21 common problems in Branding

Target audience

1. The target customers of the brand has not been defined in terms of who are they , what situations in their life may find the use of our brand, what do the customers want to achieve or avoid or fix, who are the competitors
2.  If it is defined, it has is not based on finding of reality
3. If it is defined, it is in only in the book and not understood by all employees

External Brand Expression 

1. The brand does does not promise anything to anyone. It is only a name and a logo.
2. The brand says unsubstantiated and meaningless POD  (‘Best Quality”)
3. Inconsistent messages at different touch points, audiences, media, campaigns, etc.
4. A crisis shows that the brand was never really serious about its promise.

Popularization of Brand Expression  

1. Special interest groups make the brand a “whipping boy” for some social issue.
2. There is little to no awareness of the brand in the marketplace.

Internal brand management mechanisms  

1. The product may have quality problems or be inferior to its competitors’ products
2. Internal organizational issues lead to brand and customer service dysfunction.
3. CEO and the CLT do not understand brand management and do not support it.
4. Every time the economy slows, marketing budgets are slashed .
5. A new brand manager changes some brand element : whether needed or not.
6. Growth pressures force new products / services that blur the meaning of the brand.
7. Brand extensions have repositioned the core brand in a negative light.
8. The brand significantly alters its position : TA, Competition, Position, VFM line
9. Continual cost cutting makes the offering inferior. .
10. Brands proliferation with no clear position , differentiation or consumer targeting.
11. Branding decisions are ego- versus analysis-driven
12. Brand organization rested on their laurels and not kept up with changing  needs