As I have watched this crisis unfold, I have been keeping a keen eye on the messaging that has been being pushed out though ads, social posts, and marketing emails (occupational hazard). Watching to see what brands have been quick to respond and which have not.

It is an understatement to say that these are highly unusual and trying times. Everyone is holding their collective breath to see what happens next. We are also consuming content at an incredible pace. We want to know how to protect ourselves, what we can and can’t do as part of growing quarantines, what the economy is going to do, and what stores have restocked their shelves with toilet paper.

How complacency and a “Maintenance Managed” mentality brought down an industry leader.

The media today is filled with sobering news of the demise or slow deaths of once iconic brand leaders. With names like Blockbuster Video, Borders, Toys R Us, Sears, Kmart, Pier One and even Neiman-Marcus exiting the retail landscape, it illustrates how the way we now buy products has changed the retail sector. The technology market as well, has not gone unaffected. Names like MSN Messenger, Kodak, Polaroid, My Space, Compaq Computer and yes Gateway Computers (who could forget that great packaging) haven fallen to changing buying environments or newer, more innovative answers to customer needs/demands.

A rebrand can be a powerful force for change. The decision to do so is never taken lightly. In fact jumping into a rebrand prematurely can result in a significant waste of time, money and energy. All of which are often scarce resources in a nonprofit environment. 

If you're not using an integrated marketing strategy, then you might want to rethink your approach.  Executing an integrated marketing campaign is really all about identifying the channels that work best for your company or organization and leveraging them to make the most impact.  But to ensure success, it's important to understand and expand upon past success.  Gathering critical information and marketing intelligence is an important part of any integrated marketing strategy.  Understanding and using the right analytics to track and measure success is not only important for the success of a current campaign but for future campaigns as well.

Okay, I will save my, “Your brand is bigger than your logo,” speech for another time. Today I want to focus on reasons why you should change or consider changing the most important, outward facing components of your brand:

Far too often, agencies and companies alike unwittingly focus on tactics, rather than strategy, in their marketing and communications activities.

Amazon owns a Top 3 spot on nearly every current consumer survey related to customer service, technology and innovation, brand trust and just plain, old fashion company growth.

Just a few years ago, brand activation was a phrase most of us had never heard. But as the era of “engagement” dawned in marketing, brand activation became an essential part of any professional’s toolkit.

The equation was simple: replace impressions with experiences to create a stronger relationship and deeper loyalty between the consumer and the brand. In its truest sense, brand activation is the art of driving consumer action through brand interaction. The key aim of brand activation marketing campaigns is to get consumers to act. It’s about bringing brands to life via experiences and forming long-term emotional connections.