So far we’re not even halfway through the Superbowl. I’ve found some wonderfully entertaining advertisements, but in all, very few that I think have the potential to drive sales, affect brand perception/recognition or change behavior.
I’ll post a blog tuesday with a more thorough evaluation of the advertising, but so far, I’m not impressed.
Most people don’t know this. It’s no secret, but something company executives don’t seem to listen to.
You do not own your brand.
No one person owns a brand. Ownership of a brand, its definition and its perception lies primarily with the customers and public that consume or worship it.
You cannot regain control of your brand. You can guide and pilot it. If you dare change it, you should hope like hell that the brand holders are ok with the new changes. You should think of your brand like an apartment. You can’t make any changes without the owner’s approval
If you think I’m wrong, take a look at history.
One of the biggest rebranding flops of modern times involves “New Coke.”
For the young and uninitiated: Coca Cola decided that they were tired of being beat by Pepsi in taste tests. In order to compete with them, they formulated a new taste of Coke, rebranded it “New Coke” and trudged ahead, pleased with themselves.
Coke found out the hard way what a bad idea this was. Coke’s customer base was furious. They derided the new taste and the whole experiment cost the company in the short term. They had the insight to change it back before too long.
This little folly illustrates quite a few things about brands. Chances are, if they quietly changed the formula few would have noticed. By rebranding they essentially shouted the change and alienated their base.
The more cult status a brand has, the more the ownership falls to your customer base. Some of Apple’s harshest critics are its own users. Consider how Harley fans might react if the company released something akin to the racing bikes that zip along the highways?
Your brand doesn’t need cult status for ownership to shift to your users. Indeed, in this case, you should be more wary about upsetting them. If there’s less of a loyalty, what’s the incentive to return after your mistake?
Small companies attempting a rebranding effort should do so with great caution. Even in situations where you may want to move away from your core demographics or psychographics you should do so carefully, they are your bread and butter. No rebranding effort should be undertaken without researching both your existing and potential base. Doing so risks causing more damage than you think.