Coca-Cola, Nike, Apple, and Harley Davidson are the brands that need no explanation. We all are quite familiar with the products that they offer in the market. Simply, it’s just the power of branding.
They have positioned themselves so well that rarely anyone can not know about them. This is the main reason why branding is so important to sustain in the market.
So, what is branding?
Branding is more than just the logo and design of the company. It is the process of positioning and differentiating from the competitors in the market. Also, it is a way of setting an identity in people’s minds. Branding has a lot of things to offer and some of them are:
- Brand Equity
- Customer Loyalty
- Brand Recall
- Attracts New Customer
- Brand Success
Overall the success of the company depends upon marketing and branding. Every company has its own set of branding and marketing strategies. But why are some of the brands failing?
Let us discuss some of the reasons:
Lack of Market Research
This is the very first mistake that the companies are making. Most of them are selling their products but are they actually offering what their customers want?
These companies need to be aware of what their competitors are doing. And we are all aware that market trends keep on changing as per the customers’ demand. Every company should try to keep themselves updated with the latest market situation.
An example can be taken from New Coke. On April 23, 1985, New Coke was launched which was much sweeter in taste. A survey was done where people were given a small amount of New Coke to taste.
As a result, they loved it but they forgot that compared to the original Coke’s taste. If people had to drink more portions then it would be sweeter.
Hence, New Coke flopped and had to return back to the original formula. Coke forgot that they were not only selling beverages but togetherness to the customers.
Unfulfilled Brand Promise
Brand Promise is an experience that the customers expect from the brand as a product/service. Simply it is a statement representing the brand and what it stands for. Fulfilling the brand promise also helps to enhance brand loyalty.
Moreover, breaking the brand promise leads to the biggest brand failure.
Volkswagen is a popular brand that stands for its statement “The People’s Car”. Being the best automobile manufacturer, it failed to fulfil its brand promise of “Clean Diesel” by installing emissions-cheating software. This costs them billions of dollars along with a brand reputation.
Improper Positioning
Sometimes the brand fails to position itself in the market. It forgets what it stands for and what it should be doing. They try to experiment with new strategies while positioning in the market which acts as a major setback.
Imagine eating toothpaste for dinner; it seems weird, right? The same thing happened in the case of Colgate Palmolive, a well-positioned toothpaste brand. In 1982, Colgate decided to enter the frozen dinner market named “Colgate Kitchen Entrees” which was an absolute flop. The consumers started to wonder why Colgate was selling frozen dinners out of nowhere.
Rigidness
Some brands are so rigid about the products that they offer. Living in the digital era and functioning in the dynamic market; the brand must be able to move forward with the power of adapting to the changes. Sticking with the brand promise and being able to serve the customers is the core key.
Due to past success and victories, the brand doesn’t want to change which later leads to losing its market.
Nokia is an example that we can see which disappeared from the market due to its rigid marketing strategy.
Lack of Monitoring
Most brands lack monitoring and end up being nowhere in the market. Every brand has metrics that need to be measured and analyzed. Some of the brand metrics include brand awareness, brand perception, customer engagement, customer lifetime value & loyalty, etc. Without brand monitoring, branding seems useless.
Wells Fargo is a multinational financial company. In 2016, it was caught that millions of fake accounts were created. This clearly shows the lack of monitoring of the employees which directly affected the branding.
In the bottom line, we can say that branding must be so good that the customers will be able to visualize your product within a second.
Those mentioned above are the top reasons why the brands are failing. So, in order to stand in the crowd one must avoid these mistakes and stay consistent while branding.
Keep in mind that your brand is just more than what it sells. We as a creative agency can help your brand flourish. Helping businesses like you we surely can be the beam of light and take your brand to newer heights.
Contact us to see the magic of branding and the power of Digital Marketing!
