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A Brand is Everything

By John Malmo

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkno/local-wkno-984245.mp3

A Brand is Everything, by John Malmo.

Memphis, TN – A lot of business people think their brand is the company or product name and the logo. They really never realize that those are just signs. Their brands are everything else.

I read a good blog recently by a guy named Dan Pallotta. He pointed out, as an example, that it's part of the IKEA Furniture brand that their kitchen chairs fall apart after two years. After buying a new RCA TV set recently, I know now that it's part of the RCA brand that DVDs get stuck in this TV, and won't come out. How do I know this? Because there are pages and pages of complaints on the internet about the same problem I had with RCA.

It's OK to modernize your brand name, or to change or get an entirely new logo. Just don't delude yourself into thinking you've changed your brand. Comcast's brand means good telephone customer service and up to a week's wait for a technician. They could change their name and their logo, but that would remain part of the Comcast brand.

Your brand is everything else about your company that people associate with your name. So changing your brand begins on the inside, not just changing the name out front or the monogram on your shirt.

John Malmo is a marketing consultant who concentrates on helping business owners grow their businesses with effective marketing. To reach Mr. Malmo, hear and read more of his commentaries, or ask him a direct question, go to AskMalmo.com.

To download this or other John Malmo commentaries, or to subscribe to the Malmo commentary weekly podcast, check the iTunes store, or click here.

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