Remember the notion popularized in Kevin Costner's movie Field of Dreams—
"If you build it they will come?" Many companies let their brands fall victim to this philosophy.
Once the brand is "built" it must be continually maintained and updated. Regardless of how successful a
brand is, it is not invulnerable to time and changing technologies. Companies must make sure their marketing
communication consistently work to support the brand.
It happens all the time. Companies think they are experiencing a "brand crises" and they look to their marketing
budgets to solve the problem. No amount of money will "fix" a weak or damaged brand. How can a company solve a
brand crisis if they don't understand or know where the root of the problem lies?
Brand crises occur for many reasons. An existing brand may not have grown with the company, or the continuity of
the marketing materials may not support the brand guidelines. Companies should conduct periodic brand audits to
reduce the threat or occurrences of a brand crisis. The primary objective of the audit is to determine if the
corporate identity, brochures, website, and advertising, are all on mark with the existing brand strategy.
