And just one day I talked about authenticity...

... we have Volkswagen scandal, that illustrates how a brand can lose its equity and consumers' confidence with the wrong (and truly unethical and illegal) choice. Let's see where this ends, but, for the VW brand, this is a really harsh blow.

Don't ruin your brand's authenticity

For the past 6 months, "gym brand X" advertised that their competitors were not giving towel, or a gym bag for free - that everything was actually paid by the consumers. Which, makes sense, actually. But what doesn't make sense is that, now, "gym brand X" is starting a "get back to the gym" promo... offering a... new gym bag...

Guys, don't you ever do this! This ruins your brand's authenticity! The consumers that actually agreed with you, nodded, and said "we can't trust these gyms that are saying that they offer us stuff that we pay in our monthly fees; I am lucky because I can trust "gym brand X"" now look at your promo and realise that was just a marketing move - and they will not like it. Consumers are smart people (they are like you and me, we are consumers, actually...), they remember, they can see the dotted lines. So don't try to fool them.

Consumers nowadays have plenty of choice. Which is a great thing! And means that they can be pickier than before and simply choose or reject a brand based on values. Which makes a marketeer job even more exciting, and implies we know, defend and grow our brand's values and purposes. Your brand needs to stand for something, and you need to stand for your brand at the eyes of consumer. 

So, a piece of advice. Be authentic in every marketing move you do.

Would you temporarily re-name your brand?

Yes, you can do it. Nestlé is doing it now in 2015, with one of it's strongest brands. A bold move, Nestlé is re-naming KitKat to names like "Youtube Break" and "Adventure Break". 

The fact is, you can do this with your brand, if it is strong enough (KitKat equity is incredibly strong), your brand communication is more than its name (and, if you look at this link, you will find the brand visuals are kept) and if the new name is completely aligned with your brand equity / communication idea - and what more "kitkatish" would you have than remembering that this brand is all about having a break, and enjoying a moment of pleasure?