- Not knowing what your brand stands for and does NOT stand for. “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” – Michael Porter Instead of trying to claim 3 or 4 attributes for your brand, agree on one thing and own it.
- Defining the brand only through your advertising and promotions. Everything you do with a brand affects how people feel about it including your pricing, how your building looks, your courier, your telephone operator, your security guards, your returns policy and how people can access it. Differentiate your brand in everything you do.
- Not building metrics into your planning so that you are accountable. The rest of the team is getting sick of your requests for more dollars without evidence of your investment’s impact on the company’s financial performance and overall company and brand equity. Show me the evidence that people love our brand more. (e.g. Brand Image Tracker or Customer Experience Monitor or Mystery Shoppers)
- Spending all your time on the message and not enough time on who’s seeing it and how often. Brand Managers spend 90% of their time briefing and reviewing the creative and 10% or less of their time on the media schedule.
- Focus on short terms sales to detriment of long term results. So we discount premium products and sell them in locations where they should not be seen.
- Not understanding your brand’s price/value relationship. You can be leaving money on the table or pricing too high.
- Not spending enough time on the ground. While you have to be the conductor, you’ve got to blow the trumpet too as well as watch the band from the other side of the stage.
