Signs You May Have a Brand Problem

Lamborghini doesn’t need to run ads, neither does Kleenex.

Let me explain.

Who remembers those Barg’s commercials from the early 90s (perhaps you weren’t born yet).

Barg’s has bite! Remember those? They were everywhere.

Then slowly, they went away.

When was the last time you saw a Barg’s commercial, or even thought about Barg’s since the 90s? Had you heard of it before the 90s?

Barg’s new slogan is – It’s good! since 1898.

Barg’s has been around for over 100 years, but all I remember is that commercial (starring a young Nick Swardson) from the 90s.

This is an example of a well-targeted advertising campaign designed to saturate a market for a period of time to accelerate brand awareness, affinity, recall, and recognition (and ultimately sales).

But, it’s a ‘Flash in a Pan’ strategy.

While the campaign may not deliver a positive ROI in the short term, the long tail can be essential for the companies profitability.

Once your audience finds you, you may be able to throttle down on your ad spend. If sales ever dip, you can refresh, reinvent, relaunch… with another flash in the pan campaign.

Running ads 365 days a year requires a lot of effort, is incredibly expensive, and very time consuming.

There’s an important lesson here…

👉 If the only way your company can sustain growth is through paid advertising, then you may have a brand problem.

You’re ultimate goal should be to have people attracted to you without relying on advertising. Obviously, way easier said than done.