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Top Ten Branding Mistakes – Series #3 of 10 – Mistake #3: "Brand Confusion"



Back in the 1990's when I went grocery shopping one thing that was often on my list was orange juice. I had purchased Tropicana orange juice many times before and enjoyed it, so that is the brand I always had on my list. I searched and searched and could not find it, so I ended up buying another brand. This happened many times until I found out that Tropicana has suddenly changed their branding. Everything had changed, starting with the logo, the fonts and the overall packaging. If you are wondering what happened to this new confusing branding, Tropicana has reversed the brand to its original, and you will only find the original design in stores today.

This is one crass example how you can confuse your brand audience. Brand confusion is maybe the biggest branding mistake of all. You should avoid the following to not confuse your audience:
Inconsistencies with the company or product logo
Inconsistencies with brand fonts
Inconsistencies with brand colors
Change of the company or product name
Inconsistencies with employees in how they handle the product or service

Changing the branding isn't necessarily a bad thing and one doesn't need to see it as a negative. However, it MUST be done properly. Maybe your business is changing due to the market. Maybe your target market has changed based on the needs of the community. Maybe you, yourself are looking for a change or refresher. Whatever the case may be, we provide a process that will clearly lay out the steps to take to rebrand properly.

And let's take a moment to tie in the employee portion of the inconsistency and confusion. Let's say that you are a small "mom and pop" restaurant in the heart of quiet and quaint Poulsbo, WA and your customers are used to a soft lighting with soothing music. One day you decide to hire and train a new employee in this same atmosphere but do not take the time to explain why the atmosphere is so important. Your employee is doing great and can be left alone for the day. All of a sudden your long time customers stop coming and your noticing this more and more. Why might that be? The employee has decided, without knowing the importance, to turn on all the lights, as bright as they can go. This employee also decided to change the station on the radio to very loud rock music. As you can imagine, this would deter the crowd that you are used to. Your regular customers may not understand this was done without you knowledge. Are you starting to see the big picture?

Now, having the right tools will help you in your branding efforts. What are you using now to capture your business ideas and information on a daily basis?

We have developed – what we believe – is an invaluable solution. We offer BrandBuilderBox™ template and an Audit Account – both are free and cloud-based allowing you to capture your thoughts about your brand on the go. You are welcome to create your account and start exploring the world of branding. If you get stuck or need assistance with some of the tasks, we are here to help. Our brand workshops and brand audits are powerful sessions that can push your team over the hump.
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