Have you ever been asked which is more powerful, the eye or the ear? Probably not, because the answer is obvious. I’ll bet that deep down inside, you believe the eye is more powerful. Call it “visual chauvinism,” if you like, but it’s a preconception held by many marketing people.
There is a fine line separating too many brands from too few. If companies are lazy with the brand shears they end up with the marketing confusion and poor economies of brand exemplified by General Motors and its overgrown brand architecture. In contrast, if firms are too conservative with brand creation and acquisition, they end up with the risk-averse culture and limited market penetration illustrated by Kodak.
In a recent post I raised the issue of people and brands licensing their names. My general conclusion was that for the most part, it’s a waste of money and could be a problem for the brand itself.
There was a bit of branding mischief taking place earlier this month.
“Remarkable is necessary to market today, because unremarkable products don’t get talked about, they just fade away.” – Seth Godin
