In today's new economy the brand is more important than ever. As every dollar the customer spends is ever more scrutinized, the brand value plays an ever more important role in the spending.
Either a company is living, celebrating, experimenting, investing in the brand or they are damaging the brand. And the truthful life of a brand is mostly in the details. Most brands are focused on their product, packaging and presentation, but a score of less than A+ in any of those areas erodes the overall brand building effort.
Want to find the real brand, use the scratch test. Scratch in the bathroom. Scratch in the dressing room. Scratch with service. Scratch online. Scratch the product ingredients. Scratch and watch the brand value seep out.
What is it brands don't get? The critical importance of passionate customers? Passionate customers care. Do well by them and they will speak highly of your brand. Mislead, misinform, be disrespectful and they will yell the loudest - and be very influential with their voices.
How hungry are you after you have gone to a new restaurant and used the bathroom? Does the bathroom reinforce the brand? Can you imagine going into a hospital and using the bathroom only to find it so dirty that you wish you had gloves on? Or the dressing room in the mall store, littered like a trash can. Or the customer service person you finally reached only to be rushed through the call.
Hello, if a brand is comprised of all the touch points we as customers have with the brand, no wonder Celebrated Brands fall from grace. The company is responsible for the brand's management. And the brand's management doesn't end when the cash register rings.