[The American Brands Council]
Jonathan Bond
Co-Chairman, Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners
Brands used to be all about finding that one
unique rational product attribute and hammering
away at it. Today the great brands have
meaningful relationships with their customers
that go far beyond a single attribute.
Great brands are complex matrices of attributes,
features, experiences, values, and emotions
that bind the customer to them on a variety of
levels. However, each strand of the brand is weak
and easily broken by a competitive offer. That’s
why uni-dimensional brands are vulnerable.
Look at each “connection” to the consumer as a
single weak and fragile thread. Taken together,
though, all of these threads can weave a strong
fabric, binding the brand to the customer in a way
that is all but unbreakable.
The great brands of today are diverse, yet
consistent. Like a great actor who can take on
many roles while maintaining the essence of
who he or she is, a great brand is consistent, yet
extendable; complex, yet universally understandable.
A brand that does all of these things
— a mega-brand — is the ultimate business
weapon in today’s world.
