Many brands suck because they are not perfect. And here is why.
- Focus too much on profits instead of customers.
Among millions of for-profit companies and non-profit business organizations, so far, I have not found a specific brand that completely matches my personality, way of living and beliefs. So many American and European companies out there focus too much on maximizing earnings in the short-term rather then responding to what customers really need and want. And then, satisfying those needs and wants. Many bigger brands do not care about the local communities as much as smaller entrepreneurs do. And very often, profits do not stay locally, but are transferred to the country of origin of the multinational business to be distributed among shareholders.
- Sell poor products.
Many brands suck because they do not care whether their products really allow their customers to live better lives. Because, very often, large companies create products of average quality and then manage to persuade people through mass promotion to buy those average products. Many people are told through deceptive advertising that they really need too many products to make their lives happier. Maintaining high-quality of every single product produced is unfortunately being neglected way too often.
- Neglect employees.
Very often, low-paid employees who work for bigger companies are not given enough attention. And it works both ways. Those employees just want to get the paycheck and go home not really caring about their employers. These low-level employees do not care either who the customers are, thus do not add much value in this regard.
- Act unethically and often illegally.
In the world full of corporate scandals, being socially responsible is unique. And brands that suck often are unethical. There has been lots of new and old cases of unethical behaviors in the business world. For example, car companies destroying the environment through excessive exhaust emissions, soda companies not informing their consumers clearly what they actually drink while attempting to fund scientific research to downplay the connection between drinking soft drinks and obesity, hypermarkets not paying their workers for overtime, fast food chains feeding customers with expired meat, and many more. These unethical acts all create bad brand image.
So, to summarize, many brands suck because they are not perfect. And, they are not perfect because they focus too much on money instead of customers, sell poorly made products, neglect their most important asset which is employees and act unethically and illegally.
Do not make your brand suck! Please. Create your own brand. Make it shine!
