We regularly answer marketing questions here on Branding Strategy Insider. Today’s question comes from a number of marketers in response to the passing of Steve Jobs. They ask…
Is it dangerous to have a founder so closely linked to a brand? Richard Branson? Steve Jobs?
Great brands are often created by courageous, visionary leaders, people who are willing to create things that others could not conceive of or would not dare to endeavor. This is true of Richard Branson and Virgin and it is also true of Steve Jobs and Apple. Can these brands survive and even thrive in the absence of their founders? Steve Jobs stepped away from Apple for twelve years. During that time, Apple floundered. When Steve Jobs returned, Apple launched the iPod, iPhone and iPad, along with services like iTunes and Apple TV.
Highly visible, visionary company founders are tied to their companies’ brands in a few ways:
- They serve as the human icons for their brands
- Their values and character traits permeate and drive their organizations’ behaviors and their brands’ personalities
- They are the leaders, catalysts and orchestrators of their organizations’ successes
If a person is involved in his or her brand in all three of these ways, it will be difficult for his or her brand to thrive in quite the same way or maybe even at all after he or she is gone. A brand can outlive a human icon, witness Wendy’s and Dave Thomas or The Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney, but it cannot thrive to the same extent if there is not a new leader with a similar level of courage and vision and passion to lead the organization forward. Only time will tell how well these brands and organizations will fare beyond the lives of their esteemed founders.
Have a question related to branding? Just Ask The Blake Project
The Blake Project Can Help: The Brand Positioning Workshop
Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Growth and Brand Education
