An article by Eric Saelens of Brand Home last week throws a spotlight on some of the rubbish talked about brands. Erik and I are pretty much on the same page when it comes to brands and his article raises numerous points that I have raised in my talks and articles over the years.
He’s right when he says nothing can be taken for granted. Managing a brand is hard work and things can always go wrong, but if you truly understand what a brand is you’ll have a better chance of success than most.
A brand is a community of people with shared values and beliefs. When you get it right all your stakeholders – employees, investors, partners, suppliers distributors and, of course, customers – understand what your brand stands for. They know what to expect from you, and your product. Your challenge is to deliver that consistently. That means new products that hit the shelves at the moment your customers are asking for them, ever-improving service, a place where everyone feels “at home” and more. But make no bones about it, as Erik also points out, we hate to feel miss-led, so you only need to over-promise once and your community will start to crumble.
Sure the value of any business is in its brands, but never take that for granted.
Phil Darby
September 25, 2018