Analysis and discussion of issues that impact business

Organizations invest millions on building honorable brands, most claiming to strive for loyal relationships with buyers. Then why are so many crossing the line and mucking up the market for all of us with bad behavior?

Rebates that never happen, direct-mail fibs, deceptive ads, and promotions with more loop holes than a FEMA program -- every day, companies are sliming us with these scrappy marketing tactics. But the saddest part of the story is that this trash is not only coming from the pure evildoers, but from many well-branded, respectable companies.

If building brand equity is the goal, then equal importance should be placed on practicing all these behaviors:

• Be a category leader, the expert
• Maintain top-of-mind awareness
• Have a consistent message through all touch points
• Connect through emotions
• Always employ full integrity in your actions

So what happens to the last one? Do brands get so big that the top brand leaders don't know what¹s going on? (Maybe they went to the Ken Lay school of management?) Or does pressure to make short-term revenues override the value of honest, long-term relationships with customers?

Whatever the case, it’s time leaders take note, because they are damaging the trust for all of us as brand builders.

Many people believe that most business owners are just schmucks who are looking to take average suckers for as much as they can, while giving them as little as possible. My question is: Are they right, and if so, who will have the backbone to buck this unfortunate reality.