Brand transformation - the illusion of impact
One of the most common myths in the world of branding is that a fresh coat of paint, a snappy new slogan, and a big ad campaign, throw in a refreshed logo can revamp a brand. It’s the story we’ve all been sold.
Some call this transformation.
Well, it is not. It’s just putting lipstick on a pig.
After two decades in this industry, I’ve seen it repeatedly: brands go through these makeovers with high ambitions and expensive consultants, only to end up where they started. Sure, the logo is different, the website is slicker, and the ads are shinier. But has the customer experience been improved? Has the product itself evolved?
Often, the answer is no.
Superficial Spin Doctors
We know how to tell a good story, spin a narrative, and craft an image. But when it comes to delivering a brand experience that lives up to the hype, we often fall flat. This disconnect turns what could be a powerful brand into just another marketing story. Like any other. Compelling on the surface, but hollow in reality.
So what’s in it for the customer? Are we just masters in the illusion of impact?
Think about it. When was the last time your mobile provider delivered something unique that matched their tagline? Or when did your insurance company go beyond the usual to actually live up to their advertised promises? Has your car brand ever done something remarkable during an annual service that reminded you of their brand? Was it the best or nothing?
Tesla's brand is about "Accelerating the World's Transition to Sustainable Energy". Sure, they make EV's. But much more interesting is that everyone, you and me and all the big car manufacturers can use their patents for everyone who wants to use Tesla's technology. And in the end help to achieve Tesla's vision.
Consumers are not stupid. They notice when a tagline is just empty words. They don’t just lose interest, they lose trust. If you’re lucky, they might not care. That’s when you are in real trouble. That’s when your customers don’t engage at all. All that investment, all that effort, only to be met with apathy.
Consumers are a ruthless pack with no respect for our fine brand strategy.
A New Approach: Beyond Perception
Why don’t brands make a stronger impact? Why do we leave so much potential untouched?
Part of the problem is that branding efforts are often manifested by shallow slogans presented on ads and boardroom slides, leading to blunt overpromising without the ability to deliver consistently. Brands are meticulously crafted at the executive level but without the entire organization in mind, leaving HR, customer service, R&D, finance, and all others out of the game.
Adding to that, these departments often work in silos, causing a lack of alignment in delivering an impressive brand experience across touchpoints. The result is weak brand leadership and missing momentum.
Perhaps most importantly, there’s a lack of investment in training the frontline employees who interact with customers every day. They are the face of the brand, yet without carrying the brand in their hearts, they can’t live up to the promises we make in our campaigns.
We once worked with a 1400-employee energy company. The challenge wasn’t just creating a strong brand but defining one that resonated across very different cultures. creative marketeers and innovators in a prototype-driven culture versus engineers and specialists operating power grids in a highly regulated, zero-failure world. By involving them in the process from start to finish, we helped the entire company embrace the brand’s vision, truly activating the power within.
You see, a brand is also an organizational and cultural challenge.
Knowing Better
Deep down, we know that true transformation isn’t just about what the brand looks like. It’s about what customers experience and say about the brand. But transformation is hard. It’s messy. It’s uncomfortable. It requires looking at the parts of the brand that aren’t working and fixing them, rather than covering them up with a shiny new exterior.
I like Mastercard's city bike initiative. "Start something priceless" makes a bike ride the start of something special. It might sound like a small thing but is the perfect example how brands can blend into people's lifestyle. This time, through a partnership.
„A brand is the consumer’s idea of the product“, David Ogilvy once said. A brand isn’t what we say it is. It’s what customers tell others it is.
This is why, when we repositioned Swiss International Airlines and refueled it with Swissness, just after their acquisition by the German Lufthansa, we took huge pride in introducing Rösti and Bratwurst served on a wooden table in First Class. The result? A slice of Switzerland at 30,000 feet, for passengers accustomed to caviar blinis and beef filet on other airlines.
Sure, the fire regulations, the compact kitchens, and even keeping a Bratwurst wrinkle-free when reheated, was a challenge. But this experience wasn’t about food; it was a powerful statement of what the brand stood for: „Made In Switzerland.“
The Bottom Line: A Challenge Worth Taking
A brand’s success isn’t in how it’s seen but in how it’s experienced. Everything else is just operations. So how can we do better?
Maybe in stark contrast to Swiss International Airlines, we can learn from Ryanair. Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary once told me that their brand has great influence, from operational to customer experience. Their promise is brutally simple: „Lowest fares in Europe, making travel affordable for everyone“. This promise drives every decision they make, applying to everyone within the company. It’s a simple exercise: Does adding legroom make tickets cheaper? No, so they don’t do it. Does charging for onboard toilets add seats, lower costs, and make tickets cheaper? Yes, so they do it. Their approach might not win awards for customer satisfaction, but it’s consistent, and it works for their business model.
Their radical adherence to their brand promise is impressive. Can we learn from this and apply it to create brands that are more than just illusions?
Engage All Departments
Bring finance, HR, IT, and all levels into the brand strategy process. Their perspectives will help build a consistent brand experience across the entire company.
Create Actionable Principles
Vague values like “customer-oriented” don’t mean much. Replace them with clear actions like “Listen first, act second.” This turns abstract ideals into guiding principles.
Manage Micro Politics
A brand done well means change, and change will meet resistance. Involve those likely to push back early to avoid blockades later.
Appoint Brand Ambassadors
Empower people from across the organization, not just marketing, to champion the brand’s values. This ensures consistency across all levels
Align Every Action
Use the brand to guide decisions, investments, and innovation across the company. Ensure they reflect the brand’s core values.
Conduct Brand Audits
Regularly assess whether the brand is integrated across all departments and ensure that the brand promise aligns with the actual customer experience.
Brands aren't made in boardrooms and workshops.
They are made every time a customer interacts with your company. Whether it’s the CEO interview, the welcome message at customer service, the packaging, your UX design, the tone of a newsletter, or the TV spot, every moment is an opportunity. When you say your brand stands for something, show it.
The alternative is letting your brand’s potential slip away.
Look at your brand as an ecosystem of opportunities to prove what you stand for. It is an infinite source for ideas on how to make things better.
Our job is to create experiences that feel natural and make an emotional impact every time your customer interacts with the brand. By doing so, we strengthen the relationship between customers and the brand. We don’t just create brands to be seen. We create them to be loved, to be experienced as they are meant to be.
Every brand can become a destination where customers experience something truly unique.
Isn’t that what we set out to do in the first place? To make a real difference?