Brands Archives - Don Roy, Ph.D.

Brand Consistency: A Fine Line Between Stability and Stagnation

Brand consistency matters. It is a non-negotiable element of building a strong brand that customers recognize and trust. Walk into any Starbucks location anywhere in the world, and you experience the same visual identity, product quality, and customer service approach. That consistency is not accidental. Rather, it is the result of meticulous brand management.

Ironically, the very consistency that builds brand equity can become a liability if taken too far. Brands that cling too tightly to the past risk becoming irrelevant. The challenge facing brand managers today is finding the sweet spot between maintaining a consistent brand identity and remaining adaptable to changing market conditions.

Why Brand Consistency Matters

Brand consistency builds recognition and trust through repetition. When customers encounter your brand across multiple touchpoints—your website, social media, physical locations, advertising—they learn who you are and what you stand for. This learning process does not happen overnight. It requires repeated exposures to the same core message, visual identity, and brand personality.

Consider McDonald’s. The golden arches are instantly recognizable worldwide. Whether you are in Tokyo, Paris, or Des Moines, you know what to expect when you see those arches. This consistency creates a sense of reliability that drives customer confidence. Customers may not always want McDonald’s, but they know exactly what they will get when they choose it. Consistency is a source of assurance for customers.

Brand consistency also makes your marketing investments more efficient. Every brand touchpoint reinforces the others. Your billboard reminds customers of your social media content, which in turn reminds them of your in-store experience, ultimately driving them back to your website. This compounding effect multiplies the impact of each individual marketing effort.

From a strategic standpoint, consistency communicates professionalism and intentionality. A brand that looks different every time you encounter it sends a troubling message: “We are not sure who we are” or “We lack attention to detail.” In competitive markets where customers have numerous choices, projecting stability and reliability through consistent branding can be a decisive competitive advantage.

The bottom line? Brand consistency is foundational to building brand equity. It is not optional for brands that want to establish a lasting presence in customers’ minds.

When Consistency Becomes Inflexibility

An uncomfortable truth many brand managers resist is that holding too tightly to brand consistency can damage your business. Markets evolve, consumer preferences shift, and cultural norms change. Brands that fail to adapt get left behind.

The business landscape is littered with examples of brands that confused consistency with inflexibility. Blockbuster Video maintained incredible brand consistency right up until they filed for bankruptcy. Everyone knew what Blockbuster was and what to expect from the brand. The problem was not a lack of consistency; it was an unwillingness to evolve their business model when consumer behavior shifted toward streaming. Blockbuster squandered a massive head start in the home entertainment category because of its inflexibility.

Similarly, Kodak held firm to its brand identity as a film company even as digital photography emerged. Kodak’s consistency became stubbornness, and the market moved on without them.

Where is the line between healthy consistency and destructive rigidity? The answer lies in understanding which brand elements should remain stable and which should evolve:

What should stay consistent:

Your core values and mission
The fundamental promise you make to customers
Your brand’s essential personality traits
The problem you solve for customers

What should evolve:

Visual design elements that become dated
Communication styles that no longer resonate
Product offerings that reflect current needs
Marketing tactics and channels

A clothing retailer can maintain brand consistency around quality and style while updating its merchandise to reflect current fashion trends. A restaurant can remain true to its culinary heritage while introducing menu items that cater to evolving tastes. These are not examples of inconsistent branding. They are examples of adaptive brands that know which elements define them and which elements support them.

Cultural awareness matters, too. What worked five years ago may now feel tone-deaf. Brands must assess whether their visual identity, messaging, and practices align with current social values. This is not about abandoning your brand; it is about expressing your core identity in ways that remain relevant.

The most successful brands master this balancing act. They protect their core identity fiercely while giving themselves permission to evolve everything else. They regularly ask themselves: “Are we holding onto this because it truly represents who we are, or just because it is what we have always done?”

Maintaining Brand Consistency

Brand consistency is essential for building recognition and trust, but it cannot become a straitjacket that prevents necessary evolution. The brands that thrive in the long run understand that consistency means being reliably themselves while having the wisdom to adapt.

As you evaluate your own brand strategy, ask yourself two critical questions:

Would our customers still recognize us if we changed this element? If the answer is no, protect it. If yes, consider whether it still serves your brand well.
Are we maintaining this for the right reasons? If something is central to your brand promise and customer expectations, keep it. If it is just familiar but no longer serves you, give yourself permission to evolve.

Brand consistency and brand evolution are not opposing forces. Rather, they are complementary. They work together when you understand which elements define your brand and which elements can flex to meet changing market conditions. Stay true to your core while remaining open to necessary change. Consistency is not just good branding; it is a savvy business strategy.

Permission to Rebrand

Change is hard. For companies that have spent years building trust and recognition, the decision to rebrand can feel like starting over. When Grammarly recently announced it was becoming Superhuman, some loyal users may have felt confused or even betrayed. After all, Grammarly was a name they have known and trusted for over 15 years. It’s a leader in its category. Why mess with something that works?

If you are the caretaker of a brand, remember this: Companies don’t need permission to evolve, and rebrands aren’t about throwing away the past. They’re as much about having relevance in the future as today. Whether it’s a new logo, a fresh tagline, or yes, even a complete name change, rebranding is often the most authentic move a company can make when its mission has grown beyond its original identity.

Why Stakeholders Push Back on Rebrands

When a company announces a rebrand, negative reactions are almost inevitable. Customers post on social media about how they “loved the old logo” or “don’t understand why this was necessary.” Employees might feel uncertain about what the change means for their roles. Long-time partners wonder if the company they knew is disappearing.

This resistance is completely natural. People form emotional connections with brands, especially ones they interact with daily. A familiar logo or name becomes part of their routine, almost like an old friend. When that changes, it can feel like a loss, even if nothing about the actual product or service has changed.

The truth is, stakeholders aren’t necessarily opposed to progress. They’re protecting what they value. They’ve invested time learning your brand, recommending it to others, and building it into their workflows. A rebrand can feel like that investment is being erased. They worry: Will the quality stay the same? Will the company depart from its original mission?

These concerns deserve to be heard, not dismissed. But they also shouldn’t stop necessary evolution. Grammarly’s transformation into Superhuman is a perfect example. The company didn’t abandon its writing assistant that millions depend on. Instead, it acknowledged that it had become something bigger: a complete AI productivity platform that includes Coda, Superhuman Mail, and the new Superhuman Go assistant. The Grammarly name no longer told the full story.

Giving Permission to Evolve

Here’s what many people miss about rebrands: They usually happen because the company has already changed. The rebrand just makes that change formal. By the time stakeholders see a new logo or name, the company has likely spent months or years expanding its services, shifting its focus, or reaching new audiences. The rebrand isn’t driving the change. Rather, it’s reflecting a change that already happened.

Think of it this way: If you grew up with a childhood nickname but later built a professional career, you might choose to go by your full name in business settings. You’re still the same person with the same values, but your identity now matches who you’ve become. Companies face the same choice. Do they keep a name that no longer fits, or do they embrace an identity that represents their current mission?

Grammarly gave itself permission to make this leap. The company recognized that calling itself a writing tool undersold what it had become: a comprehensive platform designed to unlock human potential through AI. The name Superhuman better captures that expanded vision. Yes, some users may initially roll their eyes, but they will eventually accept the rebrand. But the company’s core commitment—helping people work better and faster—remains unchanged.

For companies considering a rebrand, the lesson is clear: Don’t let fear of stakeholder resistance trap you in an outdated identity. Instead, communicate clearly about why the change matters. Show how the rebrand reinforces your mission. Bring people along on the journey by helping them see that the values they loved aren’t going away.

Rebrand: A Bold Next Step

Rebrands will always spark mixed reactions. Some stakeholders will immediately embrace the change, while others will need time to adjust. That’s normal. What matters is that companies have the courage to evolve when their mission demands it. The name on the door is less important than the trust and value delivered through that door every single day.

Grammarly earned trust over 15 years as a writing assistant. Now, as Superhuman, it has the opportunity to earn trust as something bigger: a platform that truly makes people more productive. The company didn’t need permission to make that change. It just needed to stay true to the values that made people care in the first place.

If your brand has outgrown its identity, you have permission to change. Your stakeholders may not all share the same enthusiasm for the new direction of your brand. If you’re honest about why the change matters and stay committed to what made you valuable, they’ll come along. After all, the best brands aren’t the ones that stay frozen in time. They’re the ones bold enough to evolve.

Think Brand Enhancement, not Brand Extension

The promises of brand extensions are seductive: New categories. New customers. New revenue streams.

Here’s what we don’t talk about enough: Most brands haven’t maximized their existing offerings.

Before you extend, enhance.

Enhancement means making what you already do better. Smoother. More valuable. It means removing the friction that drives customers away.

It means asking: Have we perfected this experience yet?

The answer is almost always “no.”

Brand extensions get the spotlight because they’re exciting. They are a novelty. Extensions give a reason to drop a media release.

Brand enhancements are quieter. They require focus on adding new value. They demand we admit our current offerings aren’t as good as they could be.

But that’s where the real opportunity lives.

Think about the last time a brand you love enhanced the customer experience. Maybe they made the buying process simpler. Or, you received a faster response to a question. Perhaps they removed a policy that always frustrated you.

Did that make you more or less likely to buy from them again?

Enhancement has a subtle cumulative effect. Every friction point you remove makes the next interaction easier. Every bit of added value makes the relationship stickier. Every improvement gives customers another reason to stay.

Extensions, on the other hand, are a risk. They might work. They might fail (most do in the long run). Even when they succeed, they often pull resources and attention away from other offerings.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: If you can’t delight customers with what you have now, why would they trust you with a new product, let alone a new category?

Brand enhancement isn’t passive. It’s not about maintaining the status quo. It’s about relentless improvement of what already matters to your customers.

In some ways, it’s more challenging than brand extension because it requires you to listen. To test. To iterate. To care about the details.

The brands that win aren’t always the ones that expand the fastest.

They’re the ones that make their existing customers say, “This keeps getting better.”

Enhancement doesn’t preclude introducing brand extensions, but it should come first.

Fix what you have. Make it remarkable. Then, if extension makes sense, you’ll be doing it from a position of strength.

Not because you’re chasing growth, but because you’ve earned the right to expand.

Telling (Brand) Stories

Every brand has a story (or more accurately, stories) worth telling. But not every brand tells it well. We are at a point in the use of brand storytelling that reminds me of the early days of the commercial World Wide Web. Brands realized the promise of online communication, but many of them struggled with how to do it in a relevant way.

Today, brands see the impact that stories can have on customers and other stakeholders. Yet, there is a learning curve to becoming effective storytellers. Who or what should stories be about? Which framework(s) should be used to craft stories? What are the best content types and channels to deliver stories? When your narrative aligns with your promise, people listen. A strong brand narrative strategy helps you stand out.

In short, you need a narrative strategy to guide brand storytelling. A key ingredient for an effective narrative strategy is authenticity.

What is a Narrative?

Before diving into the roles played by authenticity and adaptability, let’s start by clarifying what we are referring to when discussing brand narrative.

A brand narrative is the overarching story a brand tells about who it is, what it stands for, and why it exists. The narrative goes beyond products or services, connecting with values, purpose, and customer identity. Elements such as a brand’s history, mission, and personality are woven into a coherent story that people can relate to and remember. Think of a brand narrative as being like a positioning statement infused with emotion-laden layers to form a more complete picture of the brand. It is like a positioning statement in that a brand narrative gives direction to any storytelling tactics used in brand communications.

One of the most powerful ideas I have encountered as a marketer is to create your own story, or it will be created for you. Brand narrative strategy entails developing an intentional plan for articulating brand stories. The aim is to be consistent with messaging to leave no doubt about a brand’s value proposition and impact.

The Role of Authenticity

Developing a brand narrative strategy without considering authenticity ais a futile exercise. Authenticity must be a priority, not only for creating a brand narrative but in everything a brand does. The narrative must feel real, not a story forced into a template. Authentic stories evoke emotional responses that can create feelings of trust with the brand.

It is impossible to give proper coverage to authenticity in a single blog post, but keep three priorities in mind when it comes to developing an authentic brand narrative:

Clearly communicate brand values. Stories are an ideal platform for showcasing values. Let there be no doubt what the brand and company hold as priorities.
Show, don’t just tell, about values and priorities. The emotional impact stories can have is their secret power. Stories that are merely descriptive fail to take advantage of the power of story to connect with an audience on an emotional level.
Shine a Light on Others. The biggest mistake I see brands make with storytelling is that they turn the spotlight on themselves. Effective brand storytelling features customers, the community, or employees. The brand or company is along for the ride, or, using Donald Miller’s Storybrand framework, the brand is the guide. Make your brand stories about those people who are transformed by the brand in some way.

Be Authentic

The call to authenticity cannot be overstated. Think of authenticity as the anchor of a brand narrative strategy. The tasks of coming up with ideas for brand stories, creating them, and distributing them to audiences are streamlined when guided by brand authenticity. A brand’s identity becomes more stable and trusted over time with a brand narrative grounded in authenticity.

You’re Not for Everyone

In my MBA Brand Strategy class, students are competing in a brand simulation. Early results show a clear weakness for some teams. They are trying to serve three customer segments while only offering two products. That mismatch is hurting performance.

This exercise highlights a truth about marketing: You cannot be all things to all people. Very few brands have universal appeal. Some brands are seen as too expensive. Others are seen as too cheap. Some are disliked because of quality concerns. And some are rejected simply because people dislike the company itself. There are many reasons why a brand may not connect with everyone.

The lesson is simple: focus on the customers you can serve best. A brand does not need to win every customer. It needs to find the right ones. Those customers value what you offer and see it as worth their time and money. When you narrow your focus, you can create stronger value and stronger relationships.

My students are learning that the best strategy is to pick the segments where they have the greatest fit. They must make tough choices about who to serve and who to ignore. That is the essence of marketing. It’s not about pleasing everyone. It’s about creating value for the right people.

Great brands don’t try to be universal. They strive to be meaningful to their chosen audience. When you stop chasing every customer and focus on the ones who matter most, your brand grows stronger.

Don’t Hate on Big Brands

We’ve all been there. You ask friends for restaurant recommendations, and someone chimes in with “anything but chains, please!” Or, you’re looking for a coffee shop in a new city, and locals roll their eyes when you mention Starbucks. There’s a noticeable bias against big brand chains in our culture today.

While the love for small, local businesses is admirable, the automatic dismissal of chain stores and restaurants deserves a second look. These big brands didn’t become successful by accident, and they offer real value to communities and individuals alike. The truth is, supporting chains and supporting local businesses don’t have to be opposing choices. You can do both, and here’s why you should consider it.

The Real Benefits of Chain Brands

Chain restaurants and stores often get painted with a broad brush, but they bring genuine advantages that we shouldn’t ignore. First, there’s the reliability factor. When you walk into a McDonald’s in Maine or California, you know exactly what to expect from the customer experience. This consistency matters, especially for picky eaters or people with food allergies who need predictable ingredients.

Chain brands also create significant employment opportunities in communities across the country. A single Walmart can employ hundreds of local residents, while a new Chick-fil-A provides dozens of entry-level jobs for teenagers and college students. These positions often come with training programs, benefits, and advancement opportunities that help people build careers.

Don’t forget about franchising either. Many chain locations are actually owned by local entrepreneurs who live in the community. That McDonald’s owner might be your neighbor, sending their kids to the same schools as yours. They’re small business owners who happened to choose a proven business model over starting from scratch. Franchising allows people to become business owners with lower risk and built-in support systems.

Finally, chain brands often have the resources to innovate and improve in ways that benefit everyone. They can invest in sustainable packaging, healthier menu options, and technology improvements that eventually influence the entire industry. When Subway started offering more whole-grain options or when major chains committed to cage-free eggs, these changes sparked change throughout the restaurant industry.

Why We Love Local (And Should Keep Supporting Them)

The preference for local, independent businesses comes from a good place, and those feelings are completely valid. Local businesses give communities their unique character and charm. That family-owned Italian restaurant with recipes passed down through generations offers something no chain can replicate. The independent bookstore with a knowledgeable owner who remembers your reading preferences creates personal connections that matter.

Small businesses keep money circulating in the local economy. When you buy from a local shop, more of that money stays in your community compared to purchases from national chains. Local business owners are also more likely to sponsor Little League teams, donate to school fundraisers, and support community events in personal ways.

Independent businesses often take risks that chains won’t. They experiment with unique menu items, agree to carry products from local artisans, or create spaces that reflect the local culture. This innovation and creativity make our communities more interesting and diverse.

There’s also something satisfying about supporting the underdog. When you choose the local coffee shop over Starbucks, you’re helping someone’s dream survive in a competitive marketplace. You’re voting with your wallet for diversity and originality over corporate uniformity.

Avoid Chain Blame

The next time someone suggests avoiding all chain restaurants or stores, remember that business support doesn’t have to be an either-or decision. You can grab lunch at a local sandwich shop on Tuesday and enjoy the convenience of a chain restaurant on Friday night. You can shop at the independent bookstore for special occasions while picking up everyday items at Target.

Both types of businesses serve important roles in our communities. Chains provide jobs, consistency, and accessibility, while local businesses offer personality, innovation, and community connection. Rather than picking sides, we can make room for both in our spending habits and recommendations.

The goal isn’t to love everything about big brands or to ignore their flaws. It’s to recognize that they’re part of the business ecosystem that keeps our communities running. When we stop automatically dismissing chains, we open ourselves up to appreciating the full range of options available to us. Sometimes the best choice is the local spot, and sometimes it’s the chain. Both deserve a place at the table.

Just Say No to Constant Discounts

In today’s competitive marketplace, it seems like every brand is constantly pushing sales, flash deals, and discount codes (my favorite is the 1-Day Sale that lasts 3 days). Your inbox probably has at least one message with something like a “25% OFF TODAY ONLY!” offer right now.

But here’s the thing: Some of the most successful companies rarely offer discounts at all. Think about Apple, Tesla, or a luxury brand like Louis Vuitton. These companies have figured out something important: building a strong brand doesn’t require constantly slashing prices to entice buyers.

When a brand can attract customers without relying on coupons and discounts, it signals something powerful. It means they’ve created real value that customers are willing to pay full price for. This approach might seem risky in a world where deals are the norm, but it actually offers significant advantages for both brand perception and business performance.

Protect Brand Image

One of the biggest risks of frequent discounting is what it does to how customers see your brand. When people expect a coupon or sale price, they start to question the value represented by your regular prices. An unintended consequence can be that customers begin to see the discounted price as the “real” price and see no reason to pay full price.

Consider two coffee shops on the same street. One sends out weekly “Buy One, Get One Free” coupons, while the other maintains consistent pricing year-round but focuses on benefits like premium ingredients and exceptional service. Over time, customers will likely view the first shop as a budget option and the second as a premium experience. The discount-heavy brand trains its customers to wait for deals, while the consistent-pricing brand builds loyalty based on quality and customer experience.

This perception matters more than you might think. When customers see your brand as premium or high-quality, they’re more likely to recommend it to friends, remain loyal during tough times, and even pay higher prices than competitors. Luxury brands understand this principle well – they’d rather sell fewer items at full price than train customers to expect discounts. That said, you don’t have to market a luxury brand to position your offering on benefits, not price.

Building Stronger Financial Performance

From a business standpoint, minimal discounting directly improves your bottom line through higher gross margins. Every discount you offer reduces the profit you make on each sale. A 20% discount doesn’t just reduce profits by 20%; it often cuts profit margins by much more, since you still have the same fixed costs for materials, labor, and overhead.

Let’s look at a simple example. If a product costs $10 to make and sells for $20, that’s a 50% gross margin. But if you discount that product to $16, your gross margin drops to 37.5%. You’d need to sell significantly more units just to make the same total profit. Will the discount stimulate enough demand to offset the foregone margins? It is the classic “work hard versus work smart” dilemma; brands that are heavy users of price promotions must work harder to sustain profitability levels.

Brands that avoid frequent discounting also enjoy more predictable revenue streams. When customers aren’t trained to wait for sales, they purchase when they need the product, creating steadier cash flow. This predictability makes it easier to plan inventory, staffing, and growth investments.

I once worked for a company that relied heavily on price promotions. Yes, our deep discounts generated customer demand, but they also led to overtime at our factories, added transportation costs, and weary delivery drivers. The lower margins proved almost impossible to overcome, pushing the company to the brink of bankruptcy.

Another benefit for companies that maintain premium pricing is that they often have more resources to invest in product development, customer service, and marketing. The result is a positive cycle where better products and experiences justify higher prices, which fund further improvements.

Long-Term Advantage

Building a brand that can command full price takes patience and discipline, but the payoff is worth it. Instead of competing on price, these brands compete on value, quality, and customer experience. They attract customers who appreciate what they offer and are willing to pay for it. As a consumer, I appreciate a deal as much as the next person. As a marketer, I admire brands that have won at creating customer value by focusing on the benefits offered, not hoping to attract customers using price-based offers.

The above discussion doesn’t mean never offering any incentives. The key is being strategic about when and how you do it. The goal is to build a brand so compelling that customers choose you even without a discount. That’s when you know you’ve created something truly valuable.

The Logo Is not the Answer

Cracker Barrel learned a costly lesson in the court of public opinion this week. The restaurant chain unveiled a new logo that stripped away its beloved character, “Uncle Herschel.” He’s the man leaning against a barrel. The public revolted. News outlets and social media cast unwanted light on the brand. Shares of Cracker Barrel stock plummeted more than 20% in a short period. Within days, the company reversed course and brought back the old design.

This isn’t the first time a logo redesign has backfired. Gap famously retreated from its new logo in 2010 after just six days of customer outrage. Tropicana lost millions when customers couldn’t find their orange juice on shelves after a package redesign in 2009.

It appears that companies have not learned from others’ past mistakes. If the aim for a new logo is to solve deeper brand problems. It won’t.

Why Logo Changes Often Fail

Logo redesigns fail because they attack the wrong problem. Customers don’t just see logos as design elements. They see them as symbols of trust and familiarity.

When you change a logo, you’re asking customers to let go of their emotional connection. That’s a big ask. People resist change, especially when it feels unnecessary. They wonder: “What else is changing about this brand I love?”

Cracker Barrel’s customers didn’t just lose a logo character. They lost a piece of their dining experience. Uncle Herschel represents comfort, tradition, and home-style cooking. The new minimalist design felt cold and corporate.

Successful brands understand this emotional impact. They know their logos can carry decades of customer memories. Smart companies change their logos gradually over many years, if at all.

The real problem isn’t usually the logo anyway. It’s deeper issues like poor service, outdated products, or unclear brand promises. A new logo can’t fix those problems. It often makes them more obvious.

What a Rebrand Should Do

Great rebranding starts with substance, not symbols. Before touching your logo, examine what your brand actually promises customers. Are you delivering on those promises? If not, that’s your real problem.

Look at how customers experience your brand at every touchpoint. Is your website slow? Are your employees unhelpful? Is your product quality declining? Fix these issues first. They matter more than any logo ever will.

Tell better stories about your stakeholders. Share how your employees make a difference. Highlight customer success stories. Show your community impact. These narratives build stronger connections than visual redesigns.

Innovation drives successful rebrands more than aesthetics do. Netflix didn’t rebrand by changing their logo. They rebranded by shifting from DVDs to streaming. Apple didn’t just update their apple symbol. They revolutionized how we think about technology.

Focus on improving your customer experience. Make your service faster, friendlier, or more convenient. Create products that solve real problems. Build systems that actually work for people.

A common thread running through these strategies is increasing brand relevance. It can be argued that Cracker Barrel’s brand had become stale and even overlooked in the hypercompetitive full-service restaurant category. Brand redesign should be driven by enhancing relevance, not focused on addressing aesthetics.

When you do update visual elements, make them support your promises and experience. Don’t lead with them. The best rebrands happen when customers barely notice the logo change because they’re too busy enjoying their interactions with the brand.

Not a Lost Cause, But…

Cracker Barrel’s quick reversal shows they listened to customers. That’s good. The company is far from being in dire straits. Annual revenue is at an all-time high. The stock price today is 40% higher than it was a year ago. The underlying challenge for Cracker Barrel going forward is to maintain relevance, attract new diners, and keep loyal customers happy.

The answer isn’t in their logo design. It’s in their food quality, service speed, and restaurant atmosphere. It’s in how they make people feel when they walk through the door.

Your brand lives in customer experiences, not in design files. Fix the experience first. Everything else will follow.

Buying Influeners, not Brands

In today’s digital-first world, we’re not just buying products anymore. We’re buying into the people who recommend them. Social media has created a new kind of relationship between consumers and the voices they trust. These voices belong to influencers, content creators who have built loyal followings by sharing their daily lives, expertise, and honest opinions.

This shift is reshaping how brands connect with customers. Instead of traditional brand messages that feel polished yet soulless, people are drawn to recommendations from people they follow and admire. When an influencer shares their morning routine or reviews a product they actually use, it feels more like advice from a friend than a sales pitch. This personal connection is something most brands struggle to create with their customers directly.

The numbers tell the story. According to research, 69% of consumers now trust influencer recommendations more than traditional brand messaging. This trust has turned influencer marketing into a $33 billion industry that keeps growing every year. But why do we trust someone we’ve never met in person?

The Influencer Edge

Traditional brand marketing feels like a one-way conversation. Companies create carefully scripted ads, put them on TV or in magazines, and hope people will remember their message when they’re ready to buy. These ads sometimes use celebrity endorsements, but celebrities can feel far removed from everyday life. When a famous actor promotes a luxury watch, most people know they’re being paid well to do it.

Influencer marketing works differently. It’s built on real relationships and ongoing conversations. Influencers share their lives consistently—their successes, failures, and everyday moments (some may say the overshare, but that is a different conversation). This invitation to go on a journey with influencers creates a sense of closeness that traditional advertising can’t match. When a fitness influencer shares their workout routine and mentions the protein powder they use, their followers see it as genuine advice, not a sales pitch.

The content feels more authentic because it usually is. Good influencers only promote products they actually use and believe in. They know their reputation depends on maintaining trust with their audience. If they promote something that doesn’t work, their followers will notice and call them out. This accountability makes their recommendations feel more reliable than traditional advertising.

Another key difference is timing. Traditional ads interrupt what people are doing. They pop up between TV shows or articles. Influencer content fits more naturally into people’s social media feeds. People choose to follow influencers, so they’re already interested in what they have to say. This relationship makes the audience more open to recommendations.

Influencers also provide education along with promotion. Instead of just showing a product, they explain how it works, why they like it, and how it fits into their lifestyle. This helps consumers make better buying decisions. For example, RV influencers don’t just show off cool campers; they teach viewers about weight limits, battery systems, and safety concerns that dealers might not emphasize during a sale. Influencers do more than showcase products; they communicate how those products fit into a lifestyle that their followers desire.

Tapping Influencer Impact

Brands are learning that working with influencers requires a different approach than traditional advertising. The most successful partnerships happen when brands treat influencers as creative partners, not just another advertising channel.

The first step is finding the right match. Brands need to look beyond follower counts and focus on alignment. An influencer who genuinely uses and loves similar products will create more believable content than someone who’s just doing it for money. Keep in mind that the right influencers to partner with a brand may not have the greatest reach in terms of number of followers. I would rather reach 500 people who are a strong fit with my target market characteristics than 500,000 people with little to no fit. Influencers can help you reach those key 500 people.

Successful brands give influencers creative freedom. Instead of providing scripts, they share their goals and let influencers figure out how to present the product in their own voice. This approach works better because the content feels natural and fits with the influencer’s usual style. Followers trust the recommendation more when it sounds like something the influencer would normally say.

Long-term partnerships often work better than one-off posts. When an influencer uses a product over time and shares updates about their experience, it builds more credibility than a single sponsored post. This approach also helps brands get valuable feedback about their products from real users in real situations.

Brands should also see influencers as a source of customer insights. Many influencers interact daily with their target market and understand what consumers really want. They can provide feedback about product design, pricing, and marketing messages that focus groups might miss. Some companies even involve trusted influencers in product development, using their expertise to create better solutions.

The key is building genuine relationships rather than transactional arrangements. Brands that treat influencers as partners tend to get better results. These partnerships create content that doesn’t just promote products but also educates and inspires audiences.

Successful brands also understand that influencer marketing isn’t just about immediate sales. It’s about building awareness, trust, and long-term relationships with potential customers. When done right, influencer partnerships create a cycle where authentic recommendations lead to satisfied customers who then become brand advocates.

Fixture, not Fad

The rise of influencer marketing shows how much consumer behavior has changed. People want authentic connections and trusted advice, not a barrage of sales pitches. They’re buying into the lifestyles and values of people they follow, and brands that understand this shift have a huge opportunity.

The most successful approach treats influencers as creative partners who can bridge the gap between brands and consumers. When brands respect influencers’ relationships with their audiences and give them the freedom to create authentic content, everyone wins. Consumers get honest recommendations, influencers maintain their credibility, and brands build genuine connections with their target market.

This trend isn’t going away. As social media continues to evolve and younger consumers become more important to the economy, influencer marketing will only become more powerful. The brands that learn to work effectively with influencers today will be the ones that thrive tomorrow.

Meet your audience where they are, and where they are is consuming the content of their favorite influencers.

Why Cultural Relevance is Make-or-Break for Modern Brands

In today’s hyper-competitive markets, brands can’t just make good products and expect to succeed. They need another layer of benefits contributing to perceived value: cultural relevance. Having cultural relevance means being connected to what people care about, what they talk about, and what matters in their daily lives.

Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank recently put it perfectly when he said his company is “regaining cultural relevance” as part of turning around the brand’s struggles. His comments highlight a truth that many companies are learning the hard way: without cultural relevance, even great products can get lost in the crowd.

Cultural relevance isn’t about following every trend or being trendy for the sake of it. It’s about understanding your audience so well that your brand becomes part of their identity and lifestyle. When a brand makes this connection, customers don’t just buy products; they become loyal fans who recommend the brand to friends and family.

What Makes a Brand Culturally Relevant

Cultural relevance happens when a brand successfully connects with the values, interests, and conversations that matter most to its target audience. It can be the difference between a brand that people notice and one they ignore.

Four key elements create cultural relevance. First, authentic storytelling matters more than flashy advertising. People can tell when brands are genuine versus when they’re just trying to sell something. Brands that share real stories about their mission, their customers, or their impact tend to build stronger connections. Most brand marketers know this, yet they still struggle to meaningfully connect with audiences through storytelling.

Second, timing is everything. Culturally relevant brands know when to speak up and when to listen. They join important conversations at the right moments and in the right ways. They also know their audience’s interests beyond just their products, whether that’s sports, music, social causes, or lifestyle trends.

Third, community building creates lasting relevance. The best brands don’t just talk to their customers; they help customers connect with each other. This outreach might happen through social media, events, or shared experiences around the brand.

Finally, staying flexible and responsive keeps brands relevant over time. Culture changes quickly, especially with social media speeding everything up. Brands that can adapt their messaging and approach while staying true to their core values tend to maintain their cultural connection longer.

Under Armour’s Path Back to Relevance

Under Armour’s loss of cultural relevance offers lessons for any brand. The company defined its brand positioning by connecting with serious athletes and building a reputation for high-performance gear. However, somewhere along the way, they seemed to lose touch with what made them special to customers. In a recent meeting with financial analysts, Kevin Plank laid out strategic priorities for returning Under Armour to greater cultural relevance.

One major issue was trying to be everything to everyone. Under Armour moved away from its “gym-first approach” and lost focus on its roots in team sports. When brands spread themselves too thin, they often end up meaning less to everyone rather than meaning a lot to their core audience.

Under Armour also relied too heavily on professional athlete partnerships while missing out on connecting with everyday athletes and sports fans. While having famous athletes wear your gear is great for brand visibility, it doesn’t always translate to cultural relevance if regular people can’t see themselves in your brand story.

Now, Plank is outlining a clear path back to relevance. The company is shifting from a “primarily professional athlete-only model to an influencer-led network. The faces associated with Under Armour will include high school and college athletes as well as content creators.

The brand is also focusing on fewer products but making them better and more distinctive. This strategy of doing fewer things better can help rebuild the brand’s identity and give customers clear reasons to choose Under Armour.

Additionally, Under Armour is investing in direct relationships with customers through digital channels and improved storytelling. Building these connections helps brands stay relevant by understanding what their audience really wants and needs. It is an other-focused approach rather than traditional “look at us” brand marketing.

The Cultural Relevance Imperative

Cultural relevance isn’t a nice-to-have for modern brands. It’s essential for survival and growth. In a world where customers have endless choices, the brands that succeed are those that become part of their customers’ lives and identities.

Under Armour’s struggles and turnaround efforts show both how quickly brands can lose relevance and how intentional they must be about regaining it. The key lessons are clear: stay true to your roots, focus on your core audience, build authentic connections, and always keep listening to what your customers really care about.

For any brand looking to build or maintain cultural relevance, the formula isn’t complicated, but it requires commitment. Tell authentic stories, engage with your community meaningfully, stay flexible as culture evolves, and never forget why your customers fell in love with your brand in the first place. Get this right, and you’ll build more than a customer base; you’ll build a community that helps your brand thrive for years to come.