To me a total brand is more than just a well recognised product or service with a great reputation. It's a product or service where the customers always know and like what they find, the employees "get it" and live it and all communication is consistent. It's a company, product, service which you would always recommend. It's a company which lives rather than creates its brand.
Starbucks, Disney, Gap and Microsoft are indeed great brands, but the amount of criticism they get - and generate - makes me nervous. Does that matter, as long as the customers love the experience?
Finding a brand which is 360 degrees true to itself is hard. Strangely, the one that springs to mind is the Nationwide Building Society. Hardly sexy or exciting, but I have never had a bad experience - and don't think I know anyone who has. I would consistently use them and recommend them. Pret a Manger seems pretty good. Orange is a great brand in many respect but their network seems increasingly patchy which is pretty fundamental for a telecoms company so they get a question mark. I would like to say Jaguar, but my experience is too limited to judge. Loving e-types isn't a good enough reason to label them infallible.
Has my brain frozen? Has early cynicsm set in? Which are the truly truly great, "through and through" brands out there? And how much does it matter anyway?
posted by Helen @ 2:54 AM
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