Best Ways to Destroy Your Brand - Pt. 5
Posted by Jaci Russo
Brand Promise
This week we are looking at the five best ways to destroy your brand.
On Monday, we focused on Discount Sales. When a business discounts prices they position themselves as cheap instead of valuable and it will diminish the brand. The consumer is prevented from making an emotional connection and is forced to think of the relationship from a transactional point of view.
On Tuesday, we examined another great way to destroy the brand, cutting the budget. Often companies look to the marketing budget a place to make a first cut to improve the bottom line. However, this is only a short term fix and unfortunately a very short sighted one. Although, it is a great way to destroy the brand.
On Wednesday, we reviewed the need for authenticity. If a company is acting like they are something that they are in fact not, the consumer will know and will never trust the company. When companies make promises, it has to be based on an authentic point of differentiation.
On Thursday, we talked about thinking beyond advertising. The best way to destroy your brand is to think of it as only your logo or your product. Instead, you have to recognize your brand as your consumer’s emotional response to those things. Your brand isn’t a tangible item that is sold in a store. Your brand is a feeling that your consumers hold in their hearts.
Today we are talking about the brand promise. The 5th and best way to destroy your brand is to break your promise. Branding is an emotional relationship and consumers need reassurance they are making the right choices. If your marketing activities create mistrust by under-delivering on their expectations of your brand, consumers may quickly switch to a safer (a.k.a. less expensive) alternative.
So what are you promising? What is your Brand Promise?
Think about Fedex. Their promise is pretty clear. Deliver the world overnight. If they are consistently late and their deliveries start taking 2 or 3 or 4 days to arrive, what would happen? How would they fare in the marketplace?
Think about your business. What is the brand promise that you make? Do you keep it? Most importantly, does anyone care? Is your promise unique enough that it stands out? These are the best ways to destroy your brand. Now what?
Focus on your company and review these five branding busters. Do you need to make any changes? Do you have the emotional connection with your consumers that you need to grow your brand?
