Product parity is every marketer’s worst fear; the most effective weapon to deal with this nightmare is developing a unique
brand attitude. Before dwelling into it one must understand finer nuances of good
marketing. Good marketing begins with the marketer, the keeper of the brand, and ends with the consumer. Brand managers have to be clear about what their brand stands for. If they change the brand depending upon what every consumer tells them, which can be self contradictory, the brand weakens and dies. Failure of New Coke in America is a case in point. After due research it was found out that
consumers preferred sweeter
taste of Pepsi and taste of Coke was tweaked accordingly. Yet it failed because something that is preferred but not predictable is often rejected rather than welcomed.
Successful brands have an attitude- a point of view, a sense of confidence and they are proud of their peculiarities. They celebrate the fact that all consumers do not necessarily like them but those who do are loyal.
Apple has always had an attitude –refusing to do things just because
sales would potentially go up. It would have easy for Apple to adopt Windows and go for sales. However the brand would have become generic and a commodity and it is doubtful if the iPod would ever have happened.
Success come from deciding what your brand stands for, defining it clearly putting it down in writing and sticking to it when the going gets tough.
Mukesh Pant is Chief Marketing Officer of Yum Restaurants International. In his stint with Reebok he is credited with reviving its sagging fortunes worldwide especially in USA.
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