Brand Positioning | Selling Your Soul

The Visionary Chronicles Podcast CHRONICLE: January 11th, 2022 <p> </p> <p>"I put my heart and my soul into my work and have lost my mind in the process.."</p> <p>                                                                                                     Vincent Van Gogh</p> <p> </p> Brand Product Positioning | Selling Your Soul <p> </p> <p>Over the years, we have seen brands come and go, each with a different reason for not surviving. But most, if not all, have made the crucial mistake of Selling their Soul.</p> <p>This happens when a brand has carefully crafted a premium positioning in their respective marketplace and then decided to sell out and move into a channel their loyal customers did not expect or create a product not up to the brand's standards, much less the customer. So you end up Selling Your Soul for either short-term gain in exchange for long-term pain. Being a brand is much a lifestyle translation as it is a product. When you understand this, you know why you alienate your loyal community by cutting corners or putting your product where it does not belong.</p> <p>The fear of failure can sometimes outweigh common sense, which is devastating when it happens. I am sure there are many times when you ask yourself, "whatever happened to that brand?". Often, Selling Your Soul is a fatal mistake. You are selling your Soul to make a quarter in revenue, move excess inventory, or find a new distribution channel. There is a way for a brand to navigate these waters successfully, but you must not drown in the process.</p> <p>So what are the Rules for not Selling Your Soul?</p> <ol><li>Never go somewhere you do not belong. If you are premium, stay premium.</li> <li>Never make an inferior product. If you are best in class, stay best in style.</li> <li>Never let someone else out-innovate you. Always out-innovate yourself, not the competition.</li> </ol><p> </p> <p>Each of these points is meant to stop you from losing your Soul as a brand. This is something not given, but it is earned. The trust of your l