When companies try to identify and revitalize their brand identity, some tend to dismiss or gloss over actions that may have seriously damaged the brand in the past or ignore the loss of relevancy. Management often wants to hang on to a vision of the brand, which is no longer valid but emotionally, they just can’t give it up. They try to relive history and appeal to an appreciation for the brand that has long since disappeared. This syndrome is probably the #1 hazard facing brand operators and owners.
Add to it the demise of seduction, as a marketing tactic, combined with brands aging quicker, makes for an irrelevent profile, however cool they try to be. Often, the embarrassing recessitation efforts are celebrated in the company hallways, appeasing and convincing each other of what is not true.
(Art: White Diagonal II – Ellsworth Kelly)
