Christien Louviere

I have to admit being a bit fooled by her presentation on the Pontiac G6; however, I was quite skeptical about some of the things she said. 

Here is an example about how the right words mixed with a killer marketing strategy can make things looks peachy, but what happens when the consumer looks under the hood?  (pun intended)

Thanks to Brand Autopsy for bringing this article to my attention.

This article from brandchannel.com is decent on understanding why the decisonmakers at companies don’t understand the importance of brand integrity.  Mr. Nelson presents some background information on branding in a good way.  I don’t think much would surprise people that are in the business of branding.  The biggest problem we face is trying to get them to understand the concept of their brand.  It should have been understood during the conception of the business model.  Life isn’t perfect though.  However, this is a problem that has me a little aggravated each time I deal with a client.  Why do they look at branding as an extra cost and not an important business function?  It should be figured into the initial capital portion of the business plan.

The article specifically focuses on the lack of branding in the technology sector.  He even says that one marketing exec refers to branding as a "four-letter word."  Is there a way to measure apples to apples in terms of brand equity?  Can you measure brand loyalty?

Furthermore, Mr. Nelson explains that "accountability" is the new buzz word in marketing.  How can you hold the head marketing person accountable if the business owner doesn’t truly understand the position or the true value of their own brand?