Written by Alex Valderrama, Founder and Principal of Cranium Agency
Historically, many companies fail within the first couple of years. The reasons are varied due to many factors such as lack of funding, poor management, inadequate resources, incompetence, etc. The legacy of a brand is unique to each company. Sometimes a brand will outlive its founders, its employees, and even its customers. The brand that sees a better success typically has a strong brand core essence which gives the brand life and a purpose for being.
“A strong brand core essence gives the brand life and a purpose for being.”
Like most brand professionals, I have seen many brands come and go. I offer a unique perspective as a brand expert with over 25 years of building and helping brands survive various business and marketing issues. My firm, Cranium Agency, has worked hard to build brands to improve the essence of being for many Fortune 500 companies as well as locally owned shops too.
So, what about the legacy of brands? I’ll elaborate. When professionals like myself engage in brand building, we understand the importance of “the brand”, its meaning to its founders and anyone else in charge of developing or maintaining the brand. Although customers are not directly involved in making decisions about the direction of the brand, they play a very vital role of being brand consumers. Without the customer, the brand dies, and the legacy comes to a close.
Think about it. Most large and successful brands such as Coca-Cola, Nike, and Apple have developed a strong core brand essence that is clear and gives the brand a purpose. The founders typically had a lot at stake in developing its core essence, values, mission, and vision. Many brands solve bigger problems which, in turn, provides consumer confidence and loyalty.
As professionals, we must continue to consider the legacy of the brand as a major point of consideration when we get involved in brand building initiatives such as re-positioning and revitalization. Every single one of us plays a significant role in sustaining the legacy of a brand and ensuring we are guiding the brand to longevity.
So, whether you play a major role or a small role in a new brand initiative, take into consideration the history of the brand, its partners, its customers and look to evolve the brand in the direction of future success. We all play a significant role in shaping the future of a brand’s legacy.
