Brand reputation: how to build and maintain it
A company's brand reputation carries significant weight for consumers and can determine whether they choose a product or service.
Building a reputation is certainly not easy. It results from specific, consistent long-term business choices directed towards the shared goal of developing a positive brand reputation.
Every consumer touchpoint needs the utmost care; none should be neglected or considered secondary. Every touchpoint requires appropriate attention and investment of human and financial resources.
Brand reputation requires consistency, an attitude companies often underestimate or consider unimportant. Today's consumers are increasingly alert and quick to judge company behaviour using the tools available to them. They demand consistency, always.
Consistency between the image a company communicates and what actually happens away from the spotlight. Many companies, for example, advertise their customer care everywhere, yet when a consumer contacts the call centre, that support often falls short and the customer is left alone with the problem.
Consistency also means aligning communication with the choices a company actually makes. Messages about environmental responsibility and the planet's wellbeing must be backed by decisions that support those goals.
For a company to maintain a valuable brand reputation over time, consistency must extend to every aspect of the brand.
