The Brand Lie You Can’t Afford to Ignore 🙈

“How dare you! You, you trash the Xbox console brand!” the shouting got louder and louder as the brand manager chased me around the desks in the office, trying to get me to take them seriously.

It was hard to take them seriously.

“Have you seen the latest research? What you’re proposing is just reckless!” they’d shout.

The Xbox brand team insisted that the Xbox brand mandatories and console image were the most important thing and could NOT be changed.

Something had to change (for my project) because 100% of the packaging was brand mandatories!

But the brand police had a hissy fit, specifically our self-appointed steward of all brand police matters in Europe.

“Your career’s over, Harvey Lee, if you try to get this approved!”

It got approved. 🙌

This edited excerpt from my multi-award-winning #1 book, Backstage Pass, is a true story taken from my 12-year tenure on the original Xbox team.

Why am I telling you this story?

Because most companies don’t understand brand. Grrr…..

Even the ones with brand teams, agencies and the like.

But that doesn’t mean brand is not important:

• 97% of people believe brand marketing is crucial for creating awareness and consideration.

• 95% of people believe brand marketing can help a company stand out.

However, only 25% of B2B companies allocate less than 20% of their marketing budget to brand marketing.

But why don't businesses prioritise investment in brand marketing?

Because:

1. It takes time

↳ Results may take up to three years.

2. It takes commitment

↳ If you have a good Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), support them.

3. It's intangible

 ↳ Your brand asset is your most significant asset (just ask Apple).

4. It's hard to track

 ↳ You need to measure the metrics relevant to your brand and category.

 ↳ Brand equity models are not easily applicable across all categories.

Here’s The Brand Lie We Tell Ourselves

“Make the logo bigger!”

“Make the logo bigger!!”

“Make the logo bigger!!!”

“We’re done with the branding.”

“Let’s get back to the sweatshop of building pipeline.” someone in marketing said.

From brand managers to (some) CMOs, the misunderstanding of brand defies comprehension. 🤦

So, let’s break it down - there are only two main parts:

1. Brand creation 🎨

2. Brand management 💼

That’s it.

Most of us LOVE the first part; we are either unaware, under-prioritised or willfully disregard the second.

Because the hard work never ends in managing a brand, we’d rather play with the Pantone swatch book and be creative.

Why would you create something and then let it wither on the vine?

Two Things To Remember from this Newsletter

1. → A great brand, poorly managed = a poor performing brand.

2. → An average brand, well managed = a brand that outpunches its weight.

And it WILL affect your bottom line.

Why Do CPG Brand Managers have so much influence?

My recent cheatsheet on Brand Architecture got nearly 65 reposts, tens of thousands of impressions and incredible engagement.

The straightforward basic explainer of the House of Brands, Endorser Brands, Sub-Brands, and what a Branded House is resonated with people.

However, the most critical part is the bit at the bottom, where I use Prof. Mark Ritson’s illustration to show capability and competence in managing a brand, depending on where on the architecture spectrum it sits.

Why?

If your team has less marketing and branding competence, then trying to develop a House of Brands will be an abject failure.

A CPG brand manager at P&G, Unilever, Coca-Cola, etc., has the highly developed competence to manage these brands, has P&L responsibility and tracks the performance of their brand relentlessly.

Creating a brand is fun.

Managing a brand is serious, serious business.

A Gift for You That Will Cost You Exactly $0.00

I recently decided to make the digital edition of my multi-award-winning #1 book, Backstage Pass, free. But only for subscribers of this newsletter. 🤘

The book is a career guide wrapped around a true Rock and Roll story. That’s why I say it’s 50% Rock and Roll, 50% Business but 100% true!

But don’t take my word for it; it’s still winning awards in the US and UK.

If you love the book, I only request that you leave a review on Amazon (preferred), Goodreads, and/or Barnes & Noble. 🙏

👋🏻 …if you want the print or audiobook* edition, it’s currently on sale on Amazon in the US and UK, but stocks are limited at these prices.

*I narrated the audiobook and included it at no extra cost if you subscribe to a service like Audible.