In a recent post about the power of Amazon to dominate in the online retail space and how it has stalled equity investment in new online retail ventures, Caroline Fairchild reported on the difficulty online retailers face when trying to go up against the 800-lb gorilla that is Amazon.
In “Amazon is not your friend”, Scott Friend of Bain Capital Ventures shared the only companies succeeding against Amazon are ones that offer a creative experience that can’t be found on Amazon, building a loyal customer base that’s willing to leave the convenience of the Amazon storefront to purchase inspiring products.
In the piece, he said something that struck home: “Brand is not something you can sprinkle on an operation after the fact.”
'Brand is not something you can sprinkle on an operation after the fact.' -Scott Friend Share on XSo many companies come to marketing and branding agencies asking us to “re-brand their company”. They ask, “Can’t we tell our story better?” We can certainly help to message an existing brand in a more succinct and exciting fashion. But if your company needs a brand makeover, its success depends on much more than a new logo, messaging framework, and beautiful graphics.
The companies that succeed in re-branding make wholesale changes not only in the marketing department, but also in culture and customer experience. The effort must be enthusiastically endorsed and led by executives at the very top. If you are one person or one department leading this charge with no C-level support, give up now.
Spending the time and treasure to re-brand without executive leadership is simply putting “lipstick on a pig”.
