Does the brand shift with social, economic and political changes, and if so, why bother worrying about it?
Lavine: Brands shift as consumer preferences change, but it usually happens slowly. Although the brand message can and should be modified over time, a good brand is stable and enduring because consumers’ basic beliefs and personal values evolve gradually. Strong brands should be attached to deep-seated values, not the passing trends. With increasing media fragmentation and competition, if you don’t understand your brand, your competitors will. And if they do, they will use it against you at the same time as they build their own brand at your expense. Just look at Monster.com, or the Metro, or the free newspapers in many major cities, or strong shoppers in smaller towns. Q: I was at a seminar recently where someone said, “newspapers have to be the brand before they can effectively market it.” In other words, with a product like a newspaper that closely engages people both intellectually and emotionally, consumers can easily see if the emperor has no clothes. Would you agree with that? A
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