Symptoms of an unhealthy brand

Some warning signs of an unhealthy brand are:

• Your brand's sources of equity have vanished

• Through the course of natural evolution and growth of your organization, certain brands in your portfolio no longer foster the organizational mission or fit in with overall business strategy

• The investments you make in your brand cannot be justified based upon the level of revenue and profit that brand returns to your organization

• Nobody within your organization can seem to succinctly articulate your brand's core values or concisely state its unique selling proposition

• Your brand is promising more than your organization can consistently deliver

• Your brand has gotten a bad reputation and new, unwanted associations have been made by consumers

• Your brand's identity seems dated or old-fashioned

• Competing brands now hold the leadership positions in the category

• Your brand is not reaching out to new, younger consumers and your brand is aging right along with your customers

• The promises of value your brand makes no longer resonate or remain relevant

• Your market has moved beyond your brand

• Your brand managers are at least second or third generation managers who were not in your organization or near the brand when the brand was created

• You do not understand who your brand's most valuable customers are or why they choose your brand

• Sales are slumping and so are profits

If you recognize any of these warning signs, it might be time to take a closer look at your brand or perform a brand audit to help ensure your brand's health and longevity.

Copyright 2006, Dave Dolak. All rights reserved.