Branding Facts/Fallacies

Branding Facts & Fallacies

 
 
Branding is part art and part science, but it isn’t bullshit. Putting the wrong people in charge of creating, approving, and implementing your brand, though, will be disastrous — making it seem like bullshit.

Alas, putting the wrong people in charge of branding, and compounding this error by using worthless committees, yields anemic results at best.

In typical reaction to lousy results, CEOs cut their investments in branding — even though a strong brand is every company’s oxygen — instead of replacing incompetents with pros.

These branding cuts happen most often during economic downturns, when, more than ever, companies need to emerge from the white noise of me-too competition. Big mistake.

A CEO cutting his branding investment is akin to an archer dulling his arrowhead.

 

 

KEY BRANDING FACTS

 

AmbiguityEqCost
ComplexityEqCost
ConfusionEqCost
ImitationEqCost
InsularityEqCost
MindshareEqCost

 

When Your Constituents Don’t

 

 

“Get You” in 15 Seconds,

(HINT: They Don’t)

 

 

Your Brand Is WEAK

 

You Generate White Noise

(like 95% of all companies)

 

 

They‘ll Ignore You

 

 

 

You’re Burning CA$H

 

 

KEY BRANDING FALLACIES

 

 

Branding is for “consumer” companies

Branding by committee is optimal

Social media can offset weak branding

Branding expertise is unrelated to sales experience

PR/advertising = branding

Fancy logo = branding

Jargon = branding

Branding = postponable luxury

 

 

Be Unique or Be Ignored™