What is brand?

There is a common assertion that the concept of a brand regards the successful promotion of trade mark in the market, the formation of consumers' sustainable positive attitude to the product or to the company. This is noted by a significant number of well-known marketers. However, among these postulates nobody draws attention on the existence of inefficient brand as a market phenomenon and as a concept, which is worthy of independent existence.
In market conditions, the consumer chooses not goods and services, but the images in accordance with his unconscious, subconscious needs.  The very same concept of " brand" includes a set of associations in the mind of the consumer and has some emotional coloring.
It could be said that only a positive attitude to the brand or company forms a brand, but this is just a subjective opinion, since any product can cause both positive and negative associations, and as a result - the emotions, and therefore is a brand.

Let's emphasize the main causes of inefficient brands: 

1. Holding of ineffective advertising campaign.
2. Defective product or product, which does not match the developed positioning in advertising and / or is addressed not to the target audience.
3. Representatives of the brand (seller in the store or receptionist), become a source of negative experiences.

The main feature of the ineffective brand is short period of existence, the possible shortfall of profits and a possible unprofitability, characterized by no payback of spent means on its creation. In addition, ineffective brand can worsen the manufacturer's image and the credibility of its products at all.
It is known that negative emotions are much stronger than positive. Negativity is remembered for long. In addition, the consumer wants to share a bad impression with other people.
Incorrect represented positioning in the minds of consumers is able to evolve, pushing away new customers and reducing the loyalty of existing ones, leading to inefficient, short-term brand development.
If effectively established brand leads to the formation of secondary advertising ( brand information is distributed between consumers themselves), then ineffective brand transforms the secondary advertising into the anti-advertising (the same process only with a negative effect). The main danger in this case - is that the last one can be applied not only to the brand, but also the company itself.
Brand - is the result of promotion of trade marks, which may not be effective. Of course, no one is interested the last one. However, even recognized and profitable brands also carry the elements of ineffective brand in themselves. Since we believe that brand is a phenomenon of personal perception, then you can not exclude the fact that in some people this brand can cause negative memories, associations, emotions, does not like itself, or, in fact, advertising appeal regarding to this product can annoy itself.
Note that the brand has meaning only as a tool for business development. If thanks to the brand it doesn't take place and is not expected development (or short-term, or long-term) then brand is not needed. The problem is that the manufacturers, when deciding to create a brand must clearly understand what role the brand should play in the development of business: what target group to cover and due to what, how to resist the attacks of competitors, how to respond to constantly changing trends and needs of the market and so on.