The Dilution of Craftsman: "Will The Real Craftsman Please Stand Up!"

By Stefan Paul

(St. Louis, MO) It never ceases to amaze me how many Brands operate on a daily basis oblivious to the fact that they are breaking key Brand marketing rules which have a direct impact on both their short and long-term success. This is especially true of Brands that are profitable, large, possess longevity, and have perceived strong Brand names. Indeed, any suggestion of "mis-marketing" is met by management with "well, we must be doing something right as we have 25% market share," or "we are the 3rd largest Brand in the category," or "we have been around for 5 decades and are still alive so we'll keep doing what works." All of the aforementioned are standard replies that do not begin to address the question of "where would the Brand be if it implemented proven, state-of-the-art Brand strategy techniques?" Maybe the 3rd largest Brand in the category would stay that way but also increase: consumer loyalty and satisfaction, its Brand Equity over a myriad of factors, and/or emotional plug-ins to the Brand—Intangibles that may far out value short term (and unstable) market share. Or, the 5-decade-old Brand that may not see the end of its lifecycle just ahead would be prepared to evolve and navigate itself through an upcoming paradigm shift (or any repositioning attempts by a competitor). Skilled Brands are both short and long-term thinkers and are prepared to navigate their success paths via a disciplined Brand Strategy orientation—not just by "what worked in the past" or "temporary" or "artificial" market conditions or competitive advantages. Strong Brands are expert, serious, and progressive Brand Thinkers; Brands headed for problems are "Brand Strategy Ignorant."

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