Branded for Life; the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Submitted by Mitch Seigel on Mon, 3/21/2011

On Sunday, Casey Anthony, acquitted of murdering her two year old daughter, walks free out of jail, only as a convicted liar. Based on time served and good behavior, she was held for ten days, on four charges of giving false statements to police, during the three year investigation. The operative word here is ‘only.’ While a jury of her peers have found her not guilty, when she walks out of jail this weekend, will she have a brand identity beyond the false statements?

Branding takes place in many ways. You can work at achieving branding for your products and services for many years and never achieve the high level of brand identity that one gets without really trying, by being in the spotlight of a high profile case. Only the future will tell us, but this may be an example of the ugliness that branding can bring.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, yesterday Will and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, finished their North American trip. From birth, William has been branded the heir to the British throne, in line behind his father Prince Charles. Yet, by the simple act of marriage, Kate Middleton, schoolmate of Wills, has been branded as potentially the next Queen of England! It has given her exposure beyond her wildest imagination and has presented several situations for her to live up to in this role.

Expectations are built through branding, and the products and services developed by a brand are held accountable to represent the brand in a consistent way. When you crack open a can of Coke, your next expectation is that it quenches your thirst and you enjoy the taste. Imagine if the Coke tasted like water, with no flavor!

Not all companies want to carry the burden of the branded company. Many run on the coat tails of brands and offer similar products at a discount. For years refrigerators have been made by only a few companies. It is the name plate that goes on the front of the appliance that changes the brand and identity. Most stores would purposely carry name brands and off-brand products at a discount. Some consumers are sold on buying the brand at all costs, and others want a good product at a lower price.

Good food for thought as you are branding or re-branding your business, your products, or the services you offer. Sometimes it’s a good thing to brand, as is the case of Kate Middleton, enjoying the benefits of being in a new position in life. Sometimes it is bad to brand, if you want to follow in the footsteps of other branded products in a category, like the off-brand appliances choosing to not push their name to fit in that product sector as the lower priced products. And sometimes branding can possibly get ugly by the actions or alleged actions you take, such as the situation facing soon-to-be-free Casey Anthony.

What are your challenges when it comes to branding? I look forward to hearing your comments.

Until next time …