This is yet another milestone moment for marketing and brand management. Why? Because the pages of our business press report that many well-known brands are in trouble due to brand management mismarketing. There are multiple reasons for the marketing infractions. One serious issue is the state of the CMO role. And, the state of the CMO role is fraught. To exacerbate the CMO miasma, there is the sense that many CMO candidates have never been...
For some time now, almost since its inception, Peloton has avoided communicating why it is relevantly differentiated from other exercise platforms. Even though Peloton has a unique and significant purpose and promise, the brand has neglected to tell anyone. The brand’s promise and essence are seemingly secrets. You tend to learn about “why Peloton” by osmosis, after signing up and/or buying the hardware. By withholding Peloton’s reason for being, Peloton has cycled through a multitude...
Can a CEO build a brand that is bigger than their company’s? A truly iconic brand? Can a CEO brand have the power to transfer from one business to bring power and credibility to succeed in totally different businesses? Can a strong CEO brand create significantly more financial value than the brand of the business they run?
Product parity exists in (too) many categories because technology advances have enabled the ability to replicate precise competitor formulations quickly. When product innovations hit a category marketplace, the clock is already ticking on adjacent businesses matching the move, an all-too-frequent behavior that carries unintended consequences.
Authenticity. It’s a word we continue to hear and see everywhere. And yet, so often, it rings hollow. Over the past few years, authenticity has become one of the most overused words in brand leadership—and thereby, perhaps, one of the most misunderstood. I hear many brand leaders, marketers, and communications teams speak about authenticity as if it’s a tone of voice, a transparency policy, and even a creative brief.
