Five reasons to stay on-brand

The 100 Best Global Brands 2016 were recently announced by Interbrand, and Apple topped the list with a value of 178 billion USD. A brand is certainly a huge asset for a company, if not the biggest. Unfortunately, some brands are not treated with the respect they deserve.

Here are five good reasons why to stay on-brand:

1. Recognition

Brand recognition will affect customers’ choice when ready for purchase. Staying true to your brand attributes, such as color, logos, images, tag lines, etc., enables your brand to be recognized even without mentioning the brand name.

“Because you’re worth it” is one catchy slogan that has maintained international recognition for almost 45 years.

2. Identity

Brand attributes that are easily distinguishable from those of other brands prevent confusion with competitor brands.  Consequent use of strong brand attributes inhibits dilution of the brand’s identity. A quality brand with a weak identity even risks being exploited by similar brands.

Hygiene products such as soaps, deodorants, or shampoo are subject to strong competition and it is difficult for one brand to stick. Colgate has managed to distinguish their brand identity from competition through brand personality attributes such as ruggedness, competence, and excitement.

3. Position

Brand positioning offers an opportunity to create a market place for your brand. A successful positioning helps customers distinguish a brand’s promise from those of other brands and provides reasons to why select this particular brand over others.

Harley Davidson, with brand values such as rituals, masculinity, and toughness, broke their brand promise when launching a perfume.

4. Assurance

A brand is commonly associated with a certain quality. Maintaining integrity of the brand protects its reputation and supports assurance of delivering a consistent customer experience.

A brand is a way to set expectations. McDonald’s Big Mac burger is expected to taste the same anywhere in the world, despite slight changes to the recipe.

5. Launchpad

A well-known brand makes it easier to launch new products. A product of an unknown brand constitutes a risk for the customer. A well-known brand is already associated with a certain quality and can benefit from its reputation. A brand with a good reputation saves the customer’s time and energy.

The strength of customer association to the brand value determines the extendability of the brand. Polo Ralph Lauren, the well-known clothing company, successfully extended its brand to home furnishing.

Driving brand awareness is expensive, but it is almost impossible to make sales without it. To avoid brand failure, the brand must be constantly and consistently communicated.