Risks of Outdated Branding Strategies

In 2016, Colgate faced a significant challenge in India as Patanjali's Ayurvedic products rapidly gained popularity. Colgate, holding a dominant 55.6% market share in the toothpaste category, experienced a 1.8% decline in market share and a 4% drop in sales volume. Patanjali, on the other hand, quickly grew into a formidable competitor, evolving into a ₹10,000 crore giant within a decade. To counter Patanjali's rise, Colgate launched Vedshakti, a herbal toothpaste line, in an attempt to align with the Ayurvedic trend. However, this move backfired. Colgate's brand identity, long associated with "doctor-recommended" solutions for whiter teeth, conflicted with the Ayurvedic positioning. By venturing into Ayurveda, Colgate inadvertently endorsed the very essence of Patanjali's brand, which was already seen as the authentic leader in the Ayurvedic space. This strategic misalignment not only diluted Colgate's core brand values but also confused consumers who began to question Colgate’s sudden shift from science to Ayurveda. The result? Patanjali continued to capture more market share, while Vedshakti failed to make a significant impact. Colgate's own CEO later acknowledged that this misstep cost them dearly in terms of market position. Key Takeaway: This case serves as a compelling example of the risks of diverging from a strong brand identity. When a market leader like Colgate steps into a rival's territory without clear differentiation and understanding of consumer perception, it risks not only losing its own loyal customers but also reinforcing the rival’s position. The lesson here is clear: Stay true to your brand’s core strengths, and be cautious of competing on your competitor’s terms rather than your own. Thoughts? #FMCG #branding #Healthcare #brand #HUL #Patanjali

I've been working with 20+ founders & coaches, and it's shocking to see how many still make these fundamental mistakes that can destroy their marketing efforts and brand reputation. Trust me when I say this - avoiding these mistakes can be the difference between a thriving business and one that struggles to gain traction in the market. After years of experience in this field, I've identified 7 deadly sins in marketing and branding that you absolutely must avoid: 1. Inconsistent brand messaging across platforms. When your tone, voice, and values differ on different channels, you confuse your audience and lose credibility instantly. 2. Copying competitors blindly without understanding your unique value proposition. Your audience can spot inauthenticity from miles away, and it damages your brand's reputation. 3. Neglecting data-driven decisions and relying purely on gut feeling. I've seen countless campaigns fail because brands didn't analyze their metrics or understand their audience's behavior. 4. Overlooking the importance of customer feedback and reviews. Your customers are your best teachers - ignoring their input is like throwing money down the drain. 5. Running random campaigns without a solid strategy. Posting content or running ads without clear objectives and KPIs is the fastest way to waste your marketing budget. 6. Focusing on vanity metrics instead of conversion rates. Getting thousands of likes means nothing if they don't translate into actual business results. 7. Neglecting brand guidelines and visual consistency. When your brand looks different everywhere, it creates confusion and reduces trust among potential customers. I've witnessed businesses lose significant market share because they committed these mistakes repeatedly. The good news is, these are all preventable with the right approach and strategy. The key is to stay focused on building a strong foundation first. Start with clear brand guidelines, understand your audience deeply, and create a solid strategy before execution. P.S. If you're struggling with any of these aspects in your business, let's connect. I help founders and coaches build strong marketing foundations that drive real results.

📖 New research out in Décisions Marketing the AFM - Association Française du Marketing journal. I’m pleased to share our latest article, co-authored with Fatima Regany and Hélène Gorge, published in English and French: “Brands’ use of the past: Societal risks and historical responsibility.” Brands increasingly mobilize history, heritage, and memory to create meaning, legitimacy, and differentiation. But using the past is not neutral...and not without risk. Based on in-depth interviews with brand managers, heritage professionals, scenographers, and historians, we show that the central risk is not strategic inefficiency, but loss of moral legitimacy. Two mechanisms are particularly critical: Embellishing the past, which can slip into manipulation; Omitting problematic episodes, which proves even more damaging when they resurface, eroding trust and credibility. Drawing on the concepts of corporate historical responsibility and historic corporate social responsibility, the article argues that history has become a full-fledged domain of brand responsibility, not just a storytelling resource. In short: historical narratives now signal a brand’s ethical stance toward society. The paper also offers concrete implications for managers navigating the tension between immersive brand experiences, commercial objectives, and historical rigor. 👉 If you work on corporate heritage, uses of the past, brand legitimacy, memory work, or responsible marketing, this article may be of interest. The link is here for those who’d like to read it: https://lnkd.in/eNgc_kaA Happy to discuss and exchange perspectives. #BrandHeritage #UsesOfThePast #CorporateHistory #ResponsibleBranding #MarketingEthics #HistoricalResponsibility

77% of rebrands crash and burn. Most CEOs never recover. (Save + Repost this before spending another dollar on your rebrand ♻️) Here are the 5 most expensive rebranding mistakes I've seen kill otherwise brilliant companies: 1. Rebranding without a strategic reason "We need a fresh look" is not a strategy. I've watched companies spend $250K+ on new logos while their real issues remain untouched: → Market position → Audience disconnect → Outdated messaging Smart rebrands start with business objectives, not design whims. 2. Abandoning brand equity  Remember Tropicana's 2009 rebrand? → Sales dropped 20% in weeks → $137 million lost Why? They scrapped recognizable elements customers had emotional connections to. Your brand assets aren't just visuals. They're memory triggers that create instant recognition. 3. Chasing trends instead of truth A manufacturing client spent $85K following the "minimalist" trend. Their plain, forgettable result looked like every other competitor. The hard truth: being distinctive beats being fashionable. 4. Treating employees as an afterthought When your team learns about your rebrand the same day as customers, you've failed. One tech company spent $1.2M on an external rebrand execution but $0 on internal alignment. The result? 34% drop in lead quality. 5. Launching without testing A financial services firm rolled out their rebrand "overnight." Within days, customers reported their new logo resembled a competitor's. The rushed redesign cost them $430K in emergency corrections. The Hidden Cost: Failed rebrands don't just waste money. They damage trust, confuse your market, and demoralize your team. After guiding 350+ brands through successful transformations: → Powerful rebrands don't just refresh your image → They reconnect you with your core purpose → They realign your entire organization → They reestablish why customers should care Your brand isn't what you say it is. It's what they say it is. P.S. What rebrand failures have you witnessed? Drop them below  -----------------------------------------  Follow David Brier for brand strategy that builds real value

Cracker Barrel just learned a $200 million lesson about brand identity. Their new logo removed a 48-year-old icon. Stock dropped 12%. Customers revolted. And they've joined Tropicana, Gap, and New Coke in demonstrating why abandoning brand heritage for hypothetical new customers rarely ends well. In this article, I examine what went wrong, why established brands keep making this same costly mistake, and what business leaders can learn from this real-time case study in brand management. The key insight? Sometimes your "outdated" brand elements are exactly what customers value most. Worth a read if you're considering any brand changes in 2025 - or if you just want to avoid losing millions on preventable mistakes. #BrandStrategy #BusinessStrategy #Marketing #BrandManagement #CorporateStrategy #Rebranding #BusinessLessons #MarketingStrategy #CustomerLoyalty #BrandIdentity #BusinessTransformation #LinkedIn #CMO #MarketingLeadership #RetailIndustry

Portugal changed its logo. The backlash explains why football teams avoid rebranding. Because a football badge isn't just a logo. Its design might not be great anymore. But the badge has become far more valuable than its design. Every trophy. Every victory. Every childhood memory. Every family tradition. They all become attached to that badge. That's brand equity. And losing it is one of the biggest risks of any rebrand. So what do brands do? Most choose evolution over revolution. Evolution keeps the identity people love. It simply refines it. Cleaner. More flexible. More digital-friendly. Ironically, it's often the harder route. Because you have to improve the design without losing what makes it recognizable. Revolution is different. It replaces the identity with something fundamentally new. It's much riskier. But it isn't necessarily the wrong choice. Sometimes the strategy demands it. The challenge is giving people a good reason to let go of the old identity. Football makes this emotional attachment easy to see. But the same thing happens with the world's strongest brands. Apple didn't just build loyal customers. It built emotional attachment. To the point where criticizing the product often feels personal to some of its biggest fans. That's the power of brand equity. #football #rebrand #worldcup