The less experienced someone is in the field of branding, the more likely he or she is to hold a strong opinion on the subject at hand. No more so than when it comes to the topic of brand engagement: the art of building brand equity inside the organisation, where poorly conceived and executed campaigns are the equivalent of corporate kryptonite “ able to reduce the once strong and powerful organisation to the reputational status of an Enron.
Often the most powerful lessons one learns in one™s career is observing lessons in what not to do. Negative reinforcement is far more powerful and suggestive than positive reinforcement. Thus, if one is broadminded enough to scrutinise, document and accept observed failures in one’s organisation than one is not likely to repeat the mistake again.

However, like the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot sightings of this kind of behavior are rare amongst South African corporations. Who are often victims of “drinking too much of their own coolaid.

(more…)