How to improve your brand swing

As we head into the dog days of summer, I'm sure a lot of you have your mind elsewhere (like the golf course). So I thought I would join you...

As we head into the dog days of summer, I’m sure a lot of you have your mind elsewhere (like the golf course). So I thought I would join you on the links with a golf analogy to emphasize the importance of follow-through in building brand equity.

In golf, follow through is what happens after you hit the ball. A ball can travel a great distance even with poor follow-through on your swing. But it is doubtful that it will meet your objective of landing on the green (or even on the fairway).

In marketing, follow-through is what happens after the sale. We have defined the ten phases of brand equity development in the diagram above. In this customer-based brand equity model, the sale (trial) is the contact point midway between inertia and advocacy. Obviously hitting the ball is vitally important, but its what happens before and after that point that differentiates the pros from the duffers (no pun intended) and decides the game.

The idea for brand managers is to create a brand strategy and tactical communication plans that combine all ten steps of brand equity development into one smooth swing.

If you’d like to discuss your swing over 9 holes, give me a ring. But be forewarned: my brand swing is a lot more developed than my golf swing. Fore!

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