Zulu Consultancy | Brand Leadership & Management | Tactical Communications

The concept of brand leadership is rapidly replacing the more traditional system of brand management.

The new brand paradigm

The current environment is becoming more complex and volatile, with increased competition, multiple channel dynamics, brand extensions and complex sub brand structures continuously developing a more inclusive and strategic approach to brand management. This is known as brand leadership.

Tactical brands – brand management

The traditional (and still most commonly used) system of brand development is brand management. This management methodology focuses on tactical advances, is reactive to the market and is concerned with brand image and short-term financial returns.

Brand management

Brand management is most often found in comparatively simple products or markets, and is often bound to a single geographical area (such as a country). It looks to communicate the organisation externally and is driven by market share and sales volume.

What’s wrong with brand management?

This approach can drain long-term value for the benefit of short-term sales. It drives the brand to exhaustion, through a series of reactive, tactical responses to local market pressures. Many businesses simply re-brand at this point but wonder why the new brand often under-performs.

The brand leader!

Brand leadership sets out a strategic vision for the brand. It is controlled at the most senior level of the organisation and it is not focused on image but rather engaged in building brand equity. This approach can often be found in more complex organisations that have multiple products and services, and are operating in a number of locations.

Brand communications

Brand leadership utilises a number of communication channels to express the brand philosophy appropriately across media. It is less prone to local (reactive) tactical battles and looks to develop broader long-term relationships.

The future of branding

Whether you call your brand methodology brand management or brand leadership is somewhat irrelevant. However, what is critical is how you approach and value your brand. In these difficult times, companies that protect, think and develop their brand will sustain and emerge as stronger companies with resilient and enduring products and services.

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Comments (1)

Evident Productions wrote at 23:45pm on 27 September 2010

Your points about the brand leader and discussion of brand management and how vision is critical to the brand is brilliant. The brand leader isn't an exclusive position to the big brands though. It comes back to the tactics of implementing the vision.

There's a blog on our site that was released this last month titled "Is Your Communication Strategy Intentional or Reactive." It speaks to the point of properly setting up values and core goals right from the beginning that help to make sure that vision turns into long term success. You can read it here: http://www.evidentproductions.com/other-topics/is-your-communications-strategy-intentional-or-reactive.html

Thanks for writing this post. It's great.

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