Strong brands are not everything to everybody.
Strong brands do not hide.
Strong brands do not chase other brands.

Javan’s famous quote “I don’t wish to be everything to everyone, but I would like to be something to someone”, is true even in the branding process. Strong brands cannot fulfill every need, nor should they try to. However, what they will do is strive to fulfill the needs they can – well. This is where staying true to your brand promise comes in.

Let’s take Dominos Pizza for example: In recent ads, Dominos has been found critiquing themselves publicly for not living up to their brand promise for their pizza and breadsticks. What have they done? Found a way to revamp their products to keep the customers they have. Obviously, a viewer of the ad may simply be a die-hard Pizza Hut fan and will never buy Dominos, but Dominos says, that’s okay, we’re just going to improve on what we can, to be the best to our remaining customers who may be disappointed.

Strong brands do not hide, they remain visible and familiar. Strong brands are embedded in your daily routine. Let’s take Google for example: The search engine creator proclaims they want to own your mind. That’s very lofty, yet they have mastered the art of making you need them for everything from web search, to driving directions, to checking your email.

Google has successfully found a way to embed themselves in your daily routine without you even knowing it. Want to watch a video online? Where do you go? Youtube, (A Google Product). Have an Android phone? (It’s all Google). In fact, people won’t tell you to search for them on the net, they simply say, “Google Me”. Now, Google is in your daily vernacular – Genius!

Strong brands do not clone other brands, they simply and effectively make other brand competitors clone themselves to be like the stronger brand.
Let’s take a brand that tried to clone another brand and failed miserably. Myspace. Myspace was first to the market and offered tons of tools and background changes, which Facebook struggled with, yet Myspace got off track with their client base to chase Facebook. Over 120 Million Myspace users practically ditched Myspace in favor of Facebook, primarily due to the clients desire not to just be in “my space”, but to be in “your space”. In addition, the simplicity and intuitiveness of Facebook and its appeal to non-artists made it a hit. Myspace has now decided not to compete with Facebook, but to compliment it by recognizing its power and accepting it gracefully as the winner. Myspace still has its place for a niche crowd, but will never have the power and influence it once held.

Glad you could visit www.theuptowndiva.com and keep us top of mind when thinking about your brand strategy.
For a consultation, or to talk about your brand, find me on Twitter.com @theuptowndiva or @thesocialiteprj. I am also on Facebook at Cristal Carrington