Turning around a laggard brand?

I've been reading a lot of business articles from marketing experts lately who talk about ways to build strong brands. They talk mostly about carving out unique positions in the market, delivering superior value and making brand promises that resonate with the target market. They go on to discuss how these brands can then enjoy strong word-of-mouth advertising and gain lots of publicity that will make advertising less important in the success of the brand.

What they don't discuss is how difficult these things are to do for already established brands that are lagging.

What I believe needs to be said is that your branding must absolutely be considered during product development. Preferably, you will define the brand before you even begin product development.

You must begin the process of creating a product or service with the clear vision of what the final brand will look like, what promises it will make, and how you will deliver on those promises. Only then will you consider all the elements of a powerful brand and marry them with the required intimate knowledge of your customers. Only once you know what the brand *must be in its final state* can you then start to create a product or service that meets the requirements.

For established brands that are lagging, it can be very difficult if not impossible to create a strong brand from a weak product or service. A strong brand starts with a strong product or service.

Sometimes slick marketing and advertising just can't help a loser of an offering. You can't always put a fresh face on an old dog and make it do tricks. Sometimes you need a new dog.