Uncategorized

What happens if your brand makes a bold change and it backfires? Maybe your customers hate your new tagline or logo, or they think your new packaging is off-putting. Whatever the reason, you're seeing a wave of negative feedback on social media – which feels pretty devastating when you've just invested time and resources on your project.

Is Weight Watchers' name change the right brand strategy? On the heels of Weight Watchers' recent rebrand, Adweek published a scathing critique, calling the rebrand "directionless and forced." The renaming from Weight Watchers to WW got the most criticism. Now, on one hand, Weight Watchers had the right idea. Like Dunkin' Donuts' recent simplification to Dunkin', these household brand names underwent brand-surgery to get leaner.

Recent research suggests a surprising gap between what B2B brands communicate to customers and what customers really want to hear. In an article published in McKinsey Quarterly, the market research firm delivers what may be shocking news to some: customers do not care as much about low prices or a commitment to sustainability.

A study we found, commissioned by Google and The Corporate Executive Board Company (CEB) places the blame for poor sales performance squarely upon the shoulders of brand managers, reporting a 500% gain in consideration, 1,300% gain in purchases, and 3,000% gain in willingness to pay a premium for products with which the customer has a high brand connection.

Brands and, more specifically, marketers LOVE TO TALK. They love it. They love to talk about unique points of differentiation. They love to talk about product benefits. They love to wax poetic about why they're so special, throwing out words like "incomparable," "unparalleled" and "leading edge" to make their point. And after that? It's a laundry list of features crammed into every brand communication, smacking Customers right in the face from the very first impression. And guess what? It's. Not. Working.