Which comes first: the product or the brand? It’s the old chicken before the marketing egg question. The question might seem trivial, but many businesses confuse their product offerings. They are two difference concepts. If you keep them separate, you find success. If you keep them blended or confused, your growth and sales may suffer.
Remember the Coke versus Pepsi taste tests? Consumers tasted both Pepsi and Coke while blindfolded. Once the tests were completed, Pepsi won. Coke freaked.
And what did Coke do? They launched a product called, “New Coke,” which was sweeter and better tasting. They also discontinued the “old Coke.”
Consumers rebelled and demanded the return of Classic Coke, even if it didn’t match the Pepsi taste. Classic Coke returned and Coca Cola learned a key lesson: ask your customers the right questions. It’s the iconic brand and culture of Coke and not the taste that was central.
The taste was the product; Classic Coke was the brand. Classic Coke was the symbolic metaphor and proven promise that was embodied in Coke’s brand. Customers wanted what they knew of Coke and not something “new.” Taste was not the issue. Coke’s historical identity in the mind of their customers was the issue.
Remember, if you focus on products and get stuck in the commodity maze, you will forever be a product. If you focus on your long-term, core capabilities, you will build a brand and please customers.
So, are you taste testing or brand building these days?
Stuart Atkins
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