The Key To Building An Authentic Brand

This week, an article in my local paper by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd caught my attention.* It made some interesting points about how superstar Tiger Woods and White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers hid and remained silent when confronted with problems rather than dealing with them head on. Tiger and Desiree thought they were protecting their respective Brands.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Whether you're trying to build - or protect - your personal or corporate brand, one of the most important elements is honesty.

Your brand is the promise you make to your customers about who you are, your values, your differentiation and what you'll deliver. When you're clear about what you're offering and consistently deliver against your brand promise, your customers will trust you - because their expectations have been met.

If and when there's a problem with your brand, honesty is critical. Classic case in point - Tylenol. Even though it's been 27 years since Johnson & Johnson faced the death of 7 people due to pill tampering with their Extra-Strength Tylenol brand, it remains a textbook example of how facing the crisis with integrity is the best solution.

If you want to build an authentic brand and, in the process, something goes wrong, don't stonewall your stakeholders - as Tiger and Desiree did. Think it through, respond with truthfulness and be true to your brand. This is the only way to strengthen your brand and continue to build it.