Many businesses may not realise that branding and advertising is a dual-edged sword. I hear you ask, “how can advertising negatively affect my business?”
Indeed, advertising is a great tool to gain more customers if it is designed and implemented correctly. An advertising campaign creating a multitude of leads that are readily converted into sales will no doubt be considered very successful. Have you considered though, how many potential leads your advertising and branding activities may be turning away due to the style of the advertising or the attitudes associated with it?
Let me ask this another way. Have you ever been so annoyed by an aspect of an advertisement that it has resulted in you deliberately choosing not to do business with the advertiser? I'm sure this has happened to each of us on more than one occasion—those horribly loud clearance ads that regularly appear on the television during our relaxed evening viewing are a great example. I can certainly give a number of examples where advertising has prevented me from doing business with that company because I simply disagree with its associated attitudes and messages.
You might think this does not apply to your business because your advertising is effective and tasteful. However, have you considered every aspect of your branding and advertising activities, such as every car driving around with your company name plastered on the side? This is a branding exercise but it is still part of your overall promotional campaign which has the potential to attract or, adversely, offend or discourage a potential customer.
Recently my colleague noticed that a heavily-branded banking business sharing our car park consistently parked their Mini cars in the larger parking bays, despite the ample parking available in the smaller bays designated for their use. After many (polite) requests for a change in behaviour, their ongoing ignorance continually forced other business owners and employees to go without a space. It was very clear who the offending business was, as their multiple cars were covered in their business' branding. From the outset, the offending vehicles may not have realised that their practices were causing great inconvenience in the car park, but after repeated requests to change their parking habits, it became clear that the business did not care about their neighbours and their behaviour remains unchanged to this day! So what message does this send to their immediate community? Is this in fact a bank that cares about its customers, or do they have such little regard for friendly relations that they now continue their behaviour out of pure indifference? Certainly these would not be attributes that they would want to be associated with their brand, but this indicates the impact that every piece of advertising and branding can have.
Next time you are considering ways to increase brand awareness, it is important to consider all of your options and any possible repercussions. If you decide that advertising and branding may be the best method for your business be sure to consider all of the ways your advertising can be utilised and interpreted. An age-old example is in relation to branded shirts for your employees where there are usually rules associated with their use outside of work hours. Disorderly conduct at the pub on a Friday afternoon may not create the brand awareness you were hoping for!
Whatever advertising or branding campaigns you choose to undertake, be clear about how, where and when your activities will be implemented and monitor the actions and attitudes that can be associated with your advertising. And for goodness sake, take notice of customer feedback, park your Mini in the small parking space, and don’t jeopardise that brand value you have worked so hard to build.
Author information:
Sarah has a strong background in the development and implementation of marketing and sales plans to maximise sales, brand awareness and return on investment—in particular within the retail sectors. Sarah has worked in major retail shopping centre environments where one of her key responsibilities was to identify struggling retailers, investigate their business practices and recommend strategies for improvement.
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