Brands; Like Neglected Children, Sometimes "Take A Village"

I am often amazed at the number of large companies that buy promotional products  (I call them Branded Assets) and have no idea what they spend in the category. It is often an afterthought even though the company dedicated resources to develop it and marketing minds and dollars to sell it as the "best in the industry". What often happens is a fragmented spend across the various departments.  Some department hot shot thinks they will get a better deal from their cousin or they want to help out their poor dear cousin. You end up with multiple vendors and a brand  diluted with different color combinations, sizes, fonts and product applications and most likely a higher price.   In addition these products which should be considered an asset to your brand are in the  well intentioned (maybe) hands of a person who has no idea about the audience or the message.

I have contracted national programs for some of the largest companies in the world and only a handful have control over reproduction of their logo on merchandise that ends up in the hands of the consumer.  The purchase of branded merchandise tends to be delegated in the 11th hour by the 11th person  increasing the  cost of production, shipping and opening opportunity for error and oversight.

Multi-tasking and prioritizing are one of our most important functions these days, If you are in purchasing for a logistics company your have to focus on the fleet. If you are in the fast food business, food and shipping are always on your front burner.  Now enter Joe in Sales and he has the big trade show next week which is a new market for the company. New products have been developed and your brand should be center stage at the show.  Joe in sales says he is needing 300 of something very cool that will resonate with this new target audience printed with the new product logo. He also needs two table covers and hands over the shirt sizes for the 6 other sales people working the show. "Now these have to be embroidered" and delivered here,  the rest you can ship with our booth".  Of course the front burner mentioned earlier has now boiled over and flamed up and demands immediate attention. In turn, the  trade show get's passed to an assistant perhaps in another department totally removed from marketing and brand integrity.  This person has no idea what is meant by target audience and was told to find something cheap.  This lack of focus can wreak havoc on a brand in too many ways to discuss herein.  Witness McDonald's recall of the Shrek Drinking Glasses containing Cadmium  and the untimely bad press that ensued as they then began receiving questions about the safety of Happy Meal Toys. We don't know the full story but somebody lost a job as there was no excuse for that happening other than someone probably cut cost and corners.  Of course most damage is not of the same magnitude but problem branded merchandise can and does wind up in the hands of your largest asset, the customer.

Another inherent issue is that branded merchandise purchases cross a number of departments.and once again the focus is gone. There are purchases of branded awards for HR, Safety Vest for the Safety Program,  Pedometers for Wellness, Logo Shirts for the Trade Shows,  Product Launch Promotions,Sports Sponsorships, charitable Outreach and the list goes on and on. One can understand with all of these hands involved consistency can quickly fly out the corporate window..

So what is the answer? The first thing is there must be a a new dedication and commitment to Brand Integrity. Getting a handle on your branded asserts should be a company wide effort.  It is a great time to  revisit your Mission Statement,  Brand Message and Logo Standards. Consolidation of vendors and the development of  quality partnerships with them is essential.  A new open and honest partnership means both are involved in the development of  procedures and guidelines that enhance the program and deliver the brand message consistently and on time.  Finally, it occurs to me that  the companies who lead lead their respective spaces  have similar attributes and philosophies. They have a team of folks in  alignment with the direction and goals of their executive team and are able to  engage new employees as well as customers with the brand and message. Consistency of Brand Application and Brand Integrity MUST be a part of that equation.