Mindshare Marketing

The question is whether your brand is a clearly structured asset to the company, or a confusing jumble of antiquated internal corporate practices.

In many cases, a company’s brand develops over time by pure accident and can, over time, become more of a liability than an asset.

Compare this with a clearly defined and managed brand. The enterprise’s entire decision-making process is more streamlined and on-track. Customers remain loyal to a company is seen a partner in their everyday lives. Competitors look at an ever-rising bar for performance and become less competitive as they mimic your success.

A more organically-grown brand can actually be damaging to corporate strategy. If you lack a solid description of your brand, you are a ship lost to a storm of market forces. Employees make decisions based on personal arguments inconsistent with long-term corporate goals. Customers are easily swayed by inferior products and brands that have more consistent communication strategies. Competitors who study you closely are likely to know more about what you plan to do than your managers.

An integrated brand helps drive your company from the present towards a future of sustained success and market leadership. It serves to both guide and structure decision-making and ensures tomorrow’s achievements actually accomplish today’s goals.

How proactive has your brand development process been? Do your employees represent your brand principles in every aspect of their work? Are your customers loyal because your brand aligns with their values? Does your competition follow your lead in the market?

(Also featured on IntegratedBrand.com)

Most brands start out distinguishing themselves based on products and unique service offerings.  As the market develops, there are fewer ways to differentiate product lines.  Features become ubiquitous across brands and most are forced down the dark road of competing on price alone.

This, however, is just one possible fate for developing markets.  The other fate is to develop into a luxury market.  By branding the shopping experience, rather than the product.  A good example is jewelry.  This is an obvious extravagance, but think about how jewelry stores distinguish themselves from one another.  The products are identical, prices are very much the same, but different brands carry different store layouts and offer distinct levels and versions of customer service.

Even the coffee industry has gone this route.  Starbucks does not franchise its stores, it licenses its brand (its experience).  Coffee will be relatively the same no matter where you buy it, but each coffee shop has its own design, character, and experiential brand.

What other industries do you know of that have moved into a luxury market?  What developed markets do you see that have failed to develop this way?

Is it ethical to make products whose use is clearly illegal? Or whose use is specifically for illegal purposes?

Most people would argue that you make a product for one purpose and allow your customers to use it in any way they see fit. I agree that you cannot control how your product is used, but you can definitely control why it is used.

Radar detectors have always been controversial. However, I heard a radio advertisement on Tuesday for the Phazer II that puts this controversy to rest. The ad ended with a disclaimer that Rocky Mountain Radar does not encourage speeding. However, the ad consisted ONLY of details about how effective the Phazer II is at disabling police radar, how users can speed without worry, and even included a promise - if you get a speeding ticket while using the product, Rocky Mountain Radar will refund the fine!

Do you think this kind of marketing (product design and advertisement) is ethical? Why or why not?