It’s one of my major mantras. Brand does not equal logo. Brand is an emotional relationship with a product or service.
Too many times companies just slap a logo onto something and say they’re selling a brand.
Today’s Exhibit: Disney Eggs — Regular incredible edible eggs that have been stamped with a Mickey Mouse, Lightning McQueen, or other Disney character.
While on the surface it’s silly, it will probably work on the primary purchase level. The true decision maker on the grocery trip (the kids) will see the packaging and make someone buy them. However, the brand exposure won’t last beyond that unless the kid eats his eggs hard-boiled.
The real trouble is that brand extensions are like crack cocaine — once you start you can’t stop. When you dilute a brand like Disney so much that you’ve gone to raw agricultural goods, you’re severely damaging the brand.
Chris Houchens is a marketing speaker and the author of Brand Zeitgeist. Follow him on Twitter or Facebook.
That whole disney princess thing completely wrecks my head. ‘Princess’ has become far too loose a term for my liking. Slightly off point but you touched a nerve!