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In this article, Jonathan Paisner identifies the problems of an aging brand and what to do about it.

Chapter 3: Age: The telltale signs your brand has grown old before its time – and what to do about it.

This is the third and final installment of a series about issues that can “break” a brand.

When B2B brands break, it tends to happen over time due to one or more of these three factors: Inattention, Evolution and Age. Previous posts have focused on inattention and evolution. Where the Evolution in Chapter 2 addresses the challenge of the company changing ahead of the brand, Age is more about the changes that happen around the company – in the world or in the market.

In the extreme, picture the brand pulling a Rip Van Winkle and waking up unchanged from a long slumber.

Successful brands adapt quickly to external shifts – and may even be the ones leading the change. For other brands, the broken ones, they wait out the change – but can eventually get to a point where what they say and do no longer fits what the market has come to expect.

Symptoms of Age

·     Tired language. Maybe the tagline has become dated, or the name is built on a term that has long lost its luster. People in the company likely say things like “I can’t believe it still says that on our website.”

·     Visual identity constraints. The logo and identity system don’t have the flexibility to translate into social or digital applications. While corporate brands should be loathe to follow every trend, needs, language and sensibilities do change – and communications have to keep pace.

·     Lost leadership. From yesterday’s leader to today’s laggard, perceptions around the company have shifted and the market no longer considers the company a leader.

·     Undervaluation. The company is not getting the credit for the level of technology and innovation does exist – leading to lower valuation among investors and lower esteem in the market.

Key points include:

• Symptoms of an aging brand

• Causes of an aging brand

• Cures for an aging brand

Read the full article, How do B2B brands get broken?, on BrandExperienced.com.