Thou shalt not do brand-ing.

The act of “brand-ing” telling your consumers what your brand is about and what they should associate with your brand. The most popular example are car commercials. When you watch an ad for the new release of the BMW X5, what do you see? What does the company tell you about their product (who is it for or how and where do you drive it)? What is the typical scene, music that goes with the commercial, or even how are they driving the car (racing down an empty long road)?

Does thislook familiar?

Automotive companies try to convince you their product is sporty, powerful, convenient, and has an all purpose use. Caravans now look sporty to convince families of buying their caravan because their sales drooped when consumers were led towards the new “hip” and sport look of the new cars. Automotive companies adjusted their brand by brand-ing.

With a new generation of consumers that are more “intelligent, informed, and empowered” (Fou 2012), will this approach work just as effectively? No. The power of the internet has enabled consumers to research companies and their products. Firms have less control over how consumers see their brand how they want them to.

Thou shalt not do brand-ing.

How legitimate and truthful does a firm look when they make false claims in their commercials, but consumers are now able to look them up on the internet on their phone? To build a powerful brand, a firm should be able to create an honest and truthful company image/brand simply by following their founding principles. A firm who set out to produce environmentally, yet convenient, vehicles should only be focused on achieving their goals. Consumers will see this. Consumers will react to this. Consumers will essentially be the ones who create a brand image for the firm.

Source:

http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/1702901/commandments-modern-marketing
10 Commandments of Modern Marketing by Augustine Fou
January 5, 2012