10 Ways to Kill Your Brand

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There was an interesting discussion on LinkedIn about what a brand means to a consumer - we had to use no more than two words to describe it. Some of the words that were used included 'Service,' 'Trust,' 'Recognition,' 'Promise,' 'Relevant Identity,' 'Emotional Connection,' & 'Unsolicited Recognition.'

Here are some things that you should not be doing:

1. Do not change, because that is the 'mission' of your business.

2. Trying to build consensus on everything and seeking everybody's opinion.

3. Believe that your brand is immune to cultural, technology, and demographic changes.

4. Being fearful of losing your job if you were to make any changes.

5. Not solicit and encourage input from those who interact with consumers.

6. Engage with buzzwords, social media, but only rarely.

7. Congratulate yourself for being at the top of your industry without wondering if your industry will be there in 5 years.

8. Ignore criticism from consumers, your peers, and your front line employees.

9. Never benchmark or evaluate your program against other industries much less competitors. Those guys are clueless and their ideas have no relevance to an aged and revered brand like yours.

10. Consumers are idiots (see No. 8). Listening to what they think or feel about your brand, or how it could better meet their needs is just stupid. What could possibly come from it? New product ideas. More share. Why bother?