cosmetic fix — a new logo and maybe a new name, tagline, or message — will remedy all that ails the bottom line. It doesn’t work that way, though, because a successful brand has to go all the way to the core of an organization.
The remedy: Before you create or alter the face of your brand, be sure you’re creating an accurate reflection of what’s at the base of your brand. The part of your brand that rises into public view — your name, logo, and marketing materials — must mirror the mission, vision, values, culture, leadership, and management that lies at the heart and soul of your organization. Otherwise, a credibility crisis looms large.
Chapter 6 helps you define the essence of your organization and how it operates and then guides your thinking as you put your brand promise, brand character, and brand identity into words. Then, and only then, are you ready to name your brand, design your logo, and create marketing materials and a brand experience to convey your brand accurately and successfully in your world. The process isn’t quick, but it’s worth it!
The mistake: Weak identities appear in the form of names that limit the scope and success of the brands they represent. Or they’re displayed as logos that at-a-glance convey they were created on shoestring budgets by organizations with little chance of competing with big, established businesses.
As long as the brands represented by weak names and logos are satisfied to remain in the confines that their identities dictate, all’s well. But if they want to expand into more competitive spheres, their weak identities are heavy anchors dragging down their success.
The remedy: Invest the time and money required to develop a strong name and logo when you first establish your brand. Remember these points:
The mistake: Businesses that barely have the budgets and staff required to build one brand try to build two or more. In doing so, they dilute the expertise and funding they can devote to any one brand and build strength for none.
The remedy: Unless you’re sure that you have the marketing budget and expertise required to build and support multiple brands, stick to what we call the Rule of One: Build one brand for your business rather than a business full of many brands. Apply the Rule of One by following this advice:
Chapter 2 has tips on how to manage a number of products under your one-and-only brand, and Chapter 7 can help you develop a family of names under one brand umbrella. Chapter 15 offers advice for leveraging the power of your brand through new products, cobranded offerings, and licensing opportunities.
The mistake: If you can’t tell customers what you do best, they have no reason to choose your offering and good reason to opt for a different, more distinct solution. Or if they think that all available offerings deliver the same value and quality, they’ll simply buy whatever’s most easily available at the lowest price.
The remedy: Find a distinguishing characteristic that causes your offering to excel over alternatives and build your brand around that point of difference.
Chapter 5 helps you find your brand’s unique position in the marketplace. Chapter 13 guides development of a customer experience that reinforces your point of difference at every point of encounter with your brand.
The mistake: Even business owners that love groundbreakings, ribbon cuttings, grand openings, and lavish celebrations underestimate the importance of staging a brand launch. If you fail to introduce your brand with a formal launch you lose a great one-time opportunity to make news about your brand identity, point of difference, promise, and message.
The remedy: Launch your brand from the inside out, bringing every aspect of your business into alignment with your brand promise, personality, and character before you raise the curtain and introduce your brand in your marketplace (see Chapter 9). Chapters 10, 11, and 12 are full of information on how to take your brand to public audiences via publicity, advertising, social media, and digital communications.
The mistake: Brand owners get complacent. They fail to obtain or defend trademarks, lock up domain names, write brand usage guidelines, or enforce brand-usage rules. Before long, brand names are in jeopardy, brand consistency is at risk, and brand value plummets.
The remedy: Protect your brand in three important ways:
Check out Chapter 17 for advice to follow in order to defend your brand.
The mistake: Even with the best name and logo, the most awesome brand launch, and brand marketing materials that win best-of-show in creative competitions, brands suffer if they don’t live up to their promises.
The remedy: Realize that your brand is either made or broken not by what you say but by what you do. People base their brand impressions upon the caliber and consistency of their own experiences. To establish and maintain the kind of brand experience that builds passion, loyalty, and brand value, follow the advice in Chapter 13 and take these steps:
The mistake: Brand owners get bored. They get tired of their looks and messages, so they start improvising. They begin fiddling with their names, revising their logos, or trying out new brand voices or personalities. Just like that, consistency goes out the window. With it goes the ability to convey the brand’s identity and promise with the kind of clarity that had inspired confidence in everyone from employees to consumers to investors and others.
The remedy: Realize that to build and maintain a strong brand, you have to be consistent. Follow this advice:
If your brand needs updating, don’t do it in a haphazard or ad hoc fashion. Follow the brand revitalization process outlined in Chapter 16.
The mistake: A good brand extends its name to an iffy product or to a product that contradicts the brand message and promise, confusing customers and eroding the brand’s emotional connection with its loyal following.
The remedy: Extending your brand to a new offering is a smart, lucrative action only if you extend within your brand’s reach, either remaining in your established product category or moving into categories that are very compatible with your the offerings for which your brand is known.
Leveraging your brand into new product or market categories is one of the most valued perks of brand development. It allows you to capitalize on the reputation you’ve built over time and apply it to new ventures that benefit from instant awareness and competitive advantage. Chapter 15 provides a good overview for how to seize brand extension opportunities without stretching your name to the breaking point.
The mistake: When brands get stuck in times past, brand owners are often the last ones to notice. They’re so busy fending off competitors and working to attract and keep business that they fail to notice when their brand identities no longer reflect the essence of their businesses, or when their brand experiences become out of step with marketplace tastes and trends.
The remedy: On a regular basis, put your brand through the equivalent of a physical to see if its age is starting to affect its health. Chapter 16 outlines symptoms to watch for, including:
Some brands benefit from minor cosmetic repair and message realignment, whereas others require more significant revitalization or even total rebranding. Turn to Chapter 16 for help as you conduct a brand assessment and plan what kind of a brand revision, if any, is in order.