Strong Brands Are Consistent

January 13, 2012

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Most leadership teams choose “trustworthy” as the most important brand personality attribute when positioning their brands. Why? People need to trust the brands they use. They want to know what to expect. They don’t want any surprises, at least not negative ones.

So, it still surprises me when I encounter brands that are completely inconsistent in their execution across products, services or locations. Think of a fast food chain in which the menu items vary from location to location, or worse, the food or service quality varies from location to location. Imagine a brand that produces some very high quality products that are extremely durable and reliable. Now imagine that same brand offering other products of significantly lower quality, durability and reliability. What does that brand stand for? Can you trust it? Imagine a coffee house chain in which some locations’ bathrooms are immaculate and others are absolutely filthy. Or a hotel brand that offers free Wi-Fi, complimentary breakfast, a fitness center and a swimming pool in most, but not all, locations.

Brand managers must consider ways to maintain consistency across all of the following:

• Overall quality level
• Service quality level
• Product functionality and features
• Product availability
• Location amenities
• Cleanliness
• Flavor consistency
• Durability and reliability levels
• Time consistency

Your customers are counting on your brand to be predictable. Otherwise, what does the brand stand for except for inconsistency itself?

Sponsored By: The Brand Positioning Workshop