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Your brand, your promise
When you create and deliver a brand you construct an image, an image that customers will use to evaluate your business. That image has a number of different tasks, depending on your business objectives, but it’s fair to say that all brands should give a true representation of a business’s values. Your brand makes a promise to deliver on its image.

However, if your brand image hides a different story, it’s very possible consumers who have bought in to your product or service will feel cheated. We all know that a cheated consumer is not to be messed with, as the web provides limitless outlets for customers with negative feelings.

Over the past ten years Innocent Drinks have built a £100 million brand by using well-penned copy, clever packaging and a minimal amount of advertising. Members of the Innocent fan club were regularly invited to participate in competitions that influenced products and packaging. In fact, they displayed all the hallmarks of a brand completely in tune with their customers.

Innocence lost
In April 2009 Innocent Drinks announced it had struck a deal with Coca-Cola. Innocent sold a stake in its company for around £30 million. This unexpected deal puts an entirely different spin on the Innocent brand, which many people felt was a home-grown British brand, offering a healthy, socially conscious alternative to the unhealthy, global, super brands.

The Innocent brand stood for honesty, healthy diets and environmentally friendly business practice. Which is world away from where Coca-Cola’s brand currently sits. Over the years Coca-Cola has been plagued by accusations of pollution, third world exploitation, market monopolisation and promoting unhealthy products, amongst other things.

The backlash
Since Innocent announced the deal, customers have begun to speak out against the company, claiming they have sold out on their values. Effectively they are being accused of breaking their brand promise. Groups have been set up all around the web to speak out against the deal.

Product sales are falling and boycotts have begun. Altogether, it would seem that Innocent’s bid to become a global brand has got off to a very rocky start.

Lessons we can learn
Innocent is by no means the first brand to suffer from take over backlash. Pret a Manger came under fire when it sold a stake to McDonalds, as did The Body Shop when it sold to L’Oréal. But these scenarios are an ideal time for marketers to engage with negative feedback. Social networks and blogs provide all the facilities that brand managers and marketers need to monitor customer reaction and connect with the key groups.

So, what can we all learn from these brands?

1.    Be honest when creating your brand
2.    Deliver your brand promise
3.    Listen when your loyal customers complain
4.    Respond to negative criticism and don’t attempt to cover it up

Posted Friday 11th of September 2009