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When market conditions change, an established brand, even a very strong brand, needs to develop to remain competitive. The exact developments will depend on the strategic goals of the company, the positioning of competitors (even for a market leader), and the speed at which change must be achieved. All these matters fall into the domain of strategic marketing, and the resultant plan will rely on careful execution of well defined marketing programmes.
Brand development contrasts with launch or market entry activities in its more controlled, precision approach. It is often very easy to damage an existing brand when trying to make significant developments too fast or to aggressively. Yet a more subtle, almost guerrilla like method can achieve effective results in a surprisingly short timeframe.
The key to brand development is a very clear understanding of both the start and finish points in the exercise, coupled with a programme of good customer relationship management applied to both existing and prospective customers. With this background a selective communication programme can be utilised to move brand perceptions in an incremental manner. - If the brand has little presence or value yet, it is usually better to approach the development as a re-launch.
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