brand longevity

The little things count. Brand longevity is something that businesses and their marketing directors must work hard to maintain. It actually amazes me that brands can be updated and altered so that businesses stick around for years and years. How did Macy’s continue to thrive, while other department stores disappeared? Established companies update their brands and finesse the operations of their business to meet the expectations of their customers. Not only are brands updated, but these companies have also been successful in avoiding “brand gremlins.” Farquhar defines brand gremlins as “those people, processes and other entities that are out of alignment with the organization’s overall brand strategy.” Brands are expected by customers to have a certain level of quality, regardless of the brand type or the age of the brand. Customers expect good service and constant availability. The brand defines its own set of rules for operations and image as well, which are well defined and are used to market the company. Brand gremlins sneak into the everyday operations of the brand and although fixable, begin to eat away at the draw of the brand.