Are you keeping or breaking it?
Something
that always amazes me is when I meet with company or community leaders who have
no idea what their brand represents. When asked, their responses range from “I
don’t know,” to a long-winded recital of their mission statement. Then, I stump
them with this; “If I were to ask your prospects or clients this question, how
would they answer?”
What
these people may not understand is the importance of seeing their brand as it
is known (or unknown) by outsiders. It’s easy to assume that outsiders see your
company or community in the same way as insiders, but that may not be the case.
They may have a different opinion or no opinion at all.
Your
brand (reputation) hinges on a promise, either broken or kept. Through your
marketing communications, you make claims and promises. Through your actions,
you either keep them or break them. A promise is good only if it is kept. If
you fail to keep promises, your brand position and sales will eventually
suffer. If promises are kept or exceeded, your brand and sales will soar.
Consider
such companies as BMW (The Ultimate Driving Machine), Avis (We try harder) and
McDonald’s (I’m Lovin’ It). Over many years, these companies, through promises
made and kept, meet and exceed expectations. Customers know exactly what to expect.
Similarly,
Brand Acceleration clients and prospects know what to expect. Our slogan, “High
Performance Marketing,” means something. They know how passionate we are about
creating results, making the cash register ring. They also know about our intense
focus on economic development and AEC marketing. We don’t just work in these
industries, we live them.
Every
day, we work with companies and communities, helping them tell their stories in
powerful ways, attracting business and bringing home jobs. Partnering with them,
we know how to communicate their messages in effective ways. It’s crucial,
however, for us to know that their promises will be kept. Our brand reputation
is directly tied to the integrity of our clients. We only work with people of
integrity. Slime balls need not call us.
What’s
your brand promise?
A brand
promise is much more than claims made in ads, brochures and web sites. As
mentioned above, it’s about promises made and kept.
Feel
like chiming in? Here’s your chance. Jump in and share your opinions and
stories.
Have a
great week,
Jim
Walton
CEO
Brand
Acceleration, Inc.
Branding
// Marketing Communications // Public Relations
Indianapolis:
317.536.6255
Charlotte:
704:230:0394
Fax:
317.222.1425
Cell:
317.523.7380
Brand Acceleration is a full-service marketing communications, brand
management and public relations firm with a focus on economic development, architecture,
engineering and construction.
No comments :
Post a Comment