A colleague asked me to write about the importance of consistent brand messaging. He was thinking about his company’s business and felt the company had too often switched messaging and might be confusing their customers. As is the case in many businesses, not wanting to get left behind, they often adapted their messaging to the latest trend. In addition, they had some turnover in personnel and each new person put their spin onto the company message. As a result, their messaging had been in a continual state of flux for nearly two years. He asked how that impacted the business.
In short, inconsistent branding and messaging destroys the most important aspect of a brand — delivering a promise of value that customers can trust. A brand is a commitment to the customer to provide consistent product performance or a repeatable and reliable level of service. People value brands and pay more for a brand because they can place their trust in the brand. The brands we value the most, like Apple, Coke, McDonald’s, and Tide are models of consistency. “Off brand” products are hit or miss. They are unreliable. But when it comes to the brand they trust, customer’s know they can they can count on it time after time.
How do you create a brand that earns that trust? Consistency!
The company must ensure the brand consistently delivers on its unique promise of value and that the brand messaging is clear, consistent, and compelling. You must speak to the market with one unified voice. The brand character must be defined and socialized to everyone in the company so they can design, develop, support, sell and market the product in a manner consistent with the essence of the brand.
Only by focusing on, and delivering, the brand messaging in a consistent manner will you be able to build a positive and lasting impression in the mind of the customer. All visual and verbal brand identity must be “On Brand”. Customers are smart. They can quickly spot an impostor. If you intentionally or unintentionally send mixed messages or try to be something you are not; customers will spot it in an instant. Each time your brand delivers a compelling message that is “On Brand”, it earns trust. Each time your message is unclear or is “Off Brand”, it erodes trust and devalues the brand.
I like to visualize Brand Equity in the form of a “Piggy Bank”. We want to fill the piggy bank with positive associations that build customer trust. Each time we add a product feature, work on the packaging, talk to a customer, provide product support, change the website, or run and advertisement, we have the opportunity to make a deposit in the bank. If we lose focus, each touch-point with the brand can make a withdrawal and erode our brand. Visualize your brand piggy bank and make sure all your messaging is adding brand equity.
Rick Thompson is President & Founder of Brand Periscope, a Branding & Internet Marketing company in Raleigh, NC specializing in breakthrough creative and engagement marketing plans that drive results. Specific offerings include brand naming, tag lines, brand identity development, web design, SEO, PPC management, market research, word of mouth, and referral programs. Rick’s experience includes Tide Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble, Worldwide Marketing Executive for IBM’s Consumer Division, and Chief Marketing Officer at Global Knowledge and Ultimus. The company philosophy and portfolio can be viewed at,
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