I’ve been away for quite some time … actually for a very long time, but the reason is that I’ve been setting up a new blog to share my thoughts on random topics that cross my mind and don’t fall under branding and social media per say.
This small intro is right on subject of today’s blog post – branding! You may wonder why I decided to start a new blog instead of simply posting more here … well, it’s called branding! Yes, I have established an audience that interested in what I have to say about branding and social media and I have to respect their expectations and serve their loyalty to my blog by providing relevant information. Unfortunately though, I look around me on a daily basis and notice that big brands are resorting to short-term gain and diluting their image …
Take the fast food industry for example … when you think of KFC, what comes to mind? Fried Chicken! It’s the name for heaven’s sake … so who’s the wiseass that brought in shrimps? What about Hardee’s? Their logo has “charbroiled burgers” written all over it … where do fried chicken tenders fit into that picture?
This is the problem with shortcuts; you trade in your brand reputation and image for short-term profits, and in the long-run, you end up with nothing. I could have easily incorporated the new blog into this one for higher views but sooner or later, I would have lost “YOU” … my most valuable asset, my loyal reader!
Let’s keep the conversation going:
- Do you have other examples of brand dilution?
- Do you think Mercedes should target lower income brackets by introducing a cheaper car?
- Do you know the difference between brand dilution and brand extension?
I totally agree with you 🙂
But are you trying to say that if anyone wanted to try something new he have to set up a new blog or brand for it in order not to loose his audience?
Great question Mohamed … If your new idea targets a different audience then you should start up a new brand (be it a blog or anything else) to address their specific needs. This is certainly much harder than piggybacking on a currently existing platform, but it will eventually lead to brand confusion and dilution. Remember, your personal brand, ie Mohamed Ashraf, is the over-arching brand … Just like mine is … People attribute credibility to the new “product” based on that … This is how you make use of your brand!
Let me know if that answers your question!
Actually I remember when McDonald’s introduced Mc Falafl! which was a big failure in profit and as an idea, because why I would eat fake falfel that is expensive when I can eat real one from street. Something Else, some people would mix up as your 3rd question proposed between dilution and extension. In Dilution u r losing the brand equity, value, the BRAND!! but in extension you can add more profitable things, like PepsiCO when it bought Chipsy, it was not a dilution as I think, it is extension and its very related because when you drink Pepsi you mostly eat Chipsy (talking about Egyptian Market). Also, some companies decides to design SBUs and differentiated brands like P&G where there is no problem at all that they sell shampoo, shaving tool, and cosmetics ! because they are keeping the brands’ images and equity nothing happens in that case