Some may say that “incorrigible, loathsome, and pragmatic” accurately describe me. This phrase is actually the ending sentence from this article about oil companies by Larry Dobrow. I agree. Brands, not just oil companies, sometimes strive too hard to be “liked” both in a real sense, but also as it relates to social currency. In a pursuit to win friends and improve perception, brands try to be perfect. They stop taking risks. They stop testing limits. They pull back on marketing R&D.
When this happens:
1.) Brands lose authenticity.. They become a distilled version of their former selves, hardy differentiated from the competition.
2.) Marketing efforts wane.
By being too perfect, too trendy, too polite, too accommodating, marketing suffers.