Keep the brand strategy alive

One of the pillars of Navigator's business is brand strategy: working closely with our clients to understand and describe the soul of a company, in order to move the brand in the desired direction. As with training, building a brand takes time and energy, and it's work that must be constantly maintained. If you don't, things can go very wrong.

A brand can be destroyed quickly

One of the most famous and apt quotes in this area comes from the financier Warren Buffet:

"It takes twenty years to build a reputation, but five minutes to destroy it."

Ungrateful, isn't it? But it's a fact that dirt sticks. And it's a fact that people remember a single mistake more easily than decades of negligence. This is especially true when it comes to businesses, whose shortcomings we generally show less understanding for. There are endless opportunities to ruin even the finest brand, such as when communication goes awry or morale fails.

1. When communication goes wrong

Watching failed communication is a bit like watching bloopers from a movie. You realize that the intentions were good, but that somewhere along the line the thinking went wrong. If only the minds behind the examples below had asked themselves "is this ad/text/image in line with what the brand should stand for?" they could have avoided a lot of headaches.

H&M

A 2018 ad breakdown that left H&M's reputation and brand in tatters. Following accusations of racism, many people publicly distanced themselves from H&M. Among others, artist The Weeknd announced to his 17 million followers on X/Twitter that he was ending his relationship with the clothing company in protest.

Pepsi

Pepsi's commercial featuring Kendall Jenner has been called the worst commercial ever. Set in the middle of the Black Lives Matters protests, Kendall is sent to broker peace between police and protesters. How does he do it? By offering the cops a Pepsi. The soft drink company was subsequently lambasted in the media for capitalizing on the struggle for a more just society.

2. When morality breaks down

No matter how unsuccessful an advertising campaign is, brands can often recover, even if it comes at a cost. After all, in people's eyes, it's 'just' advertising. It gets much worse when a brand behaves badly. Worst of all if this is done deliberately, or even if it is done to make money. For most companies, this behavior is officially off-brand, but with a dormant value base, it happens anyway. Again and again. More companies should be thinking: "is our behavior in line with what the brand should stand for?"

Johnson & Johnson

In 2017, the Johnson & Johnson baby powder scandal broke. An investigation revealed that the product contained the carcinogen asbestos - and that the company's management knew about it. After paying billions of dollars in damages, the company declared its subsidiary bankrupt in 2021. In the process, Johnson & Johnson was hit with another scandal - that of shirking its responsibilities.

Scania

Truck manufacturer Scania claims to have zero tolerance for corruption. That's why it was so disturbing when SVT's Uppdrag Granskning revealed that the company had paid bribes to win lucrative bus contracts in India. After the media storm, Scania chose to close its bus production in India, which cost shareholders half a billion dollars. How much the deal is still weighing on Scania's trust account is unclear.

The importance of branding

The examples above show the importance of keeping the brand alive internally. In the board and management, in the marketing department, in all parts of the company. Being true to the brand is essential, because in the end you get the reputation you deserve.

A brand strategy must never be a desktop product, it must be implemented in every cell of the organization. All employees should know what applies. All the time. And everyone needs to be regularly reminded and updated about the values. About the roots. About how the brand should be perceived. As one of the good companies, or as greedy cheats.

Warren Buffet has a point. Manage your brand carefully, anything less can be costly.